Author's Note: Thank you SO much for all of the reviews, favorites, and story alerts! I appreciate them immensely. I wrote this chapter a little differently. There is more of Derek's POV in this one. Bear with me; I have a master plan for getting Lizzie and Derek together. Thank you to: hazelbrie13 for proofing this chapter!
-Anneryn
I DO NOT OWN LIFE WITH DEREK (I only play in their world.)
Music Credit: "I'm So Sick" – Flyleaf, "I Will Not Bow" – Breaking Benjamin
Chapter 2:
Derek's POV
I poked my head out of the shower. I heard someone calling my name. No one's there. All I see is an empty bathroom. Hmm… I heard someone calling my name, again. I know I wasn't imagining it that time. I stepped out of the shower. I didn't bother to turn off the water. I left it running. Someone knocked on the door softly. I wrapped a towel around my waist.
I opened the door. It's Liz. She looks flustered, and out of breath. I can't help but let my eyes wander. Her chest is rising up and down rapidly. Her tank top shows a bit more than I'd like. Since I'm about a head taller than her, it gives me a nice view.
"Liz, are you okay?" I asked her, forcing my attention back to her. She looked up at me, and gave her head a slight shake.
"I needed…" She started, but closed her mouth. She turned around and tried to walk away. I grabbed her arm, to stop her. She turned back around and faced me.
"Lizzie, talk to me. Tell me what's going on." I demanded softly.
"Not out here," she said barely above a whisper. I nodded. I led her back inside of the bathroom. I closed the door, and locked it behind us. She looked at me, but didn't say anything. I became painfully aware that the only thing that I'm wearing is a towel.
"Lizzie…" I prompted. She nodded.
"I needed to talk to you." She finally said.
"I'm listening." I told her. She tilted her head, and looked me in the eyes.
"I can't do this." She said honestly.
"Do what?" I asked her, confused. Her eyes are filling with tears. She looked away. I touched her forearm gently, with my hand. She looked up at me. The tears are threatening to spill. I know that she is too stubborn to let any of them fall.
"When I'm around you…" She said. Her voice cracked. She hiccupped and turned away from me.
"Damn it, Lizzie! I can't help you if I don't know what's going on." I snapped. I didn't mean to snap at her. The last thing I wanted to do was scare her, more than she is already.
"I can't control these urges! The feelings… they are relentless. All I think about is you." She whispered, exasperated. She turned around to face me slowly. "I picture you…" She said. I looked down at her. She looked up at me, mortified. "I'm sorry, I-I…" She started stammering. I gripped her waist with my hands. I picked her up, and brought my forehead to her's. I can hear her breathing.
"Tell me how you think about me." I told her, with a low growl in my voice. I felt her shudder against me.
"I think about you… touching me… holding me… making me… moan… making me… scream… your name…" She stopped talking, unable to concentrate. I started tracing her collarbone with my tongue. I nuzzled her neck, and made my way up to her ear. I left a trail of small kisses along her jaw.
"Say my name," I whispered against the side of her mouth.
"Derek," she whispered.
"What else did you come in here to tell me?" I asked her, as I slipped a hand under her shirt.
"I love you." She said. I smiled at her. I sat her down on the counter, and pulled off her shirt. She shook off her shorts, and her panties.
"You love me, Z?" I asked her. She nodded. I picked her up. She wrapped her legs around my waist, and I walked back to the shower. She let her fingers explore my face. Her feather light touches are leaving my skin tingling, and aching for more. "I want you, Liz. Oh, God, I want you. You don't know how long…" I groaned, and she tightened her grip around me. I looked into her eyes, and said something; I never thought that I would ever say… not out loud. "I love you." I whispered.
I claimed her mouth with my own. She whimpered against me. We half fell, half collided into the shower. My towel was lost somewhere along the way.
"DEREK!" Edwin screamed. I sat up, my breath coming out in heavy pants. I was dreaming? I've never had a dream so vivid, not about Liz. I shook my head. I stood up, and went to go find Ed. I looked down, before opening my bedroom door. Since when was Z able to get me hard? I guess Ed's going to have to wait awhile.
Lizzie's POV
I opened my eyes, yawning. Something is warm beside me. I turned onto my side to see what it was. Casey sighed in her sleep, and wrapped an arm around my middle, snuggling closer to me. She must have fallen asleep here last night. I asked her to stay awhile. We got to talking… I don't even remember falling asleep. I looked over at the clock on my bedside table. It's only 8:19 in the morning. I closed my eyes. No need to get up before I need to.
I turned my back to Casey, and snuggled my back against her. I drifted off to sleep.
