Adelaide (Ian Malcolm)

Chapter Fifteen - Kill Or Be Killed

Chapter Fifteen – Kill or be killed

New York, 1992

Adelaide

"How is it, that we spent nearly 6 months on China, and I never knew you hated sushi?" Dereck lifted a large slice of pepperoni pizza to his mouth and took a huge bite, his dark brown eyes lighting up from the taste.

Adelaide laughed. "Well, Sushi is Japanese for one. And two, when the hell would it ever come up? We barely ate anything out there,"

"That's only because everything made you sick, and I took pity and chose to suffer with you,"

"Sure. Whatever you say," She said. Sitting next to the window, Adelaide had a great view of the hustle and bustle of life on 7th Avenue. There was something about New York city that she'd always liked, even on family holidays as a child. Going to see the Broadway musical Cats when she was ten with her Grandfather or taking a stroll through Central Park on a late autumn evening. The leaves golden brown and the air crisp, reminding her of autumnal London.

Dereck flashed her a large grin. It hadn't taken Adelaide long to like the guy sitting opposite her. He was a year older than she, with russet brown skin and a big, muscled build. His Mom was originally from Kenya, but her parents moved to New York a month after she was born. It was in New York that she met Dereck's father, a white Irish immigrant who had not but a penny to his name – and that was that.

Adelaide loved the way Dereck described his parents. Their love story was a romantic tale worthy of at least a bestselling novel, if not a movie. She'd never known love like that – her own parents barely spoke to each other, and when they did it was to talk about money.

"So, how long are you planning to be in New York, Aida?" Dereck asked through a mouthful of food. His New Yorker accent became prominent the minute he stepped back on American soil and mingled with his childhood friends.

"Depends. My Grandad has been on about some project he's working on near Costa Rica, so that's a possibility," She mused, slapping Dereck's hand away as he tried to make a move on her half of the pizza.

"You should stick around, you know, for thanksgiving. My Ma asked me to ask you if you'll join us,"

"Really? But, I've never met them before,"

"Well...I've sort of been talking about you, er, a lot," Dereck said sheepishly as he began to fold and unfold his napkin. The man could never keep still, always fiddling with things or twitching his legs. "And they are keen to meet you, since you 'kept me outta trouble' in Chengdu,"

"I personally think it was the other way around," Adelaide laughed outright, remembering a few very drunken nights that ended with Dereck hoisting her over his shoulder back to the hostel.

"Me too, but they think you are the responsible one and I don't have the heart to tell them otherwise," Dereck had moved his hand closer to hers on the table. His hands were broad, strong and slightly calloused from years of work, a few scars crisscrossed over his large knuckles. "Aida... can I ask you a question?"

She paused. This was going somewhere important; his tone had turned serious and the laughter had left his features. They'd always had an unspoken rule about what they were to each other. Adelaide didn't just remember the nights she'd been hauled over his shoulder. She also remembered the hot, sweaty nights where they'd succumbed to their desires. Leaving it as it was betwixt them, meant Adelaide could leave without feeling guilty of breaking his heart – but things had changed recently. "Yeah, of course you can,"

"I know we've not been serious and all, but lately...I feel like...you know...I like you. A lot. We seem to just work, you know?" Dereck took her hand in his. "Let's go out, officially?"