Crys stopped me from biting my nails any further. I hadn't even realized that I'd been doing so, but I was thankful that she'd stopped me. We stood before Derek's door, a plain beige thing that had his name spelled out in dramatic letters.
"Do you think he's already in there?" I asked her. "Only one way to find out!" She said, pushing me first to the door, then knocking. My stomach churned.
"Come in!" Derek's voice said.
Upon entering, I saw the layout of his temporary room. A rack of clothes to the left, a table with a mirror and chair in front of us, and a clear desk to the right. He was sitting in the chair, fervently writing out words on what appeared to be a script in front of him. But when the door came open, his eyes met mine in the glass.
His smile spread across his face once more and he swiveled around, greeting us. "Hello! Thank you for coming backstage." He said pleasantly, putting his pen down and turning the script over. "Thank us?" I blurted, stunned that someone like him would be happy that someone like me had invaded his personal space.
"Yes, thank you," he said, his teeth glistening in the overhead lights as his grin grew wider, "I was almost certain that you'd fled the building, what with how you seem scared of me." If only he REALLY knew.
I felt color brighten my cheeks, and my heart crashed inside my chest. I gripped the piece of paper in my pocket tighter, praying for the ability to focus, or at least not pass out. "Please," he interrupted my thoughts, "have a seat." Crys and I began to sit when he spoke again. "So, you were the girl I bumped into at the bar. Did you recover from your fall?" Genuine worry showed on his face, and it took my breath away.
I cleared my throat obnoxiously before speaking. "Yes, I did. Sore wrists and knees, but, uh, nothing else." I cringed inwardly. He beamed. "I brought you back to question you once more, without peering eyes. Please, tell me your name?"
"You're Derek Hale," I paused. "…Yes, last I checked," He couldn't help the humor that showed up in his eyes or the corner of his mouth. "Well, um, my point is…why…how…?" I could see anticipation coloring the air, but I wasn't sure how to ask him this question. I cleared my throat again, ignoring the surprise second of pain that came with Crys jabbing her index finger into my ribs.
"My point is that I'm not, really, well, important. I'm no…different from the other people you met, so…?" "Why pick you to talk to?" His small smile melted my heart.
I nodded.
He signed, scratching at the back of his neck. "You come off as…comforting. You have this homey aura about you, I noticed it when I bumped into you. That's something I haven't been around in years, and…I just wanted to see you again. You're a pleasant change from the people that I'm normally around and...damn, I am sounding so stalker-ish right now." Much to my surprise, I saw pink leaching up his neck and his eyes winking with embarrassment.
My heart thundered in my ribcage. I looked to Crys, who was bent over gathering her purse. It figured a rude way to leave the conversation, but I began to stand anyway. "No, no!" She said hurriedly, "I've got to…visit the ladies room! You two stay here and chat, I'll be back." The devilish glint in her eye said otherwise.
"Please!" I begged her with my eyes. She winked then walked out.
I was all alone. With Derek Hale.
I refrained from loudly choking on air as I swallowed nothing. My hands shook, and I shoved them in my pockets. Thinking I'd do better sitting that way, I crossed my legs, and inadvertently knocked a glass with a dark beverage in it off of the small table in front of me. I facepalmed before jumping up to use my sweater as a towel. "That's not necessary," He said, coming over quickly with a roll of paper towels.
"I'm sorry," I mumbled, humiliated once more. "It happens," he said, his voice just in front of my face. He surprised me by reaching over and lifting my chin to meet his eyes. I stopped breathing, freezing in my spot.
"This is a simple thing. You shouldn't feel so bad about it, it's a little soda, no biggie." His smile assured me. I shook my head, trying not to smile, but not being able to help it either.
I finally decided to go for it, and step out of my comfort zone. I needed to break free from this cage, even if for just a few seconds. I took a deep breath.
"Wisteria." I said.
Derek's hand stopped and he looked up at me, confused. "Huh?" He asked. I stopped myself before I smiled like an idiot, and replaced it with what I hoped what a serene, gentle smile. "My name." I said, "Wisteria."
He tested the word, my name, on his lips. "Wisteria," he mumbled, shaking his head slightly before finishing wiping up the soda. "Yes," I said, hoping I wasn't shaking. I played that single second in my head four times over before he spoke again.
