Catching Feelings

Chapter Twenty-Three: It Wasn't An Accident

"If you didn't answer my messages, then how did you know about Aislinn?" he asks, curiously.

"Would you believe me if I said I saw it?" I say slowly.

"That depends on what you mean by you saw it. The accident happened maybe two minutes away from Adela's library, and there's no restaurants around there, so you couldn't have been there."

"No," I say, shooting him a look. "I wasn't there when it happened,."

Derek stares at me, "then how did you see it?"

"That's exactly my point," I say loudly. "I wasn't there and I still saw it happen. I was talking to Malum and then all of the sudden it was like I was right there, watching the whole thing happen. I saw the car hit hers, I saw it spin off the road and then the vision just ended. I told Malum to bring me to the hospital before you even told me what happened."

"Your father saw the whole thing?" he says suspiciously.

I give him a blank stare, "obviously Derek, he was with me."

"He must've had questions," he mumbles.

"He did; a lot. But I didn't answer any of them." I say quickly.

He raises his eyebrow, "so where is he now?"

"Parking the car," I say absently, and then stop abruptly, looking down at my feet sheepishly.

"For twenty minutes?" he asks accusingly.

"I don't know where he is," I snap, "he probably got lost trying to find the room, or maybe he couldn't find a place to park the car or something."

He doesn't look convinced, "I just think it looks a little bit suspicious that-"

I cut him off before he can get the rest of his words out, "stop. Just stop! I didn't come here for an interrogation, Der, I know you don't trust him. But I do. I'm not arguing with you about this anymore."

Derek nods after a moment, "I know. I'm sorry. I just got so worried when you weren't answering."

An awkward silence passes between us as Derek tries his best to prevent it, "So... how was it?"

I smile, "it was fun; we had a good time, before, you know, everything that happened with..." I trail, gesturing to Aislinn, not having the courage to look at her because seeing her lying there so lifelessly made me feel as if it were my fault.

"What did you guys talk about?" he asks, noticing my hesitation.

"Nothing much," I shrug, "mostly just stuff about my mom. He took me to a restaurant that we used to go to when I was kid. It felt good to be back there, you know?"

He nods, although something tells me he doesn't know, not really. But I continue anyways, "and then we talked a little bit about my..."

"About what?" he presses me.

"My future," I blurt.

He shoots me a look of confusion, "your future?"

I snort, "Yea that was my reaction too."

"Well what did you tell him?" he asks, not sounding so general anymore.

"Exactly what he needed to hear," I say casually, like it's nothing even though it means everything to me, "that I wanted to go to school and get into writing and move away."

Derek pauses, "did you mean it?"

I don't answer right away. "Did I mean what?"

"All the things that you told him," he says impatiently, his eyes glued to my face.