DEREK'S MATCH

by Jami Gallardo

  He has a small smile on his lips. “Come on.”

  I stare at his back suspiciously as I follow him out of the office. He locks it then we head back outside to his car.

  The ride back is silent with the music playing in the background. Now that I’ve finally let go of the stressful night I had, exhaustion takes over my body and I can’t wait to get to my bed and sleep.

  “Do you work tomorrow?” Derek asks after I tell him where to turn.

  “You can stop here,” I say and he pulls over to the curb outside my apartment building. “No, I don’t.”

  It’s been so long since I’ve had a Saturday off, it’s actually a miracle. Not that I have plans to do anything. Kim works and she’s the only one I would want to hang out with. Now, I wish I was working.

  “Let me take you out,” Derek says and I turn to look at him.

  “Goodbye, Derek,” I say as I open the door.

  “Is that a yes?”

  “No,” I say and a smile plays on my lips as I get out of the car.

  “Gin,” He calls and I lean down to look at him. He leans across the passenger’s side and looks at me. His blue eyes seem brighter in the darkness. “You don’t have to say yes, just come with me.”

  I can’t fight against the smile this time. “Goodnight, Derek.”

  “Goodnight.” He grins. “I'll pick you up at seven!” He calls before I shut the door.

  His words repeat in my head.

  You don’t have to say yes, just come with me.

  He’s way smoother than I initially thought.

  I go to bed that night telling myself that I’m not going to go out with him…but then I think about it.

  I didn’t actually tell him yes, did I?

  Derek Collins has found his way around my no and I might just take this loophole and run with it.

  8. little black dress

  I stare at my reflection in the mirror and smile.

  I haven’t looked this good in months. It’s because I haven’t gone out in so long. I’m wearing one of the few dresses I brought with me. I haven’t worn it since I got here. It’s a simple little black dress. It’s my favorite dress that I own. It has thin straps and it goes down mid-thigh. I shaved my legs and painted my toenails black. I’m even wearing black heels. My dark brown hair is straight down my back and I have mascara and some nude lipstick on.

  I feel like myself again.

  This is completely, one hundred percent, crazy.

  Before I have time to talk myself out of this, there is a knock on the door. I take a deep breath then reach for my keys and phone. Derek Collins is standing outside in all his glory wearing jeans with a navy blue cotton shirt and a black blazer. He looks casual and anything but at the same time. He’s texting when I walk out and I roll my eyes as I turn to lock the door.

  We haven’t even left yet and he’s already doing the one thing that upsets me the most. You know what? I hope he makes me hate tonight. I hope this "date" or whatever it is, is a horrible one. I hope I end up disliking him even more so that I’m left with zero desire to go out with him again.

  I hope Derek Collins gives me the worst date of my life.

  “Ready?” He asks and I turn around to tell him that yes, I am ready but I watch as his eyes roam down my body. Derek Collins is checking me out and he’s not being subtle about it. He raises his eyebrows as his eyes meet mine. “Wow, Gin, you clean up really good.”

  “You need to work on your compliments,” I say to him then begin walking towards the stairs, my heels echo behind me.

  “Okay,” He says as he follows me. “How about, you look stunning?”

  I fight back a smile. “That’s better.”

  “Well,” He says after we walk down the stairs. I see his car parked by the curb and we make our way towards it. He opens the door for me and looks at me. “You look stunning, Gin.”

  I look down and smile. “Thank you.”

  He grins then shuts the door once I’m inside and hurries around it.

  “Where are we going?” I ask as he gets in the driver’s seat.

  “We’re going to dinner,” He says as he puts on his seatbelt. “Hope you’re hungry.”

  “I can be hungry if I need to.” I tell him.

  He chuckles as he looks at me. “Put your seatbelt on.”

  “Okay,” I say as I reach for it and pull it across my chest. “But only because I was going to anyway.”

  “Right,” He says, turning on the car. “God forbid you do anything because I asked you to.”

  I smile. “Exactly.”

  “Maybe we can go clubbing after dinner?” He suggests as he drives. “You like dancing?”

  “I actually do,” I say. “I haven’t been clubbing here in New York but I have my moves.”

  He glances at me as he keeps his hand on the steering wheel. “Where are you from, Gin?”

  “I was born in Portland but I’ve lived in Newport since I was in high school.”

  He raises his eyebrows. “Oregon, really?”

  I turn to look at him and admire his handsome face. He’s even more attractive when he’s not being obnoxious. “Yes, why the tone of surprise?”

  “I have family in Oregon.”

  “Really?” I ask. It’s my turn to be surprised.

  “Yes,” He says with a nod.

  “I thought your family lived here in New York.”

  He turns to grin at me then looks straight ahead again. “And how did you know that?”

