The Legacy Continues

14: You've Left A Mark

I was waiting outside Derek's room with a butler for the doctor to let me in after his check up. I felt relieved when finally the door opened and the doctor gave me way to come in. I saw Derek lying in his bed with shorts on now.

"Is he alright, Doctor?" I asked.

"Yeah, your boyfriend is absolutely fine, no need to worry."

"Oh, he's not my boyfriend."

"Oh, my bad, never mind. He's perfectly fine, a minor sprain. I'm surprised you even called, Derek. I've seen you worse and still not care about your health."

"Oh, haha, I just really care about my body now since there are people getting jealous over it," he looks at me and I stop mid-punch when I realise the doctor is still here.

He smiled at us, "I'll be going now, you two take care."

"Thank you and Good bye," I said and the butler took him out.

"Are you feeling better now?"

"I could feel better," he says patting the side on his bed, with a lustful smile on his face.

"Stop it! It's not even funny anymore." I said.

"Who said I was joking?"

"Derek. Stop."

"Okay, fine. But you can't go back to your room now, you know that, Right?"

"And why is that?"

"Hello, because of the life threatening incident that just took place, I can't stay alone after this. It's obvious that I can't be trusted for my welfare."

"Come on, quit joking."

"I'm serious, I need someone by my side to reapply the ointment on my sprain, it feels cool-cool and niceish."

"I don't know, Derek."

"Please, Ashley. Pretty please. You can go home first thing in the morning, I won't even come with you. I'll be really uncomfortable if you leave in the middle of the night."

"Well okay, I'll take the sofa and reapply your ointment after an hour."

"No, Ashley. Wait." He said and started rearranging the pillows from his side to the middle, making a pillow wall in between.

"What are you doing?"

"Warte, warte."

"You're stupid!"

"See," he said showing me the big pillow wall on the bed, "Now you don't have to sleep there, the sofa is mostly for decoration, it isn't comfortable at all."

I looked at it and he was right, it really wasn't.

"Please, just come to bed. The pill doctor gave me is already making me dizzy." He said.

I went to the other side and slipped under the covers, "Good night, Derek."

"Good night, Ashley." Derek said.

I have already slept with Derek by my side in my room so it wasn't a very big deal. In fact, this is the first time we had a pillow wall between us.

After some minutes I heard Derek snore and I knew he was asleep.

I reapplied the ointment on Derek's leg thrice before I fell asleep myself.

                                        ****

I woke up early and it took a while for my eyes to adjust to the light, my dorm room never has such bright mornings. I looked at my right and there lied Derek on his stomach, still asleep, his mouth open, his hair dishevelled and features relaxed. He looked so peaceful, so handsome.

Looking at him sleeping so peacefully set my mind at peace as well. I thought about Ridge's question. Did I ever have feelings for Derek?

It has always been a difficult question for me, but right at this moment, I'm certain. I'm certain that I did.

The naive girl Derek loved, loved him back.

Shit, I loved him, "I loved him," I say to myself, really low, I looked at him and he was still asleep.

But it doesn't matter, the question is, if I still love him?

I don't, at least not enough to forgive him and move on from what happened.

Will I be able to love him ever again? That's what I don't wanna find out. I don't have the energy to find out.

I looked at him one last time, before sitting up on the bed. I sat up straight and was about to climb out of the bed, when something about Derek struck me.

I looked back at him, at the back of his neck was something that wasn't his hair.

It was ink.

Now that I think of it, I have never seen him wear a polo shirt before, He doesn't look like someone who wears Polos.

Last night he had slipped and still managed to wear a shirt before I could come into the bathroom.

Now that I think about it, his collar was up the entire night, I hesitantly took my hand closer to him, I hesitated but lifted his collar up after a while.

It was a tattoo, at the middle of his neck, An anchor and just below it an 'A'.

That is the last thing I remember seeing, as I sprinted out of his bed and house in the next few minutes. I don't remember driving back or climbing the stairs or unlocking my door.

But I was now in my room and I needed to clear my pounding head, so I took a pill and went to bed.

I want it all to be a dream.