Nothing But The Truth

11: No Crime Was Committed

"Tiara—"

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on and don't tell me it's nothing cause you broke down the moment I hugged you."

Derrek was quiet for about a minute or so before he turned around to face me.

"Derrek." I reached for his hand and traced circles on the back of his palm with my thumb. "I'm here for you. Always. You can talk to me."

Derrek instantly pulled me into his arms and placed his cheek on the top of my head, giving a sigh. We stayed that way for a couple of minutes while I gently stroked his back and placed a kiss on his chest every now and then. I felt Derrek completely relax in my arms and I felt slightly better, knowing I could be some sort of comfort for him.

"Do you want something to eat?" He asked, pulling away from me. "I could whip up something real quick if you want."

For the first time since I got here, Derrek's eyes twinkled as he talked about cooking. He really loved to cook and it seemed like a good idea for him to do something he loved. He was always happy when he could make food with his own secret recipes for me. His eyes always twinkled whenever he watched me eat. He was most beautiful when he did what he loved.

"What do you have in mind?" I asked and he looked up in thought for a moment before snapping his fingers as he made a decision.

"Aglio E Olio." His face instantly lit up and my lips tugged upward in a smile. There he was.

"Sounds great." I approved as he led me into the kitchen. It was much bigger than the kitchen at his old house and had more appliances. The cupboards were black, contrasting the white color of the walls, countertops and the island in the center of the room. There were about three red bar stools by the island which Derrek directed me towards. He pulled one out and gestured for me to sit.

I sat and watched as he walked over to the other side of the room to grab an apron. He strapped it on and proceeded on to pull out the ingredients for the aglio e olio. The entire time, there was a ghost of a smile on his face.

"My Nonna tried to teach me how to make aglio e olio when I was a boy but all I cared about then was monster trucks and video games so I never paid any attention to the recipe. She's an amazing cook. Did I ever tell you that my nonna's family owns a trattoria, a family restaurant in Sicily. It's named after my great-great grandfather Salvatore. Apparently, the Salvatores have been in the restaurant business for generations. I guess that's where I get my cooking genius from."

I put my elbows up on the island and placed my chin on my palms as I continued to listen to Derrek speak as he cooked. He had never talked about his family before. I had even completely forgotten that he was part Italian. He seemed very fond of his grandmother.

"Wow, that's interesting." I commented when he glanced back at me.

"I haven't been to Sicily in a long time. I miss it." He gave a sad smile before turning back to the food.

"What was it like?" I asked when he went silent.

"It was peaceful. Nonna lived in Catania, so, we went to the beach a lot. It was a lot of fun. I actually lived there for a year when I was about four years old but I don't remember it."

"Do you speak any Italian?"

"Sadly, I don't. My vocabulary is very limited."

"Say something in Italian."

"Um, Ciao?" He said unsure and I playfully scoffed.

"That's all you got? Even my Italian's better than yours." I laughed. "I know 'si' and 'grazie' and 'arrivederci'."

"Wow, impressive!" He feigned surprise and I laughed even harder. Derrek joined in.

"I love it when you smile." I adored. He was beautiful when he smiled. He made my heart melt completely.

As if he was reminded of his struggles, the smile fell off his face. I frowned.

It was silent for a few more minutes after that as Derrek focused on the Italian dish. He placed the food in two white plates as soon as it was ready and set mine down in front of me. I took in a long breath, inhaling the lovely aroma coming from the spaghetti. I'd never had aglio e olio before.

Derrek walked over to the fridge and took out a bottle of red wine and placed it down on the island, then, he walked out of the kitchen briefly and returned with two wine glasses. He placed a glass down in front of me and went on to open the bottle of wine.

With a quick glance at me, he poured the wine into my glass and walked over to his spot across the island and settled down quietly after pouring himself some wine. I glanced at him for a few seconds longer before proceeding to taste the spaghetti.

"Hmm! This is really good!" I complimented, giving Derrek a thumbs up and he glanced up at me.

"You like it?" He asked, although not as excited as he had been previously.

"I love it!" I exclaimed and he muttered a 'thanks' before glancing down at his food.

We finished our meals in silence and I offered to clear the dishes once we were done. Derrek had been rooted in his seat even as I tidied up. He seemed to be deep in thought. I just wish he would have shared his thoughts with me.

"What are you thinking about?" I hopped onto the island, sitting opposite him to the left.

"A lot." Derrek gave a sigh but didn't elaborate.

"You want to tell me about it." I ran my fingers over the side of his face as he glanced up at me. I had missed him a lot.

"It's nothing for you to worry about." He shook his head and I pressed my lips together, feeling a little frustrated. He was shutting me out, like he used to when we first met. We had come too far to go back to who and where we used to be.

I have a sigh as he went quiet once again. If there was any chance of saving our relationship, we were going to need to communicate and if Derrek wasn't going to talk to me first, I would have just had to start the conversation.

"About Jordan and I—" I began and Derrek glanced back at me. I saw a look of hurt flash across his face before he looked away once again. "Nothing happened between us. Jordan told me that he had only taken me to the hotel because he didn't know where I lived and I was passed out drunk so I couldn't give any directions. I was alone at the suite all night. Jordan wasn't even with me."

I cupped Derrek's cheek with my palm and turned his face in my direction. I needed him to know that I hadn't betrayed him like he had thought. There was no reason for us to be apart anymore. No crime was committed.

"I love you, Derrek. You're the only one I'll ever want or need and I will stay by your side no matter what. Please, don't push me away anymore."

Derrek was silent for a few moments before he finally spoke.

"I thought I had lost you too." He said, taking my hand in his. "I'm all alone, Tiara. I've lost everyone and everything and when I overheard you talking with Jordan about—I thought I had lost you too."

"Never. I'll never leave you." I promised and Derrek cupped my cheeks with his palms, bringing my face closer to his. In turn, I wrapped my arms around his shoulders as soon as our noses brushed past each other and closed the distance between us.

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And now I feel sane seeing Tiara and Derrek together again.