  I roll my eyes at him. “It’s so easy to find information on people,” I say the exact same words he told me last night.

  He laughs. “Okay. Fair enough.” He makes a right turn into Times Square and I look at all the lights around us. I love them. I love how they illuminate the night. It looks so pretty.

  “My family does live here.” Derek continues. “But my dad’s side of the family lives in Oregon. Nobody really knows about them because they’re not like us at all. They’re normal, like you.”

  I raise my eyebrows. “You think I’m normal?”

  “You’re right.” He teases. “You’re not.”

  I laugh then nod slowly. “That's pretty cool. What a coincidence.”

  “I know.” He sighs. “I haven’t visited them in a while now though I’ve been meaning to. My schedule is crazy most of the time and when it’s not, I’m too busy chasing after my match on some dating app.” He winks at me making me smile.

  I look away, trying to hide my face. I’m pretty sure I’m blushing. My cheeks feel hot. Jeez, Savannah. Get a grip. I need to be immune to his charms. I have to if I want to survive.

  Derek drives us to a very nice restaurant that I would never even dream of going to. It’s so elegant. The carpet is red, reminding me of the red carpet on award shows which is very fitting. It has this vintage vibe to it that I really like. It’s a two-story restaurant and the hostess leads us up the stairs as she tries to keep her cool. Her eyes widened so big when she saw Derek walk in, I thought they were going to pop out of their sockets.

  I look around as I follow Derek. The people here are all dressed in suits and the women in fancy dresses. I suddenly feel underdressed with my little black dress. Some of them notice Derek and I catch a few women trying to take a picture of us as we walk. I don’t think I can eat with everyone watching us.

  For the first time, I wonder what it’s like to be Derek. I imagine having people watching me and taking pictures of me everywhere I go. I imagine what it’s like to chased down the street by a group of fangirls or being crowded by reporters at the airport while being asked all of these questions about my personal life.

  It can’t be easy.

  He must really love it or he’s really good at hiding it. Even if he does love it though, there has to be times when he must feel overwhelmed or just tired. It has to be hard to not have any privacy.

  The hostess leads us to a private section of the second floor. Our table is around empty tables and I almost sigh in reli
ef. The closest people are a couple of feet away and I purposefully sit with my back to them.

  “This is…a lot,” I say slowly after the hostess leaves. I look down at all the carefully placed silverware and at the candle on the center of the table. I’m not being used to being on this side of the restaurant. I like the kitchen way better.

  “Don’t you work in a restaurant like this one?”

  “Uh, it’s not this extravagant.” I shrug. "Plus it’s different being in the kitchen versus in the actual dining room.”

  He sets his phone down on the table and looks at me thoughtfully. “So, did you always want to be a chef?”

  “No,” I say with a soft laugh. “I barely discovered it less than a year ago.”

  “Are you any good?” He asks, teasingly.

  “You bet your ass I am.”

  He chuckles. “I don’t know, Gin, I’d have to judge for myself.”

  “Well, lucky for me, I don’t need your approval.” I tell him making him laugh.

  The waiter, a tall guy, arrives then and Derek and I order.

  “So what does a day in the life of Derek Collins look like?” I ask after the waiter leaves.

  “It’s different every day,” He says as he leans back on the chair. “It all depends on what’s on the agenda. I’m in between projects right now so it’s sort of a break. It’ll be over next week when I go back to filming.”

  “That sounds exciting.” I admit.

  He raises an eyebrow at me. “You’ve spent all this time hating on my career and now it’s exciting?”

  “I don’t hate your career.” I tell him. “I hate the way you expect everyone should fall on their knees whenever you walk in the room.”

  “No, I don’t.”

  I look at him. “Don’t deny it. Or are you so used to it that you don’t notice how obnoxious you are anymore?”

  He reaches for his water and takes a sip. “Is it so wrong to like the attention?”

  “Maybe not but it’s wrong to belittle people just because you’re a celebrity.”

  His blue eyes meet mine. “Why do you take it so personal?”

  “I grew up watching my parents struggle through jobs. Neither of them went to college. My dad didn’t even finish high school. They’ve worked for most of their lives.” I turn my head and watch the waiters bring food to the customers and take orders, all with smiles on their faces. “I see the waitress or a maid or a service worker in the street and I see my parents. Hell, I see myself.” I look at Derek and his face his blank, not revealing anything. I shrug. “We’re all just trying our best, Derek. Take the bartender, for example, on the night we met. He was just trying to follow the rules. He was just doing his job. Yet, you had to be the exception to the rules just because you’re famous. Not everyone has the privilege that you’ve had since you were born."

  He gulps then nods slowly. “You’re right. I did grow up privileged.”

  “You can be privileged and not be an asshole.” I smile, trying to lighten the mood. He has a deep frown on his forehead and he looks thoughtful as he takes a sip of his water.

