"Chloe!" Tori's shriek successfully breaking through my daydream. "I really need to find the right outfit!"
"Sorry. I must have spaced a bit." I returned with a sigh. I'd much rather return to my daydream world than "help" Tori find the next fashionable outfit she would wear on her date with Ash. My daydreams were usually more appealing than reality because they tended to revolve around my best friend. Mr. Tall, Dark, and Protective was nowhere to be seen, likely hiding himself away from his sister's wrath.
Derek was by far my best friend as well as the source of all of my current frustrations. I wished that there was a way for me to test my (or rater Tori and Jamie's) suspicions. I desperately wished that they were right. What I wouldn't give to have his muscular arms scoop me up and hold me close to his broad shoulder and increasingly attractive figure. He'd then lean down and kiss me, on the lips not the usual location (my forehead), with his own deliciously soft lips. Those pink lips pulling up into the smile he reserved for me alone as he pulled away. I would quickly wrap my arms around his neck and pull him in for a longer and deeper kiss. He'd slip his tongue along my lips as he waited for me to open my mouth as I gently tugged his silky, dark locks. His body would shiver against mine as I wrapped my legs around his waist.
"You should really just tell him. Or maybe a kiss would get your message across better. He'd definitely go for that," Tori started. "Actually, better just tell him. We don't you two jumping each other."
"Tori that will never happen. I've known him for so long, been friends with him for so long, that I highly doubt that he would even think of me like that." I could still remember the day we met as if it were yesterday but that's a story for another time. "He's never shown an interest in me; or any girl for that matter."
"Chloe. Derek's not as protective of his own sister as he is of you. You've never seen him interested in another girl because she would be just that, another girl. I will make you see it. I promise," Tori snapped, comforting me in her unique way. "In any case, I can tell you will not be convinced before I leave nor will you be any help whatsoever. You may go."
"Okay. Have you seen your birthdays?" I questioned.
"I will just answer with the one brother I know you really care about. He's in the living room. Can't you hear the TV?" Tori chuckled. She gave me a knowing look before turning back to the mirror. "Oh, by the way, you're spending the night tomorrow."
Tori may seem like an unpleasant person. If you asked her brothers, they would whole-heartedly agree with you. However, I've been friends with her almost as long as I have Derek and her brothers have never gotten along with their only sister. Siblings never seem to bond in the peace-loving way that's portrayed in the movie. They tease and they squabble but they obviously love each other.
Tori's appearance would scream either prep or punk depending on how you looked at it. She had the style and skirts of a prep but her black hair and expressions would lead you to believe her to be a punk. I knew that she could be a jerk to our class mates and I knew that she could be the nicest friend in the world, excluding Derek. She physically resembled Simon and their father Kit a very small amount. The Korean showed through in the least possible way. Her mother was out of the picture and had been for a long time. She was not a good mother and she definitely did not deserve a daughter like Tori.
In the living room, I found Derek with his back to me. He was watching some boring science channel show. He was such a geek sometimes. Okay, a majority of the time. He aced all of his science and math tests and left all the dating to his brother, Simon. He was adopted by Mr. Bae shortly before we met.
Simon was completely different matter. His kind face and blonde hair charmed most of the girls. The rest took an interest once he turned that startling smile and unassuming stance their way. I was glad he had never turned that interest towards me. That could have easily ruined our friendship.
Simon's cartoon styling was well-known throughout the school, particularly as the best. His drawings only encouraged people to like him even more. Simon's grades were not the best but I knew he would have had an easier time if he wasn't drawing during class. Teachers don't particularly like that.
Mentally returning to the living room, I attempted to sneak up behind the subject of my affections and jumped over the back of the couch. I had figured my trajectory wrong and instead of landing next to Derek, landed on his lap. Making the best of the situation, I wrapped my arms tight around his neck.
"Hi," I said shyly. I knew there was really no reason to hide, but I still buried my face in his chest. I could not believe that I just did that. I started to move off his lap only to feel his arms tighten around my waist.
"Hello," he replied, sounding amused but not at all surprised. "Want to watch a movie?"
