Chapter 3
AN: Thanks again. Warned you; really fast updates. Hopefully not too fast! At the rate I am going, this story will be done today. A teensy, tiny touch of angst, 'cause I gotta.
"He wants me to meet his mother," Garcia said, sounding a little bit upset. She was laying on his couch, her head in his lap, looking up at him with big, sad brown eyes.
His hand was absent-mindedly playing with her hair, picking up the golden strands, and letting them flow softly through his fingers. "Why is this a problem?" he rumbled low in his throat. He seemed kind of distracted to her; like he wasn't really there, or really paying attention.
"Derek? Are you listening?" She went to sit up, but his hand on her shoulder kept her laying back.
"Yeah," he said, in that same low voice he had since she walked into his place, all smiles and happiness. This thing with Kyle was working; she was so proud of herself. "I am."
She sighed. He must've had a bad date last night or something. She'd ask him later. Right now, she needed his help. "Truth is, I don't know how to really meet his mother," she blurted out. "See, I don't have one, and-"
"You met mine; she loves you," he said, and she felt him twirl a lock of hair.
"That doesn't count," she said. "It's just you, not like it's anyone serious."
She felt his thigh under her head stiffen as he dropped her hair. He did not look happy with her. Oops!
"Derek, I didn't mean it like that! She's wonderful, I love her. I meant, when I met your mom, we were friends, I didn't have to impress her because she was a future mother in law or something," she said, quickly backpedaling.
"But you did," he murmured, picking up that lock of hair again.
"What?"
"Impressed her," he said, looking down into her eyes. "She loved you. Said you were 'one of a kind wonderful' and that some lucky man was going to have you someday."
Her eyes teared up. "Aw, Derek, that was so sweet! Why didn't you tell me that?"
"Because she was telling me I should be that lucky man," he said, commenting like he commented on the weather.
She, on the other hand, nearly had a heart attack. Her pulse started to pound almost painfully in her ears. It was a secret wish of hers for a long time, that she would be so lucky as to marry her best friend. She nixed the idea a long time ago as a stupid fairytale. And everyone knew that fairytales were not true.
Best to keep that locked up tight and throw away the key, she thought.
She closed her eyes, and sighed. "Well, I guess she doesn't know you very well, does she?" she teased, attempting lightness.
He continued to play with her hair, and didn't say anything.