  Then he looks at me from under his lashes. A smile plays on his lips. “You’re something else, Gin.”

  I roll my eyes at him. “Just try to be less of an asshole, please.”

  “Okay,” He says with a grin. “Just for you.”

  I shake my head with a smile.

  The food arrives shortly after and he tells me about what filming is like. I can tell how much he loves it by the look in his eyes. Like I said, it’s easy to like him when he’s not being obnoxious.

  For a moment, it’s just like being on a date with a normal guy. Until someone approaches us and asks Derek for a picture. It’s a woman. She seems to be around my age and she’s with a friend.

  We’re done with dinner by then and Derek stands up to take a picture with each of them. I stand up and watch as he smiles at the camera. He looks so good. God. Why does he have to be so handsome?

  The women glance at me before they walk away, probably wondering who I am. I’m a nobody having dinner with one of the hottest and most popular celebrities right now. How did this happen?

  “Do I get a picture too?” I tease Derek as we wait for the waiter to come back with his credit card.

  He grins at me. “You can have all the pictures you want, Gin. I’ll even sign your arm if you want me to.”

  I smile. “You know, that’s not such a bad idea. I’m going to have you sign random things so I can sell them on eBay.”

  He chuckles. “You wouldn’t be the first.”

  “Or the last.” I joke.

  The waiter comes back then with Derek’s credit card and I watch as Derek signs the receipt. “Thank you,” He says to the waiter but he’s looking right at me.

  I raise an eyebrow at him in shock after the waiter walks away. “Wow.”

  “How did I do?” Derek asks amusedly.

  “It’s definitely an improvement. You might not be a lost cause.”

  He laughs then he reaches for my hand. “Come on, Gin. Let’s go dance.”

  I know I shouldn’t but I like that he holds my hand as he leads us out of the restaurant. I like the way everyone looks at us. So this is how Derek must feel all the time, huh? Okay. I’ll give it to him. I can see why he likes it because I really like being seen with him right now.

  This was supposed to be the worst date of my life and so far, it’s been anything but. It’s going to be hard to resist him after this.

  I might be in trouble.

  9. steal my date

  We go to his brother’s club, Barcode, and wow—it’s a really big nightclub. Like the restaurant, it has a second floor though it occupies just the circumference around the dance floor. It’s where the VIP tables are. According to Derek, it was part of a recent remodel.

  Inside, it is dark with flashing lights all around us. There are a lot of people. Derek holds my hand as he leads us inside and I follow him close behind, afraid to get lost. A few people step on my toes. They might be purple in the morning. The music is loud and I look to my right which is where the dance floor is. There are people dancing close together while others are drinking or somehow having a conversation with their friends.

  We go up the stairs and he shakes hands with a couple of people that we pass by. I get a lot of dirty looks from women when they see me with Derek. I try to ignore them but it’s hard when it’s just about every woman we pass by. I can tell Derek is very well known here. He must come a lot. I wonder how many of the women giving me dirty looks he’s slept with.

  “Hey! Yo!” A guy I recognize as Ian, his best friend, raises his arm as he waves Derek over.

  I try to ignore the nerves in the pit of my stomach. God. It feels like I’m stepping on foreign territory here. There is a group of people over at the table where Ian is. It’s probably all of their friends. I’m an idiot. For some reason, I thought it would be just Derek and me dancing the night away. Of course it wasn’t going to be like that. Derek is a star. Everyone wants to be around him and party with him. I’m probably just the girl of the night.

  It’s too late though. I’m already here. Now I have to suffer the consequences of my stupidity.

  We reach the table and Derek lets my hand go to hug Ian and makes his way around to everyone else. Apart from Ian, there are two other guys and two girls. I realize that the girls are twins and they are not the kind of twins that try to change their hair to differentiate themselves. No. These twins look completely identical. They have beautiful brown skin and straight, black hair that goes just above their shoulders with big, brown eyes. They’re both wearing identical mini dresses except one of them is blue and the other is green.

  They look familiar. I’m sure they’re some sort of celebrities. Maybe I’ve seen them on TV? I can’t quite put my finger on it right now.

  Derek waves at them then he turns to look at me. He reaches out and places his hand on the small of my back. I try to ignore how it makes m
e feel. “You know Ian.” He says over the loud music.

  I smile at Ian who surprises me by giving me a hug.

  “Good to see you,” He says into my ear before pulling away.

  “And that is Imani and Ebony,” Derek says motioning to the twins who are not very excited to see me. Why are women here so rude? I’ve literally done nothing to them. It’s sad to think about the possibility that they immediately hate me because I’m Derek’s date. Is it envy? Why do women always have to envy each other? Why can’t we all just be friends?