16. A Familiar Face
Chapter sixteen
A Familiar Face
Months passed, and the chilly winter air, which seemed reluctant to release its grip on the world, finally relented to spring. With the changing of the seasons came new changes in my life here in Poughkeepsie.
Sarah, whom I hadn’t seen in what felt like ages , stopped by one morning as part of her duties as my case worker. We don’t get many visitors—besides Derek’s friends, who show up every once in a while to watch football on Sundays—so it was a welcome surprise.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?” She wrapped me in a bone-crushing hug that belied her size.
“It’s called a surprise home inspection. If I had told you—“
“It would no longer be a surprise, I get it.”
“Gold star for you,” she said, breezing past me and heading to the living home as if she owned the place. “Is Derek home?”
“No, he’s still at work. He won’t be home for another couple of hours.” Suspicion crept across my mind suddenly. “You planned it that way, didn’t you?” She gasped dramatically, holding a hand to her chest as if receiving an egregious wound.
“Get out of my head!” My jaw drops as she plops herself down on the couch, kicking her heels off and making herself comfortable. “What’s that look for? Are you finally standing in awe of my brilliance? It’s about damn time!”
“I dunno, I guess I never thought you would admit to something like that so easily.” Don’t get me wrong, I loved Sarah, but I’m also pretty sure her first words were ‘deniable plausibility’.
“People change, my dear. Now, come sit down. Technically, I’m here on business, so that means I have to ask the usual questions.” She pats the seat next to her, which brings me back to a couple of months ago when I first found out about Derek, then an unknown Alpha to me at the time.
“Can I get you something to drink or anything?”
“You know what, that would be lovely! It’s nice to know those etiquette classes are paying off now.” I snort before giving her the finger and head to the kitchen, her cackle haunting me as I go. I forgot to ask her what she wanted, so I prepared a couple of options. Some tea, a couple bottles of water, and two glasses of Mimosas.
Hey, this is a judgment free zone. Besides, it’s like the old saying goes; ‘It’s five o’clock somewhere.’
I bring the tray back to the living room, causing Sarah to sit up in surprise.
“Oh wow, you didn’t have to go that far, honey! Water would’ve been fine.” I shrug.
“I wanted to give you some options ’cause I forgot to ask before.”
“I can see that. Water, tea, and orange juice?”
“Mimosas,” I say with a devilish grin.
“Oh. My. Gawd! Who are you, and what have you done to my sweet friend, you deviant?!“ I set the tray of refreshments on the coffee table and settled next to her, a smug look on my face.
“Your friend died the moment he lost his V card.” She blinked at me a couple of times. When she finally registered what I had said, her mouth dropped open in amazement.
“ Oh. My. Gawd!” she said again, only this time a slap punctuated each word. Even after she was done speaking, she would slap me on my arm again as if that was the only true way to convey her feelings right now.
“Okay, that’s enough,” I said, rubbing my arm, which was now starting to feel sore. “Keep it up and I’ll call Mr. Radcliffe.”
“Sorry. Sorry. It’s just, wow. I’m feeling so many emotions that I don’t know where to start! First off, congratulations. It must’ve been a magical time, and I’m very happy for you.”
“Really? You don’t really sound like it...” She launched to her feet, anger shimmering in her eyes. Suddenly her five-foot-four height—five-foot-eight when she wore her signature heels—seemed to have grown a foot. She jabbed a narrow finger in front of my face, causing my eyes to zero in with razor focus.
“The reason I don’t sound like it is because you didn’t tell me that such a big moment happened in your life. Like, where was my text? I mean—“ She took a deep breath, sitting back down and grabbing my hand in hers.
“It just hurts me that you don’t confide in me, that’s all.”
“I confide—“
“No, you don’t. Not like you used to. I mean, I get it. You got busy with the new life you’re trying to build with Derek, but lately, it seems like I’m... Like I’m standing behind a glass wall, and I can see you on the other side and call out, but my voice doesn’t seem to reach you...” She wipes furiously at the tears that begin to form, absolutely ruining her makeup.
