09

Derek’s POV

“What’s up with you, Derek?” Henry Salvatore, my second best friend asked. He’s probably my favorite person after Sebastian but there are times when I want to just strangle him and today is one of those days.

“You can’t just barge into my office to ask me a stupid question, Henry. Courtesy demand you knock,” I spat. I was angry, really angry. I’ve been avoiding my parents since Saturday night because I know what they wanted to say.

I’d attended Lucas’ welcome back party with Sebastian and Henry with the intention of having a good time without any troubles and leaving the party if possible, without having a confrontation with Lucas but that never happened because trouble seems to follow me everywhere I go. Heck! It probably put a tracker on me.

“Since when did we start being so official?” he asked. I didn’t give him a second glance. I placed the file with me on my desk.

“What do you want?” I demanded, not in the mood for small talks.

He unbuttoned his suit, sat on the couch, and loosened his tie. “You shouldn’t have hit Lucas like that last night. No matter what had happened between you guys, a public disgrace wasn’t an option,” It was his turn to yell.

I clicked my tongue. “I don’t get why you’re the one who’s angry. You didn’t get hit or hit someone and I don’t see you being a partaker of the public disgrace act on Saturday night,”

“Is that what you think? We’re your friends, Derek. You embarrass yourself, you embarrass us, no matter how you want to put it,”

“Okay? So, the deed had been done. What do you demand from me? An apology,”

He shook his head. “I don’t want your apology, Derek. I want an explanation,” I snorted.

“That’s something I can’t give because I don’t have one,” I told him sincerely. He glared at me.

“So, you’re telling me you’re angry at the world without an explanation,” He asked. I shrugged.

“You can say that,” I replied. He stood up from the couch and walked closer to me.

“You’re my best friend, Derek. Trust me when I tell you that I know you more than 97% of the people around you, not even your brothers know you as I do,”

I coked my eyebrow. “Stop talking as if we’re a couple, and stop bragging,” I told him, knowing he was right.

He smiled. “I’m serious here, Derek. I’m not bragging but I’m just saying. What’s wrong?” He asked again.

“Believe me when I say nothing is wrong,” I lied.

“If you want me to really believe that nothing is wrong, then tell me, why you are in your dad’s office instead of your club?”

I shrugged again. “Maybe because I want to be the filial son,” I told him. He cocked his eyebrow as he stared at me. I know he didn’t believe me.

“Since when?” He asked.

“Since I decided to be more responsible,” I answered.

He sighed while still staring at me intensely. One thing that I can never look away from is Henry’s stare. Those stares are specifically made just for me to confess. We were all regular friends who didn’t hang out together all the time and had other friends when Lucas was still in the picture but after his disappearance, instead of tearing us apart, it brought us back together with a stronger bond.

For years, we were scared for Lucas, thinking he had died or got kidnapped and killed in the process. Later, we went on with faith, and after that, we believed he was truly dead until the motherfucker showed up in town weeks ago like he never left.

“Spill,” Henry demanded. I groaned, rested my back against my chair, and ran my hand through my hair.

“Fine, but promise you won’t tell Sebastian about this,” I asked him.

“It actually depends on what you’re about to tell me,”

“I’m serious, Henry,” he nodded. “Okay, I promise not to tell Sebastian about it because he’s also busy with his life circumstances right now which include an arranged marriage and a strange bride,” He finished, trying to tell me Sebastian would probably not care even if he told him which is something that I doubt.

“I’m in the same situation as Sebastian, probably worse,”

His eyes widen in surprise. “You’re getting married,” He asked. I shook my head, closed my eyes before speaking.

“I’m married,” I whispered, but loud enough for him to hear.

“WHAT!” he yelled. “Tell me you’re joking,” he asked. I glared at him, asking him when I’d ever joked with something like that.

“How the hell did that happen?” He took his seat.

“My mom set me up with a girl. I don’t know who’s smarter, the girl or my mom but at the end of the day, I ended up signing an NDA for the girl’s privacy not knowing it was a marriage agreement. The next morning, my mom turned up at my door, with another girl which is the supposed bride, and the agreement that I signed,”

Henry was still staring at me in bewilderment as I narrated the current problems of my life.

“Holy shit,”

“That was what I said too,” I assured him.

“Your mom is a genius,” I laughed because I couldn’t deny it. “I don’t want to talk about how stupid you were to sign that shit because I thought you were smarter with the way you talk about the playboy rules and stuff but I’ll love to talk about the solution. What are you going to do?” He asked.

“I can’t divorce her and I can’t sue my mom either,”

“Then, stay married to her,” he suggested at once. I don’t even think he employed the services of his brain cells before saying that.

“To someone I don’t love,” I asked him.

“Who have you ever loved, Derek?” He asked. He was right, I wasn’t capable of loving, and I haven’t even felt that way towards anyone before. “You’re right,”

“Just go with the flow, Derek. Things might turn out fine for both of you, she might even end up filing for a divorce if she realizes you’re a psycho,” He drawled out the word psycho and I frowned at him.

“That isn’t funny,” I told him.

“I’m not a standup comedian either, Brother. Be nice to your wife, Derek. Let me put it this way, be polite, you have a foul mouth, a really bad mouth,” he stood up, getting ready to leave.

“Do you need me to walk you out?” I asked.

He turned, smiled, and shook his head happily. “You don’t have to because first, I’ll pay your dad a visit so we can have a good laugh about your predicament, and two, I’ll give Sebastian a call, notifying him of how stupid our ‘smart friend’ is and give him a visit to his house to give him the full update,”

I scowled, flipping him the middle finger.

“I don’t swing that way, baby,” He laughed, winked at me before walking out of my office and I found myself smiling at his retreating figure.

My phone beeped from my pocket and brought it out to see it was a message from my cunning and smart mother.

*It’s Lily’s first day tomorrow. Try to drop her off and pick her up or give her directions* I groaned as I read the message. I was about to text her back to tell her to do it herself when another message came in.

*No, I’ll be very busy tomorrow. Take her yourself, Son* She even added the love emoji.

There’s nothing lovely about this, Mother, nothing.