DEREK'S MATCH

by Jami Gallardo

  “And that’s Roman and Wyatt.” Derek continues. “This is Savannah.”

  I look at him, surprised that he didn’t introduce me as Gin since he seems to like that better than my real name. The guys nod at me with a smile. They all have drinks in their hands.

  “I’m going to get us drinks,” Derek says into my ear.

  Before I volunteer to go with him because I don’t want to be alone with his friends, he walks away. I lock eyes with the twins. They’re whispering in each other’s ears while looking at me up and down. It’s so uncomfortable. I walk to the side where the railing is and rest my hands on it as I look down at the dance floor.

  Everyone is so into it and it’s kind of hard not to. The environment is perfect. The room is dark with colored flashing lights all around the room. There are some people that are actually dancing and then there are the ones that are grinding against each other, pretty much ready to get a room. I can see the DJ on the side, off to the right of the club. He has a necklace around him that has colored lights all over it. It moves as he moves. He’s on fire. There are VIP tables to our right and left, all the way around and they’re all taken.

  The clubs in Newport were nothing like this. This is one is so much better. I can’t believe I haven’t been here. I’m going to have to tell Kim about it.

  “Hey.”

  I turn my head and smile at Ian as he stands next to me. “Hey.”

  “First time here?” He asks.

  I nod. “Yeah.”

  “It’s pretty cool, huh?”

  “Yes, it’s great.”

  I can’t believe Derek’s brother owns this. He must be a billionaire. This club is probably packed all the time.

  “What’s their problem?” I ask Ian as I glance at the twins.

  He follows my gaze then shrugs. “Don’t mind them. They’re Sadie’s friends.”

  “Sadie?” I ask, wondering why that name sounds familiar.

  “Yeah.” Ian nods as he looks at me. “She’s Derek’s ex-girlfriend.”

  Right. Sadie Brown. Derek’s ex-girlfriend. The one that broke up with him via Instagram. The twins are her friends? Why would they be hanging out with their friend’s ex-boyfriend? My confusion must reflect on my face because Ian leans in closer.

  “They like to pretend we’re all still friends. I think Sadie just has them keep an eye on Derek.”

  I frown. “Why would she want that?”

  It makes no sense. Why would you have your friends keep an eye on your ex-boyfriend? It’s low and embarrassing. Then I remember all the things I read online about how Sadie and Derek have been on and off for years. She’s probably still not over him.

  Ian shrugs. “Just ignore them.”

  It’s hard to ignore the two pairs of eyes dodging me but I’m going to try my best because I’m here to have fun, not look for drama.

  I look up at him and smile apologetically. “I’m sorry about your app.”

  He half smiles. “It’s fine. It was fun to see Derek get rejected for a change, honestly.”

  “You trying to steal my date or what?”

  Ian and I both turn to look at Derek and he hands me a drink. It’s a gin and tonic, of course. I wouldn't mind drinking it this much if it wasn’t my favorite drink.

  “I would never, dude,” Ian says dramatically placing his hand on Derek’s shoulder.

  “You’re drinking?” I ask Derek when I see the drink in his hand. “I won't drink then.”

  Who’s going to drive? I hope he doesn’t drink and drive. It’s the most selfish thing a person can do. I hate hearing stories of drunk drivers causing car accidents. It makes my blood boil.

  “Ian is the designated driver,” Derek says. “It’s fine. You can drink.”

  “Sadly, it’s true,” Ian says looking miserable.

  I smile at them. “You guys take turns or what?”

  “All the time,” Derek says at the same time Ian says, “No, it’s always me.”

  We all burst out laughing.

  Ian goes and joins his other friends and I take a sip of my drink because I’m way too tense. You’re not supposed to be tense in a nightclub. I came here to have fun and I intend to.

  Derek is standing close enough for our arms to touch. He took off his blazer so my skin brushes against his. I’m wearing heels but he’s still taller than me. He really is the perfect height for me. I know I shouldn’t be thinking this because it’s dangerous territory but it’s so hard not to when he’s standing so close.

  He turns to look at me and grins. “You ready to dance or what?”

  “Is that how you ask girls out to dance?” I laugh.

  He chuckles then offers me his hand. “May I have this dance with you, Gin?”

  I place my hand in his and nod. “You may.”

  “Don’t think I haven’t noticed that you refuse to say yes to me,” He says narrowing his eyes at me.

  I shrug. “You have enough of those for a lifetime.”

  He leans in onto my ear and says, “I’m going to get a yes from you if it’s the last thing I do.”

  I just roll my eyes at him, hoping he doesn’t notice the goosebumps that are running down my arm. He doesn’t seem to. He grabs my hand and turns around. I take another sip of my drink as I follow him to the stairs. I like that it’s dark here because he’s harder to spot though some people still recognize him.