"Sure." I mourned another attempt as Derek flipped through the channels. He had outstanding senses. He was always able to hear people within the room. I wouldn't be surprised if he could smell everyone from a distance though he had never said anything about that.
Derek settled on one of my favorite movies, knowing I would quickly become absorbed. I did. Part of the way through, however, his arms loosened around me and I could feel his head resting against my neck. When did that happen? I gently and slowly moved my head so I could see his face. His expression was relaxed and he had a slight smile on his face. Derek looked so vulnerable while he slept. I ran my hand along his jaw lightly, loving how strong it felt. As I pulled away a little more, his brow furrowed and his arms tightened around me, successfully securing me in place. I then ran my finger over the crease in his forehead to smooth it out, settling back against him once I was done.
As the movie was coming to an end, Simon poked his head into the room and smiled when he saw Derek and me. I waved from my position squirming a bit. I felt Derek stir against my neck, drowsily kissing it. I must imagined it. That would not have happened. Derek removed his head from my neck and peered peacefully at Simon, still half asleep. I could see as he gained the rest of his consciousness because the emotionless mask slid back into place.
Simon hadn't responded to Derek making an unusual move which confirmed my suspicions that my imagination was playing with me. I wished it hadn't been. I wished my daydreams would suddenly come true. I can't live like this much longer. Thankfully, the rest of my friends seemed to have picked up on it.
Tori burst through the door and stormed over to Simon before hitting the back of his head. He winced but shot a smug look her way. I was almost afraid to ask what had happened. With those two, it was better not to know half the time.
"Okay. I'll bite. What is going on?" I asked, unable to prevent the words from leaving my mouth.
"Your least favorite sibling decided to interrupt my date." Tori was obviously furious. Had I been in Simon's place, I would have moved away at an alarming rate.
"I'm not her least favorite sibling! I'm her favorite!" Simon retorted. We all knew that wasn't true. I loved Si like a brother but he was just not Derek. He winked in my direction. He was trying to get a rise out of both his siblings in one night. Great.
"We all know that I'm her favorite and that Simon was being a jerk. You can both leave now," Derek rumbled. I shivered again, hoping no one would notice. Tori did but chose to simply smirk in my direction. I imagined how that voice would spread through me even faster when he was closer to me. If he were leaning into my ear, speaking in that just-woken-up voice, telling me how he loved me. How he would always love me and how much he had wished for us to be together since we hit puberty. I imagined how his hands would feel travelling along my hip, brushing my hair from my face, wrapped in that hair while we were kissing. I was sure that every time we would touch, even the simplest brush, we would feel as though electricity was racing between us. That electricity would push us together and we would become addicted to each other's touch. We would-
Derek's voice speaking right next to my ear, transferring me from fantasy to reality once more. He had apparently been trying to get my attention. Simon and Tori were still standing in the doorway, now joined by Kit. Kit had a worried expression on his face. Simon and Tori were looking particularly smug. I was dreading any time alone with Tori anytime soon.
"Chloe, honey, are you okay?" Kit asked. He had been at work when Tori left but must have come back sometime during the movie. He probably even stopped in when he got home but I was too into the movie to notice. It would have been before Derek fell asleep. Derek was an incredibly light sleeper.
"Yeah. I'm fine. Just a little out of it today," I assured him. I could feel Derek moving beneath me trying to catch a glimpse of my face. His attention was thankfully diverted as a knock came at the door. I wondered who else would be visiting so late in the evening.
"Tori. You forgot your purse in my car," Ash muttered as he entered the room. As his gaze lit upon Derek holding me protectively, his eyes lit up. He saw an unknown opportunity to make a joke. "Well, look who's finally together."
"What are you talking about, idiot?" Derek shot Ash's way. He had only known Ash for the short month Ash had been dating Tori. Neither Ash nor Derek went out of their ways to get to know others, especially each other. Personally, I think the two would have gotten along great if they tried; their personalities were basically the same.
"What am I talking about? You've got Chloe on your lap, dude. You don't think that's unusual?" Ash asked incredulously. We all gave him the same looking, telling him he was being dumb. It wasn't unusual for Derek and me to curl up together at either of our houses. We knew that the school frowned upon that sort of thing so we didn't sit like this at school.
