“Then you need to tell him the truth, Mia. If he’s half the man I think he is, then you and I both know what he’ll say. You can’t assume anything. Tell him the truth and go from there.”
“Okay.”
“Everything, Mia. Not just the highlights.”
“I wouldn’t…”
“You would. Don’t forget I know you better than you know yourself sometimes.”
“Yeah. Look, I’ve gotta run.”
“Mia, it’ll all be okay. I’m here if you need me.”
“I know. And thanks.”
“Love you.”
“Love you too.”
“Now, go get your man.”
“Yes, boss.”
The line went dead and I dropped my phone back in my bag before stumbling to my feet. I’m not sure why I thought it was a good idea to climb the seats in heels. I could barely walk on solid ground most days.
Halfway back to the hall I saw an imposing figure leaning against the fence, arms folded. Despite his body language screaming defeat, I couldn’t help but feel alarmed as the adrenaline pumped through my body. My fight or flight response kicked in. Taking a wide berth, I attempted to pass, it was when I was only metres away from him, that I felt the air crackle and instantly relaxed. It was Derek.
“What…What are you doing standing out here on your own?”
“You didn’t think I’d leave you alone out here in the dark, did you?” His face was filled with disappointment. I can’t remember ever feeling worse. My expectations of him were so low, I assumed he’d walked away and not looked back. And it couldn’t have been further than the truth. He’d walked away enough to give us both time to calm down, but still he’d been concerned about my safety and stayed within distance to make sure I was okay.
I don’t remember taking the steps towards him, but when I felt his warm breath on my face, I looked up.
“I’m sorry…”
“Sorry.”
We both began at the same time.
“You first, Mia.” he offered, but he didn’t let go. If anything, his arms locked a little tighter around my waist. And I loved it.
“Derek, I’m sorry. You caught me completely off guard and I needed a minute to let it sink in. Everything with us just seems so fast…I mean, we barely know each other.”
“I know.”
“But I want to. I want to get to know you. And I want to see if we can make us work.”
“That’s great, Mia…”
“There is something you need to know before we make too many commitments though.”
“O-okay?”
“Can we talk about it later though? I’m not trying to avoid it, well, not entirely, but I don’t want to be standing out here in the rain either.”
