"What Are You Waiting For?" || ORIGINAL STORY.

Chapter Eight.

Darren's POV.

As I watched the girls walk away from the car, I couldn't help but stare at that girl.

Tanya.

She seemed to be purposefully avoiding my gaze, yet her eyes would occasionally flicker in my direction, as if she couldn't help herself.

I clenched my jaw, feeling a mixture of annoyance and fascination towards her.

And my brother liked her?

Eh.

I started driving ahead, Anika occasionally looking at me while scrolling through her phone.

"You're unusually quiet," She mentioned.

I didn't immediately respond, keeping my eyes on the road.

"And you're brooding more than usual," Anika added, still eyeing me.

I rolled my eyes, not in the mood for her observations.

"I'm not brooding," I retorted, but I realised how unconvincing it sounded.

"Older bro, how long till we are back home?" Derrick asked with an annoyance In his tone.

I glanced in the rear-view mirror.

Derrick seemed impatient, fidgeting in his seat. 

Probably eager to get back home and talk about his little crush on that girl.

"About ten more minutes," I replied, keeping my voice even.

Anika chuckled, looking up from her phone.

"Excited to get back home, hm? I wonder why.."

Derrick blushed, looking away. 

"Stop it."

Anika just laughed, enjoying his embarrassment.

Soon enough, I arrived in front of Anika's apartment.

Before she got out, she kissed me on the cheeks.

"See you later, love." She said.

I gave her a kiss on the cheeks too.

"Yeah, later." I said indifferently, pretending like her display of affection didn't affect me.

Anika chuckled, already knowing how much I secretly appreciated her affection.

"You and your tough guy act." She teased and then turned away to get out of the car.

As soon as she shut the door, I pulled away from the spot and started heading back home.

Derrick was unusually quiet in the backseat, probably still embarrassed from Anika's teasing.

I couldn't help but feel a pang of annoyance at his obvious crush on that stupid girl.

"Are you going to obsess over that girl all night?" I asked, my tone sharper than I intended.

Derrick looked at me in surprise.

"What?"

I rolled my eyes.

"It's obvious. You've been acting weirder than normal since we picked them up."

Derrick blushed and looked away, fiddling anxiously with the seat belt.

"I can't help it. She's just so beautiful, and she's such an amazing person," He spoke dreamily, completely smitten.

I grimaced involuntarily, my annoyance growing.

"You just met her a few days ago." I retorted, my voice cold.