Chapter 2
Settling In
*Derek*
I hold Arabella's hand tightly as we head back to the apartment. Hateful glares bore into me like daggers as I try my best to ignore them. This town has always been so judgemental. They've always criticized before hearing the story. These people will never see me as anything more than a criminal. The only place I've seemed to fit in is prison.
"Ow, ow." Arabella complains as she pulls her hand from mine. "You nearly broke my hand." She frowns down at her hand as she balls it into a fist and opens it wide again. "What's wrong?"
"I'm sorry." I apologize, gently taking her hand and placing a kiss on the back of it. "My mind was somewhere else.
"You've barely said a word since running into that guy earlier. Is that what's bothering you?"
"No." I shake my head. I've already upset her by yelling at that guy before. I don't want to make things worse by telling her that I hate this town. She'd do anything for me, even moving out of this town. With her being our only source of income, I can't put the stress of moving on her. "I think I'm just a little hungry." I lie easily. Arabella narrows her eyes but doesn't question me.
"Well, we're almost home." She places her hand back in mine and intertwines our fingers. "I'll make us some lunch." She gives me a small smile before pulling me down the path towards the apartment.
Arabella unlocks the apartment door and I follow her inside. I pause at the sight of a tall, skinny man standing in our kitchen. He turns to face us with a large smile on his face. His grey and purple hair is styled neatly and thick black glasses rest on his nose. The pattern on his button up shirt hurts my eyes. The blue mug in his hand steams and the blue polish on his nails match perfectly.
"Elliot!" Arabella exclaims, a mask of horror on her face. "What are you doing in my apartment?"
"I wanted to meet your boy toy." The man says with a smile. "He's far cuter in person."
"Are they here?" A woman says as she rushes from the hallway. Her long, wavy brown hair falls across her shoulders and down to her waist. She's short, about Arabella's height, but the black heels she wears make her slightly taller. Her low waist shorts and black crop top help reveal a diamond bow dangling from her belly button ring. "Holy, mother of...!" the girl trails off as she stares at me with wide eyes.
"I know right." The man, Elliot, says to the strange woman as he places his mug on the counter. "So much cuter in person."
"Definitely!" The woman says.
"You too, Johanna?" Arabella asks. "How did you both get in here?"
"I had a key made." Elliot says with a wave of his hand. He moves around the island in the center of the kitchen and walks towards us. "You were living here alone. I needed to be able to get in if you were ever in trouble. When Jo found out, she threatened to tell you and so I made one for her too."
What the hell is going on? Who are these freaks and why are they in our apartment? Clearly Arabella knows them, but by the look on her face she seems slightly scared.
"Derek." Arabella says with a sigh. "These are my best friends, Elliot and Johanna. Johanna and Elliot, this is Derek."
"Nice to meet you." Elliot says with a smirk. "You're really muscular." He pokes my arm and I refrain from shoving him away. "It's no wonder Ari turned down all of those guys who threw themselves at her. You're far more good looking than any of them."
"Back off, Elliot." Johanna says, shoving Elliot out of the way. "He takes some getting used to." She says to me. "I'm Johanna, it's nice to finally meet you. Arabella has told us a lot about you. Honestly, you two are the cutest couple I've ever seen. There's so much love and loyalty! It's so inspiring!" I take a step back as the large grin on her face begins to make me feel uncomfortable.
"Look, he can't wait to get away from you." Elliot says. "Stop being a weird fangirl and leave him alone."
"Elliot, Jo, can you both meet me in my room?" Arabella asks. "I want to talk to the two of you alone for a minute."
"Sure, whatever." Elliot sighs. "Come on Jo."
Once Arabella's friends are out of sight, she turns to me and takes my hands in hers as she looks up at me with apologetic eyes.
"I'm so sorry about them." She says. "I had no idea they were planning to come over today. They've just been dying to meet you." I want to tell her to get rid of them, but I don't want to seem rude towards her friends. I'd like to have her all to myself, but given she has a life out here and I don't, that's impossible. I have to somehow figure out a way to fit into it.
"They're not going to leave until they get to know you a little." Arabella explains. "So how about you start making some lunch? I'll be back in a minute to help. Okay?"
"Okay." I manage to agree. She reaches up to give me a quick kiss before rushing off to our room.
*Arabella*
I meet Elliot and Johanna in my room and shut the door behind me. Elliot sits on the edge of the bed and runs his hand along the sheets.
"So this is where the magic happens." He says with a smile as he waggles his eyebrows.
"Gross, Elliot." I frown. "Stop it."
"How have things been since he's been back?" Johanna asks. "I know you've been waiting so long for this."
"Before we get to that, I want the keys you made." I hold out my hand expectantly. I can only imagine one of them barging into my apartment and walking in on something, just like my dad did earlier this morning. I shiver at the thought and push it out of my mind.