I was lying on the couch, next to Derek. He's watching some hockey game, and yelling at the TV. I closed my eyes and started to fall asleep against his shoulder. I yawned and closed my eyes tighter. I'm too comfortable to move. Derek makes a nice pillow. I felt him wrap his arm around me. His yelling got quieter. He is now yelling in hushed tones. His whispered yells make a good lullaby. He stared to shake me.
"Liz… Liz, get up." He said. I shook my head and groaned.
"I'm sleeping." I mumbled. The shaking didn't stop. I opened my eyes. It's Edwin. What does he want now? I looked over and saw Casey still fast asleep. I looked up at Edwin. "What?" I asked grouchily. He woke me up from a nice dream, one that I didn't want to stop. If I can only be with Derek in my dreams, then I'm going to make the most of them.
"We're going to breakfast." He responded. I looked over to Casey, and was about to shake her when Edwin stopped me. He shook his head.
"Why?" I asked him. He shrugged.
"Derek said to let Casey sleep. She never sleeps in. He said to wake you up, and that he, Marti, you, and I would go grab breakfast." He explained.
"Give me a minute." I told Edwin. He nodded. I started to sit up, but Casey tightened her grip around me, and laid her head in the groove of my neck. She slipped one of her legs in between mine, and snuggled closer. I forget how much of an affectionate sleeper Casey was. I looked up at Edwin. "Help," I whispered. He chuckled. He carefully untangled her arms, and gently moved her leg. I lifted up her head softly, and laid it on my pillow. I grabbed my body pillow, and laid it next to Casey. She snuggled up with it, and I slipped off of my bed. "I need to change, Ed." I reminded him.
He turned red with embarrassment. He left the room silently. I peeled my shirt off, and dropped it into a hamper. I pulled off my shorts, and my panties. I grabbed a clean pair of panties. I grabbed a pair of dark blue, almost black jeans. I grabbed a David Beckham tee. I pulled on some socks, and slipped on my black and white converse. I grabbed my leave-in conditioner, and rubbed it on my hands. I ran my fingers through my hair, and attacked it with a brush. I put on some deodorant and brushed my teeth.
I walked downstairs, and nearly tripped over Marti. She decided that she and her dolls needed to relocate. The best place for them to stay is the stairwell.
"Liza, you can't crush my friends. How can you marry Smerek if you're in jail for murder?" She asked me. I smirked at her. I squatted down, and faced her stuffed animals. I put the sock monkey's hand in my own, and looked at the monkey seriously.
"I'm dreadfully sorry, Mr. Monkey." I told him, trying my best not to let my serious face slip.
"His name is Elvis." Marti corrected me. I looked at her and nodded.
"I'm sorry, Elvis." I corrected myself. "I should have been paying more attention to what I was doing. I hope you can forgive me." I told the monkey. Marti started laughing.
"Elvis says that he forgives you! And that you look funny, because he isn't real. I was just pretending." Marti told me giggling. I looked at her cross-eyed. She laughed harder. Derek walked over to the stairway.
"Do I hear laughing? Because that's not allowed," he told Marti seriously. Marti rolled her eyes at Derek. I snickered. "Oh, so it's like that, huh?" He asked me. I nodded. "Okay," he said. He picked me up, and draped me over his shoulder. "Come on Ed!" He yelled. Edwin came running downstairs. He started laughing when he saw Derek holding me over his shoulder. "Let's go." Derek said. He opened the front door for Marti. He walked outside, and shut the door after Edwin. He locked the door.
"How are you going to drive with Lizzie on your shoulder?" Edwin asked. Derek shrugged. He walked over the passenger's side, and set me down. He looked me in the eyes and smirked.
"You won this round. But, next time you're going down." He teased. I nodded, smiling. I admit that I'm a little disappointed that he put me down. I was enjoying the view. I opened the passenger door, and slid inside.
We went to Sal's, a local diner, for breakfast. I drank my orange juice slowly as I listened to the quiet banter that consumed our table. Derek smirked at Edwin and Marti as they argued about the origin of Godzilla. Marti told Ed that he was the long lost brother of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and he had gotten separated from them at birth. And that the reason he tried to destroy things was because he was mad that Master Splinter hadn't adopted him as well.
I nearly choked on my orange juice when I heard her say this. I started coughing, and Derek started hitting me lightly on the back. I finally was able to stop. Marti and Edwin looked at me amused.
"Really Marti?" I asked her. She nodded confidently. Edwin opened his mouth to argue with her, but I shook my head, signally for him to stop. He shot me an exasperated look, but obeyed.
