Endless obsession

Chapter 33

I watched Derek pace back and forth in the kitchen. I could tell he was frustrated, and rightfully so. The police had no leads on Andrew whatsoever. Everything was at a standstill and both of our lives were in danger. I felt incredibly guilty for getting Derek into this mess.

"I'm sorry." I said barely above a whisper. "I didn't mean to drag you into this."

"Don't apologize, you have nothing to be sorry for. You didn't drag me into anything, I came willingly." Derek said, reassuringly.

He pulled me into a hug, and I felt myself start to shake. I couldn't hold in the sheer terror I was feeling anymore. I felt like I was in an eternal loop of pure chaos. No matter how hard I tried to move forward, I just kept falling backwards.

Derek rested his head on top of mine, rubbing soothing circles on my back.

"What am I supposed to do?" I asked, trying to steady myself.

"You're not alone peaches, I'm right here with you. We'll get through this, I promise. I lost you once, I'm not willing to do it again." He said, placing a kiss on the top of my head.

I let out a shaky breath before pulling away from Derek. "I need some air."

Derek followed me into my bedroom. I opened my window and crawled out onto the fire escape. I was just starting to sit down when Derek crawled out behind me. He sat next to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

"If you had told me 6 months ago I'd be sitting here with you, I probably would have laughed." I said matter-of-factly.

Derek chuckled, "yeah, I wouldn't blame you. We've definitely come full circle."

"And then some." I laughed half heartedly.

We sat in silence as we watched the sun set over the horizon. It was strange how peaceful it all felt.

"Do you remember the first time we watched the sun set?" I asked, breaking the silence.

Derek smiled, "how could I forget. That was our first kiss."

I laughed, "well that, but I was talking about the color the sky was."

Derek laughed sheepishly, before following it up with a simple 'Oh'.

I leaned my head against his shoulder, prompting him to rest his head against mine.

"Why does this feel so normal?" I asked bluntly.

"Despite all that shit we've been through, it's the familiar feeling of being together." He said, lovingly.

For some reason, I was satisfied with his answer. I left the conversation at that.

The sun had set long before we finally went back inside. I'm convinced the only reason we went back inside is because we were hungry. The awkwardness between us was finally gone. It just felt normal to be with him now. Maybe Maddie was right. Did I ever stop loving him?

~*~

"Are you sure you should be going to class?" Derek asked, worry etched across his face. 

"I'll be fine." I said throwing my backpack over my shoulder.

Derek crossed his arms and frowned. He was worried Andrew would show up at the college and try something. Luckily the police notified the college of what happened. Starting today, there would be security at every door.

I sighed, placing a kiss on Derek's cheek. His eyes went wide in shock.

"Stop worrying so much. Everything will be fine, I'll see you later." I said quickly exiting the apartment.