Married to the Devil

Chapter 23

It was the little things about Derek that were making me fall even more in love with him. The way he always trailed his hands in his hair. The quick peck on my cheek that was recently becoming a habitual occurrence. And the way he always straightened his shirt two or three times during our date nights, a clear giveaway that he was nervous.

I smiled as I thought of them and folded our laundry, carefully placing each piece in the hamper.

Derek had kept our last few days uninterrupted by Noah and I was eternally grateful. It was hard for him, because he loved seeing the little brat, but he knew that Noah would come between our time together. And we needed this.

Our last few days after the anniversary were blissful and passionate to say the least. My sore legs cried out every morning and welcomed him during the nights. He made us breakfasts and instructed me on how to make dinners and lunches. I eagerly volunteered for it because I always wanted to cook but never had the time or a teacher. Now I had both. And a super sexy teacher at that.

I found myself thinking up new ways to surprise him and show him my love like in our cooking sessions where I made heart shaped pancakes. It was always embarrassing when he fed me or chased me around the kitchen when we would splash each other with water.

In my entire life I never thought I would use the public beach in my backyard as much as I had during those two weeks after my anniversary. We were there at all hours of the day swimming, talking, watching frogs and calling to birds. The other day we saw a bunch of sea turtles hatch from the sand and we helped them get to the sea where they swam away on their little flippers.

It was just the two of us together all day long and I don't think I've ever had this much fun in a long time.

It struck me that Cass had never met adult Derek and I began to think of ways to spring the question on her. I knew she'd come around eventually, if not at first, but Callumn's death had shaken her. Shaken all of us actually, even though I had forgiven Derek for it.

It was weird to think that I could still be in love with him after something like that. After he grabbed the wheel that night and ripped it away from Callumn's grasp, pulling the car right into the Froyo shop that used to be here. It was a strange game that we'd made up one night to help Derek get past his stress over Lilianne.

The rules were simple. The driver had to be either Callumn, Cass, Derek, or me. It couldn't be played with another group and was something to be done only if everyone agreed to play. The driver would drive the car normally and the passenger would try to get the steering wheel away from them.

It was the stupidest game that was probably ever invented.

And it caused the death of my brother. But it wasn't just Derek's fault. It was all our faults. The four of us invented it together and so we had to live with the consequences together too.

I folded the rest of my laundry and hoped that Cass would see that. I hoped she would see how happy Derek made me and the way I could smile forever when I was with him.

Unfortunately, it wasn't going to be easy.

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Derek Carter still isn't back. And his absence hasn't gotten any easier. I was sitting at my desk brooding over reasons why when I spotted Evelyn making her way to me.

Great.

"So you handed in the essay?" Evelyn asked me the next day that it was due.

She sashayed over to my English desk, her hips swaying widely and indefinitely showing off her bum to the boys in the class. Even Mr. Brown was looking, but his expression was one of disapproval.