  It’s selfish but as Derek leads me to the dance floor, I catch myself wishing he was a normal guy. I wish he wasn’t a model and an actor. I wish he didn’t have over a hundred million followers on Instagram. I wish he wasn’t obnoxious. I wish he was just a normal guy that I got matched with at a bar through the MATCH ME app.

  Then this could be a real date with real potential for something else.

  But none of that is true. Derek is a model and an actor and he has millions of followers on social media. His face is plastered on magazines all the time and he’s followed around by the press with the hopes of getting a good picture or good gossip. He is the guy I got matched with but he’s not an ordinary guy. And the only thing he’s interested in with this date is to get me to agree to be his fake girlfriend just so that he can help his friend.

  Thinking about this is depressing and I drink the rest of my drink in a sip and set the glass down on a random table as we reach the dance floor.

  I don’t want to think about any of that. I just want to have fun. My common sense can come back tomorrow.

  There is techno music playing as Derek pulls me over to him so I’m standing in front of him. He winks at me as he begins to double step with the music. I laugh then begin to move at the rhythm of the music, moving my arms and swaying my hips. I close my eyes for a moment and I try to forget about everything.

  It’s been so long since I’ve danced, I’d forgotten how much I like it. I’m used to techno music, it’s what they play on most clubs so I’ve learned some moves.

  I suddenly feel Derek lean towards me and I open my eyes in surprise.

  “You have no idea how sexy you look right now, Gin,” He says in a low voice, his lips brush against my ear.

  He pulls away and I roll my eyes at him. “Shut up and dance!” I yell and he chuckles.

  We dance for about an hour before we both get thirsty and head to the bar on the side for some drinks. I’m so hot and sweaty and I need to pee so I excuse myself to the restroom, leaving Derek at the bar.

  The restroom is packed and I have to wait in line for a couple of minutes before I’m able to get a stall. Afterwards, I wash my hands and dry my face with a paper towel. Some girls are reapplying their make-up and others are completely drunk laughing at I don’t know what.

  The point of the matter being: it’s a mess and I hurry out of there.

  I push through people as I make my way back to the bar but when I get there, Derek is nowhere to be found. Where is he? I scan around the dark room. It’s wild here. Why would he leave?

  I don’t know how much time passes before I sp
ot him. It might’ve been minutes but it feels longer than that.

  He’s back on the dance floor and he’s dancing. With four other women. Four. They all grind their bodies on him and touch his hair and face and arms and he’s…loving it. He has that grin on his face. His hands go around the girl that is grinding her ass against him.

  I stare at him in disbelief.

  I can’t believe my eyes.

  The worst part is that there’s people taking pictures of him with all the other women. Now there are going to be pictures of me with him and pictures of him with four other women less than three hours later.

  God. I’m such an idiot.

  I know I’m not his girlfriend but I’m his date. Is this how he is with women? He gets here with one and leaves with three or four others?

  There is no way I’m going to stand around and watch him have fun. Imani and Ebony are probably upstairs laughing right now. Screw him. Screw Derek Collins and his attractive self. He’s trouble. He’s too much. He’s not for me. This was a mistake. I’m an idiot. I probably deserve this.

  I glare at him one more time before turning around and walking out of the club.

  Derek Collins has managed to give me the worst date of my life.

  10. no smug comments

  I stare at the TV as the movie 10 Things I Hate About You plays. How fitting. I bet I could find 10 things I hate about Derek Collins. I could probably find more.

  I hate how smug he is.

  I hate how over-confident he is.

  I hate how handsome he is.

  I hate how self-absorbed and entitled he is.

  I hate that he got me to go on a with him date last night.

  I hate that he held my hand and I liked it.

  I hate that he made me feel tingles in my stomach last night when he told me how sexy I looked while we danced.

  I hate that he’s made me look like a fool on the internet.

  I hate that I love his car.

  I hate that he calls me Gin.

  God. I know exactly how Kat Stratford felt when she recited that poem especially how she ended it because I know that I don’t actually hate Derek Collins and I hate that.

  I hate that I don’t hate Derek Collins.

  I dislike him but I don’t hate him. I also know that the blame isn’t all on him. It’s also on me. I knew better than to go out with him. I knew better yet I still got all dressed up because I wanted to look good for him. I’m an idiot.

  This morning, I woke up to everyone talking about what happened last night all over social media.

  Derek Collins is seen dancing with four women after being spotted with the girl he was matched with through the MATCH ME dating app.

  That headline keeps replaying in my head over and over like a broken record. I feel so embarrassed. Most people know who I am now, thanks to Instagram. I had to log off because I was getting all these messages and mentions. It’s my own fault for having my profile public. But none of this would be happening if I would’ve stuck with my decision to not go out with him.

