4. Welcome Home
Chapter four
Welcome Home
“Wow.” Two hours? I don’t even think I can last an hour in the truck, let alone two.
“Eh, it’s not that bad. I’ve traveled farther for work.” He shrugs.
“Are you okay driving for that long? You must be tired having driven here, right?”
He kisses the back of my hand, his beard tickling my hand, the gesture making my heart flutter. “I’m okay, but thank you for thinking about me. I actually stayed overnight in the city.”
“Oh, well that’s good.” I cringed, hating myself for such a bland answer, but I had nothing else to say!
Derek didn’t seem to mind, still smiling to himself. We stayed like like for a while, neither one of us having anything to say. He kept his eyes on the road, his hand that wasn’t on the steering fiddling with the radio before claiming my hand again. Meanwhile, I sat there fully debasing myself because, despite the etiquette classes Omegas attended at the OPS, one of the classes focused on the flow of conversation, but my mind drew a complete blank. It was as if the lights were on, but nobody was home.
I must have dozed off, because the next thing I knew, I was being shaken gently on the shoulder. I woke up in a daze, confused as to where I was, until my mind caught up with me. Two-hour trip to Derek’s home. Right. I yawn and stretch, relishing the feel of my joints popping and muscles straining. As I look over at Derek, he still has that same gentle smile on his face, his eyes seeming to dance with amusement.
“Hey there, sleepy head. Enjoy your nap?” He fished out a napkin from the center console, cupping my chin gently and wiping the noticeable drool on my face. Yeah, that wasn’t embarrassing at all.
“Sorry, didn’t realize how tired I was.” I finally noticed that we were parked in front of a diner, the highway a short distance away.
“Are you hungry at all? I figured we could get something to eat. I don’t really have much food at home, unfortunately,” he said with a sheepish grin.
“Sure, I could eat.” I haven’t eaten anything since early this morning, choosing to forgo lunch due to nerves upsetting my stomach. We entered the diner, simply named Peekskill Diner, and were directed to a booth. The waitress gave us menus and took our drink orders, Derek opting for sweet tea while I just decided on water.
I looked over the menu, excited by all of the choices they offered. When the waitress came back to take our orders, I pointed to the Philly Cheese Steak lunch special while Derek ordered a Grilled Chicken salad with dressing on the side.
“So, do you live around here?” I don’t even know how long it’s been. In fact, I don’t even know where he lives...
“Oh no, we still got about forty-five minutes left.” I asked him where he lived, and he said, ‘A quaint little town called Poughkeepsie.’ I couldn’t help but laugh.
“I love it already.”
“It does have a nice sound to it, doesn’t it? It just rolls off the tongue. Poughkeepsie.”
We sit there making small talk until our food arrives. Once my plate sits in front of me, I’m hit with such tantalizing smells my mouth instantly waters. I greedily take a bite, almost moaning at how good it is.
“That looks really good,” Derek says, eyeing my plate. He looks at his salad, a small frown starting to form.
“Words alone cannot do it justice.” I push my plate a little closer to him, offering the other half. “Would you like some?” He eyed it for a few seconds before shaking his head, his eyes squinted shut as if to help block out the tempting offer.
“I can’t, gotta watch my weight,” he says, patting his stomach.
I do a cursory look at him, confused as to why he needs to watch his weight. “What do you mean? You look fine to me. More than fine if I’m being honest.”
“Yeah, but I’m still trying to get rid of this paunch.” He grabs his stomach and jiggles it for emphasis. “Believe it or not, I used to be a lot bigger than this.”
“How big, if you don’t mind me asking?” He was quiet, and for a while, I thought he wouldn’t rather, preferring to drop the topic. “Over four hundred pounds,” he whispered, as if afraid of my reaction.
Wiping my hands with a napkin, I reach out my hand and he takes it. I don’t know when it started, but the tiny action seemed to be so much more than that for both of us.
“Look, whatever you may be thinking right now, it’s not true. That’s what I had to tell myself for years as I’ve been passed over again and again. I know what it’s like to hate yourself for what you look like, but you gotta stop hating, instead focusing on loving yourself.”
He laughs shakily, dabbing the corners of his eyes before giving me a look of such pure affection and love that I damn near swooned right then and there. “I’m thankful, in a way, that all those guys passed you up, because it allowed us to meet.” He kissed my hand, the point where his lips met my skin, sending an electric jolt through my arm. “Do you wanna just share our lunches? That way, we can have the best of both worlds?”
I nod. “Yeah, let’s do that.” I felt like a hypocrite, having my own negative emotions about how I looked, but I wanted him to know that, in my eyes, he was perfect. No changing required. “On a less depressing note, can you tell me a little more about yourself?” I had the sudden urge of wanting to know everything about him, down to the smallest, craziest detail. And so he did.
Born and raised in Poughkeepsie, he was the oldest of three boys. His younger brothers, were Daniel and Dylan. They eventually moved to New York City, preferring life in the Big Apple to their sleepy little town. When asked about his brothers’ names, he blamed it on his dad being a huge fan of alliteration. Daniel was a lawyer at a successful law firm in Manhattan, hence why he decided to go to the city early so he could visit him. Daniel and his partner had just recently adopted a baby girl, not caring about her status as a Beta. Her name is Emily.
