Chapter 34

Clara's POV

You know, there is this really good restaurant just five minutes away from here." He turned around as he attempted to walk away.

"Come on, just try it." I insisted, stopping him in his tracks.

He sighed, realising that he had no way out.

I ordered two hotdogs for us.

He reached into his pocket for his wallet, but I quickly stopped him.

"Let me take care of you," I winked.

He smiled back.

I handed a ten-dollar note to the hotdog vendor.

He was done with our hotdogs in no time. He then handed them to both of us.

"Thank you," I smiled at the vendor.

We then proceeded to walk.

I took no time at all to dig into my hotdog. Derek seemed reluctant.

"Go on," I encouraged him. I took another bite of my hotdog.

He looked down at the hotdog hesitantly. I knew what he wanted to say: is this safe to eat?

He bit into the hotdog without further thought.

I studied his expression as he chewed. He didn't seem disgusted. Otherwise, he would have spat it out. I saw a look of satisfaction flash across his face.

"So, how about it?" I asked enthusiastically.

"I must say, it's not that bad." He said as he continued to chew. He took another bite.

"Yes," I yelled, throwing my free hand in the air.

"See, hotdogs are the best food in the world," I stated.

He laughed. "I said it wasn't that bad, not the best thing I've ever tasted." He stated. "I think it's official. It's either you are delusional, or you haven't tasted that much food to compare it to." He stated.

"No, you just have no taste," I concluded. "Hot dogs are the best food in the world. Everything good only ever happens with a hotdog. I once found a hundred-dollar note under a tree the last time I had a hotdog." I answered.

"That's just a coincidence." He reasoned.

I shrugged. "Say what you want, but good things always happen to me whenever I have a hotdog," I concluded.

He laughed at my reaction.

We ate our hotdogs as we aimlessly strolled through the city.

"Watch out!" I heard a yell.

I turned to see who was speaking. It was a guy heading towards me on his bicycle. He rode at full speed. He tried to manoeuvre his brakes, but it was of no use. His bike was about to crush me. What was he doing on the sidewalk?

Derek wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me into his chest. It was time to save me from the man about to crush me.

I realised how close our bodies were as we both breathed heavily.

Between the adrenaline of almost getting injured and the electrical sparks flying between us, we both found ourselves leaning in. Everything else seemed to disappear.

He pressed his lips against mine. At first, I was shocked, but I found myself responding.

Initially, it started as passionate and slow, but things quickly escalated as we became possessive and demanding as we fought for dominance.

My arms instinctively moved to his neck as I held him for support. I felt his hand travel across my lower back.

The world could have been on fire, but I didn't care.

It was a while until I finally pulled away as we both breathed heavily.

I felt his eyes on me, which lowered again to my lips. I noticed how he playfully bit his lower lip. I thought he would kiss me again, but he pulled away.

"You should be ashamed of yourself. You didn't even wait to take me out on a proper date first before you jumped in and kissed me. You could have at least tried to wine and dine me first. You couldn't wait to get your hands on me, could you?" He joked.

"Hey, you kissed me first." I protested. I slapped his chest playfully, taking a step back. "Besides, maybe if my boss paid me enough, I'd have taken you somewhere nice. Too bad he is a jerk." I teased.

"Really?" He whispered. "You should probably take that back, or else that promotion might disappear." He teased me.

"You are right," I answered innocently. "You know, my boss is hot. Maybe I should go out with him instead." I teased.

I think I made Derek blush.

He leaned in, capturing my lips with his again. It felt like time had stood still as I tasted every inch of his mouth. He pulled away before teasingly biting my lower lip.

"Okay, maybe I might have started that one," he whispered, breathing heavily.

We just stared at each other with our foreheads still pressed together.

It took us both a moment to realise we were still in public.

We smiled at each other once again and then continued walking.

The guy who almost crashed into me had crashed into a tree just metres away from us. The guy turned to look at us apologetically.

Derek's phone rang. His expression suddenly changed as he glanced at the screen of his phone. His eyebrows drew together as he read his message.

"Shit," he muttered.

"Is something wrong?" I asked.

"No, it's just my grandfather. But I have to leave now." He answered. "I'd love to take you home and make sure you get there safely, but my driver won't be here for a while, so how about I get you a cab instead?" He offered.

I nodded.

He took my hand as he walked us closer to the main road. He then signalled for a cab driver. Within seconds, a cab stopped by. Derek opened the car door for me to enter.

"Please take care of her," Derek said to the driver as he handed him a hundred-dollar note.

The cab driver drove away. I couldn't help but look back at Derek, heading back toward the hotel.

I used the opportunity to take in everything that had happened.

Derek and I kissed. What does that mean for us now?

What did that mean for any of the plans we had?

Maybe we shouldn't have. This would only complicate things. What was I going to do now?

I leaned my back against the seat as I tried not to overthink the matter.

My phone vibrated in my hand. It was a message from Layla.

'We need to talk now! 'Her message read

What was I going to tell her now?