"But..." Elliot says as he stands from the bed, a frown on his face. "What if there's an emergency? How will I get in?"
"Elliot, I love you and I love that you're always looking out for me. But Derek is back and can look after me just fine, I promise."
"Here." Johanna says, placing her key in the palm of my hand. "Elliot got here before me and let me in, so I've never actually used it anyway."
"Hand it over, Elliot." He opens his mouth as if to protest more, but closes it as he changes his mind. He pulls the key from his pocket and slowly places it in my hand. "Thank you." I put the spare keys in my nightstand for safe keeping, knowing Elliot would probably pick pocket me before leaving.
"Can we go now?" Elliot asks. "We want to get to know your boyfriend."
"Before you do that, you have to remember that Derek isn't like your average guy." I warn them. "He can be blunt and mean sometimes, and given that he's a little on edge right now, all of that may be amplified. He doesn't like to be touched and perkiness isn't exactly appealing to him. Elliot, I know how you are around attractive guys, so hands off. I will not feel bad if he punches you on reflex. Johanna, if you want to get to know him at all, you'll have to dial back on being so bubbly. Okay?"
"Yeah, yeah." Elliot waves his hand in dismissal before leaving my room, Johanna following close behind him. I sigh as I follow after them. I really hope this all doesn't blow up in my face.
I meet with Derek and my friends in the kitchen. I mentally punch myself as I see my friends on either side of Derek, boxing him in. It's like we didn't just have a conversation in my room. Why do I bother sometimes?
Derek wears an irritated look on his face as he makes us sandwiches. It took me a while to get used to their personalities when we first met in college. It'll take Derek even longer.
"So, five years in prison." Elliot starts. "What did you do? Arabella wouldn't tell us."
"Elliot, stop." I warn. If they find out who Derek is or what he's done, they could look at him the same way everyone else does. For once I'd like people to get to know who he really is.
"Elliot, that's a little rude." Johanna says. "If he wanted us to know, he'd tell us. Right Derek?" Derek pauses and I can see he's becoming even more irritated. Maybe I should force my friends to leave. Derek has been on edge ever since that guy ran into him earlier. Today was the worst day for them to show up.
"How about you guys go find something to watch on TV." I suggest to my friends, walking over and gently pulling them away. "Derek and I will finish making lunch."
"But..." Elliot starts.
"Just go." I say, pushing him towards the living room. Elliot rolls his eyes before following Johanna to living room. "Are you okay?" I ask Derek once my friends are far enough away.
"Why don't they know why I went to prison?" Derek asks skeptically as he continues to make the sandwich he started. "I thought everyone knew?" He looks over at me with a raised brow.
"Elliot and Jo aren't from around here. They moved here to go the University. By that time, your news was becoming a thing of the past so there wasn't much talk. They never heard about what happened." The first time they spoke to me I'd expected them to question me about Derek, just like everyone else. When they didn't, I saw the opportunity to finally make new friends. After I dumped Brad and he stopped speaking to me, and Jess ditched me for not leaving Derek and his "corruptive" path, I was alone. They've been there to keep my company and look after me while I was waiting for Derek. I'm sure I would have lost my mind without them here.
"I like them." Derek says, surprising me. He actually likes my friends? They're the complete opposite of the people he likes. I expected the complete opposite. "For you." He adds with a smile. "They seem like the type of friends you deserve. Caring and not judgemental. Though they need to work on personal space, but I'm sure I'll help them learn that one pretty fast." He smiles and the contagiousness of it causes me to smile back.
"I love you." I say, reaching up to meet my lips with his. He kisses me back slowly as he gently caresses my cheek, the simple touch sending a rush of heat through my body.
"I love you." He says after finally pulling away.
"Excuse me." Elliot whispers. I look over to see him standing on the other side of the island. "Yeah, hi." He smiles. "I hate to spoil the moment, but can I take one of these sandwiches. I'm kind of hungry." The irritated look returns to Derek's face as he slides a plate towards Elliot. "Thanks." He takes the plate. "Carry on." He waves his hand before returning to his place on the couch.
"I might actually hurt him before he has the chance to leave." Derek says.
"He grows on you." I laugh. "Promise."
***
I look at my phone and frown at the time. Elliot lays back on the couch with his head resting on Johanna's lap. I sit on Derek's lap as we share the armchair. Elliot points and laughs hysterically at the screen. It's been hours since they've arrived. I'm beginning to think they'll never leave.
"Man, I love this movie." Elliot says short of breath. I roll my eyes. It'd be great if he could love it at his own place. Is it too much to ask for Derek and I to be alone? It's nearly dinner time and I'm tying to decide whether I should cook for two or four.
