Chapter 260: Almost Ready
After the least boring first date that she’d ever had, Emily was the one to drive them back to the city. After miss Edna had taken their photo, the cat ears balanced on her head. Emily had snatched up Derek’s car keys before he had realized what was happening, and had been by the driver’s side before he could think to question her.
But he had not been too upset over it, simply heading over to the passenger side and getting in. As she drove, Emily stole looks at him from time to time, and each time she glanced over, Derek was not even looking at the road ahead or sleeping.
Instead, he always had his phone out. At first, Emily had thought that he was working on something or catching up on the latest news. But instead, when she had finally gotten a good look at what he was staring at, she had realized that he was looking at the newest edition to his photo gallery. The photo that Miss Edna had taken in exchange for the cat ears. At first, she just figured that he was getting familiar with the photo and had focused on the road, leaving him to it. But halfway to the city, and he was still staring at the phone not saying a word. A big grin on his face. Emily decided to speak up. "You do know that if you put that away for now, you can still be able to look at it later on, right? That is the power of technology,"
Not taking his eyes off the picture, Derek shook his head slightly.
"Emily, this is our first picture as a couple. Do you get that? We have always been so strict with one another in that sense. There are no pictures of us together. Nothing that could be tied to us as a couple. This is the first time that we have just let ourselves be.
It is a moment that I never want to forget, so I’m going to stare for as long as I can," Derek took a breath, and she briefly felt his eyes on her before he turned back to the picture.
Emily’s hands tightened around the steering wheel. She just knew that whatever Derek was about to say next, it would hit her right in the heart...a few seconds later, he proved her right.
" This is not just a photo, Emily. This is us. This is who we should be. In this picture, I am not Derek Haven, the CEO.
I am just a man with his woman, and this is how I want it to be for us...always. You, Emily Molson are lovely, and you deserve to be loved," He took a hiccupping breath after that one, but then he continued. "As soon as you are ready to come out about us to the world, I will love you the way you deserve.
We will no longer live in secret.
Oh, we will take so many pictures together that even the camera will complain. I will capture every moment with you and never let it go, holding it close to my heart. Walks on the beach, kisses in the park, anywhere you and I are, there will always be proof. That will be us in the future. And this is just the beginning," With that, Derek stopped talking and went back to looking at the picture.