Modern - Chapter 7

I looked at Derren's sleeping figure in horror. What had I done? I vaguely remembered begging him to hold me at some point, but we hadn't done anything more. . . had we? I closed my eyes and prayed that Derren wouldn't be there when I opened them. Unfortunately, he was still there.

I gasped as I noticed his very naked, muscular shoulders. I had already seen him shirtless, but a shirtless man by the pool and a shirtless man in my bed were two very different things.

He slowly blinked his eyes open and focused his sleepy gaze on me. He wore a groggy half-smile that would have been adorable if I weren't FREAKING OUT! But now that he was awake, I could get some answers.

"What are you doing here?" I asked. He shifted a bit, revealing more of his chest. I realized that I was wearing a thin nightgown and quickly pulled the covers up to cover my body. "What happened last night?"

My words drove the sleepy haze from his eyes and he sat up and looked around. "It's morning!"

"Yeeeessss." I didn't know what to make of his surprise.

He shook his head. "I must have fallen asleep."

"Apparently. But what happened BEFORE you fell asleep?" I asked anxiously.

He looked up and me in surprise, then his expression changed to one of chagrin. "Oh! You were worried that we. . . No! No, we just. . . we just snuggled."

"We. . . snuggled?" For some reason it felt like we were speaking different languages. Like, I understood the words he was using, but I couldn't seem to grasp what he was saying.

"Yeah. You were sad and lonely and you asked me to snuggle with you. I wasn't going to but. . . dang it! You were just so pitiful, I couldn't leave you. I meant to leave after you fell asleep. Obviously that didn't happen."

Oh. "Oh." I paused for a moment. "That was all that happened?"

"Yes. I promise. I'm so sorry! I knew you wouldn't want me to stay if you were fully yourself, but I couldn't leave you alone like that."

I waved his apology aside. "It's fine. I'm just glad nothing happened. I- I'm not that kind of girl."

"This might surprise you, but I'm not that kind of guy either. I think some things are best saved for after marriage."

"So do I." I blushed again as I realized that we were having a very personal conversation in my bed, neither of us what I would call fully clothed. "And you should probably go now." I winced as I realized how rude that sounded. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. Just-"

"No, you're right," he said. "I need to get home and get dressed. I'm so sorry for the misunderstanding. If this hasn't completely ruined my chances with you, would you be willing to go out with me for breakfast?"

I laughed. "Breakfast sounds great. In fact, I'm starving. But can we do it in, like, an hour?"

"Yep. At least an hour. You just text me when you're ready and hopefully I'll be ready too." He stood and hurried to the door. It made me feel better to realize that he was probably just as embarrassed about the whole situation as I was. And he seemed to be very shy about his shirtless state, which was kind of funny and unexpectedly cute.

"I can do that," I answered as he peeked around the door to wave goodbye. Then he was gone.

Showering and getting dressed in jeans and a nice gray, flowy shirt that hugged the curves I liked and disguised those I didn't only took 45 minutes.

I spent another five chatting on the phone with one of my friends and getting a quick update on the Vegas trip I was missing, and one minute after that calling Mom and desperately trying to get her to stay on the phone with me long enough to tell her about Derren (and failing).

Finally, I texted Derren and told him I was ready. I assumed he was probably waiting around for me to finish, so I was surprised when he texted back that he wasn't quite ready. He said he'd just come up when he was, so I curled up on the couch with the book I had checked out of the local library the previous weekend.

I was so into the book, it took me a second to realize that someone was knocking very loudly on my front door. I reached the door just as Derren threw it open. His eyes landed on me and his worried frown turned into a relieved smile.

I gave him a sheepish smile. "Sorry. I got into my book and didn't hear the door."

He laughed and shook his head. "It must be some book."

"It's good, but honestly, I just don't pay very good attention to my surroundings when I'm reading. I get very into the book and just kind of tune everything else out."

"That's good to know. I'll try not to panic next time you don't answer. I just thought that you might have passed out again or something."

"Nope! I feel completely better. And, as I mentioned, starving. So, are we doing this breakfast thing?"

"Yep. Right this way, milady." He grabbed my hand and pulled me out of my apartment (stopping to lock and close my door), down the hall, down the stairs, and out to his car, a newer Toyota in an eye-catching shade of blue.

We drove to the nearest IHOP and shared a friendly chat over a delicious breakfast. I felt comfortable with Derren. He was nice, funny, and not judgemental (even when I ate more than he did).

As we drove back to our apartments, I tried to work up the courage to ask if he wanted to go out again. I was always so shy in social situations, and even though I liked him, I couldn't bring myself to ask such a forward question. What if he said no? What if he felt like I was being too pushy? What if I sounded stupid? What if he hadn't enjoyed our breakfast date as much as I had?

My stream of anxious questions was cut off when Derren broke the silence. "So, are you free tomorrow? I've got a few things I need to get done today, and I wanted to find a good church to attend tomorrow, but I thought maybe we could do dinner together."

I smiled, relieved that he had put my worries to bed and happy that he seemed to still want to spend time together. "What kind of church are you looking for?"

"Christian, non-denominational."

"That's what I attend. Want to come with me?"

He smiled and agreed and we quickly ironed out the details. It looked like I wouldn't have to forget about my handsome, funny new neighbor after all.