Elliot's phone lights up as it begins to ring. The name Kyle shows up in large letters on the screen and Elliot quickly grabs it from the coffee table. He looks at it and with a roll of his eyes, he clicks a button and the ringing stops. He lays the now quiet phone on his chest as he returns his attention to the screen.
"Elliot." I say.
"Hm?" He asks, keeping his eyes trained on the TV.
"Can I talk to you in the hall for a minute?" He finally breaks his gaze away from the TV to look at me. I give him a small smile as I nod my head towards the hallway. I stand from Derek's lap and take Elliot's hand to help him up from the couch. I lead him into the hallway out of sight. "What's going on?"
"What do you mean?" He asks, shoving his hands into his pockets.
"I saw that the phone call was from Kyle. You seemed irritated. Why didn't you answer?"
"We're watching a movie. It would have been rude."
"Elliot." I sigh. "Really, what's going on? Is everything okay between you and Kyle?"
He shifts his weight as he adjusts his glasses on his face. His blue eyes stare into mine and I watch as a single tear escapes them. He looks away as he quickly wipes away the evidence.
"He's cheating on me."
"What?" I ask, my eyes growing wide. I've know Kyle almost as long as I've known Elliot. They've been together forever. They made the big decision to move here together and now they rent an apartment not far from here. Kyle doesn't seem like the type to cheat, but then again you can't tell by appearance. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure. He's been coming home late with the smell of a different cologne mixed in with his. I know it's that Brian guy from his office." He frowns. "I even tried to look through his phone, but he changed his password. He keeps saying that he's not cheating, but the signs are there. What else am I supposed to think?"
"Elliot, you and Kyle took care of me while Derek was away. You two ran off those guys who refused to take 'no' for an answer. And when I thought someone was in my apartment that one night, it was Kyle's idea to let me stay at your place. Remember the time when my bag was stolen by that thief? Kyle chased him down and when you caught up, you both beat him up until he cried." I laugh. "You both have looked after me. You're a team. I trust him and I think you should too, more than anybody. At least talk to him about it and hear him out before making any major decisions. Okay? I have faith that you two can work through this."
I really hope that Elliot is wrong and there's been a misunderstanding. Elliot and Kyle have been like two older brothers to me. It would be sad if they broke up after being together for so long. I don't want to have to choose between the two of them.
"Damn you and your degree." Elliot sighs, pulling me into a tight hug. "You're always fixing my problems. It's a little annoying."
I roll my eyes. "Go talk to Kyle."
"Thanks love. I'll call you to tell you how it goes."
*Derek*
Once Johanna and Elliot finally leave, I start on dinner. Arabella sits on the counter with a smile spread across her face as she watches me.
"What are you grinning about?" I ask. "Glad you have someone to make you dinner from now on?" I laugh.
"No." She says. "I'm just thinking about our future. You and I in the kitchen making dinner while our kids sit at the kitchen table playing while they wait." I nearly drop the pan from my hands. "Three kids. A boy and two girls." The smile on her face grows and guilt settles in the pit of my stomach. I've always imagined us together forever, but I never imagined us with kids. I wouldn't want to pass on my screwed up genes to anyone. "The girls would look like me, and our boy would look just like you."
Clearly she's thought a lot about this. She knows how many kids she wants, and I wouldn't be surprised if she's already picked out names. I'm sure she wants them while we're young, which means she'll want them soon.
"Derek?" Arabella says. The smile is now gone from her face and her eyes are filled with sadness. "You don't want kids, do you?"
"Um." The last thing I want to do is hurt her. I don't know if I could forgive myself for taking something like this away from her. If I say no, she could be unhappy all her life, wishing she'd had at least one child. If I say yes, I'll be forced to help raise a child that could possibly turn out the way I did. With my father's blood coursing through my veins, I could turn out like him in a couple of years. The world doesn't need another me, or another Frank.
"I'm sorry." She apologizes. "I shouldn't have brought it up. We have a while before we need to think about something like that." She gives me a half-hearted smile as she jumps down from the counter. "Let me help."
I hand over the pan to her and she takes over my job as I move on to the next step. I wanted to avoid hurting her, yet that's what happened anyway. Though I didn't say anything, that was enough of an answer for her. She's trying to hide it by getting off the subject, but I can clearly see she's disappointed by my response.
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Hello! I've finally updated! How do you guys like Arabella's new friends? I gave a brief explanation of what happened to Brad and Jess because I left it out of the last book and you all deserve to know. Do you guys have any ideas on who could be cast as Elliot or Johanna? I feel like Troye Sivan would be a good pick for Elliot, but I'm not so sure who would be great as Johanna. Anyway, tell me your thoughts on this long awaited chapter, and if you have any cast suggestions, let me know! :)
Picture is of Arabella and Derek (Darebella)! ;-)