"You really are dumb," Tori muttered. She dragged him out the door and onto the front lawn. She came back in a couple minutes later with the most hilarious look on her face. She seemed to be unable to believe that Ash was her boyfriend. "How could I be dating him?"
"Anyways, Chloe, are you staying for dinner?" Kit asked. I don't know why he asked every time. I always stayed and my aunt didn't expect me home until late normally because of how frequently I was over here. I knew she wouldn't have a problem with me spending the night tomorrow either.
"Of course. You know I can't resist a Bae specialty," I stated.
"I've already eaten so I'm going to head up to my room. Chloe, you coming?" Tori asked. I knew this was coming. I was dreading it really but I knew better than to put it off. I stood to join Tori on the stairs and glanced back to see Derek watching me go. Simon had taken the spot next to him on the couch and was saying something to him. Derek looked in Simon's direction to answer and I turned back around to follow Tori up the stairs and into her room.
"So…how was the movie?" Tori inquired as soon as the door was closed.
"It was fine. We watched one of my favorites. I should probably say that I watched one of my favorites. Derek fell asleep half-way through," I muttered, blushing.
"And that blush says there's something more," Tori shot back. She could almost always tell when I was leaving something out; everyone could. I hated my blush now more than ever.
"Well, at the end of the movie, Simon came home from his date. I waved and had to move around to do so because Derek was, as you saw, holding me to him. I swear I felt Derek wake up and kiss my neck but no one else seemed to respond to the action so I must have been wrong. I wish he had," I sighed out. I knew that I sounded like a ridiculous girl with a ridiculous crush but I just couldn't help it. I had loved Derek for so long and being able to talk about it was the most I got out of this ordeal I found myself in.
"Ewwwww, that's my brother. Ugh. But, for your sake, I will pretend it is another guy from our school. I think you have it bad and it's about time we did something about it," Tori said.
"I don't even know what to do about it. The guy is totally oblivious to anything involving feelings." I was incredibly frustrated. I knew Derek very well and knew that for him to notice something you have to flat-out say it but I was really wishing for another course of action.
"Well, lucky for you, I have a plan." Tori cackled in that way that only she can. I was sure at that moment that I should be incredibly terrified.
"Um…thanks but I'm not sure."
"Oh, you don't have a choice. Trust me. I know what to do. That sleepover we're having will now be expanded to include Liz," Tori informed me. That was both good and bad. Liz was a wonderful person, nice and cheerful. Her blonde locks often fell around her shoulders and her eyes also attracted Simon. That would be good because she could serve as a distraction for one of the brothers. I'm sure that's what Tori had planned. "I'm also picking out your pajamas and your clothes for Saturday."
"Tori, that's so pointless. What's the difference in clothes going to do? I dress perfectly fine." I knew instinctively that I didn't have a choice but I wanted to put forth some semblance of a fight against her tyrannical rule. I really couldn't see the point though. Clothes were clothes and Derek wouldn't notice a difference.
"With what I have planned, Derek won't know what hit him," Tori stated. This could end badly for me.
"What exactly do you have planned?" I asked, fearing the answer.
"Well, first, we'll have short-shorts and a tank top. Then, we'll all gather in the living room to watch a scary movie. We'll also have pizza but that doesn't really matter. Assuming that we can convince the boys to stay for the next part, it will be the first big hit at Derek's emotion-wall." Tori's voice took on this mischievous quality. "But you can't know what that part of the plan is. You know, I really shouldn't tell you any of it. In fact, I think I'll keep it all to myself from that point on."
"What are you planning, Tori?" A deep, irritated growl came from the other side of the door. I shot Tori a look, knowing who was on the other side of that door and what he could have heard.
"Nothing, neanderthal. Why are you here?" Tori questioned as she opened the door to reveal a very annoyed looking Derek.
"Dinner's ready. Dad sent me up to get Chloe," Derek mumbled. He wasn't big on talking. I got up and followed him down the stairs. I sat at my usual spot at the table, across from Simon and Kit and next to Derek.
