Falling For The Nerd

Extra III- Your Wife Says.

MELISSA'S POV:

The curtains were shut, plunging the room into a blue-ish darkness. I wearily turned under of the sheets and checked my phone. It had just past one in the afternoon. I pushed myself into a sitting position, wincing as all my joints protested in pain. I got out of bed and dragged my feet to the door and opened it. Derek sat at the dining table with his laptop facing away from me- no doubt reviewing last night's soccer match on his blog. I was so proud of him for going ahead with his dream of being a full-time critic. I rested my burning forehead against the cool wood panel of the door and watched him type away on his laptop. My lungs tickled and I doubled over in a coughing fit.

The chair scraped away from the table and Derek caught me before I hurt myself. "Hey, it's okay. It's okay." He whispered soothingly as he led me back to the bed. "Don't take me back." I groaned, but Derek wouldn't listen. He arranged the pillows so that I could sit while resting my back against the headboard of the bed. After helping me sit, he drew open the curtains and opened the windows to let fresh air in. Well, as fresh as the air can get in a city. "You're not supposed to be out of bed you know?" Derek said, handing me a glass of water. I pouted and took the glass from him. "It gets so boring in bed all alone." I said. "It's just for a while. Once you recover from the flu, we can go to New York and trouble Remy and Mike. And maybe have a proper honeymoon." Derek smirked. I rolled my eyes at him.

"Did you even have breakfast yet?" I asked to change the topic. "Of course I did!" Derek said, but his expression was enough to tell me that he was lying. "Okay, did you have lunch?" I asked. "No, I'm not hungry yet." He shrugged. "But, I made you lunch." He added before running out of the room. I frowned. Derek couldn't cook. Derek returned with a Thermos and a bowl with a spoon. "Chicken soup for the ill soul!" He exclaimed. He handed me the bowl and poured out some soup, which I admit, smelled heavenly. Unfortunately, "I'm not hungry D." I said. "Just a little. C'mon Lizzie." Derek coaxed and I allowed him to feed me a few spoons of soup. The hot soup eased up my congested nose almost immediately.

"Is it good?" Derek asked. "If I say no, will you admit that it's Mrs.Hill who made the soup?" I chuckled. Derek smiled shyly and scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment. Mrs.Hill was our elderly neighbour who lived across the hall. "I boiled the water though." Derek pointed out to protect his child-like pride. "That's a very important job. Well done Derek." I played along. Derek nodded importantly and I began to laugh, which quickly changed into another bout of coughing. "Okay. Okay. Let's save the jokes for another time." Derek said and took the bowl away from me. I grabbed a tissue from the bedside table and blew my nose violently. "I'm going to get your meds." Derek said and left.

I aimed the used tissue at the dustbin a few feet away and groaned when I missed. I considered getting out of bed to pick it up, but decided against it. My head was killing me and I was getting sleepy again. I forced myself to open my eyes. I had to have the medicine before I slept again. I had been ill ever since we had gotten back from London a few weeks ago. Amber had taken all of us there for a holiday. It had been a star-studded night. I had gotten to meet a lot of celebs thanks to Amber. We also made a bunch of new friends. Most of them had been people who were fans of Amber. There was one couple that stood out in my memory- Kira and Brent. Their story had been tumultuous enough to make me remember them. The party had been crazy- lots of dancing and drinking. The doctor said that I had probably caught a bug on the flight back home.

Derek came back with the medicine in one hand and a glass of water in the other. He handed me the pill and gulped it down with water. "If you're upto it, there's a visitor." Derek said, playing with my hand. "Who is it?" "Aria. But you don't have to meet her. I can tell her that you're sleeping or whatever." "No, send her in. I need girl talk." I said. Derek nodded and made to leave. I caught his arm and pulled him back for a small kiss on the cheek. "I love you D." I smiled. "I love you too Lizzie." Derek said and cradled my face. He kissed my forehead and left to call Aria in. A few seconds later, Aria came to the door. "Hi." She said timidly before stepping in.

She looked adorable. She and Leo had flown from London to Amsterdam to visit her cousin Kaitlyn. Over there, Aria had joined her cousin for a make over. Her long brown hair had been cut into a short bob and dyed blonde, making her eyes look lighter.

I personally felt that she looked cuter than ever. "Hey, come in!" I said and she quickly came to hug me. "I was so worried when Leo told me that you had fallen ill after coming home. How are you now?" Aria asked, sitting on the bed Indian style. "I've been better. You tell me. How's Florida?" I asked, resting against the pillows. Aria lit up with a smile.

"Florida is amazing. It's sunny with usually good weather. The people we've met so far are really nice. It's an amazing place to be in. An even more amazing place to get married." Aria said and stared at her toes. I gasped. "You guys are going to get married in Florida? Oh my god, please tell me it's a beach wedding. And will you guys do the kiss at sunset?" I began to rant. Aria held my shoulders. "Woah! Slow down babe! I haven't spoken to Leo yet." Aria said. "Why not?" I asked. "I don't know. We both have been really busy. I've been running around, preparing for the big launch. Leo's been juggling the market and my well-being at the same time. I feel like stuff this important should be discussed on a lazy evening. Or a day when you're calendar is empty. We're finding it hard to come by that." Aria sighed.

"Hey, you will come by that." I said soothingly. An idea began to grow in my mind. "In fact, I think you're about to have the talk really soon." I said. "Really?" Aria asked. "I'm ready to swear on it." I said. "I'm so glad I have you Lizzie." She smiled and squeezed my hand. "So, how's everyone at home?" Aria asked. "They're good. Mom and Dad are taking a trip to the Caribbean with Derek's parents. They're so excited about that." I grinned. Aria's phone rang at that moment. "It's Leo." She said quickly answered. She went to stand by thee window as she spoke to Leo. Derek came in. "Is there anything you ladies need?" He asked. "I'm fine." I said. Aria kept the phone and Derek asked, "You need anything Aria?"

"Um, no. I'll have to run. There's been some big mess up with the venue for the launch. Leo's coming to get me. I'm so sorry Lizzie." She said. "It's okay. Just promise me you'll find the time to discuss Florida with Leo." I said. She nodded and gave me a quick hug. "Thank Lizzie." She said.

Derek walked her the door and came back to lie down next to me. "You look better." He said. "Having visitors seems like a good thing." I replied. "You should get some sleep." Derek said. "Stay with me. Have a nap." I said, lying down properly. "Sure." Derek said. He wrapped an arm around me, like always. I fell asleep to his steady breathing and his arm around me.