slow burn // derek discanio

four

A week went by and I was taking Max on another walk through Central Park. Going back to work was weird after such an eventful night meeting State Champs and then having creepy men follow me, but everything was back to normal. I've been driving to work when I know it'll be dark out so hopefully things like that won't happen again. I've also been texting Derek for a little bit off and on this week and he keeps making sure I'm getting where I need to be safely.
I needed a break from walking so I sat down on a bench and tied Max's leash around the leg of it. I sat there watching the sky and all the people buzzing through for a few minutes.
For some reason, Max starting barking randomly at an oncoming stranger. I looked over and saw that it wasn't exactly a stranger.
"Derek?" Once he realized who I was, he came rushing over to me with open arms and I stood up to hug him.
He held me at arm's length and looking me in the eyes. "You doing alright?"
It felt like the millionth time he had asked me. "I'm fine, Derek," I told him. "It's been over a week, you don't need to keep asking."
A twang of guilt came over me as he looked a little bit hurt. "I'm sorry! I appreciate it," I exclaimed. "I just don't want you to get too worried about me."
He smiled. "It's fine, Albany." He hugged me again and I got a strong whiff of his scent.
"How's the record deal going?" I asked as we sat down. Max jumped on the bench between us and getting lots of attention from Derek.
"I think we just might have it," he said. "Today was one of the last meetings, hopefully."
"So what are you doing here?" I asked.
Derek shrugged. "It was a little stressful. I wanted to be alone for a little bit."
"Oh, you don't have to keep talking to me then," I assured him. "I'm not offended if you want to keep walking!"
"No, no, no," he said, placing his hand on top of mine. "Trust me, this is much better."
I smiled, looking down at my lap. "So what happens if you get signed?" I asked.
"We start working on a new album, go on tour, and repeat," he explained. "Maybe there'll be a new album of ours at Harley's for you to listen to."
I laughed. "Only if you come back to play!"
"Fair deal." He gazed into my eyes which was making my insides melt, but the moment was over when Max gave him a sloppy lick on the face.
"Max!" I exclaimed, pulling his face away from Derek's. We both started laughing as Derek wiped the spit off of his face.
"Want to grab some coffee?" he asked. "I could really use a taste other than dog drool in my mouth."
I laughed, untying Max from the bench. "Of course."
We continued our way out of the park and down the street to one of my favorite coffee places. Once we reached the outdoor tables, Derek asked, "What would you like? I'll get it for you so you can stay with Max."
"Thanks! I'll have an iced coffee with cream and sugar, but you don't have to pay for it," I assured him.
"Don't worry about it," he said as he headed inside. I chose a table by the railing and tied Max's leash to the rail. While I waited for Derek to get back, I watched the people of New York buzz by.
A few minutes later, Derek returned. "Do you know how stressful it is to guess how much cream and sugar someone wants?"
I laughed as he handed me my coffee. "I'm sorry I put you through such an endeavor."
He smirked. "I think it was worth it." I took a sip of my coffee. "So how'd I do?"
"I was going to say it's awful to make you feel bad, but it's actually the best coffee I've had in awhile," I admitted.
"Yeah!" he grinned. "Maybe I'll have to get you coffee more often."
"Well, if you insist," I said, trying to hid the blush rising in my cheeks.
A moment of comfortable silence passed as we both drank our coffee. I felt Derek's eyes on me, and he didn't even look away when my eyes met his. "What?" I inquired.
He smiled. "Tell me more about yourself, Albany," he said. "Where are you from? Why are you here now?"
I set down my drink. "I'm from a small town in Michigan. I had a great life and everything, but it was getting a little exhausting. I had always wanted to live in New York so I moved here to start a life for myself I guess."
Derek nodded, taking in this new information. "Do you have any friends or family here? Or are you completely on your own?"
I shook my head. "Nobody. I feel like I don't have any friends anymore."
"Why is that?" Derek asked, concerned.
I shrugged. "My friends back home haven't even spoken to me since I moved. And that was two months ago," I sighed. "And I still haven't made any friends here."
"You've got me!" he grinned. "The guys and I will be your new best friends!"
I smiled. "Thanks."
"How's working at Harley's?"
"It's a lot of fun," I answered. "I love music so much, so it doesn't even feel like a job."
"You seem pretty amazing at it," he said. "I bet you could pull off a good music career."
"I don't want to be a performer," I told him.
"There's other things out there," Derek explained. "You could work for the record label we're hopefully signing to." He whipped out his phone and started typing quickly. "Look at this, they're hiring a drum tech! You could totally do that."
He held his phone out to me to look. I held it in my hands as I scrolled through the job description. "That actually sounds kind of perfect."
"That means you'd be our drum tech!" he exclaimed. "You've got to apply."
I smiled. "I think I will. Thanks, I didn't realize what other things were out there for me."
Derek's phone started ringing in my hands and Tony's name appeared. I handed it back to Derek and he answered.
"I'm so sorry, Albany, I'm afraid it's important," he apologized before holding it up to his ear.
He exchanged a few words with Tony for a minute before hanging up again. "Albany, I'm so, so sorry. We've all got to meet back at the hotel for an emergency meeting."
"Hey, it's no problem!" I assured him. "I hope it all goes well."
We both stood up and he wrapped me in a hug. "Good luck with the label, I know you'll get it," I told him.
"Thank you so much," he said, pulling away to hold me at arms length. "We should do this again."
"Yeah! Just let me know when," I replied.
I untied Max and we walked out onto the sidewalk before Derek said, "Give me updates if you apply for that job!"
"I definitely will," I answered.
He leaned down to pet Max one last time before saying goodbye and we headed in our opposite directions.
Even though it was too soon to say if I could end up with Derek, he was now sure to be in my life one way or another.