I was at a loss for words, so taken aback by the Sarah sitting in front of me versus the one I’ve come to know. I wrapped her in my arms, rubbing her back like the way she’d done for me countless times before.
“I’m sorry. Really. I’ve never been good at keeping in touch with others. Hearing it out loud now, it sounds like nothing but an excuse.”
“You think?” she said between sniffles. Leave it to her to give a witty remark while seemingly distraught. At least it let me know that in her own way, she was feeling better. How I knew, I couldn’t say. It was purely instinctual.
“Hush you, I’m trying to apologize.”
“Carry on.” I give her a flat look, trying my damnedest not to roll my eyes. It may be a losing battle.
“What I was trying to say, is that I’ll try to do better and reach out more. I just... sort of gotten used to my self-isolation and don’t know how to get out of it.”
“Well, if you relied on your friends more, maybe they can try to help ease that burden a little. Now that you’ve gotten settled, have you thought about transferring to a local college to finish your degree?”
“A little...” In actuality, I thought about it quite often. Ever since I started writing a couple of months ago, I have enjoyed it immensely. But, I wasn’t too caught up in the newness of it not to realize that my foundation of writing was shaky at best, full of holes. If I were to go down the path with the goal of becoming a writer, the classes I would take would essentially fill those holes.
The only thing keeping me from doing that is the fear of regretting that choice later in life.
Sarah laid a hand on my knee, shaking me out of my thoughts and bringing my attention to her.
“If I can give you one advice, it’s to do what you love, and love what you do.” I couldn’t help but roll my eyes this time.
“Everyone seems to say the same thing.”
“That’s because not everyone has that choice, not like you do,” she said, heat in her voice. “People have families to provide for and bills that need to get paid. Not everyone is fortunate enough to have a rich sugar daddy—“
“Derek is not my sugar daddy, and you should know better than anyone how long I’ve been stuck behind those gray walls while life passed me by.”
“I didn’t mean—“She took a deep breath, relaxing a little bit. “I’m sorry. I was a little angry cause you seemed so dismissive about the advice I had to give. If money wasn’t such a huge concern and in the forefront of everyone’s mind, can you imagine the kind of world we would live in?”
“Sometimes you have to have to grab your dream by the balls and don’t let go, no matter what.”
I sat there silently, trying to put myself in her shoes. Suddenly, the life that I always viewed as unlucky stopped being so bad. I mean, it still wasn’t great, but it could’ve been worse.
“I’m sorry too. I didn’t mean to be dismissive earlier, I just got a lot on my mind.”
“Oooh, I see.” She patted my stomach, then laid her palm flat against it.
“Umm, Sarah? I love you, but what the hell are you doing?”
“Just checking to see if you had a bun in the oven. It was either that, or you’re just extremely hormonal.” She narrowed her eyes, the promise of a gruesome demise lurking in them. “You’re not with child, are you? Cause if you are and didn’t tell me, on my life—“
“No, no! Not pregnant.”
“Oh wow, really? You only have one hole down there, so I don’t see how Derek can mess up.”
“Ha! That was funny,” No, really, that was actually pretty funny. “Derek said we’re not in the right space yet to add a child into our lives.”
“Hmm, smart.”
“You sound surprised, is it because he’s a man?” I ask jokingly.
“No, not really…” I waited for her to say more, but she didn’t offer anything else. I felt as though there was something that she was holding back from me, but I decided to hold my tongue and bide my time. Besides, if there’s one thing I know about Sarah, it’s that she can’t keep a secret to save her life.
“Standing behind a glass wall, huh?”
“Okay, what about you? Mr. ‘life passing me by. That practically screamed teen angst!”
“You were right, you missed your calling.”
“See? I’m telling you right now, I would’ve been a natural!”
