Chapter 107: Bopped
Derek Haven had always had a bit of an obsessive streak in him. That was something that was as true as the sky being blue. His mother, being his mother did not call it obsessive though. She called it being ’determined’. His uncle, who did not see the need to hold back his true thoughts on a matter, had never once held back on what he thought about that particular trait of Derek’s.
He had called Derek, bull-headed, he had called him a leech. Sticking to a point and then sucking on it slowly until there was nothing left. And then he had also called him a stubborn mule that did not know when to give up.
While both observations described the same thing in vastly different ways. Derek did not disagree with either of them, they were both right afterall. He was stubborn, and once his mind was fixed on something. He never gave up until he obtained it.
That was just the way that he was.
It was there in the way that he swam night after night. Chasing sleep that would never come. And it was also showing itself when it came to the Emily situation.
For days Derek had been coming to Bee’s diner. Veering off what would have been a shorter route home, and taking the longer road, all so that he could get to see Emily. And for many nights, that was all that he had accomplished. He had seen her, but he had never been able to work up the courage to go in and face her. But he had still come, night after night.
And now he had finally worked up the courage to come in and let himself be seen.
When he had spied her from outside, he had seen that she was dancing. And not only dancing, but slow dancing with a mop. The ridiculous scene had been enough to bolster him to open the door. He had expected the sound of the bell above the door to startle her into stopping, but Emily had not heard it. Instead, she had continued to sing something about, mamas, papas, customers, and waitresses. He had stood back and watched, enjoying seeing her looking so carefree.
When she had turned around and seen him, Derek had known that the show was well and truly over. He had wanted to speak up.
To say something cool, like "Miss Molson, fancy seeing you here,"
Or maybe "Hey, Emily, long time no see," But his throat had refused to work. His body remaining frozen on the spot as she had shimmied closer.