DARKSIDE

29 | Home

It was quiet the entire ride back home, soft music the only sound inside the car. There was a smile present on Nova's lips, blush not going away from her cheeks for the feeling of her hand being engulfed in the larger one of Derek's was warming all of her insides.

There was an ever-present tingly feeling in the entirety of her palm which left her wondering if she was acting way too silly and if she should get her act together.

That thought however went out the window when she looked up from her lap and over to the man beside her she saw he wore a soft, sweet smile on his gorgeous lips as well. It was tiny, barely there but from where she sat, that little tilt of the corner of his lips was as visible as that little crease just above them was. And after noticing that, there was nothing stopping Nova from squeezing his hand when they stopped for a bit at a red light.

She looked down blushing when all Derek did in response to that was to lift her hand up to his lips and to press a soft, sweet kiss on her knuckles. He was so sweet and she was so gone.

Looking out the window when the car begin moving again Nova noted that they were not very far away from their penthouse and as she was preparing herself for whatever was to come after, she was left confused when she saw the way to their penthouse pass by them; Derek not stopping to make the turn.

She whipped her head towards him, confused, only for him to look down at her; that small smile now gone but a soft look still there assuring her that his mood wasn't foul.

Before she could ask him, he muttered that same word again.

"Home."

It was that look on his face this time, a certain darkness in his eyes that suddenly had a click going in her head, finally catching onto where they were going. Home. His home. Their penthouse wasn't home, not yet. It was still that house back in Cambridge and that's where they were going now. Home.

*

She hadn't really planned on falling asleep but she still found herself waking up when she felt a soft tickle on her palm. She wasn't startled per se and that was what had her feeling all warm. It was a warn December night it would seem, all warm just for Nova. And the source of her warmness seemed to be the person seated beside her.

"We're here," he announced slowly.

Nova sat back straight, fixing her dress coat, her hair and hiding a yawn behind her hand. She was looking for her purse when the door on her side opened, the chilly December air making its presence known now. But it wasn't quite hitting her on full blast, as the sound of the wind gushing indicated, and that would most probably be because of the male figure who stood there opening the door for her with one hand, and holding her purse in his other one.

And there it was the warm feeling filling all of her. Hiding her blush behind the curtain of her hair, she got out of the car and took her purse from him as he proceeded to shut the door close. They were already parked in Nova's garage it seemed, because right in front of her was Derek's house— still as dark and eerie as she remembered it to be.

She looked around at her own house and saw how the only tree in her garden, the apple tree, still had apples on it. It must be Gilliam's work, he had been complaining all winter last year how he wanted to protect the tree from the harsh winter and had ended up watching all kinds of YouTube videos and reading up blog posts about it.

The feeling of a hand against her waist brought her back to the now and she looked up at her side to see Derek looking ahead, away from the tree and towards the entrance of her house. Smiling up, she took his hand and began walking towards her door.