Page 101 of Not Catching Love

“Fine. I haven’t had sex in my bed in a month. You need to come over and remind Xander where his own darn bedroom is.”

I’m way too happy to give a shit about the teasing. My hand is securely in Derek’s, and I can’t stop staring at him. At his green, brown, yellow messy eyes. At his hair that needs a serious wash. At what’s almost a full beard. At the kind lines by his eyes and the way the veins in his hand stand out when he squeezes mine.

We slide into the back of Seven’s car, and I don’t stop until I’m pressed up against him. Derek wraps his arm around me and kisses my head, but it’s not enough. I need more.

I need to wriggle into his skin and live there.

“You want to head to your place?” Seven asks, glancing in the rearview mirror.

“Yeah. I need to shower this plane off me.”

My gut sinks. I’d been hoping Derek would come over and that I’d be able to convince him to stay, even if it meant me having to take the couch. If he’s heading home, I’m going to have to say goodbye. Again. Seven’s already given up half ofhis day to pick Derek up; I can’t ask him to drive back out to Derek’s house to grab me later.

EvenIknow there are limits.

But I’m not ready to say goodbye already. I don’t think I can. If Derek goes home and then I go home, how do I trust that he’s really back?

It’s been a few days since my last attack, but before that, it was almost a month. I’m working hard to go longer and longer, but this is exactly the type of thing that will send me spiraling again.

And I remind myself that’s not on Derek. I’m in control.

“Hey.” He squeezes my side, and I look up. “You going to come with me?”

Fuck, I want to more than I can say. “I don’t think Seven will come back and get me, and the thought of getting an Uber …” Trusting a stranger to drive? No way in hell.

Derek shakes his head. “First, I would drive you home before I let you do that, and second … I don’t want you to go home.”

I perk up. “What?”

“Stay the night.”

“At … your place?”

“Yup.”

“But … the rules …”

Derek’s teeth scrape his bottom lip. “You know what, Xander? Fuck the rules.”

I can only blink at him. “Oh … I’ve heard about this.”

“About what?”

“Those bugs that lay eggs in your ears that burrow into your brain until you slowly go insane.”

Molly giggles.

Derek uses all his energy not to react. Probably. “I’m ninety percent sure that isn’t a thing, but I’m one hundred percent sure I don’t have an infected brain. But Cambodia was reallyfucking good for me, and now that I’m back, I’m doing some reevaluating. Starting with you.”

“If you break up with me?—”

“Don’t finish that sentence.” He tugs my hair playfully. “I’m not breaking up with you. The opposite, actually.”

“Which … is?”

His eyes soften. “Will you be my boyfriend? Officially?”

I’m too stunned to speak. Because that’s exactly what he went away to avoid. “I’m confused … I thought … there’s, like, six months, and then?—”

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