"And I suppose Big Foot was Godzilla's cousin?" Edwin asked Marti out of spite. She gave him a strange look.
"No Edwin, he's not real. You're just being ridiculous." Marti told him. I hand to put my hand over mouth. Luckily, I had my napkin in my hand to capture the orange juice that I spit out. Derek was laughing openly now. I made sure that I hadn't left any orange juice on my face, and I smiled at him. Breakfast with them, is never boring.
'I will break into your thoughts, with what's written on my heart.
I will break.
Break!'
I jumped. "Liza, your pocket's singing." Marti pointed at. I stuck my tongue out at her. She giggled, and I pulled my phone from my pocket. It's Casey; she's probably wondering where we are.
'I'm so sick, infected with where I live.
Let me live without this empty bliss, selfishness.'
I pressed the talk button, and held the phone to my ear. "Hello," I answered the phone softly.
"Hey Lizard, where are you guys?" Casey asked, sounding groggy. She probably just woke up. She yawned.
"We went to grab some breakfast. We didn't want to wake you. You don't sleep in often." I told her. She yawned again.
"Oh, okay. I think I'm going to go back to sleep. I hope you don't mind me kidnapping your bed." She said, stifling yet another yawn. "
Not at all. I'll bring you back something, okay?" I asked her.
"Okay. See you later Lizard. Love you." She said, hanging up the phone. I pocketed my phone. Derek raised his eyebrows at me, silently asking me what Casey had wanted.
"What did Space Case want?" He asked curiously.
"She wanted to know where we were." I told him. He nodded. "I'm going to go get her something to go." I added. I started to get up, but he grabbed my arm lightly. I looked over at him, giving him a questioning look.
"I'll get it; I have to pay for breakfast anyway." He told me. There's something different… in his eyes, I just can't tell what.
"Derek, it's fine, really." I told him. He shook his head. "Nonsense, what kind of man would I be, if I made you pay for food for the Space Case?" He asked with a laugh. I shrugged.
"Okay." I agreed. He nodded victoriously. He got up, and went over to the front counter, and started talking to the hostess, acting as cashier. He smiled at her, and they started talking quietly. He handed her the money, and asked for some food to go. He kept smiling, and leaned forward. She flipped her hair, and giggled annoyingly. I felt a pang in my stomach. I looked away. I don't need to see what's going to happen next.
It's always the same. He'll flirt with her; she'll flirt back. They'll go out. He'll bring her home. They'll make out, and he'll take her to his room. I don't even want to think about him screwing that airhead. She doesn't deserve him. Not that I think that I deserve him, but I know that he can do better than her. He'll use her, and get tired of her. It always ends the same way. With me feeling nauseous.
"Can I take your food?" I heard someone ask. I didn't bother to see who it was; they aren't talking to me.
"Liza," Marti's voice brought me crashing back to reality. I looked at her puzzled. I turned to see who was talking. A waiter had come by to clear our table.
"I'm sorry what?" I asked him, with an apologetic smile. He winked, and smiled back at me. He has amazing eyes. They are green around his pupils. The green fades into blue. He has faint gray flecks in the irises of his eyes. His smile brightens up his face. He's tan. He has black hair that falls just above his eyes. He's gorgeous, and he's smiling at me. If Derek can flirt, so can I.
"Do you want me to get that out of your way?" He asked. I nodded. He leaned closer to me, and reached his arm in front of me. His hand brushed by arm. He smiled down at me. My gaze traveled his arms up to his face. He has amazing arms. I can tell that he works out. He has his arms to show for it. Because it's the summer, the Sal's uniform consists of dark jeans, and sleeveless, dark gray, tee shirts. He has a tattoo on his shoulder, but I can't tell what it is. "Want a refill?" He asked.
I nodded. He nodded slowly, and walked away. I watched him go. He doesn't look bad from behind, either. He looked back, and smiled at me. I felt myself blush. I looked away. Edwin smirked at me knowingly. I glared at him. He laughed. Marti was frowning.
"What's wrong Smarti?" I asked her.
"You aren't supposed to be with him." She muttered. Edwin looked at her in surprise. He has no idea what she is talking about. She's talking about me and Derek.
"Come on Smarti, you just met the guy." I told her. She looked at me, knowing that she promised to keep my secret.
"I guess he's cute enough to be your prince… for now." She admitted, finally giving me a smile. I smiled back at her. I turned my head, at the sound of someone pulling up a chair. It's the waiter. He turned the chair backwards, and sat down, straddling the chair. He looked at me intently. I returned his gaze. The corners of his mouth turned up slightly.
