Derek

by Dawn Martens

  I decide to just have a drink while Tori orders something to eat, she looks at me and smiles.

  “I’m so glad you asked me to come out tonight Derek,” she reaches my hand and squeezes it. “I really wanna take us further. I know I can make you happy.”

  “Yeah about that Tori. Listen it’s been fun but I think it’s time for you to go. I had fun really you’re a good fuck, but I want something more and sweetheart it’s not you.” I pick up my glass of water and take a sip. Tori stares at me with anger in her eyes. “You can go now Tori.”

  “Fuck you Derek!” She pushes out her chair, knocking it down and storms out of the restaurant.

  I make my way to Rylie. She looks so hot in her white skinny jeans and purple tank top. Her hair is tied to the side, exposing the butterfly tattoo she has on the back of her neck. I go up to her table and look at her, “Can we talk?”

  She looks at me and I expect a smile or something but she gives me the look of fucking death. Damn. This girl is not happy to see me. “Derek, no. I’m leaving tomorrow, there is no point.”

  “What do you mean you’re leaving tomorrow?” She ignores me. I look at her friends for help but they just give me a sad expression. Before I lose it, I leave, but look back at Rylie. Damn I wish she would give me a chance.

  I end up at Steele for drinks. I need to get my fucking mind off of her. I’m on my fifth shot of tequila when I notice a red head saunter up to me.

  “Hey there handsome. Wanna buy me a drink?” she purrs rubbing her hands on me. I take her look in. Short red dress, clinging to her body and more make up than any girl should wear. I think about it for a minute, then decide why the fuck not.

  “Sure.” She orders her drink and sits beside me.

  “I’m Angie.” She says.

  “You can just keep calling me handsome.” I smirk at her as she frowns. Why bother telling these chicks my name? I see her finish her drink. “Ready to get out of here?”

  “Yes, your place or mine?”

  “Yours.” I say, always theirs. I don’t want chicks knowing where I live.

  We get to her house and the clothes come flying off. She gives great head. My cock reaches the back of her throat. Fuck, it feels good. Her fucking talented mouth isn’t bad but something’s off. I can’t find a release. I push her away, “Get on top and ride my cock.”

  She listens to what I tell her and gets on me. Her tits are bouncing up and down in my face. She rides me fast and hard. I feel her release coming, but I still can’t find mine. What the fuck is wrong with me tonight? When I feel her come, I push her off me and get dressed, tossing the condom in the trashed.

  “You’re leaving?” she asks sounding pissed.

  “Babe, you knew what this was, a quick lay.” I say without looking at her.

  “Fucking scum!”

  “Don’t be a whore.” I say as I walk out.

  Fuck. Rylie has me fucked up. Couldn’t even get off tonight. Why am I so fucked up over this girl?

  Chapter 6

  Rylie

  I hate to fucking move. I always have. When I was little, we had to move damn near every month. My parents would drink away all the rent money, and we would end up getting kicked out. If it wasn’t for the rent, the loud parties and cops showing up all the time is what kept us on the move. Some of our landlords were really nice, and they tried to work with my parents. But, there was only so much anyone could take. Then there were some landlords that were really bad. The place that we lived the longest, my parents never had to pay a dime. The guy that owned the house and my father made a deal, I just had to make weekly visits to his apartment and my parents could live rent free. My father jumped at this idea, he warned me before I would go over that I better not say a word about what would happen over there to anyone. My mother didn’t even care. She just seemed happy to get rid of me. But what my parents didn’t know, especially my father, was this man didn’t hurt me. He seemed to know what was happening with my parents, and wanted to make sure I was safe as much as possible. I looked to him as my grandfather; he was such a great man. I even had my own room at his place. When I turned sixteen he helped me buy my first car and told me that my life would someday be so much more than it was now and to never give up. The day he passed away was a few weeks after my eighteenth birthday, and ended up being the day that I made my escape from my parents for good. He left me everything in his Will. My parents were livid, saying I needed to hand over that money. I took off when they started yelling at me, but went back later that night when they were passed out from being drunk and high.

  My whole life is in boxes again. All of my clothes, accessories, and belongings. I hesitate with each piece I touch. I know I’m making the right decision but why is this so hard? I can’t help but wonder if this is the path that I’m supposed to go on. I shake off my thoughts and start packing.

  I’m empting out the closet, when I come across a large white box. I can’t believe that I kept this. I pick it up, carry it over to my bed, and pull the top off. Inside is my wedding dress that I bought the week after Caleb asked me to marry him. I pull it out and walk over to the mirror. It’s a beautiful dress. I fell in love with it at first sight. It’s not your typical wedding dress in anyway. It’s short, coming right above my knees, with a blush hue and has a deep V in the front. It also has an open back with a long train that starts at the small of my back and ends about a foot out past me. I take one last look at the mirror, then start to toss the dress in the trashcan, but I can’t seem to force myself to let it go. After a few minutes of internal struggle, I finally carry it back to the bed and pack it back in to the box. It may not be my wedding dress anymore, but it doesn’t mean I can’t ever wear it.

