Degraded

Chapter 20-Derek

"Hey Sam how was your day?" I ask, my mind wanders and I can't think straight. I hope everything will be back to normal soon.

"Fine. You?" She answers. God, she is beautiful, I think. I shake my head.

"Your shaking your head?" She says, badinaging with me.

"Oh, sorry." I answer. Her eyes light up with amusement. I love when she does that.

"Do you want to do something this weekend?" I ask, anticipating she says yes and we can put this behind us.

"Sure. Can we go to the mall?" She questions. Girls and their love for shopping. Of course, I don't mind, but it's not my favorite thing in the world.

"Sure. On me, of course." I answer.

~~~

Driving up to Sam's house, she comes out looking more gorgeous than ever. She wears high waisted shorts and a tank with sandals. I hate to say, but it arouses me.

Everything between us seems to go smoothly on the way to the mall and we haven't argued about anything, giving me hope.

I look forward to the day when everything is completely normal between us, even though I know it takes time. As my mom always said, 'time needs time.'

"Hey." She greets me. She seems like she is keeping her distance from me, making me frown mentally.

"Hello. Ready?" I respond. She hops in the car and I slowly press on the gas.

"Yeah." She answers. Keeping it short and simple, that will always be her.

I feel a little distance between us, yet I feel hopeful that we soon will become close.

When we arrive at the mall, we both stride in unison. I am anxious to reach for her hand, but don't want to push it too much. She is already giving me a lot, considering what happened.

We both want to work on this relationship together, so we are both trying to put the past behind us.

I changed, and she seemed to change too. I am not the arrogant jerk I used to be, and she is more open. I think her brothers words helped her and me both.

~~~

After we finished shopping, me spending my saved money and her having a splendid time doing it, I drive her home.

I park the car parallel (the first driving test I failed that part), and I usher her to the doorstep. She gets her key and unlocks the door to go in.

Just as I am about to leave, she rises onto her tip-toes and pecks me on the cheek. All in one moment, she swiftly closes the door and goes inside.

Woah, is the only word I can think of to describe that moment.