Chapter 3

Later that day, after I returned home from work. I sat on my couch for what felt like hours, thinking about whether I should give in to the dangerous pull towards Derek. I was caught up between sense and temptation.

This was all new to me. Something about the way he is now just makes me want to have him, and not in the same way we were years ago. I reached out, grabbing my phone from the coffee table beside me. I unlocked it and went straight to my mail. My fingers hovered over his contact number as I hesitated to copy it.

I thought to myself how silly it was. How totally ridiculous it was to feed more attention to what's happening. And yet... the thought of him still being drawn to me, the thought of me still having that kind of hold over him felt dangerously and deliciously intoxicating.

Later that night, after pacing around for what felt like forever, I closed my eyes, took in a deep breath, and exhaled softly. Then I whispered to myself.

"Fuck it, I'm calling him."

I tapped on his number, copying and pasting it to my keypad, then I called him, and just at the first ring, Derek answered.

"Elsa?"

The way he said my name in his voice did something to me that I can't explain.

I swallowed hard and exhaled softly as I tried to steady my breath. "How did you know it was me?" I asked in a soft voice while twisting a strand of hair with my fingers.

He took in a slow breath. "That's because no one else has this number."

I laughed under my breath. "What do you mean by no one else has this number?"

"It's simple, Elsa," he said slowly. "No one else but you has this number."

I smiled despite myself. "And here I was, thinking about how much you've changed. But you're still the mysterious Derek I've always known."

"Elsa..." He said again in his deep voice. "Nothing about me has changed towards you."

I smiled, biting the corner of my lips as I pressed the phone harder to my ears. "Derek... I—"

Before I could finish my sentence, he cut in.

"I want us to meet later tonight," he said.

"What? You want us to meet?" I asked, half confused and half excited.

"Yes," he said firmly. "I want you right now to pick whichever place you think is best for us to meet. But I'll pick the time we see."

I laughed softly, trying to clear my mind that was now racing at every possible location we could meet. "But Derek, I didn't have plans of seeing anyone this evening."

"I'm not... anyone," he said sharply. "So, have you decided what spot we'll be meeting?"

I exhaled, rolling my eyes. "How about..." I hesitated. I knew exactly what I was going to say and what spot I was going to pick. I was only worried that maybe he won't agree with my choice.

"I'm still waiting," he said, pulling me back from my thoughts.

"Let's meet at my place." I let the words slip out of my mouth before my thoughts could come in. "I want us to meet at my place."

There was a short pause, then finally he said. "That's perfect."

His response was unexpected, but it was just enough to tell me all I needed to know. He was still my Derek. Fiancée ou non. He was mine.

"Okay then," I chuckled, relaxing my shoulders. "I'll send you the address then."

"Yeah, you should."

"So when exactly are you coming? I'd like to know if I should prepare—"

"I'm coming right away," he cut in. "That way I get to spend more time with you before it gets really late."

I swallowed, quickly getting up from the couch. My hand to my head as I paced around slowly. "Okay. I'll be sending you my address right now, then."

And just like that, the call ended.

My heart was pounding as I texted him my home address. Then I quickly rushed to my bedroom to pick up what was lying on the floor and things that were out of place. I rushed to the bathroom and quickly freshened up. Changing into something sexy but casual and comfortable, and applying the most sexy perfume.

If anything, I wanted to make tonight fun. And I was going to make sure I enjoyed every bit of it. So, if I were going to open this door, literally and figuratively, I was going to make sure it was worth it.

A few minutes later, I heard a knock on my door. It was five taps. Something Derek had always done years back whenever I hid somewhere, and he wanted to let me know it was safe to come out.

 I froze for a moment, my breath caught in my throat. Then I walked slowly towards the door, stopping barely inches away from it as I steadied my breath. After a few seconds, I reached for the doorknob, took in a deep breath, and opened the door. Derek stood tall in front of me, one hand in his pocket, while the other held his suit casually over his shoulders.

His eyes were fixed on the floor at first, then they lifted slowly, traveling up from my bare toes to my face. When his eyes reached mine, I saw a flicker of relief before he gave a small smile and walked in without me inviting him inside.

I shut the door behind me, resting my back on the door. "You look... well, perfectly dressed for the occasion," I said, playfully teasing him.

He sat gently on the far right of the couch, resting his left hand on the headrest as he motioned for me to come closer. "I haven't gone home to change yet," he said with a lazy grin.

I walked towards him and sat beside him. Close enough that I could feel the warmth radiating off him, but not too close that I could fall to his chest and kiss him.

"So, you want to stay a while before heading back to your place?"

"I guess you could say that," he said, and before I could react, he grabbed me with the left hand that rested on the couch, pulling me closer to him until I fell softly against his chest.

"Derek—"

"Why," he murmured, his breath brushing against my ear, "were you sitting so far away from me?".

He wrapped his hand around my waist as he trailed my hair with his other hand.