  God. I can’t wait for this to pass so I can be forgotten again.

  My phone’s screen lightens up as another call from Kim comes in. She probably just wants to check up on me but I don’t really feel like talking to anyone right now. I just want to sit on my couch and watch this movie.

  Unfortunately for me, I can’t stop thinking about what happened. Why am I so angry? I’m not his girlfriend. I was just his date. That's the thing, though. I was his date and he didn’t respect that. He forgot all about me the moment I left him alone for five minutes. I don’t even know how he wanted me to be his fake girlfriend when he can’t even act right on a date.

  The worst part about all of this is that the reason I’m so disappointed and angry is because for a moment last night, I actually thought that something could happen between us.

  It must’ve been the alcohol or the adrenaline of being in a nightclub. Or how good his hand felt when he grabbed mine or how good he made me feel when he told me I looked sexy.

  Oh my God. I can’t believe I have a crush on Derek Collins.

  The thought makes me reach for more chips as I continue to watch the movie. I look at the time on my phone. It’s past noon and I work at four. Today might just be the first day that I call out. Wait. No. I can’t do that. I’m behind on rent. I need the money.

  I consider calling my sister, Natalie. She would be the only person I would want to speak to right now. The problem is that she doesn’t know what’s been going on since my birthday. I’d have to start from the beginning and I’m not in the mood for that right now.

  There’s a sudden knock on the door of my apartment and it makes me freeze.

  I don’t move and then there’s another knock.

  I set the chips to the side then stand up as quietly as I can and tip toe to the door. I peek through the peephole and see Derek standing on the other side of the door. What the hell is he doing here? Hasn't he had enough? I know I've had enough.

  “I know you’re in there, Gin,” He says in a loud voice. “Open the door.”

  “Go away.” I call back as I go back to the couch.

  “Listen, I’m sorry. Please open the door.”

  “I don’t want to see you, Derek, just leave.” I scowl at the TV and try to ignore him.

  “Fine. Just listen then,” He says. His voice sounds muffled as he speaks through the door. “I’m sorry about last night. I know that was a dick move.”

  I nod at the TV in agreement but don’t say anything.

  “I didn’t do it intentionally. They just came up to me and pushed me to the floor. Before I knew it, we were dancing.”

  “Well, it sure didn’t look like you were being forced to dance,” I say and then I bite my lip. I sound like a jealous girlfriend and I hate it. For the millionth time, I remind myself that I’m not Derek’s girlfriend. I shouldn’t be acting this way. It’s childish.

  “I’m sorry, Gin, please let me make it up to you.”

  I sit in silence for a moment and then I sigh and stand up. I unlock the door and open it. Derek looks up at me and he looks relieved. He’s wearing jeans with a white shirt and black shoes. He has a black cap on today. I’m starting to think that he wears them because he likes them and not necessarily to hide his face. He looks so good in them.

  “I don’t care that you were dancing with them,” I say to him angrily, trying to ignore the little voice inside my head that is saying liar. “You can dance with as many women as you’d like, Derek. What I do care about is that you made me look like an idiot. You didn’t give a crap about how it would make me look. So screw you. Just leave me alone.”

  I try shutting the door but he places his palm against it and stops it. Dang. He’s strong. I give up and cross my arms on my chest. “What?” I demand.

  “I’m sorry,” He says looking at me. “Please forgive me.”

  I look at him and ask, “What are you sorry for?”

  I want to know if he really understands what he did wrong or if he’s just saying ‘sorry’ just to say it.

  “You were my date,” He says looking into my eyes and I look away because I want to be angry at him and not think about how pretty his eyes are. “It was wrong of me to ditch you and go dancing with other girls.”

  I meet his gaze again. “Good. At least you know where you screwed up.” I shake my head. “Honestly, Derek, I don’t even know how you wanted to do this whole fake relationship thing when you can’t even behave on one date. And then you wonder why I turned you down.”

  He takes a deep breath, looking desperate. “I know I fucked up. Please forgive me. Let me make it up to you.”

  I bite my lip as I look at him. “You really think I want to go out with you after that?”

  He shakes his head. “Gin, please,” He says looking at me pleadingly. He does look sorry though he might be faking it. He is an actor after all.

  Then I remind myself that he’s only here because he still wa
nts me to do this fake relationship thing with him. He wants me to pretend to be his girlfriend and pretend to be happy just for the sake of appearance and to help his best friend sell his app. He’s not here because he gives a damn. He doesn’t really care that he’s made me look like a fool in front of everyone. He’s here because he wants something. He’s telling me what I want to hear because he wants me to move on from this and accept his proposition.