Sealed With A Vow

Chapter 18- A Wounded Past

Derek and I were sitting at Richard Walker's Pancake house having breakfast after our long run. Like always, I had ordered a giant plate of apple pancakes.

"I get why you and Charlotte go here all the time now. This tastes like heaven in my mouth," he remarked.

"I bet. It sure looks good," I said, practically drooling at the sight of the Santa Fe omelet on his plate.

"Do you want to try some?", he offered. I eagerly nodded my head.

Derek held his fork up, and I opened my mouth as he fed me a piece of the omelet. I moaned in delight, letting my senses indulge in the delicious taste of it.

"Holy shit, that is one good omelet," I commented.

"You can have some more if you want."

"No, that's alright."

I didn't want my husband to think that I was a pig. I mean, I've already eaten way more than him.

When we were finished with our food, the waitress came back to give us the bill. Ever since Derek first walked into the restaurant, she hadn't been able to take her eyes off of him. I didn't blame her. After all, my husband was quite the sight for any woman.

On our way home, we stopped by his office downtown so he could pick up some papers that he needed to fill out for Monday. He truly was a busy guy. Even on weekends, he'd have work to do.

That night, I'd just finished taking a shower while Derek was in his room doing whatever it was he normally did in there. I snuggled under my blanket and watched some TV since I wasn't quite sleepy yet.

When it started to get late, I decided to go to bed. I attempted to fall asleep, but for some reason, I just couldn't. It was weird because my body was truly craving sleep right now, too.

I kept tossing and turning and eventually, I got up and went to stand outside on my balcony for a little bit. Maybe it was fresh air that I needed.

What I enjoyed most about living high up on the mountain was the stunning view I had of everything below.

Lights from neighboring houses illuminated the otherwise dark valley and hills. In the distance, I could make out downtown San Diego's tall, lit-up buildings and the outline of Coronado Bridge. The ocean was calm and tranquil, reflecting the stars above as they twinkled brightly in the night sky.

I could stay out here forever if I had to...

A couple minutes later, it began to get slightly chilly so I headed back inside. After shutting the balcony door completely, I walked over to my bed, adjusting the pillows to see if that'd help me to fall asleep before lying back down.

An hour passed and I was still wide awake. My bed seemed strangely empty all of a sudden, and I felt this longing in my chest that I couldn't quite describe.

I realized then that it was Derek I needed. The memories of last night when he was holding me in his arms as he sought to comfort me flooded my mind, and at that moment, I longed to feel his presence next to me. That was the only way I could fall asleep.

I got out of bed and walked to my husband's room at the other end of the hall. His light turned off right when I was about to knock on the door, which he had left ajar.

"Claire, is that you?", his voice called out.

Crap, he'd heard me.

I slowly opened the door the rest of the way and stepped inside Derek's room. He was lying on his bed wearing nothing but a pair of boxers.