“How much time do you have to visit?” I ask, switching the subject as nonchalantly as I could. It felt like I had the subtlety of a screaming child running through a library. It seemed to work though, because she paused in her apparent musing and fixed me with a suspicious look.
“Well, technically I am here on official business. That means I stay as long as I need to in a reasonable time to make sure your well-being is taken care of.
“Translation; I’m basically a free agent.”
“In that case, as my literal case worker, would you like to go with me to visit a local college? I want to check out the campus and feel like you would give me the push I need to apply. I’ll even buy you lunch! What do you say?”
“You had me at local college, free food is just a bonus.”
I quickly get changed and offer to drive, offering up more ammunition that I’m a complete idiot because I didn’t even tell her about the car. Definitely made me feel like a shitty friend. As a way to appease Sarah, I fill her in on all the details from the past couple of months. I started from the night I met Derek’s parents and got the new car, followed by the next night when we went on an actual date. Soon I was just filling her in on all the mundane and cute things Derek and I have been up to.
We finally finished my library, and ample trips to the bookstore filled out my bookshelves quite nicely. I told her about the time we went to see a horror movie at Derek’s behest, and he seemed to jump more times than I did! It wasn’t until I told her how I went to New York City to babysit Emily for Danny and Adam that I realized I missed Sarah.
Sarah was the only friend who belonged to me in a sense. All the new people in my life—each and every one of them wonderful individuals—were connected to Derek in some way. That’s not to say I don’t love Derek; I do. It’s just nice to have something that belongs solely to me.
It made me start to really look forward to going to an actual campus, where I can meet other people and become a little more social. Baby steps, though.
As we approached the campus entrance, the sign ‘Vassar College’ in bold red letters against a white background made me even more excited. It was one thing to look at something on a computer screen, but another thing entirely to see it with your own eyes.
After finding a place to park, Sarah and I headed to what seemed like the administration building, according to the maps anyway. It looked pretty nondescript and average. The red and beige building would’ve looked at home in the little downtown of Poughkeepsie. Here on the campus, it seeme. like it belonged. The other buildings on the campus seemed to stem from this central hub.
Even though it was well past the time of enrollment, it was still bustling with activity. People with binders and backpacks created a steady stream from the wide double doors. Inside, we found the help desk, and the person manning the station gave us a welcome smile as they explained directions to get to the enrollment office.
Despite getting lost here and there, we eventually reached the office and took a seat once we signed the visitor forms. The wait wasn’t long, as a tall, dark woman approached us. She had light amber eyes and box braids that were wrapped up into a crown atop her head.
“Hi, my name is Zahra, and I am one of the transition aids here at Vassar,” she said, offering her hand. After we introduced ourselves, we were led to her office. The room was brightly lit from the tall floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating Zahra’s personal touch on the space. It was stylish and cozy, but most of all, it was organized .
I nudge Sarah, whispering in her ear. “This office makes yours look like a garbage dump.”
“Shut up, neat freak,” she said smiling, easing some of the sting from her words. I only shrug, trying to accept it as who I am.
Zahra asked a couple of questions that seemed standard for an administrator in charge of helping people transfer. I told her about my classes, which I’ve been taking online previously and currently. After expressing some of my interests and getting a warning glare from Sarah as a reminder, I told her about my goal of finishing my degree here. With so much support behind me, I didn’t feel as bad about picking English as my degree, with a minor in creative writing.
Despite the stigma that having such a degree was kind of pointless, Zahra did her best to assuage the feeling that having an English degree is quite useful, depending on the route you want to take. Whether it’s journalism, publishing, or even being able to express thoughts in a more concise way.
“Well Damon, it’ll take a couple of business days to get your transcripts from your school, but on behalf of Vassar, I would like to say we’d love to have you. Before we try to settle anything, I’d like to show you around the campus and maybe even meet some instructors from the English department. How does that sound?”
“That sounds great! Do you mind if we can also stop by the theatre department if you have one?”
Confusion quickly crossed her face before it passed, an easy smile replacing it.
