Love Notes (Accidental Kisses #3) Read online

  I ate a quick breakfast and then got to work. I started with school stuff and then worked on the video.

  Both Chloe and Millie texted me to wish me luck on the date. I had to be honest, I was getting excited.

  I considered my rock-girl outfits but in the end, decided I’d do better if I just went as me. I did curl my hair and go with some extra makeup. And the new me totally dug ripped skinny jeans. But my shirt was more conservative.

  An hour before our date I got a text from Derek asking if my homework was done. Grinning, I replied that the video was nearly done too.

  Fifteen minutes later my door buzzer went off. Hitting the intercom, I said, “Hello?”

  “It’s me,” Derek’s deep voice boomed through the speaker. “Can I come up?”

  “Sure,” I replied as I hit the button and then raced over to put some gloss on my lips.

  By the time, I made it back to open the door for him, he was already there, filling the doorway.

  He reached a hand around my waist and pulled me up against him, kissing off the gloss I’d just put on.

  I wasn’t really aware of us entering the room or the door closing but when the back of my legs hit the bed, I startled back to reality.

  Pulling away from the kiss, I leaned back to look at him. “Hey,” I managed to push out.

  “Hey,” he replied. “You look beautiful.”

  I looked up at him through my lashes. It was nice to hear. “Thanks.”

  He pulled out my desk chair, sat down and then pulled me into his lap. With his arms around me, he kissed that sensitive spot on my neck. “Show me what you got.”

  My breath caught. What were we doing? “I…”

  “For the video, Mel.” His deep rumbling chuckle reverberated all through my body. I promised we’d take the other stuff slow, remember?”

  I remembered. With a shaky hand, I turned in his lap and fired up the video that was nearly complete. “I still have to do closing credits and stuff.”

  He massaged my back as he watched the video and then repeated it. When he played it for a third time, I turned back toward him. “You’re starting to make me nervous.”

  “Mel.” His voice was rough and it grated across my skin. “It’s awesome. I never expected that it could be that good.”

  Then his hand was in my freshly curled hair, and we were kissing again. I have no idea how much time passed but I didn’t care. My body hummed as we pressed together. I doubt we would have made it to dinner except that the door to my room opened.

  “You again,” Carried sighed as she slammed the door.

  Derek slowly lifted his head. “Me again.”

  “I see you two are still working on the marketing.”

  I peeked over Derek’s shoulder to see Carrie pointing at my screen. “What a convenient arrangement.”

  I grimaced. It struck that chord in me that had always worried Derek didn’t want me, but Derek’s hands tightening on my waist pushed those feelings away.

  He turned his head to look at Carrie. “Where’s your puppy?”

  “What?” she huffed.

  I stifled a giggle. “He’s asking about Matt.”

  She gave an indignant cry and then flounced on her bed. “Tell me you two are leaving.”

  “We are,” I replied as I swiveled in Derek’s lap to power down my screen. Irritation prickled along my skin. I’d put up with Matt for the past two months without complaint.

  Not deterred by Carrie at all, he buried his nose in my hair as I saved all my files and then closed the computer.

  Standing, he saluted Carrie before we walked out the door.

  He held my hand as we walked through the cool night air and then hopped on the train to head down to the North End. As we sat at a table tucked in a little Italian joint, he reached for my hand again. “I’m really glad we’re doing this.”

  My cheeks filled with heat. “I am too.”

  “You haven’t told me about your family.” He gave me that grin that always stopped my heart.

  “I have a little sister and my mom and dad.”

  “Is she as serious about her future as you?” he asked, leaning forward.

  I gave a short laugh. “She’s serious about boys. That’s about it.”

  He grinned. “I know the type.”

  But my own smile slipped. Did he prefer that type? “What about your family? I know Frank is your stepdad. What happened to your dad?”

  He glanced down at the table but his grip on my hand tightened. “My real dad died in a car wreck when I was nine.” He looked up at me. “He was driving while intoxicated.” His face tightened. “It’s why I don’t drink.”

