DEREK'S MATCH (DEREK #1) SAMPLE, NOW PUBLISHED

3. you're my match

YOU'VE BEEN MATCHED!

Nobody seems to move for a second or maybe it's just me. I must have forgotten to turn off the stupid feature from the last time when I downloaded it. Is this really happening? Out of all the women in here, much more thrilled for this, I'm the one that gets matched with Derek Collins? Famous actor, famous model, Derek Collins? What the hell is happening?

My phone finally stops vibrating but it's too late. I can feel everyone staring at me.

"OMG!" Kim gasps next to me.

I can't believe this. I can't be his match. This app can't be more off. Now I know it's bogus. I'm the least impressed with him here. Yes, he's handsome and hot and good to look at but in the few minutes that I've seen him interact with other people, I've come to find how obnoxious and entitled he is. I hate people like that. There is no way I'm going on a date with him, no matter how many millions of followers he has.

I look down at my drink and, from the corner of my eye, I see Derek move through the crowd towards me. I ignore the nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach. It's just another, normal guy, Savannah, just another guy.

Except he's not. He's a celebrity. How do you act normal around a celebrity? Well, I'm about to give it my best shot. He's probably expecting me to be over the moon excited to be matched with him. He probably thinks I'm going to jump right into this and ask him if we can have this date tonight. Before he even speaks, I know what he's expecting of me and I'm ready to be the exact opposite. I've never been like everyone else and I'm not going to start right now.

"So, you're my match," he says as he stands on my right side.

I try to ignore how good he smells.

"I don't think so," I say without looking at him, still mentally preparing myself for this.

"What's your name?"

I finally turn my head and look up at him. His voice is manly and very matter-of-fact with amusement. I find myself glancing down at his Adam's apple. I'm sitting down so he towers over me, making him look even more intimidating but not to me, at least that's what I tell myself. I forget what I was going to say when I look into his eyes. They're blue. It's a shade of blue I haven't seen before, at least not in person. It's an electric blue. They're beautiful. Damn him. He's even more attractive up close. How is he even real?

"That's for me to know," I say, proud of how stable my voice sounds.

He chuckles, showing off his straight white teeth. I notice he has a sharp jaw and I wonder how many millions of dollars it's gotten him. His blue eyes move down to my drink and then he looks back up at me. "I'll call you Gin, like your drink."

I shrug. "I like gin."

His lips quirk up in a grin. "So do I." he leans on the bar and looks at me. I can feel everyone's eyes on me. I'm so glad my hair falls over the left side of my face, preventing me from looking at them. The music is still playing in the background but somehow, the room feels like it's silent. "I guess I owe you a date."

I take the last sip of my drink and take out some cash and place it on the bar before standing up. "No, you don't." I tell him looking at him and I hear some gasps behind me. I'm pretty sure one of them came from Kim. I stand and look right into his eyes. "I don't want to go on a date with you."

The smirk fades from his face. He looks confused and maybe angry and I like it. I know in that moment that he is way too used to getting everything he wants. This may be the first time he's meeting rejection. I'm proud to be the girl to introduce him to it. I know he needs it.