Enjoy. I hope to get at least 10 reviews per chapter, so please remember to review.

Okay, so this chapter wasn't supposed to go up until a couple of weeks, but yesterday I got a review asking me if I was still continuing this story; I am. I know I suck at updating regularly, and my schedule is absolutely hectic with my AP classes at school, but I haven't forgotten this story, or Derek's Assistant. I promise I'll finish both stories, and if I decide not to continue, you'll be the first to know.

Mainly this chapter is to show you guys I'm not dead. It's the shortest chapter I think I've ever had. It sucks. I know. It was meant to be part of another chapter, but I'm just going to split it up. So basically, this is a little preview of what's to come.

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Disclaimer: All characters belong to Kelley Armstrong

CHAPTER 12

Chloe's P.O.V.

"Tori, I'm serious. I think I'm coming down with something," I lied, faking coughing into the receiver hoping that Tori would buy my story of how I suddenly fell ill hours before her dinner party.

I heard a sigh on the other side of the line before her sharp voice spoke once more, "That's bullshit, Chloe and you know it."

I let out an audible groan as I switched my cell phone to the other ear, glancing at the window opposite me.

"I don't know what's up with you, Chloe but I'll kill you if you don't show up tonight," She commented as I frowned and slumped onto my bed, wrapping the blue covers around my body. "And I do know where you live so that can be arranged."

I let out a deep sigh, running my fingers through my hair and deciding to suck it up, "Fine, you win."

I could almost hear the smile playing across Tori's face, "Just the way I like it."

I clicked the end call button before I could hear anymore of her gloating as I sat up in bed, my eyes traveling over my walls to the mirror opposite me. I looked like crap. I felt like crap. And Derek had been gone for over an hour, which didn't make the situation any better.

I had messed up, majorly messed everything up. I just had to open my stupid mouth and practically beg for Derek to touch me. God, I'm such an idiot. And just as quickly as it started, it ended. Derek quickly pulling away and running out the front door. He didn't even want to be in the same room as me. And now what are we supposed to do? Go to this stupid dinner party and then what? Is he going to ask me to move out of the apartment? Is he going to move out himself?

Resisting the urge to fall back on the bed and scream into my pillow until my throat hurt, I stood up. Walking up the mirror, I grabbed the blue brush sitting on my dresser and forcefully began combing the golden hair. The brush made my hair look puffy as I pulled it out, but I didn't care what I looked like. Throwing my hair up into a ponytail, I stalked out of the bedroom, heading straight to the kitchen.

No bother hiding in my room anymore, Derek wasn't home, and what good would it do to hide from him. I'm not the same shy little girl I was in high school. I had grown up, while still keeping my shy tendencies and inevitable height, I was more mature and I knew better than to mope over some boy. This whole situation made me feel pathetic, so rather than dwelling on everything that's happened over the course of the months living in the apartment, I began clearing up the kitchen.

Glancing around the kitchen, I found the empty tin bowl scattered across the counter and moved forward to put them back in the cabinet before washing out the measuring cups. Although, in the midst of keeping myself busy, my eyes would travel to the front door far more often than I had hoped. Far more often. I shook my head fiercely, in the hopes of getting any source of Derek out of my mind. Clenching my eyes shut for a moment, I walked towards the couch and settled into the worn, grey fabric. Pulling my knees up to my chest my arms instinctively wrapped themselves around my legs as I stared thoughtlessly into the distance.

I didn't want to think about Derek. I couldn't allow myself to think about Derek. The more I thought about him, the harder I fell, so thinking about him right now was a big no-no. Letting out a breath I hadn't known I'd been holding, I reached forward for the TV remote, hoping to find something to relieve my mind. After flipping between the channels, I settled on some crappy melodramatic cop drama and reached out for the blanket perched on the sofa. Pulling it softly towards me, I returned my vision to the TV, only partially paying attention to the mediocre plot line as I wrapped the blanket over my shoulders and tight around my body.

While I wasn't thinking about Derek, I wasn't really listening to the show. Instead, it felt like my mind was empty, not wandering, but simply blank. I didn't know how to describe it, but I wasn't particularly thinking of anything and the need to relax into the blanket and sleep was growing more tempting by the minute. I took a sharp breath and shook my head, I had to go to Tori's party, whether I liked it or not. Taking another quick glance at the door, I stood up abruptly. still clutching the blanket to my chest as I scrambled to turn off the television.

Wait a minute.

Crap! I flung the blanket it off me faster than humanly possible, chucking it to the other side of the room. That had been Derek's blanket, the one I vaguely remembered he let me borrow during the snow storm. The blanket that smelled just like him.

And I had been cuddling with it.

With a sigh, I ran my fingers through my hair and turned in the other direction, not wanting to look at the blanket of doom.

Damn it Chloe, get it together.

Resting my fingers clamped around the bridge of my nose, my eyes tightly shut in hopes of concentration. I just had to take it one step of the time, that's all. Chloe's twelve step process of getting over Derek. First step: burn the blanket.

Okay, maybe not actually burn it, I doubt Derek would like that very much, but place it out of sight. Grabbing the blanket and holding it out in front of me as if it was a disease, I rushed to the pantry and flung it in, landing with a thump right next to the rice. Letting out a sigh, I turned around, closing the door and taking three steps backwards, just to regroup.

I nearly laughed. Thank god I couldn't actually see myself and how ridiculous I was being. It was just a blanket, and I had acted as if it was a bomb. Shaking my head a little, I turned away and sat at the counter, resting my head in both my upturned palms.

If I really didn't want to, I didn't have to go to Tori's party. Yeah, she'd be angry and would probably have a tantrum, but she'd get over and still have a great time with her Ash and everybody else. I didn't want to have to see Derek just yet, I needed a few hours alone just to get myself back together. But, he'd expect me to show up to the party, and if I didn't then it might confirm his growing suspicions of how enamored I am with him. Given that he didn't already know it. And what good would it really do to hide out in our shared apartment, anxiously waiting for his return so I could just avoid him for the rest of my life? No, contact with Derek is unavoidable, and what use would a few hours of solidarity be anyway?

I'm better than this. It's just a crush, that's all, I shouldn't be overreacting like this. I could pull myself together for a couple hours and just have a good time with my friends. I didn't need to be even more hung up on the situation than I already was.

So it was decided, I was going to the dinner party, and then I would just take it one step at a time.

Don't kill me for the short chapter and no Derek! Like I said before this is just to keep you guys tied over until the next (real) chapter. I'm so sorry for being so crappy at updating, but I do remember this story all the time. Just stick with me for a little longer and hopefully you'll be thankful you stayed. I'll update soon, I promise, hopefully within the month.

I just want to thank the readers of this story, the views I get really inspire me to continue writing this story, so thank you so much for reading and your heart warming reviews, I read every single one. If anyone has any suggestions or predictions about future chapters I would love to hear them in the reviews or you can private message me anytime you want.

Thanks again for reading this story!

Don't forget to favorite, follow, and review!

Thanks, Bridget