  “Oh, Derek.” I laced my fingers through his. “I don’t know how you even dealt with all of that.”

  “Frank was a big help to me and my mom. He’s a great guy and we’re lucky to have him.” He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “I love music but I want to help people. Like Frank helped me.”

  “That’s amazing.” I reached for his other hand.

  “You’re amazing.” He leaned across the table and gave me a little peck on the lips. “And thank you again for helping me with the Big Brother slide show. What you’re able to do is unbelievable to me.”

  I studied the wall, not able to meet his eye. “Your music will make more of a difference than I ever will.”

  He arched his brows. “My music wasn’t reaching anyone until I met you.”

  Pride made me bow my head but just a niggle of worry came along with it. It always came back to what I could do, not just me.

  But I put it out of my head. I just wanted to spend time with Derek and, for once, not worry that he didn’t actually like me for me or that I was way out of my element.

  After dinner, we walked through Government Center where Derek bought me a bouquet of mixed flowers. Holding them, I dipped my nose into one of the roses. I knew it was a cliché, but no one had ever bought me flowers before and I was floating on a cloud by the time we got onto the train.

  With his arm around me, we talked softly on the ride back. He told me about how he wanted to spend some time in the Peace Corps after graduation and how he was going to get a teaching degree after that to work with kids. I’d seen a few sides of Derek but not this one. It made me gooey inside.

  He walked me to my door and holding his hand, I looked up into his eyes. “Do you want to come up?”

  He shook his head. “You should rest. Class tomorrow. But I’d love it if you came to the show on Thursday.”

  That was like a bucket of ice water being dumped on my head. “Sure,” I said. But the feelings I’d been burying all day jumped to the surface. We’d talked about taking it slow but somehow I wondered if we weren’t just avoiding moving forward.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Melissa

  The entire ride up the elevator, I told myself I was being crazy. That Derek had just taking me to dinner. I still carried his flowers in my hand.

  And he’d shared a bunch of really personal stuff. Things he’d said he hadn’t shared with anyone.

  I’d call Chloe as soon as I made it back to my room. She’d give me her honest opinion about Derek’s intentions. Or maybe she’d just tell me what I wanted to hear, which was that Derek looked like he was serious about me.

  Flopping on my bed, I texted her and then I pulled up the videos on my laptop. After running through them a few times, I’d calmed my racing heart and I started working on the Big Brother slide show.

  I tried to make sure that I included pictures of all the volunteers but I personally spent a long time looking at the pics of Derek. Man, did I have it bad.

  My phone rang and after seeing Chloe’s name, I answered.

  We talked for more than an hour and I felt so much better about it. Carrie came in at some point, but I ignored her. Luckily, Chloe was in full support mode and doing most of the talking so I didn’t have to admit in front of my roommate that I was insecure.

  Carrie’s phone rang
too and she stepped out into the hall to have some privacy but leaving the door propped open probably so she could get back in. I breathed a sigh of relief she wasn’t in the room while I talked.

  “Hey, Chloe,” I interrupted her pep talk. “How about we go shopping tomorrow and finish this discussion then?” She was an awesome friend and I owed her one but Carrie would be back any minute and I didn’t want her to overhear.

  “Oooh, yes!” she gushed. “Let’s hit the Atrium Mall.”

  “Great,” I replied.

  I flopped back on my bed, when I caught part of Carrie’s conversation. ”Oh he’s hot but so what? He’s got the personality of cardboard.”

  I gave a tiny eye roll as I put the next shot in the slideshow and started adjusting the effects. Carrie was forever gossiping.

  “Oh there is no way. She is such a goody-goody. I bet she’s the big V,” Carrie continued.

  An icky feeling trickled down my spine. Because it sounded like she was talking about Derek. And me. “Like I already said, he’s using her for what she can do for his band. It’s the only explanation. Yeah, she’s attractive but her personality? There is no way she could hold the interest of a guy like that.”

  Tears stung my eyes at her words. Even Carrie, who barely knew me, thought that. How could I deny it, when nearly everyone, including me, thought I was playing the fool?

