Sealed With A Vow

Chapter 13- Freedom at Last

Claire's POV

When I walked into Dustin's apartment, the first thing I noticed was how unorganized it was. He had tons of stuff scattered everywhere on the floor, but apart from that, it was a pretty nice place. However, with a little bit of rearranging, I bet it'd be tidy in no time.

"Sorry if it's a bit messy. I'm still deciding what to bring to college," Dustin remarked, scratching the back of his head.

Oh, so that's why.

"No problem," I reassured with a smile.

He led me to the spare bedroom, which was located directly across from his. It had a full-sized bed, dresser, and nightstand. I could tell that no one ever slept in it based on how clean and empty it looked.

To be honest, I did feel kind of awkward being alone with Dustin in his apartment. But I reminded myself that it was only temporary and besides, he was a nice guy that I could easily talk to. I bet in a couple of days, I'd get used to it.

As I was putting my suitcase into the closet, I couldn't help but wonder what Derek was doing right now. He probably was out celebrating with his friends now that I had finally left, and he could be free to do whatever his twisted heart desired.

Just the thought of his face made me want to throw up. I hoped I'd never have to see him again for the rest of my life. I could just imagine the headline: 24-year old Derek Weston- CEO of Weston Hotel Group- Dies From Rare Shark Attack.

Ok, maybe that was a little bit too far. But still, he deserved to suffer for everything he'd done to me.

That night, Dustin and I ordered a pizza for dinner and we watched a movie. I ended up falling asleep on the couch like I usually did and dreamt of my good old college days.

The following morning, Charlotte called me and I let her in on my current 'situation'. She became outraged and swore into the phone when I told her about the night I'd had dinner with Derek's parents and how his mother had acted like a bitch.

"And don't even get me started on the whole deal with his chocolate cake," I said, rolling my eyes as I remembered that day.

"What happened?", Charlotte asked.

"I was sick, and he made me bake him a cake for his stupid banquet at work. And do you know what time it was? Freaking ten o'clock at night."

"Holy shit, he's mental I tell you," she blurted.

"And that's not it. The following night, he came home and told me that my cake had tasted like shit," I continued.

"But you were sick! That bastard!", she exclaimed into the phone.

"Tell me about it," I agreed with a heavy sigh.

"You never would've left, though, if he'd been a considerate guy, right?"

"Of course I wouldn't. You know, sometimes, when Derek does something nice for me, I can actually imagine myself spending the rest of my life with him."

"But how often is he like that?", she prompted.

"Like, never," I scoffed.

"Sad. Listen, I'll stop by after work tomorrow and we can go out for dinner or something," Charlotte offered.

"That sounds great. Dustin's at work right now, so I'll probably go jogging for a bit."

"Ok. How's Dustin by the way?"

"He's cool," I replied.

"Do you like him?", she asked in a suggestive tone.

"No! Well, as a friend, yes. But I don't like him that way," I quickly responded.