  I finish packing up the rest of my room, and stare at the empty space that has been my home for almost a year now. Gayle has done so much for me, she’s even helping me with this move. It’s going to be hard to leave her, but I need to make this move. Somehow, someway I have got to start over.

  I lug all of the boxes downstairs and slowly but surely get them packed into my car. As I slam the back door and look back at the house, I hear footsteps behind me.

  “I’ll miss you around here.” Gayle says from behind me. I turn around and give her a tight hug. Tears streaming down my face.

  “I’ll miss you too.” I step out of the hug and wipe the tears from my face.

  “Did you tell your friend that you were leaving today?” she asks.

  “Yes, I talked to Layla on the phone last night. She was sad that I was leaving, but she understands my need to start over.”

  Gayle nods. “Well you best get going. I don’t feel comfortable with you driving in the dark.” I laugh, Gayle has always been like that. If I had to work late she would panic. She lost her daughter a few years ago in a car accident, and while I don’t know all of the details, I do know that it happened at night.

  I give Gayle one last hug and climb into my car. I back slowly out of the driveway and start my way to my new life.

  ~***~

  Derek

  I wake up deciding that I would talk to Rylie. I don’t know if she told me she was moving just to throw me off or not. But, I’m gonna find out. I get down to my car and call up Nikki. I don’t need Layla on my ass about shit. Layla is the definition of nosey.

  “What?” Nikki hisses into the phone. I shake my head, morning doesn’t suit her.

  I take in a deep breath. “Where does Rylie live?”

  “What the fuck? It’s eight in the god damned morning.”

  “Nikki, just fucking tell me.”

  “Ugh, fine.” She tells me the address then hangs up without even saying goodbye.

  Miss grumpy pants. Gee.

  I turn right onto her street. I slow down and look at all the houses. “706, 710, 714,” I keep looking for house number 718. There it is. Instead of stopping I peel off and clench the steering wheel. “Fuck!” I slam on my brakes and quickly turn back. I have to do this.

  When
I pull up to the house, I notice an older woman walking inside. Nikki better have given me the right address. I slowly pull up behind a black truck in the driveway and get out. I don’t even make it to the front door, when the older woman comes out.

  “Can I help you?” she asks.

  “Um yeah, I’m looking for Rylie.” I look down and kick the rock by my feet.

  “Sorry,” The woman sadly says, “you just missed her. She left a few minutes ago.”

  Fuck! I rub my face and run my hands through my hair. “Do you know when she’ll be back?” Please tell me she’s coming back.

  The woman looks at me with sadness in her eyes. Fuck. I know the answer. “She won’t be coming back hon. She said she needed a fresh start, somewhere new.”

  “Thanks.” I mutter and walk back to my car.

  I get back in my car and punch the shit out of my steering wheel. I missed my shot. Fuck!

  Chapter 7

  Three Years Later

  Derek

  I have been back in Melbourne for nearly a year. Mum has been on my ass to move back, ever since I graduated. But, I was enjoying the time on my own. I love my parents, but they like to be all up in my shit. Mum is, by far, the worse of the two. Especially, when it comes to my personal life. She wants grandchildren, and she wants them now. She keeps bringing home girls from the country club for me to meet, but she must be fucked in the head if she thinks that I would ever settle for one of those snotty bitches. Dad finally had to put his foot down a few months ago. Dad may have money now, but he wasn’t born with it. Some of the dicks at the club won’t let him forget that either. When Mum made the mistake of bringing one of their daughters to the house, he got pissed. He made sure to tell her that no more stuck up bitches would be coming into the house!

  Mum has never really been into the rich scene. Yeah she has money, but she’s really down to earth. Doesn’t care what or where people come from as long as they are good people. Those girls she tries to get me to go out with must show her a different side to them. I’ve seen a few of them around before she brought them to me, and I know that they are bitches and gold diggers; always staring down their noses at those will less money.

  I haven’t heard from the guys in a while. They are all busy with their lives and popping out children. When I moved last year they threw me a big party, and we all said we’d keep in touch, but over the last few months those calls are next to none. In a way I’m happy because all they talk about is how happy their lives are. I’m happy that they have found what they have, but I can’t help feel a pang of jealousy. Over the last few years, I can’t help but wonder about Rylie. I think about her often. It’s fucked up that I only knew her briefly, and during that brief time she didn’t give me the time of day. I asked Layla about her often, but even she lost contact after the first year with her. Last she heard she was running her own salon.

  Later on in the day, I am walking out of the coffee shop, when I see a hot babe with dreads walk by. My mind instantly goes Rylie, and I start to follow the chick. I have not seen Rylie for years, but I have heard things. I know she is living here now. I also know she opened her own salon. We walk a few blocks, when the woman enters a shop called X-treme Hair. I never saw the woman’s face, but there is no doubt in my mind that it was Rylie. Maybe Mum won’t be waiting on those grandchildren for too much longer.