Dylan, the youngest, was a nurse but decided to pursue his doctorate degree. He also recently married his partner. Derek himself runs the company their Dad built, going on about how he expanded it to a booming business enterprise, ‘not to toot my own horn’, he added. He then showed me text messages on his phone from his parents and brothers, all congratulating him on his new match and wondering when they could come and visit. He replied by saying that he wanted me to get settled in before meeting everyone.
“Well, that’s me in a nutshell, I guess. I’m probably missing a few things, but we got plenty of time to learn more about each other. As you might’ve guessed, I’m kinda big on family.” He then asked about me and what it was like living in the OPS. I shrug, giving him a basic rundown of what we do on a given day, trying not to compare what a boring life I’ve had until now to his.
Once we were done eating, we got back on the road, and I’m glad to say that I didn’t fall asleep this time, feeling guilty from earlier. We pass the time in conversation, with Derek telling me funny work stories. I was barely able to tell what happened, he was laughing so hard. He has an infectious laugh, that kind that encompasses your whole body and you’re unable to control yourself. In turn, I tell him about my experience doing community college online.
“Oh, that’s cool! Have you figured out what you want to major in yet?”
“No, not yet. I had no clue before, and now after meeting you, I’m even more unsure...”
“Yeah, that makes sense. You got a lot going on. Try to look at it this way; Is there something you really enjoy that you could see yourself doing? You don’t have to answer right now, just something to keep in mind. Besides, You don’t have to work if you don’t want to. I’m fully prepared to take care of our family.” He kisses the back of my hand, and I can’t help but think what a wonderful father he would make.
“Thank you.” I would say more, but sometimes simplicity is best. Time flew while we just took comfort in each other’s company, and before we knew it, Poughkeepsie was in sight. We arrived a little after three, leaving plenty of daylight to see what the town had to offer. It reminded me of videos I used to watch that took scenic tours of college towns, people out and about, and living their normal lives.
Pretty soon, the downtown area was replaced by the suburbs. There weren’t that many people out now, but most people could’ve been at work still. I could see why Derek’s brothers called it a sleep town. The houses were beautiful though, each lawn trimmed and the bushes in neat rows. Some even had white picket fences, a symbol of the American dream. There were even some parents outside supervising their kids, waving at us as they saw the truck pass. I think I’m gonna like it here.
“Home sweet home. Well, almost.” We had pulled up to a gated community, the sign reading Hudson Shores in elegant script. Derek slowed once the guard post came into view, a man stepping into view when we got close enough.
“Hiya, Randy.” It was no surprise to me that Derek was on friendly terms with the man.
“Hiya Derek. Who you got with ya?”
“This is Damon, my partner. He’s gonna be moving in with me.” Derek puts his arm around my shoulder and pulls me closer, giving me a kiss on the cheek. It felt weird and uneasy showing such affection in public. Hand-holding was fine to me for some reason, not as intimate as sharing a kiss, albeit indirectly. I extract myself gently, not missing the hurt look that passed over Derek’s face. I’ll try to apologize to him later.
“Oh, is that right? Well, congratulations, man! I always knew you’d find the right one for you one day.” He nods his head to me and lifts up a hand. “Nice to meet you, Damon.”
“Nice to meet you, too.”
Derek and Randy talk for a few minutes before another car pulls up behind us seeking entrance.
“Well, better get back to doing my job. Oh! Before I forget to tell ya, there was a woman wanting to see you not too long ago. ‘Bout 15 minutes. Said she was with the OPS so I waved her in.”
“Ah, so is that why you weren’t surprised I came back with a partner?”
“You should know by now that nothin’ gets past ol’ Randy. Y’all come back once you get settled, and we’ll register Damon in our system.”
“Alright, thanks Randy. Take care.” And then we were off, going deeper into the neighborhood. I try to work up the courage to apologize for pulling away, but the words die in my throat as I see Sarah standing before a beautiful two-story house, balloons in one hand and what could quite possibly be a bottle of wine in the other.
Derek parks next to the black sedan and exits, not even sparing me a glance.
“Welcome to your new home, Damon!” She gives me a hug, nearly jumping for joy. “Oh, I am so happy you found an Alpha, you cannot believe...” she cuts off as Derek opens the back of the truck and start to unload some of the suitcases. He gives me a curt ‘Welcome home’ before heading to the front door, unlocking it and heading inside.
Sarah looks at the retreating form of Derek, then at me, and back to Derek. “You know how I said earlier the sexual tension was so thick even a knife couldn’t cut it? Yeah... that’s gone now. What the hell happened in two hours?”
“Well, it was fine. Good actually, until just recently.” I filled her in on what happened, and her jaw dropped.
“Wow, you’re an idiot. Quite possibly the biggest idiot I know. That man is head over heels for you! I would be hurt too if somebody did that to me. Luckily for you, I have something that might help.” She hands me the balloons and what is indeed wine before opening the rear door and pulling out a small gift bag.
“I was going to wait and give it to you later, but this might help you path things up with your man.” We trade the items we’re holding and I couldn’t help but be curious. What did she get me that could help me in this situation? As I look inside, I cry out in shock, nearly dropping the bag and spilling the contents inside. “Sarah! You can’t be serious!”
She gives me a shark-like grin. “Oh, but I am. I guarantee you, the little gift will have him forgetting he was mad at you in the first place.” She then saunters into the house, leaving me alone in the driveway, praying that the concrete could swallow me up at that moment. I grab a couple of suitcases that were left in the back of the truck and head inside, wondering what my new home would be like.