Don't Forget About Me (Lovely Sequel)

Chapter Thirty Four - Alena's P.O.V

Chapter Thirty Four - Alena's P.O.V

As I opened the door from the stairway, I was met with Bentley running over to my feet and barking. I stepped up and closed the door behind me, careful not to let Bentley through. "Shhh boy, it's okay. Everything is okay." I leaned over and rubbed his head, trying to get him to calm down. My heart was already pounding. There was nothing I could do to prepare for facing Derrick right now.

I could see the Christmas tree in the living room from where I stood. Derrick had picked up where I left off and strung the lights around it, as they were plugged in and glowing through the darkness. It made me smile somehow, yet also reminded me how difficult this would be.

I turned down the hallway and continued upstairs, where I could hear Derrick watching TV from our room. I braced myself as I opened the door and walked in, keeping my eyes away from him and instead on my path to the closet in hopes to quickly change before he could notice anything.

"Alena, where have you been?" He shot up, his eyes following me across the room. His left hand held him up as his right one reached for the remote to turn off the TV, leaving me to be swallowed by the words circling through my head. "I called you several times and texted you, I was worried... I still I am." These last words were softer, both from his volume and from my distance in the closet. I changed rapidly, hanging my coat and hiding my dress in the hamper beneath some other dirty clothes. While I was pulling a long-sleeve crew neck over my head, I could hear the door being opened wider by Derrick. He looked at me from the doorway, waiting for a response from me that I couldn't quite give him.

"I'm sorry, I know I should've called you." I said this with my back turned to him as I rummaged through my drawer for my soft flannel sleep pants. Once I found them, I stepped into them and pulled them up to my waist, turning to face Derrick as I tied the waistband.

"I have been home for almost three hours without you here, and that doesn't even account for the time you were gone before I got home... I'm assuming you left before then since the only sign of you here today was all of the Christmas shit that was scattered all over the living room." His voice was somehow still calm, though more impatient than usual. I knew it was from a place of concern, not anger. Still it rattled my bones.

"I also grocery shopped." Not the point Alena.

"I didn't even bother looking, I wasn't going to cook if I didn't know where you were or what time you were coming home." Normally, he would've thanked me for taking care of that. Not that he ever needed to, we both lived here and shared such responsibilities. He just would out of the kindness and generosity in his heart. Not today, though.

"I just, had a small emergency, I really wasn't feeling well so I went back to the doctors and I just didn't have a chance to call. I should've, I'm sorry that I didn't." I started walking to the door, sliding through the small space between it and Derrick, who was leaning against the doorframe. Before I could escape to the bathroom, he had grabbed my waist from behind and pulled himself closer to me, turning me around to face him again.

"Yes, you should've called me. What did they say? What was wrong?"

"Everything is okay now, and that's what matters." I tried to give him a smile and looked in his dark green eyes. This hurt. "Derrick, please, I am sorry. You don't have to worry about it. I just want to eat something, I'm starving." He sighed, almost defeated. He pulled me in closer to him and kissed the top of my head.

"Go rest, I'll make you something." He then proceeded downstairs to the kitchen, and I climbed into bed with Bentley.

"What am I gonna do boy?" I looked at his smiling face, tongue out and almost drooling on the comforter. At least I had him to lighten the mood.