  ~***~

  After seeing Rylie again, I spent the next few days watching for her everywhere I went, but I never saw her out anywhere. Now it has been nearly a week, and I am fucking frustrated with waiting to run into her. I want to just walk into her shop and claim her as mine, because that is what she is. But, I know that will scare the shit out of her. So, I decide to accidently bump into her. Well, she will think it is by accident at least. As soon as I get off work, I head over to her shop and end up waiting for nearly two hours before I see the lights go off. Shit! This woman must work all the damn time. I see the front door open, and Rylie comes walking out. She’s pulls her keys out of her purse and doesn’t bother to pay any attention to where she is walking, so I quietly walk over and block her path.

  ~***~

  Rylie

  My move to Melbourne was the best thing that has ever happened to me. Gayle helped me out as much as she could. She comes out every few months to visit me. She even helped me with getting a loan to start up my own salon. I can now proudly say I’m the owner of X-treme Hair.

  Life is good again. I find myself smiling and I want to wake up every morning. I’m not going to lie, moving was hard at first but I adjusted well. I am living my life the way I want to live it. I don’t have to answer to anyone and I can finally breathe without being afraid. Everyone in Melbourne is nice and laid back. There’s no drama and I feel comfortable where I am.

  I haven’t had a date since I was with Caleb. I guess I’m just too scared to put myself out there again. All I do is work and come home. Alone. I thought about getting a pet, but I’m always on the go and it wouldn’t be fair to an animal into my home and leave it here all day alone. I tried making some new friends, but it was hard starting over. Erika, one of the other stylists, helped me with the transition. It is just her and I in the salon for now. We bank every night, but our bodies go through a world of pain in the process.

  I lost contact with Layla after the first year. She got busy with her life, and I got busy starting mine. I continued to send her Christmas cards every year, but that is about the extent of our communication.

  Surprisingly, I haven’t had a dream about Caleb in years, and I’ve finally been to achieve a normal sleep pattern which is exactly what I’m going to do as soon as I make it home to my comfy bed.

  I’m closing up my shop and turn to walk to my car, when I run into something hard. “Shit, I’m sorry.”

  I stumble back, I know that voice. I look up and notice its Derek. “What are you doing here?” I say sounding rude.

  His eyebrows go up. “Uh, I live around here now. Fancy running into you here Rylie.” He says with a grin.

  “Um yeah, nice to see you.” I say and start to walk around him. I’m pulled back by his hand after it latches on to my arm and gently turns me around.

  “Hey, want to get a bite to eat or something?” I hesitate and he notices. “Just as friends.”

  “Sure ok, just as friends.” Going out as friends is good. I can handle friends.

  We make our way to a little quaint eatery a few blocks over. The building looks run down, but I’ve been in here a few times, and the food is amazing. We seat ourselves, seeing the place is practically dead. I don’t even need to look at the menu. I order up a cheeseburger with extra pickles and mayo and a side of fries. Derek looks shocked by what I order. “What? I love food.”

  He smiles and asks for the same thing. “So, Derek, what brings you out this way?”

  “Work, I got offered a better position out here. I jumped at the chance. I grew up in this city. My parents are still here, so why not.”

  “What about everyone back in Perth? Do you keep in touch with them?”

  “I talk to them every once in a while. But, they are so busy now with their tons of kids running around.” He says chuckling.

  Wow, everyone is happy there. I wish I could be happy for them, but hearing about all of them having kids hurts. “That’s great.” I say quietly.

  “How long have you been here?” I say breaking up the silence.

  “Moved here about a year ago. Been staying with my parents while I search for a house to buy. What about you?”

  “Been here three years now, I own a house over on Smith. It’s not much, but it’s mine.” I smile.

  The waitress comes over and places our food in front of us. “Enjoy, if you need anything else just call me over.” She says while twirling her red hair and smiling seductively at Derek. I shake my head. Seriously? Ugh, some women.

  We dig into our food. I finish mine before he does. I go to pay but he gets to the check before me. “I got this.”

&n
bsp; “Let me at least pay my share.”

  “Nope, I asked you to come out for a meal, my treat.” I sigh and sit back in the chair. He wants to pay, fine. Saves me money.

  He walks me to my car, back by my shop. “So, can I see you again?”

  I sigh. “I don’t think so Derek. This was great, but I’m not looking for a relationship.”

  “Ok, no relationship. How about friendship?”

  “Are you seriously friend-zoning yourself?” I laugh.

  Derek chuckles. ”Yeah, I guess I am. I have experience with that. You know... Layla. Nikki. I make a great friend.”

  “Ok, friends it is.” He hands me his number and tells me to text or call him anytime. I thank him for dinner, and get in my car and head home.

  ~***~

  Derek

  I feel like a stalker right now, but I follow Rylie home; just to make sure that she got there ok. What are the chances? Three years later, we both wind up in the same city. After that night at Layla’s baby shower, I found myself asking about her a lot. I only saw Rylie a handful of times after that night and I figured it was too soon to make my move because of what had happened to her, so I waited. Mostly because I thought that I would have plenty of time to work on her. Well that was until I found out that she was moving. Naturally the night I was finally getting an ‘in’ was the night she decides to tell me that she’s moving. I was pissed and not to mention a little hurt. She never gave me a chance to explain myself before she left. Up until I moved I asked Layla about Ry, but she said she hadn’t heard from her since the night Ry had called her and told her about her plan to move away and start a new life. No one knew where she even moved to, or if she was ok.