  Carrie kept going on and I was dying slowly by a thousand cuts.

  “I know I said he had the personality of cardboard but he’s cool, at least. He’s got the whole surly rock guy thing going. She’s a straight-up nerd. You know he’s got like four girls on the hook right now and the only reason she’s one of them is because she can make a decent video.” Carrie laughed. “Maybe she doesn’t care. Maybe she’s just glad to have someone pay attention to her.”

  I choked on my own spit. It wasn’t a secret that Carrie and I didn’t like each other, but this was just too much.

  Jumping off my bed, I raced out into the hall and stood in front of her with my hands on my hips. I never confronted people like this.

  She looked up at me, blinking, as I pointed at her. “Hang up,” I said.

  She didn’t. That was fine with me. Taking a deep breath, I let my voice carry down the hall. “Just because you like having a boyfriend you can lead around by a leash doesn’t mean the rest of us want a puppy for a man.”

  I actually heard her friend start laughing on the phone. Carrie turned beet red. But I wasn’t done. “I’ve had to listen to you and Matt do all kinds of really nasty stuff, so you can put up with a few quick makeout sessions with a little more grace. You can say I don’t have any personality but at least I’m not completely self-centered.” Then I stomped back into our room and slammed the door.

  Once my momentary triumph had worn off, however, I was plagued with the feeling that despite how mean she’d been, Carrie had made several good points. Riding my confrontation high, I typed a message to Derek.

  Thanks again for dinner. I know this is weird but I have to ask you. Are we taking this slow because you don’t know how much you like me? It’s totally cool if you are, I’d rather that than the alternative, but I just want to know where I stand.

  I stared at my phone waiting for a response and nearly screamed aloud when it rang.

  Picking it up, I heard Derek’s voice on the other end. “Hey.”

  “Hey,” I said. This might have been a mistake because I was pretty sure I’d used up all my fighting words on Carrie.

  “Is this because I didn’t come upstairs?” he asked.

  “Maybe,” I answered. It kind of was. But then again, my text message was so much bigger than that.

  I heard him sigh. “You said you’d never had a boyfriend, right?”

  “Yeah.” Was I really going to answer this entire call with single words?

  “Mel,” he sounded stern. “I think you know I’ve had a lot of experience.”

  “Yeah.” I smacked myself in the head.

  “I wish.” he stopped. “I wish I had less. I wish I’d taken things slower a bunch of times. I’m trying to do this one different. You know?”

  “Oh.” I was a jerk. And it was time for me to say a sentence. “I guess because you’ve got so much experience and the other girls you’ve dated,” I thought of Nicole, “seem way more sophisticated, I’ve been having a hard time figuring out what you actually see in me.”

  He groaned. “Are you for real?’

  That actually prickled my anger again and I sat up straighter. “I’m trying to be honest.”

  “Sorry, sweetheart, I didn’t mean it like that. I meant, I’ve been drawn to girls like Nicole because they seemed confident. But really, it’s a mask for crazy. I know that now. But you? You’re confident because you’re actually good at something. And that’s sexy. So much sexier.”

  “Oh.” I didn’t feel confident now. No, I wanted to curl into the fetal position. Not only had I just told off my roommate but I was probably blowing everything up with Derek, whatever it was we did have.

  Carrie chose that moment to walk in and grab several items from her side of the room. Matt, ever predictable, stood in the doorway.

  “What’s that?” Derek asked.

  “Carrie’s getting her stuff.” My voice cracked on the last word.

  “Are you okay?”

  His voice rumbled in my ear. Hot tears pricked behind my eyes. I wanted to be cool and say I was fine but instead a broken, “Yeah, I’m good,” fell from my lips.

  “Hang on,” he said. “I’ll be there in fifteen.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Derek

  I got to Mel’s place and she was waiting for me in the lobby. I didn’t say a word and neither did she as she stepped into my arms. Holding her close, I dropped my cheek on the top of her head.