“Of course! Thinking of branching out to theatre?”
“Something like that...” Zahra was easy to appease. She was still a stranger and, therefore, had no idea I didn’t have a real interest in performance arts. Sarah, on the other hand, was a different beast altogether.
As soon as we were outside and Zahra led us down a paved path through some of the campus buildings, she grabbed my arm and pulled me back.
“Um, what the hell was that all about?” she hissed in my ear.
“What? I can’t have more than one interest? I used to want to be a pilot when I was younger.”
“That’s cute, but you’re not slick. My college days are behind me. I have a job that I love despite all appearances, and I like my life just fine the way it is,” Her grip on my arm lost its intensity, and she gave me a warm smile. “But I appreciate the thought, it was very sweet.”
We walked for a couple of feet before she held her hand to her mouth and stage-whispered to me.
“Besides, you don’t need a degree to be a good actor. My husband thinks he brings me to climax every time and he’s none the wiser.” Zahra let out a snort in front of us and a look of comradery was shared between her and Sarah. I had to stifle a laugh and tried to promise myself to forget this little tidbit of information before I saw Sarah’s husband again. God forbid I think of it again right as I see the man.
Pausing by a fountain set in the middle of a plaza, Zahra told us the statistics of the campus while Sarah and I inserted aahs and oohs at the appropriate times.
“Now, I’m not gonna sugarcoat things. We’re not an Ivy League school, and we may seem pretty small, but because of our size, we are a more close-knit community, and our student-to-teacher ratio is about 10:1, which helps people who come here to learn rather than just a face lost in a crowd of hundreds.
“I also saw that you were offered a considerable grant. Let’s face it—Poughkeepsie is not the most prominent area regardless of who you are, whether it be Alpha, Beta, or Omega— but we make up for it by offering more affordable tuition as well as having a higher acceptance rate than state institutions.”
Listening to Zahra, I could tell that she really loved this place, and I had a feeling that I would come to love it too.
“Well, I’m sold! A giant campus never really had an appeal to me. Plus, I don’t live that far, so it’s perfect for me commute-wise.
“Perfect! Now, as a ward of OPS, you may be able to get more resources, but luckily I only need Sarah for that bit.”
“Yay, paperwork,” Sarah grumbled. Zahra handed me a map of the campus and pointed to a building where the liberal arts classes are usually held.
“We’re here, and if you follow this path, it should lead you right to it.”
“I’ll text you when we’re done.” I nodded and waved goodbye as we headed our separate ways.
Now, I’m not an idiot, but clearly, I had too much confidence in my map-reading skills. What I thought was the building Zahra pointed to earlier had a sign that read‘ Science, Sociology, and Agriculture.’ Okay, it’s definitely not the right building.
I started to turn the map around to see if I had it the wrong way, but then I paused. Zahra handed it to me facing this way and even pointed at the building, so orientation wasn’t the issue. The building had to be here somewhere; all I had to do was find where I was currently and work it out that way.
“Hey, do you need help?” Oh, thank God! Someone to help in my hour of need.
“Yes! Thank you so much, I’m looking for—“ My voice died in my throat as I beheld the person standing in front of me, someone that I couldn’t forget even if I tried.
“Ah, I knew you smelled familiar...”
“It’s you...” The guy—no, the Alpha— that I stumbled into at The Hub what seemed like a lifetime ago was smiling down at me. He looked just as I remembered him, with a little difference here and there. His hair was slightly longer, his beard thicker, but it did nothing to subtract from his sex appeal. In fact, it may have pronounced it even more, especially since I’ve become fond of bearded men since living with Derek.
Ah, Derek.
“I-I’m taken,” I blurt out, my thoughts a chaotic jumble. He raises an eyebrow and smirks.
“It’s kind of conceited of you to think that I’m trying to hit on you right now, isn’t it? Unless that was more a reminder for you than it was for me...” His eyes seemed to bore into mine, the look of hunger in them. I tried to tell myself that it wasn’t a look I entirely liked, but something in me said otherwise.