"Well, Wisteria, I'm so glad to have met you." He spoke gently, carefully, like he was afraid he might say something wrong. "I've wanted to meet you since I saw your first appearance on that television show, when you were thirteen, and you're glad to have met me?" He looked up at me, his eyes clear and open, and I wondered suddenly if I'd said too much. Come to think of it, I had sounded a little stalkerish.
"I'm always glad to have met a fan, but I must say, none have stuck with me the same way." My heart clenched, and what air that had been in my lungs whooshed out. Suddenly, my nerve was gone, and I bit down hard on my bottom lip.
"You…" I cleared my throat, "You can, um, call me Ria…i-if you want to." What a stupid thing to say! Like he'd be here any longer than today, like he'd remember that name at all, like he'd-
"Are you nervous?" He broke my mental ranting. "Hmm?" I asked, realizing that I tasted the coppery bite of blood. Derek pressed one of the paper towels to my lip.
My heart stopped.
"You remind me of…someone I used to know," he said, a small smile playing on his lips. "Oh?" I asked, breathlessly. "Yeah, my sister, Laura. To someone she didn't know? Fire and ice, cold and brutal. To us? Gentle, loving…nervous." He bit his own lip, as if to stop a deep pain.
So, I reminded him of his sister. That was why I stood out. I had been so stupid to think it was anything else.
"Thanks." I said, trying to think quickly of a good reason to bail, "I had better find my friend now, she's probably looking for me. We've got to get back home." He snapped back to, his eyes finding me again after having been in the past.
"Do you…have to go?" He asked. With the ball in my court, I felt my knees give way, and I stumbled back into the seat, bashing my back loudly and painfully into the chair and whiplashing my head. I heard and felt my back pop, and taking in a breath was painful. "Owww," I groaned.
"Wisteria! Are you alright?" He asked, standing over me, looking scared to touch me. I gasped when pain erupted in the right side of my ribcage when I inhaled once more. "I'm good," I got out, "I think I knocked the wind out of myself."
"Kingston!" Derek shouted, his hand holding the back of my head, "Get the Doc!" "Why, what happened?" Kingston appeared in the doorway, his shirt half untucked and his jeans hanging loosely on his hips, his hair disheveled.
"Shit, Ria!" Crys came bolting from the opposite side that I could see, pushing Kingston into the hallway and coming to my side. "What happened?" She asked Derek. "She stumbled backwards," Derek said. The pain in my ribs spread to my shoulder. I wanted to sigh in frustration. Of all the things.
"Hold on, Ria, someone is coming to help," she said. "Who are you?" Derek asked her, knowing she was my friend, but she hadn't given a name. "My name's Crys, is that really important right now?" She growled, brushing the hair from my forehead.
"Oww," I said again, quieter. "Why did you do that?" She whispered, "Everything was going perfect." "How…would you know?" I grunted, smiling at her despite the pain radiating inside my body. She grinned her know-it-all grin.
The doctor appeared suddenly, politely pushing Crys aside to assess me. When he pressed into the middle of my spine, I didn't get the chance to stop the yelp that came with the sudden sharp pain. The doctor shook his head, a feeling of sympathy on his face.
"Well," he said, "I can't be completely sure, but it looks as though you may have a bruised vertebra, perhaps a pulled muscle. It wouldn't be smart to refuse an X-ray." I wanted to bash my head into the concrete floor.
"Alright," I said, and Crys leaned down to help me up. I sucked in a breath as pain shot up my spine. "Allow me," Derek said, and gently, like I was a cloud that might disappear in his hands, he lifted me. Once against his chest, I relaxed, listening to his heartbeat, terrified that I was in his arms.
"Just you hold on, Wisteria. We're going to get you taken care of."
**I want to take this moment to thank all of you reading this. It means so much to me that you take time out of your days to read my updates, to follow, favorite and review.
Unfortunately, this will probably be the last update for a long, LONG time. As of April 12th, I will be moving to Texas to start working two jobs. I won't have access to a computer, or time to write. I'm not sure what will happen to this story. I really hope to pick it back up some day, and I hate to have left it so terribly.
I will leave it up to you guys. If you guys would rather me write out the gist of the rest of the story and upload it as one whole update telling you the characters' stories, I will. If not, I can't tell you how long a wait it will be. I'd love your feedback. I hope everyone has a fantastic day!**