Lies, Lies And More Lies✔️

66: Promise Not To Tell

"What? Are you for real?" He glanced at me with eyes widened in surprise. "I had forgotten an ingredient, so, I didn't think it would have been as good as it was originally supposed to be."

"What? I could marry you right now! It's that good!" I distractedly commented as I picked up another spoonful of the sauce.

"You could marry me right now?" Derrek re-echoed my words and I dropped the spoon, realizing what I had just said. A little of the sauce splattered as the spoon fell back into the bowl but thankfully, it hadn't gotten on me.

"I-I mean, you, um—" I stuttered, thinking of how to rephrase my statement. "Why did you seem so cocky if you weren't even sure of yourself?" I said instead, changing the topic.

"I wasn't cocky!" He defended.

"Yes, you were!" I countered and he abruptly got up to his feet.

"Your food will get cold if you keep talking." He gestured at my plate before leaving the dining area and heading into the kitchen. He returned shortly with another tray of plates and a bowl that matched mine.

Without another word, he set down his food and began to eat. He nodded his head as he took the first forkful of rice and his secret sauce, impressed by his cooking.

I giggled at just how adorable he had looked in that moment. He looked like a child that had just been given his favorite ice-cream. He grinned as he took the second bite and gave himself a pat on the back in congratulations. I pursed my lips to hold back my laugh. He was so cute.

Ten minutes later, Derrek and I were done with our food and turned our attention to the red wine, which I was grateful was non-alcoholic. He swirled the red liquid around in his glass gently and I watched as the liquid hit all sides of the glass, threatening to spill out at any moment.

"Do you think people would pay to eat this?" He asked out of the blue and I glanced away from the glass to look up at him.

"Sorry?"

"Do you think people would pay to eat my food?" He repeated and I studied him for a moment before answering. His eyes had been trained on his glass and his eyebrows had pulled together as he continued to swirl his wine.

"Why do you ask?" I asked in response and he gave a sigh, setting his wine glass on the table, then, he turned to face me. His expression eased as he began to speak.

"I haven't told anyone this yet, so, you have to promise not to tell anyone. You cannot let what I'm about to share with you go beyond the four walls of this house." He beckoned and I nodded, although wondering what the big secret was.

"I'm starting up my own restaurant!" He announced and bit his lower lip afterwards. His eyes stayed on me as he waited for my response.

"Really?" My eyes widened in surprise. I recalled that he had mentioned that he would have loved to run his own restaurant someday when he retired from running D-Tech. I didn't think he would have taken it up so soon.

"Yes, really." He grinned, nodding and I couldn't help but smile. I had never seen Derrek look as excited and happy as he did at that moment. He was so passionate about food and cooking. I could tell by the look on his face whenever he made a meal. He loved it.

"Wow, that's amazing!" I said, happy that he had decided to chase his childhood dream. "People will definitely pay to eat this and whatever else you decide to make."

"You really think so?"

"I do. I really do." I nodded. I wanted to ask him how he was going to juggle the restaurant and the company but I didn't want to ruin his happy mood.

"Thank you. That makes me feel a lot better." He said as he got up to his feet. He placed the empty plates and bowls on the tray closest to him and I joined him, clearing out my dishes as well. "You don't have to. I got it." He tried to stop me from clearing up but I insisted on helping.

We returned to the kitchen and placed the dishes in the sink, then, Derrek proceeded to wash the dishes, declining my offer to do them. He only let me put away the dishes after much insistence on my part.

"Hey, watch it!" I exclaimed as Derrek splashed water on me while flicking his wet hands.

"Did I splash you? I'm so sorry." He sounded anything but sorry. I could see the smile tugging on the corner of his lips but he had tried his best to keep a straight face.

"It's okay. It was an accident." I brushed it off and he gave me a small smile as I put away the last of the dishes.

The moment Derrek stepped away from the sink, I turned on the tap and filled up my cupped palm with water, then, I threw it at him.

"Oh my God! Did I splash you? I'm so sorry!" I repeated his earlier words but I didn't try to hide my smile like he had.

"Tiara!" Derrek turned around, eyes wide in shock as he brushed his hand over the upper back of his shirt which was now soaked from my attack.

"Yes, Derrek?" I grinned as he walked up to me. He stopped about a feet from me and leaned down so our faces were on the same level, then, he leaned in until our noses almost touched. Before I could tell what he was up to, I felt something cold pour on the top of my head.

"Bingo." Derrek laughed as he drew back and flicked his finger in my face, causing the little droplets of water that were still on his hand to launch at me.

"That was a cheap shot, Derrek. Very disappointing." I scowled at him as I brushed the water off my hair. Thankfully, I wasn't wearing a wig. I would have killed him if he had wet my wig.

"Hey, I was just repaying the favour. You started it." He put his hands up in surrender and I scoffed. I reached for the tap to get some more water to toss at him and he rushed over to stop me, grabbing my hands and pulling them to his chest.

I took in a sharp breath in surprise as my palms laid flat on his chest. I could feel his toned chest through the fabric of his shirt. I swallowed nervously as I glanced up at Derrek with wide eyes and his eyes met mine instantly. I could hear my heart beat in my ears and with every passing second, they beat even faster, especially after Derrek's hand began to move along my left arm. I glanced down at our hands to see his hand glide down my lower arm before letting go and in the next moment, that hand cupped my left cheek.

Slowly, I looked up at Derrek and my eyes caught a small smile playing on his lips before they drew closer to mine.

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Another Diara moment. I really enjoy writing these moments 🥺🥺

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