Sleeping With The CEO
Chapter 128: Break The Cycle

Chapter 128: Break The Cycle

After tiptoeing out of his own house like a thief in the night. Scared that his mother would catch him going out. Something that he would deny with his last breath, if the question ever happened to come up. He had gotten into his car and started driving. The packed roads full of people looking to have a good time hindering his progress. But he had kept his cool and carried on driving. And now he had finally made it.

Once at the diner, it had been so tempting to let the cowardice that he had developed when it came to facing Emily take over. But he had resisted the urge to just stay in his car and look at the diner while his mind tried to come up with an excuse for him to leave.

Instead he took a deep breath in, then out. And then another breath in and out.

He practiced breathing for a while longer, his fingers gripping, and then releasing the steering wheel with each breath.

After taking one more deep breath, Derek threw the door to his car open and walked out. The cool air calmed him down some more, and as he crossed the street, he focused on the feel of it against the areas of his skin that were exposed. The walk to the diner feeling like the longest that he had ever taken. Every step making him feel as though he was wading through some incredibly thick tar. But it was all in his head, to the outside world he was moving at a regular pace. If anything, he was moving faster than usual.

He crossed the street at a brisk pace. Never stopping, and not even looking back to check on his car, something that he often did out of habit. He did not want to give himself even the slightest chance to chicken out. But even with all of that, he almost turned back once he reached the outside of the diner and looked in to see that Emily was not alone.

In his mind, he’d had this idea where he came into the diner and she was alone. The two of them picking up where they had left off. That was not what was happening however. Because instead of looking in and finding Emily on her own at the front. He looked inside and saw her talking to a group of customers. It was tempting to use that as an excuse to find some other time to come back. But after all that had happened, Derek decided to just bite the bullet and go in. It would only make things worse if he kept on stalling.

The moment that he walked in, a hush fell over the diner. All of the occupants who were currently there, turning to stare at him. The four people at the table not even trying to disguise their interest. The baby most of all, she was staring openly at Derek, her little mouth wide open.

Ignoring their stares, Derek kept his attention on Emily and she in turn was looking right at him, her eyes wide. She blinked a few times as though not able to believe that she was actually seeing him. Her face did this strange thing, where it seemed to be caught between a smile and a frown. And for a few long seconds, Emily seemed to be frozen on the spot. Then she snapped out of it, and she moved closer. Derek, realizing that he was still at the door, finally shut it and walked in.

"Good day, sir. What will it be today?" Emily said once she was finally close enough and something deep in Derek’s chest fluttered a bit.

The strange emotion in his chest felt a whole lot like hope, and Derek clung to it like a dying man given a second chance at life.

Good, she was not too angry at him if she was still willing to play along with the little game that they had been doing before his disappearance. The two of them pretending that they had only met at the diner, instead of knowing each other from anywhere else.

"Good morning ma’am. Do you happen to have muffins and tea? Blueberry muffins to be exact?" She smiled, and gave a little nod. "You are in luck. It just so happens that the cook baked them fresh less than an hour ago,"She told him.

He nodded.

"Well then, I will have those and please make sure that the tea is piping hot," She noted it down, and then she was gone, headed to give his order to the cook. Derek glanced around and found that he still had a very interested audience, he tried to pick a table far from them, but he got the impression that if he sat further away, it would seem as though he was scared of them. Not really knowing why the opinions of a random group of strangers mattered to him, Derek chose the table right next to them.

When he sat down, they went back to their conversation and he pulled out his phone, and focused on that while he waited for Emily to come back with his order. A few minutes later she was back and she was carrying his food.

It would have been so easy for him to do what he usually did. Which was to eat his meal all the while pretending that he was working up the courage to talk to her. And then leave at the end of it without saying a word.

But this time Derek was determined that things would be different. When Emily put his tray down and made to leave, he reached out suddenly. Shocked at his own audacity, when his hand gently encased her wrist, stopping her from moving.

"Emily, can we talk please?

She looked at him, her brown eyes searching for something on his face. He expected her to shake her head. To tell him no, and his heart sank.

But rather than having his hopes dashed then and there, there was an interruption, the doorbell jingled and the moment was broken. Emily turning to face the new customers. Leaving Derek in limbo.

It was fitting, afterall, that was what he had been doing to her.