"I'm Clay." He told me. I nodded.
"I'm Lizzie." I introduced myself. I moved my hand, and gestured to Ed and Marti. "This is Edwin, and Marti." I told him.
"Hey Ed, Marti." He said smoothly, giving them each a smile.
"Hey," Edwin said.
"I'm a princess!" Marti announced excitedly.
"So… they are…" Clay said inquiringly.
"They are my step-siblings." I filled in for him. Clay looked relieved.
"I had to make sure I wasn't stepping on anyone's toes." He said. Edwin laughed. Clay cocked his head to the side. "What about him?" He asked me.
"That's Derek. He's my stepbrother." I told him. He nodded. "Can you sit here?" I asked him. He gave me a strange look. "I mean, I don't want you to get in trouble." I told him.
"Oh, that. No, I'm fine. I'm on break." He said. I nodded.
"How old are you?" I asked him.
"I'm 19." He said with a smile. I nodded. That isn't so bad. 2 years isn't that big of a difference. "I go to community college, so I can still help my Mom out with the diner." He told me.
"Your Mom?" I asked. He nodded.
"Sal is her brother, but he has to take care of some family stuff in the States, so my Mom is running things for awhile." He told me. I nodded.
"Freshman or sophomore?" I asked him. He smirked.
"Sophomore, I have a summer birthday. I turned 19 last month." He told me. I smiled.
"Mine's in April." I told him. He nodded. "I'm 17." I told him.
"Senior…?" He asked slowly. I nodded. He looked relieved. "What's Lizzie short for?" He asked. I chuckled; I thought that was obvious.
"Lizzie is short for Elizabeth." I told him. He smiled.
"You never know with names nowadays." He said.
"True," I agreed.
"Do you want to do something later this week?" He asked. I looked at him.
"Are you asking me out?" I asked him stupidly. I expected him to laugh; instead he just looked at me.
"Yes, I'm asking you to go out on a date with me." He clarified. I smiled.
"I'd like that." I told him. His eyes sparkled, and he gave me a slight smile.
"Can I see your cell phone?" He asked. I plucked it out of my pocket, and handed it to him. He started pressing buttons, and he gave it back to me. "Now you have my number." He said. I nodded. His phone went off.
'I will not bow.
I will not break.
I will shove the world away.
I will not fall.
I will not fade.
I will take your breath away.'
He stood up, and pulled his phone from his back pocket. He sat back down and opened it. "And now, I have your number." He said. He smiled. "Smile, beautiful." He said. I looked at him and smiled. His phoned flashed, and I heard his camera go off.
"It's your turn." I told him. He smiled, and I took his picture. I saved the picture to his photo ID. "What's your last name?" I asked him. He smiled.
"It's Tucker." He told me. I nodded.
"Yours?" He asked.
"It's McDonald." I replied. He smirked. Someone called his name from behind him. It's the bimbo that was flirting with Derek. Clay grimaced.
"She is so annoying. I hate working with her." He said, making a face. I let out a small laugh. "You have a nice laugh." He said thoughtfully. I blushed. "It's cute that you blush." He stood up, and moved his chair back to the table that he took it from.
"Hurry up, Clay." The hostess whined. We both looked behind him. Both she and Derek have their attention focused on us. Derek doesn't look happy, but I can't imagine why. He quickly covers it up, and smiles at the hostess. But, he doesn't move his attention from us.
"I'll call you, Elle." Clay said.
"Elle?" I asked him. He smirked. "I don't think 'Lizzie' suits you. Do you mind, if I call you Elle?" He asked. I shook my head.
"Not at all, I've got a few nicknames. What's one more?" I asked him. He leaned forward, and propped an elbow on the table.
"You're unattached? I mean, you aren't with anybody?" Clay asked me.
"No, I'm not. Are you?" I asked him. He shook his head.
"Okay." He said, smiling.
"I'm looking forward to our date." He admitted. I blushed. "It was nice meeting you, Ed. And you, Princess Marti." He told my siblings.
"I take it back. I do like him." Marti announced. We all laughed. Clay stood up, and gave my hand a quick squeeze. He leaned down, and kissed my cheek. His lips are soft. He pulled away, and walked over toward Derek and the annoying hostess. She started talking to him. He nodded. When she turned her head, he looked at me, and made a face. Derek made his way back over to us. He's carrying Casey's food in a to-go-box. He gave me a strange look, but he didn't say anything. He quickly smiled.
"Ready to go?" He asked. We nodded. I stood up, and Marti grabbed my hand.