“Who’s the one being conceited now?” He gave me that damn smirk of his again.
“Touché. So, did you need help finding your way around the campus?” He points his chin at the map in my hands. “I can walk you to it if you’d like?”
“That’s okay, but thank you, though. If you can just point me in the right direction, I’m sure I can figure the rest out on my own.” I turned around in the vain hope that Sarah or even Zahra would be standing behind me and give me the chance to make a quick exit.
“Isn’t that how you got into your current predicament in the first place?” I felt my cheeks grow hot as a scowl formed on my face.
Condescending asshole.
“C’mon, no reason to give me such a dark look. I was only making an observation. What building are you trying to get to?” I begrudgingly told him that it was the liberal arts building, and he started walking away, leaving me confused for a moment. He looked over his shoulder, a question lining his face.
“You coming?” I quickly jogged over and settled walking next to him, a healthy gap between us. I peek at my phone to see if Sarah sent me a text, but so far, nothing.
“You checking in with your partner?” I look over to see him studying me out of the corner of his eyes before looking ahead.
“I don’t think that’s any of your business.” He shrugs, putting his hands in his pockets.
“Just tryin’ to make small talk is all.” I didn’t buy that for a second.
“You could have easily done that by asking literally anything else.”
“Ooh, feisty. I like that quality in Omegas. Too many kinda make the meek and subservient act their whole lives,” Before I could fire off a nasty retort, he attempted his version of small talk. “So, what degree are you interested in getting? I’m assuming English.”
“Yeah, that’s right. Been trying my hand at writing, but I want to learn proper methods like sentence structure and that kind of stuff.”
“Nice! Have you written anything interesting so far?” At this question, my mind immediately went to the smut-heavy story I’d been working on, and I could feel my cock twitch in answer.
“What about you? What degree are you trying to get?”
“Political Science.” Ah, makes sense why he was around the Sociology building now.
“Huh”
“What? You thought I would go for something else?” I shake my head.
“No, that actually makes sense. The last time I spoke with you, you seemed ready to get into a debate with a literal stranger. So, it was either politics or philosophy.”
“You make it sound like I’m predictable! Besides, we exchanged names, so that means we’re no longer strangers in my book.” It was my turn to raise a skeptical eyebrow.
“You remember my name? That was months ago!”
“It’s Damon. Or Five, based on how you reacted when I introduced myself. Am I wrong?” He chuckled as I stood there in sullen silence. “My name is Jason, in case you forgot.”
“I didn’t forget.” I wish to God I did right about now, but I didn’t.
“Oh? Can’t say I'm surprised. I tend to leave a lasting impression.”
“I’m sure you do. Anyone who has a conversation with you probably walks away with a headache.”
“Ouch! You wound me. What have I done to make you so distrustful of me?” It took me a few moments to think about that. It wasn’t that he was a bad guy per se, it just seemed like he was one of those hot & toxic love interests you sometimes read about. The main character knows that they are not good for them but somehow falls for them anyway.
“I dunno, I guess it’s cause you think you’re so hot that you can get away with anything. Or you have that vibe, at least.”
“So you think I’m hot?”
“You’re missing the point. Guys who look like you aren’t interested in people like me...” I know that from experience.
“You know what I think? I think your view of the world is so distorted because of the way you grew up. If I had to guess, you’re in your late twenties. Unusual for an Omega to stay within The Kennel for that long,” There it was again, that damn word. He was just using it to provoke me, but I wasn’t going to fall for that, not like last time.
“You probably think that were passed over because of that scar on your face.” My hand immediately lifts to finger the thing I hate the most about myself, but he grabs my hand and pulls it away.
“The truth is, there could be many different circumstances as to why you were passed over. Yeah, that fact that that happened to you sucks, but your life could have been a lot worse. There are so many people out there who lack the resources and support that you’ve had the privilege of receiving. And all those guys who may have “passed” you over? That’s only a small percentage of the Alpha population who meet the stupid criteria.
