I'll Be Right Here | ✔

41 | where am i?

Aaliyah

IT'S NOT EVERYDAY you wake up in someone else's bed. Or I must be still dreaming. I close my eyes for a few more minutes, reevaluating my life. "Gianna!" I cry in the midst of my sleep. Suddenly, I hear and sound of footsteps at the door. I open my eyes up totally unaware of what's happening. "Derek?"

Standing in front of the doorway is Derek with only shorts on. I turn beat red at the sight of his abs. "Is everything okay?"

"Y- yeah, I just had a nightmare," I start get up when I realize that this isn't my room. Or someone changed the lilac wall's to baby blue ones plastered with baseball posters. "W- where am I?"

"Uh about that," Derek chuckles. He scratches his neck and I side eye him.

"The last thing I remember is being at a party with Kat," I start. Suddenly Derek's face turns solemn. "Derek, what happened."

"Aaliyah," he hesitates, " you got drunk. "

"Me?" I look at him in disbelief. How can a timid average girl suddenly get drunk at a party ― that being her first party?

"You seriously forgot?" Derek's eyes bulge out.

I wrinkle my eyebrows. Had something gone wrong at the party? "Yeah, why?"

He stands there stunned. "D'you know how many drinks you even had?"

I count on my fingers. "Seven, but they were all shots."

"Aaliyah," his eyes grow wide, "do you know how dangerous that is?"

"It was for a dare, okay? Now how did I end up here?" I signify to his room.

He blushes furiously. "You were drunk and needed a ride so..."

I roll my eyes. "You could've just dropped me home!"

"And leave you alone, drunk?" Derek looks at me like I'm crazy.

I fold my arms. "I can take care of myself."

"Clearly," he mutters.

"What was that?" I rise out of the bed, only to realize I have no pants on, except for a long sleeved shirt. "Derek, what the hell?"

He smirks. "You were feeling hot, so I took the initiative."

"I- I'm not one of your dolls, Derek!" I start walking to the bathroom.

"Where you going?" he asks frantically.

I point to the bathroom, that's attached to his room. "The bathroom, don't even think of disturbing me."

"I won't," he smirks. "Oh and also I fixed a toothbrush and toothpaste for you. Your favorite kind," he winks.

"W- what? My favorite kind?" I enter the bathroom only to find the 3D Colgate toothpaste lying against the sink knob. 

How the hell does Derek know my favorite toothpaste brand? I mean, is that easy to guess? I look in the mirror at my (mostly) white teeth. Hm, maybe it is.

---

AFTER SPENDING THIRTY minutes (although I wish I'd spent more, but I can't because I'm in Derek's bathroom) in the bathroom, I open the door to the smell of omelet. My tongue waters. "Mm." I make my way down the spiral stairs with glee and suddenly stop, when I'm face to face with Derek. He eyes me down with a soft smile. "You like omelet?" I nod my head. "How about cheese?" He holds the omelet towards me, as it glops. I look away in disgust.

"Not cheese."

"C'mon! Cheese omelet is the best!" he whines.

"According to you," I murmur.

"So, now I'm some kind of weirdo who likes cheese omelet?"

I sigh. "I didn't mean it like that, Derek."

"No, it's okay," he looks away. By now, I can't even tell if he's joking.

"Derek, I like cheese. But just not on omelets."

"But omelets are what make them good! C'mon, just try one little piece!"

I roll my eyes. "Fine." His face lights up and he forks a mouthful of omelet gently into my mouth. "I can feed my ―" The taste of the cheese omelet immediately hits me and I back away in reaction. 

Derek looks at me in awe. "See?"

"How did I not try this before?" I start digging in, but he pulls away the pan.

"Relax, cutie. Lemme just put it in a plate, and you can have it."

"Oh right, sorry," I didn't realize how rambunctious I was being.

"It's okay," Derek looks at me, as his light brown hair falls into his eyes. He sets down the plate with the omelet in my hands. "C'mon let's eat outside."

"Oh uh..." I frantically search for the time. "I should go, Derek."

"And get caught by Rachel?"

I send Derek a look. "I'm already caught Derek, w- what do you mean?"

He scratches his neck. "Uh well, I might've texted Rachel, telling her you were at Kat's house."

I shake my head. "You what? How did you even get Rachel's phone number?"

He smiles dumbly. "From Kat, where else?"

"And she fell for it?" I doubt Rachel is that easy to convince.

"It just took some convincing, and she fell for it." I look at him, dumbfound. For some reason, Derek keeps on amazing me every day.

Derek sets down the plates. "Now, the real question is how you ended up going to a Juniors and Seniors party only."

I sigh, realizing there's no way out of this. "Kat convinced me. She said that her sister got us in, and anyways, I didn't even realize it was a Juniors/Seniors party until we got there."

"Well, where was her sister?"

I shrug my shoulders. "Probably making out with Zach."

"Zach Collins?" Derek's eyes seem to grow wide.

"I think. I'm not exactly sure, why?" Derek seems to be in his own La La Land. "Hello? Earth to Derek?" I wave my hand over his face.

He looks up. "Oh yeah, I just. Zach Collins is a pretty weird guy. And you said her sister was making out with him?"

"Well, I'm not exactly sure. I was actually ―"

"We should probably eat," Derek signifies to our omelets that are now getting cold.

"Uh yeah," I pick at the omelet dryly.

"What's wrong?"

I look up at Derek. "Oh nothing, I just ― I shouldn't have gone to that party."

"Me neither," he sets down the plate.

I look at him, surprised. I hadn't quite expected him to agree with me. "Oh well. I guess we're both mad at ourselves, then."

He chuckles. "I guess we are."

I look down at the circle shaped yellow omelet and then, look up at Derek. "Thanks."

He doesn't even taunt me like he usually does. Instead he just looks at me with a simple smile. "No problem."

And somehow those words mean everything to me. Like, me being in his life wouldn't be any hassle. God, I wish.

~~~

hi :)

sorry if this isn't that good + for not updating earlier. i've been constantly going back to back in this story, and then contemplating things. is this story really worth finishing? idk anymore. y'all probably don't care either. alright, well i hope u like this n ily... sm ♡

― AK 💜