"We have to make it back to the spaceship in time! If we don't it will take off without us, and I'll never see Gandalf again!" Marti exclaimed. I wish I understood how her mind works. I love her imagination. She's seen more movies than any other kid I know, her age. Ed and Derek followed us. I turned to look at Clay as we past him, on our way out.
"Bye Elle." He called behind me. I looked back at him, and smiled.
"Bye Clay." I called back. Once we were in the car, Derek didn't say anything for awhile.
"You and that waiter guy, huh?" He asked. I looked over at him and nodded.
"You and that hostess chick, huh?" I challenged. He looked taken aback, but he smiled. He shrugged.
"I got her number, but I don't know if I want to go out with her." He said shaking his head. "That laugh…" He added. I let out a small laugh.
"Clay's taking me out, later this week." I told Derek. He gave a look that I can't even describe. To be honest, I'm not sure what kind of look it is, exactly.
"He better treat you right, Z." He said, quietly. I nodded.
"If he doesn't, I'll stop seeing him." I promised.
"You better. And, what kind of a nickname is 'Elle?'" He asked.
"You call me 'Z'." I pointed out. He glared at me. I laughed. "I wouldn't be with anybody who didn't treat me right." I told Derek.
"I know, Z. Just… just be careful, okay?" He asked. I nodded.
"Is there something that you aren't telling me?" I pressed. He shook his head.
"No, it's just… I know how guys are. I know how guys my age are. I don't want you to be one of those girls." He said quietly. The radio is playing, so Ed and Smarti can't hear us in the backseat. I didn't say anything; I just nodded.
"Thanks." I whispered. He reached over, and squeezed my hand. He put his hand back on the steering wheel. We drove the rest of the way in a comfortable silence.
We got back to the house, and gave Casey her food. She woke up, just as we got back. She ate in my room, as I told her what happened. She didn't say anything, at first.
"Lizard, I think that you should go out with Clay. I mean maybe it will help you get over Derek. I'm not saying that you need to, but you've never really dated a guy before. Or, it could make Derek jealous. Worse comes to worse, you fall for the guy. I don't see a downside to you going out Clay." Casey told me honestly. She's right. As if he knew we were talking about him, my phone started ringing.
'I will break into your thoughts, with what's written on my heart.
I will break.
Break!'
Clay's picture is showing on my phone screen. I showed Casey. She smiled approvingly. "You're lucky he's younger than me. He's hot." She said. I laughed, and answered the phone.
"Hey beautiful," He said. I smiled. Casey put her ear next to mine, so she can hear anything. I can't tell her to move, otherwise he'll hear me.
"Hey Clay," I responded.
"I checked my schedule with Mom. Does Friday with you?" He asked.
"Yeah, Friday's good." I told him.
"Good." I can hear him smiling.
"What did you have in mind?" I asked him.
"Uh uh, it's a surprise." He told me.
"You seriously aren't going to tell me anything, about Friday?" I asked in disbelief.
"Nope, but wear comfortable shoes." He said. I groaned.
"We aren't going hiking, are we?" I asked him. He laughed.
"No, we aren't going hiking. Oh, and wear whatever you want. You don't have to dress up." He told me.
"Oookay, thanks." I said slowly.
"Most girls freak about that sort of thing. I thought I'd give you a heads up." He told me.
"Okay, thanks, then." I told him.
"I'd better go, Mom's slammed." He said.
"Have fun at work." I told him. He laughed again.
"Destiny left, so I don't have to hear her agonizing voice. I think I will thanks." He said. I laughed.
"Alright, bye Clay." I told him.
"Bye Elle." He said. I was about to hang up the phone, when I heard him say my name.
"Yeah?" I asked, putting my phone back up to my ear.
"I love the way your eyes shine, when you smile. I gotta go, stay beautiful, sweetie." He said hurriedly. I hung up the phone, and smiled. No one's ever said that to me, before. Casey squealed. Someone opened my door. Derek poked his head in. He looked worried.
"Are you okay? I heard screaming." He said. I nodded. He saw Casey, and nodded knowingly. I'm not a screamer. I leave that to Casey.
"Lizard just got off the phone with Clay." Casey said proudly. Derek nodded slowly, like he was nodding to a little kid. Casey didn't seem to notice. She's smiling like a crack-head in a whorehouse. "He called Lizzie 'beautiful!'" She exclaimed. Derek smiled.
"Sounds like you found a keeper, Z. He has eyes." Derek said, rolling his eyes. I laughed, and looked at Derek. He winked at me, and left my room. What did he mean by that?
Author's Note: I want to hear what you think. Review?