“They have either the money, the connections, or both! That’s just the way life is. It’s unfair, but it keeps moving, so we learn to live with the punches. And there’s one last thing that I wanna say, something that pissed me off—‘Guys like me?’ You have no idea what type of guy I am, or what I like for that matter. You’re trying to paint me in your mind to look like the bad guy, and I’m not gonna let that fly.”
As I stood there, just floored from the scathing lecture I just received, I realized he was right. He’s the second person today to have told me that I don’t know how good my life was up until this point. I seriously need to do a better job of realizing that.
“You sure you’re not going for philosophy? Or maybe psychology?” The corner of his lips turned up just a fraction.
“That was cute, but I seriously hope that wasn’t your way of an apology.”
“It’s not. I’m sorry for assuming and for painting myself as a helpless victim. My friend actually pointed out the same thing today. It’s... it’s something I’m working on.”
“Apology accepted. So, you never answered my question. Are you here with your partner?”
“I remember telling you it’s none of your business... but no, I came with a friend I mentioned earlier.” I looked around and caught a glimpse of a familiar building coming up ahead. My eyes narrow in suspicion.
“Have we just talked in a huge circle?” I round on him, ready to curse him out. The man had the nerve to look proud of himself!
“Oops. Can’t blame a guy for wanting to spend more time with you, can ya?” Of course I can, and that’s exactly what I plan on doing. It’s certainly not spending time thinking about how his words made my heart stutter a little bit.
“Thanks for wasting my time,” I stalk off, but I can hear his heavy footfalls behind me. “Stop following me, alphahole.” This time I meant it and felt zero regret using the term.
“You’re cute when you play hard to get.” This guy really knew how to get under my skin. Why did he bring such a reaction out of me?
“I’m not playing hard to get! Besides, I have—“
“A partner, I know. I heard you the first time.” As I stood there contemplating how many hits I could get in on his smug face, my phone started to ring, and it was one of the most blessed sounds I ever heard in my life. Quickly looking at the screen, I saw that it was Sarah calling.
“Hello?”
“Hey, where the hell are you? I texted you about ten times.” I could hear the gurgle of the fountain behind her, making it easy to find my way over to her.
“Sorry, got distracted. Are you by the same fountain we were at earlier?” When she confirmed that it was indeed the same one, I told her I would meet her there and quickly hung up.
“I gotta get going, my friend is waiting for me.” Time to get the hell outta here.
“At least let me walk you over there?” I quickly shake my head no.
“I think you’ve helped enough today. I’ll see you around, Jason.” I didn’t even wait for his reply before turning on my heel and speedwalking down the path I was pretty sure would take me to the main square with the fountain. I stole a quick glance behind me—I heard someone walking behind me but didn’t want to assume it was him—and lo and behold, there he was!
“Please stop following me.”
“I’m not following you, just merely walking in the same direction.”
Right...
Sarah came into sight soon enough, her green eyes narrowing on us as we approached. Once we got closer, an aura of a mama bear seemed to settle over her, bypassing me entirely to stand in front of Jason with hands on hips and feet planted firmly apart.
“Who are you, and why are you bothering him?”
“That’s a pretty big conclusion for you to jump to.”
“Is it, though? The fact that Damon kept on looking over his shoulder—at you, I’m assuming—and the scowl lining his face helped immensely. So in the end, I didn’t have to jump far, now did I?” She gave him a sweet smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes, tilting her head as she began to size him up.
“You’re welcome to correct me if I’m wrong.” Her smile widened as Jason’s lip curled, as if encountering something that he didn’t like. In this case, that ‘thing’ was the unstoppable force of Sarah.
Show him whose boss Sarah!
“ I was just making sure he found his way alright, that’s all. I dunno why you all are determined to paint me as the bad guy based on things that I can’t change.“ A look of hurt flashed across his face before being replaced with one of indifference. The satisfying feeling of watching Sarah tear him a new one quickly died.
