CHAPTER 3
By the time they all got back to Derek and Chenille's house, Sara was about ready to collapse. Her lip was stinging like crazy and she could feel a bruise forming on her right cheek. She could also feel a little bit of blood trickling out from a cut made by Nikki's nails on her arm.
With his arm around her, Derek led Sara into the small duplex-like place he called home.
"Here, go lie down there," he suggested, pointing to the couch, "I'm gonna' get some ice for that. Chenille will stay here with you," he finished with a smile and a kiss on the top of her head. Sara laid her head down on a beige pillow on the couch and stretched out. Chenille took her coat from her and then sat down on the other couch next to Sara's.
"You a'ight'?" She asked, closing her eyes for a moment and then opening them again in the direction of Sara, waiting for an answer
"Yeah I'll be okay," she replied, touching her hand to her lip where the cut was. She could still taste and feel blood, so she knew it hadn't stopped bleeding. Once Derek entered the room once more, Sara sat up waiting for the cold ice to be pressed against her bleeding cut.
"This's gonna sting," he warned, pressing it against the cut. Sara flinched at first but tried to bare the pain. "It's a'ight, its ai'ght," Derek said, calming her down a little. Chenille got up from the couch and walked over in the direction of her bedroom.
"Ya'll are fine right? I gotta get some sleep,"
"Yeah you can go," Derek said, holding the ice on Sara's lip, "good night."
"'Night. . . 'night Sara,"
"'Night," she replied, attempting to form a small ounce of a smile on her paining face, but Derek told her not to.
"Just hold that on there," he told her, as Sara took hold of the freezing ice and lay her head down. Derek took her legs and put them over his. Sara closed her eyes and grunted from the severe pain. "So. . . you know Nikki and me . . . there's nothin' between us anymore," he commented, "At all." Sara wondered if this was really true, but of course she didn't say anything. When she didn't, Derek discovered her true feelings. "Look, Sara even when I was with Nikki I didn't feel the way I do about you!"
"Well it's the same with me but I just hate it the way she's always on our backs and she's always looking at you and everything!"
"That doesn't mean anything," he said, as both of them rose into a sitting position facing each other, "Let her look. I ain't gonna look back," Sara knew there was no use for words in that moment; Derek had said what needed to be said. "I love you Sara," Derek said. Once the sentence was over, he was surprised that he had said it. He hadn't even thought of it, it just slipped out of his mouth. Sara was surprised too, by the look on her face.
"You what?" she asked with a huge smile on her face. Derek laughed,
"I love you!" Sara took a deep breath and replied with those same three words. They finished that topic with a long kiss.
---------------
At around midnight Sara figured she should either go home or at least call Roy. Derek handed her the phone and she slowly dialed the numbers. She figured he might not even be home, and her guess was right. She did, however, leave a message on his answering machine explaining that she was spending the night at Chenille's house. Which was true, she just didn't say Derek was there as well. Once the message was recorded, Sara lay down once more, and Derek came out of his room with a big, baggy sweater around his arm.
"Here, put this on," he suggested, handing it to her with a smile. Sara, however, looked confused.
"Why?" She asked with a puzzled look on her face. However, she did put the sweater on.
"It's gettin' cold out," he replied simply. Then, Derek brought out a blanket and lay down with Sara, putting the blanket loosely around them. He gently wrapped his arms around her and both of them felt suddenly at peace. . . happy. Sara let out a quiet sigh of joy, and Derek smiled to himself. It was going to be a great night.
By the time they all got back to Derek and Chenille's house, Sara was about ready to collapse. Her lip was stinging like crazy and she could feel a bruise forming on her right cheek. She could also feel a little bit of blood trickling out from a cut made by Nikki's nails on her arm.
With his arm around her, Derek led Sara into the small duplex-like place he called home.
"Here, go lie down there," he suggested, pointing to the couch, "I'm gonna' get some ice for that. Chenille will stay here with you," he finished with a smile and a kiss on the top of her head. Sara laid her head down on a beige pillow on the couch and stretched out. Chenille took her coat from her and then sat down on the other couch next to Sara's.
"You a'ight'?" She asked, closing her eyes for a moment and then opening them again in the direction of Sara, waiting for an answer
"Yeah I'll be okay," she replied, touching her hand to her lip where the cut was. She could still taste and feel blood, so she knew it hadn't stopped bleeding. Once Derek entered the room once more, Sara sat up waiting for the cold ice to be pressed against her bleeding cut.
"This's gonna sting," he warned, pressing it against the cut. Sara flinched at first but tried to bare the pain. "It's a'ight, its ai'ght," Derek said, calming her down a little. Chenille got up from the couch and walked over in the direction of her bedroom.
"Ya'll are fine right? I gotta get some sleep,"
"Yeah you can go," Derek said, holding the ice on Sara's lip, "good night."
"'Night. . . 'night Sara,"
"'Night," she replied, attempting to form a small ounce of a smile on her paining face, but Derek told her not to.
"Just hold that on there," he told her, as Sara took hold of the freezing ice and lay her head down. Derek took her legs and put them over his. Sara closed her eyes and grunted from the severe pain. "So. . . you know Nikki and me . . . there's nothin' between us anymore," he commented, "At all." Sara wondered if this was really true, but of course she didn't say anything. When she didn't, Derek discovered her true feelings. "Look, Sara even when I was with Nikki I didn't feel the way I do about you!"
"Well it's the same with me but I just hate it the way she's always on our backs and she's always looking at you and everything!"
"That doesn't mean anything," he said, as both of them rose into a sitting position facing each other, "Let her look. I ain't gonna look back," Sara knew there was no use for words in that moment; Derek had said what needed to be said. "I love you Sara," Derek said. Once the sentence was over, he was surprised that he had said it. He hadn't even thought of it, it just slipped out of his mouth. Sara was surprised too, by the look on her face.
"You what?" she asked with a huge smile on her face. Derek laughed,
"I love you!" Sara took a deep breath and replied with those same three words. They finished that topic with a long kiss.
---------------
At around midnight Sara figured she should either go home or at least call Roy. Derek handed her the phone and she slowly dialed the numbers. She figured he might not even be home, and her guess was right. She did, however, leave a message on his answering machine explaining that she was spending the night at Chenille's house. Which was true, she just didn't say Derek was there as well. Once the message was recorded, Sara lay down once more, and Derek came out of his room with a big, baggy sweater around his arm.
"Here, put this on," he suggested, handing it to her with a smile. Sara, however, looked confused.
"Why?" She asked with a puzzled look on her face. However, she did put the sweater on.
"It's gettin' cold out," he replied simply. Then, Derek brought out a blanket and lay down with Sara, putting the blanket loosely around them. He gently wrapped his arms around her and both of them felt suddenly at peace. . . happy. Sara let out a quiet sigh of joy, and Derek smiled to himself. It was going to be a great night.