Dinner was a quiet affair. Kit asked Simon about his date, Derek about his classes, and me about my screen-writing. I had wanted to be a screen-writer since I was younger but I recently actually started working on scripts. I told him that it was going well. I also mentioned how Derek and Simon, though mostly Simon, had been pestering me to show them my current work. That was not going to happen soon.
After dinner, I noticed that it was nearing the time that Aunt Lauren would be expecting me. She could be a bit overprotective. She hadn't initially liked Derek when she first met him, judging him based on his size, which was still rather large at that younger age. He couldn't help it any more than I could help how short I was. She loosened up a bit as time went by but if I wasn't with the Bae's she worried just as much.
Derek volunteered to take me home, as usual. I glanced at him a lot on the way home. I once again noticed the things that always drew my attention: his hands and his face. His hands looked like the gentlest things about him and I could easily remember them pulling me up after he fought off the bullies of my first grade class. His face was drawn back in his usual scowl. He was always regretful when he took me home. He hated how little involvement my dad had in my life after my mom died. He hated that I had to live with my aunt because Dad was out of the picture a majority of the time. I reached over to set my hand upon his as I tried to ease his worry. He knew that I would be fine.
"I'll see you in the morning," I told Derek, leaning over to hug him once we stopped in front of the apartment. "Don't worry, Der-Bear, I'll be fine."
He smiled slightly at the use of the nickname from our childhood. I could see the acceptance cross his face. I stepped out of the car and waved, finally getting a response.
When I got to my room, I got ready for bed before drifting off to sleep. I dreamt about the first time Derek and I met.
~Flashback~
It was the middle of the year. Daddy had dropped me off, reassuring me that it would be fine. The kids would accept me and I would have friends. We wouldn't move again. I could live here and grow up with the kids I met today. I hesitantly walked to the door, the whole way reassuring myself with his words. I could see the teacher that Daddy had taken me to meet a few days ago.
"Chloe!" The teacher called out to me. She pulled me closer to her classroom and told me that everything would be fine and that I would fit right in. She seemed to know exactly what to say.
Once we were in the classroom, she asked me to tell the class about myself. I didn't want to do it. I knew that they would make fun of me. The kids at my last school did. The teacher urged me to continue.
"I-I-I'm Ch-Chloe…" I said before taking the first seat I saw. The girls near me were named Jessica and Kimberly. The just giggled and whispered to each other. They glanced at me occasionally. I didn't like them.
At recess, the boys in our class teased me. They said that I didn't know how to speak, that I should just stop trying. I started tearing up. The boys pushed me down as they raced past. I just sat there, in the mud, my pink dress, my favorite dress, getting dirty.
"You okay?" A voice muttered above me. I looked up to see a boy with dark hair and bright green eyes. He was holding his hand out to help me up. I pulled myself up and kept going, putting my arms around the boy. I stood there sobbing and he eventually put his arms around me. He didn't seem to know what to do. I pulled away and apologized quickly.
"Don't worry. I'm Derek." He seemed sincere. I wasn't even sure why he had come to help me when everyone else seemed to hate me.
"Wh-why are you h-h-here?" I asked. I didn't mean to sound rude, it just came out.
"I wanted to make sure you were okay. If you want I can leave you alone." The boy, Derek, seemed to be unsurprised that someone wouldn't want to talk to him.
"D-do you want to be friends? D-Daddy says th-that I-I should make f-f-friends," I replied quickly. I didn't want the nice boy to leave me by myself in this new place.
"Sure," Derek now seemed surprised that there was someone who was willing to befriend him. I grabbed his hand and dragged him toward the school.
And thus our epic friendship started. We were together from that point on. He was there for me when my mother died and I was there for him when he dealt with the return of his biological father.
A/N: This is my new story. Yes, it's a cliche. I'm incredibly pleased to say that this chapter is longer than my chapters for other fics. Let me know what you think. I will be putting my own twist on this story. Part of it has already been mentioned in this chapter. I'll give you a hint. The Jamie I mentioned is not just a random character. Leave a review, per favore.
~MSOMS