Another Love Story (Book 2.5 of selection fanfics)

Chapter 9

WARNING: This chapter contains spoilers. If you have not read Another One, do not continue unless you wish to be spoiled.

I expected Derek to throw something. To get angry, to react in any other way than what he did. I think both Samuele and I expected anything else. Anything other than Derek blaming himself and apologizing to us.

Which is what actually happened.

It was then that I realized how close the two of them were. They were like brothers bonded by something other than blood. And I finally understood why it had been so hard for Sam to tell Derek about us, about how he'd convinced me to break one of the rules of the Selection. How he'd done the one thing he wasn't supposed to do.

Sam explained everything, rambling as his nerves got the better of him, while I sat and watched. We were both guilty. Sam may have been the one to pursue me in the beginning, but, at some point, I stopped running away from him. At some point I gave in to the chase.

The entire time, I waited for Derek to give me the boot and ruin any chance I had of helping Ezra out of Allens. Yet, he surprised me again.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I made you feel as if you couldn't tell me," Derek shook his head, his gaze finally straying towards me. "If you want to leave, well...I understand."

I frowned, confused. If I wanted to?

"You mean...I don't have to leave?"

Derek blinked, exchanging a glance with Sam, who looked just as bewildered as I felt. "Well...if I'm being honest, Lady Liana, I don't have any romantic feelings towards you. Though, I suppose I know now you don't have any for me, either."

He laughed a little at that, nervously, as I tilted my head. "So why keep me here? It's not like the public really likes me all that much either."

Sam looked as though he wanted to object at my comment, but Derek explained. "Well, I kept you here for, ah...for someone else."

I grinned slowly as I realized what he meant. "Erika. You kept me here for Erika."

Derek rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, cheeks flushing in embarrassment as he neither confirmed nor denied my guess. Though his blush said otherwise.

"I think what he's trying to say," Sam cleared his throat, giving Derek a pointed look. "Is that you have two options. You can stay here. Or you can come to Italy. With me."

I gulped.

Sam gave me a small smile, squeezing my shoulder. "I'm not going to tell you what to do. I can stay here for a while still, but I'm going to have to go home eventually. And...well, I'd like to take you with me when I do."

I nodded, sucking in a breath as I turned to Derek. "I'll stay. At least until you ask my best friend to marry you."

Derek spluttered, backtracking as he claimed that he was nowhere near making a decision. But I caught a glance at Sam's satisfied smirk and felt him squeeze my hand, confirming my suspicions.

Even though he refused to admit it, Derek was in love with Erika. I didn't know when or how, but I knew she would be the one he proposed to.

~~~

Derek confirmed my suspicions the day after Christmas. I'd never seen him so happy as he explained his plans to pop the question during the New Year's Eve party. But what it really made me realize was that I couldn't stop waiting for life to just happen. I had to make things move on my own.

And that was how I found myself on a plane, hand in hand with Sam, flying halfway across the world to Italy. Before the Selection, I'd never even left Allens. Never even seen the ocean. The entire flight, I couldn't tear my gaze away from the window, not even when we landed.