“It’s okay, Sarah. I got turned around trying to find the liberal arts building and he was trying to help me.” She looked between us for a few moments before relenting, offering an apology to Jason, who accepted it in good grace.
“I’ll see you around Damon.” He walked off, giving Sarah a somewhat friendly nod. Sarah gave him a cool nod and watched his retracting form before rounding on me.
“Wanna tell me what that really was about?”
“I don’t know what you mean...”
“Cut the bullshit, Damon. If he really was just helping you find the right building, why was he following you? And I mean follow. Wouldn’t he have walked beside you or next to you if he was leading you somewhere? And another thing! Why—“
“Okay, Nancy Drew. Settle down.” I took a deep breath, bracing myself for the barrage of even more questions I could see coming my way. “You remember that Alpha I ran into at The Hub a couple months ago? That was him.”
“Oh. Oh!” She turned around, but Jason was nowhere in sight. “I started to feel bad for going off on him, but now I feel like my reaction was validated.”
“Don’t be like that, nothing happened between us.”
“Nothing happened yet. I’d be careful around him if I were you. That man seems like trouble wrapped in the guise of an Abercrombie model.“ I give her a flat look because there’s only so much melodrama a person can take, right?
“Really?”
“Mmhmm, it’s always the hot ones that end up being crazy,” she sighed wistfully. “What a shame too, 'cause he was really good-looking…”
“Some people are blessed in the gene department, I guess,” I checked the time and saw that it was a little past three. “Do we have time for me to check out the liberal arts department?” I wanted to change the subject, and quickly, lest I spend too much time thinking about him. Sarah checked her watch and shook her head.
“Sorry, bud, but I'd rather get home today at a reasonable hour. I got a long drive ahead of me.” I nodded in understanding, feeling disappointed that time flew by as quickly as it did. Seeing Sarah again was good for me—Jason too, if for entirely different reasons. Despite their differences, they both had the same outlook when it came to how they viewed the world. Rather than bemoan all the things they lacked in life, they rolled with the punches and worked with what they had.
The ride home was a quiet one, me driving on auto-pilot while Sarah tapped away on her phone, possibly making notes for the report she had to make later. Despite my wandering mind, we made it back in one piece. Sarah and I had a somewhat tearful goodbye, prying a promise out of me that I would keep in touch more often before she left.
Derek would be home in a couple of hours, so I felt that now would be as good a time as any to start making dinner. Tonight, I would be trying something different that I saw on Candidly, a social media platform that Henry introduced to me. I’ve been hooked ever since. The recipe was this mouth-watering fried chicken topped with honey-chipotle sauce.
It seemed quick and easy, and I was excited to finally try it. Luckily, Derek ate anything I cooked, so I didn’t have to worry about him being picky.
I had just finished tossing the fried chicken in the sauce—the smell of the food utterly tantalizing—when the front door opened and Derek called out to see where I was.
“In the kitchen!” He walked around the corner, making a beeline for me and giving me a quick kiss.
“I should’ve known you were in here. Whatever you’re making smells amazing, I smelled it as soon as I walked in.”
“It’s this honey chipotle fried chicken recipe I found online. How was your day today?”
“Eh, it wasn’t too bad. What did you do today?” I filled him in on Sarah’s visit, and told him of my decision of finally settling on a degree and going to a local college not too far from here.
“Baby, that’s amazing!” He wrapped me in his signature bear hug, peppering my face with kisses. “Sound like you had an exciting day, huh?”
“Yeah…” There was a part of me that whispered that I should tell Derek that I saw Jason today, but when I tried, the words were unable to escape past my lips. In the end, I told myself that it wasn’t Derek should be concerned about.
As we sat down to eat, the feeling that I had to tell him crept up on me multiple times, but for some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. The feeling of guilt plagued my mind long into the night.