Derek was becoming more frustrated with Aislynn's behavior more and more as the next day passed. During breakfast, she sat the furtherest way from him, making no eye contact and quickly excusing herself from the table. He didn't want to feel this way about someone fifteen years younger than him or someone who was his mother's best friend's child, but he couldn't stop himself from thinking about her. The way her hair smelled of fresh flowers, the way her eyes sparkled when she smiled and the way her lips felt against his. She was like a new beginning to a not so happy life he had been living lately. As she got up to leave, Derek got up from his chair and followed her upstairs to his sister's old room.
"Why do you keep avoiding me like the plague," He said shutting the door behind him. She turned around not expecting to see anyone there especially him.
"I'm not. I'm just awful busy."
"You're lying. It's summer vacation, so you don't have school work plus you're not even in school yet and you don't have a job so it's not like you need to be somewhere." She moved around the room looking for something, anything to make herself look busy. He walked towards her and spun her around to face him.
"Listen, I kissed you and you kissed me back. We kissed and yes there is a big age difference between us, but I don't care. You keep me guessing and wanting more, so I want to get to know you better. Please don't push me away, give me a try." He was pleading with her. But pleading for what? She found herself wanting more than just a kiss from him but there was so many things to complicate that. For one he lived across the country. Two, he had a kid and a huge past including an ex wife and a women who had his child. Three, the age difference. What would everyone say if they were to find out. If they ever were to have a relationship and it didn't work out, that might cause a rift between the two families, and she loved having two big families. She couldn't bear the thought of not being able to come to the Shepherd's reunions anymore or causing her mother's fifty-something year friendship with Denise to end.
"Derek. I don't know. We barely know each other. Plus you are going back to Seattle at the end of the week and I will going to college at the end of the summer. I'm not looking for a summer fling. I want a relationship. I want a committment, not a causual summer love," she starred into his eyes but there was nothing she could say to persuade him otherwise. He inched closer to her, took her face in his hands and kissed her. It felt good to have his lips touching hers again. Her worries faded and all she could concentrate on was how this felt at this very moment. She wanted more, in more ways than one.
"Derek," she breathed against his lips. He parted from her and looked into her eyes. "I'm here for you. Please let me show you this," he said embracing her and rocking her slowly in his arms. He walked her over to the bed, and laid down beside her. Kissing her, playing with her hair and taking her scent in. She smiled and snuggled closer to him.
"You fall fast for woman, don't you," he heard muffled from his chest. He moved away from her and looked at her pondering how to answer. She feared she had all ready over stepped her boundaries.
"I have only fell fast for two women in my life," he said resting his head on the pillow, " You and Emma's mother. I thought she was the one. I wanted her to committ and start a family and she wanted a career. She seemed ok with committing to the relationship till she got pregnant. She got scared and broke it off. After she had Emma, she gave me custody rights and moved to L.A. I've been raising Emma in Seattle by myself ever since. Emma likes you, you know? She was talking about you last night when I was putting her to bed. You made quite an impression on my little girl."
Aislynn smiled and said," I'm fond of her myself. She looks like you." Derek nodded and kissed Aislynn's forehead. Suddenly a knock broke up their moment of bliss. Both jumped up and Aislynn walked to the door, ushering Derek to get by the closet.
"Who is it?"
"It's Jonathon, I want to talk to you." Aislynn cringed and said, " Crap." Derek gave her a look and got defensive. "What's wrong?" She shook her head and straightened out the bed.
"Give me a minute." She moved to Derek, pushing him into her closet and opening the door. Jonathon walked in and looked around suspiciously. He circled around her and stopped in front of her.
"Why are you holding yourself up in her, love?"
"Stop in Jonathon. Not that it's any of your business but I was just relaxing by myself before the day's activities start up." He ran his hands through her hair and breathed her in. She tried to move away, but he held on to her wrist.
" I have today's activity right here for you," Jonathon said moving her hand down his stomach lower and lower, till she ripped her hand away.
"Get the hell out you jerk," she said through clenched teeth," Get out now or I will make sure this whole house hears what you were trying to do!" Jonathon backed up towards the door and winked one last time before leaving. Aislynn went over to the door, shut it and fell down in front of it, crying. Derek emerged from his hiding spot and sat down beside her.
"Sshhh. It's ok he's gone," He stroked her hair keeping it out of her face," I won't let him hurt you like that, I swear." She looked up at him with tears in her eyes and cried even harder.
"Please stop crying, I'm sorry." She shook her head 'no' trying to stop him from talking.
"No it's not you. Well it is, but it's a good thing." He leaned into her a kissed her softly and quickly on the lips. One of those kisses that meant it was going to happen a lot.
Aislynn spent most of the day hanging out with Emma or Derek, but trying not to cause any attention to the two. After lunch, Aislynn was sitting in the dinning room coloring with Emma, when Nancy walked in.
"Hey Ems, will you go see grammy for a little while. please? I need to talk to Aislynn alone please," Nancy said closing Emma's coloring book. Emma took her coloring book, a few crayons and went to go find her grandmother. Aislynn sat in silence waiting for Nancy to say something.
"So?"
"So? Want to tell me anything that's going on with you lately," Nancy said resting her hands on the table.
"No, don't think so."
"That's interesting. What was my brother doing in your room this morning after breakfast." Aislynn stopped dead in her thoughts.
"What?"
"I heard you crying and him telling you that he wouldn't let something harm you. Are you two together," she said not breaking eye contact with Aislynn.
"She doesn't have to answer that, Nancy," said Allison, as she and Derek walked into the dinning room.
"Derek, she is fifteen years younger than you!"
"Nancy age has nothing to do with anything," Allison said putting a hand on Aislynn's shoulder.
"Mom is not going to be happy, Derek, and your mom will be just as upset, Aislynn," Nancy said.
"Nancy, stop it," Derek said," Her and I are both adults and if we want to have a relationship with each other than so be it." Nancy looked from her siblings then to Aislynn.
"You two have till tomorrow night to tell mom and Abigail, otherwise I'm breaking the news to them." And with that Nancy was out of the dinning room with Derek following close behind her arguing she needed to mind her own business and worry about her kids other than someone else's.
sat down next to Aislynn asking her question if she understood what a relationship with Derek meant.
"Ally, I know. There's just something about him and I want to do this," begged Aislynn. Allison smiled and hugged Aislynn.
"You know what you are doing and I have faith. You might be good for Derek and for Emma. I see the way both look at you," she said," Now go find my brother and talk to him about your relationship and how you are going to tell the parents."