  Every once in a while, you have an aha moment in life. They’d been coming fast and furious this past week. Standing here, holding my girl, I realized something. Not only did I think Mel was amazing but I liked me way better whenever I was with her.

  I wasn’t surly and standoffish. I didn’t have a love-hate thing happening. I was warm and supportive and that was because of her. She didn’t act like a drama queen to try and suck more attention out of me. She’d really been hurt and she’d had an honest conversation about her insecurities to reach a better understanding.

  Why had I been wasting my time with those other girls?

  I’d been able to share about my father and explain why I didn’t drink. My hand cradled her neck and I brushed my lips across her forehead. “It’s going to be fine,” I whispered.

  She nodded against my chest and then, with my arm around her waist, we crossed to the elevators.

  Once we’d made it back to her room, I kicked off my boots and sat on the bed, pulling her into my lap.

  She snuggled in against me. “Thanks for this.” They were the first words she’d said since I’d arrived and I could hear a tremor in her voice. “I promise I don’t do this very often. The fight was just awful and I—”

  “Wait, what fight?” I grumbled. I had to be honest, she felt so good snuggled in against me. I wrapped her in a tight hug.

  Her eyes opened wide. “I didn’t tell you? I heard Carrie talking about me on the phone and I confronted her. She said you were way too cool for me and…” Her voice trailed off as her eyes darted away. I watched her nibble on that full lip.

  I know I should have been worried or upset on her behalf, but all I wanted to do was nibble that lip too. I gave a little chuckle, trying to ease my tension. “Is that where this is coming from? Your roommate?”

  She tipped her head back her eyebrows scrunching. “Well, partially anyway.”

  I leaned down and gave her a soft kiss, my thumb trailing down her cheek. I swallowed down my feelings. I’d promised her and myself we’d take things slow and I felt good about that, but it was getting harder to resist her. “Don’t listen to her. She wouldn’t know cool if it smacked her across th
e face. That girl is all ego and no brains. Trust me, I’ve met a few like her.”

  She gave a little smile. “For sure, her ego is an issue.”

  Holding Mel against me, I lay back on the bed. “How about we get some rest?”

  Her eyes went wide as picked her head up. “You’re staying?”

  She looked so beautiful. Her hair was all around her face, and trailing on my chest. I wanted to kiss her again but that would muddle all my intentions. “We’re just sleeping. That’s it.” I brushed a few strands of that shiny brown hair back from her face. “You seem like you shouldn’t be alone.”

  Her smile was gorgeous as she leaned in and gave me a peck on the lips. “Thank you,” she said, then lay her head on my chest.

  I snuggled her closer, closing my eyes as she reached over and clicked off the light.

  Falling asleep wasn’t the easiest. I stroked up and down the smooth line of her back but I felt her relax against me, heard her breathing turn deeper and then slow down. She’d fallen asleep.

  That made me relax too and before I knew it I was out.

  And I didn’t wake until the door opened the next morning.

  Which irritated me because I had been blissfully asleep. Raising my head, I scowled at whoever was the offender. Mel’s roommate stared back at me, her face a mixture of shock and annoyance. “I need my clothes,” she announced.

  Mel slowly lifted her head too, her eyes soft and sleepy. “Go for it.” Her hand splayed out on my chest as she snuggled back in.

  Carrie gave a huff. “Are you even going to get up? We need to talk about last night.”

  “No,” Mel mumbled. “I’m not getting up.”

  Carrie stood in the middle of the room. “Well, I’m applying for a room change.”

  Mel closed her eyes, pressing her cheek into my side. But as I looked down, I could see her smiling. “If that’s what you need to do.”

  Carrie squeaked. I knew what was happening. Carrie had wanted Mel to beg her to stay. I looked over at Carrie. “You know you’ll get stuck with whoever else fought with their roommate?” Mel’s smile widened, though she hid it against my side. She wasn’t trying to be mean but she wasn’t playing Carrie’s game either. This is what I loved about Melissa. Kind confidence. I was a lucky dude.