Chapter 29

Two weeks later...

Adrian's POV

Today is our two week anniversary of me and Derek officially being boyfriends. We're going to the Cheesecake Factory, and I'm gonna try to pay so I don't end up as the girl in this relationship. Derek is taller than me, he's more ripped than me, and he buys me things all the time. I feel like the girl in this relationship. Maybe I'll just accept it at some point and let him buy me whatever I want.

It's morning right now and I'm alone in my room as usual in the early morning. Devin is always staying at Alicia's place, which gives me more privacy.

I told Derek to knock on the door when he wants to come over so we can hang out all day. We've been getting more and more comfortable in terms of physical contact. Sometimes while we're just watching football or something, he'll have his hand on my thigh and I put my hand over his hand. It's nice. I'm glad he's good with contact because that's what's really giving me so many butterflies.

I hear knocks at the door and I open it, letting Derek in. I'm not wearing a shirt yet, because I pretty much only woke up, but Derek probably doesn't care.

"Hi Adri," he grins, kissing my forehead. "How'd you sleep?"

"I slept well," I reply, hugging him.

"I'm glad. What should we do before we get lunch?"

"I don't know. We can just chill here, I would be cool with that," I tell him.

"Okay. That sounds great."

He sits down on the couch and I sit down next to him. We lost our game last night, which was heartbreaking, but wasn't me, Derek, or any of our closest friends' faults. The D-line completely broke down at the 3 yard line and allowed a touchdown, and we didn't have enough time to score back, so we lost.

We're still 7-2, which is a solid record, but at this point it's gonna be tough to get into the playoffs. I think Coach Nelson is happy about the way we're playing this season though. The team last season was terrible, and we came in and really set the tone and made this a solid team that the rest of the conference should be scared of.

"Do you wanna sit on my lap?" Derek asks timidly.

"Uhh, why?"

"I don't know. I wanna hold you in my arms?"

"Sure. You can, um, you can hold me in your arms," I blush.

Before I can make a move, Derek picks me up and sits me down on his thighs. I lay my head on his shoulder and he rubs my shoulder and kisses my cheek over and over and over again. You could probably see why physical contact with this man is really something that makes me go crazy. You would go crazy too.

"I still can't believe that we're dating, Adri. It's crazy to me somehow," he states.

"How?"

"I don't know. I think it's because I was raised to think that what he have right now is morally wrong, but now we're together and it just feels so right," he says.

"Is it because of your mom?"

"Yeah," he answers, his face falling. "I was living a lie forever. I tried so hard to stop liking men, but I obviously couldn't. I couldn't just change who I like. Then you came into my life and made me just feel like I could be okay with being myself."

A tear falls from his face and I smile into his eyes. "Derek, I'm so sorry you were raised like that. You deserve the world and everyone should be okay with that. I'm so glad I helped you accept yourself, because you are amazing when you're being yourself."

He digs his head into my shoulder and silently cries. I wouldn't be able to tell without my shoulder getting wet from his tears.

"I just wish I could've accepted myself earlier. I hated myself. I silently hated myself for so long because of what my mother told me about what's right from wrong. I grew up always thinking I was wrong. I looked at guys without shirts at the beach instead of the women in their bikinis. I disgusted myself. Aaron helped me a lot without knowing it, by coming out in sophomore year. He made me realize that I'm not the only person going through something like this. But you, Adrian, you're the person I need and have needed for years," he states, continuing to cry.

"Derek," I say, kissing his forehead. "Accepting yourself is so important. I'm glad I helped you through that. You know how much you mean to me, right? I was dealing with so much homophobia, and you saved me. You have done more for me than anyone else that isn't one of my parents has done for me."

He pulls his head away from my shoulder an smiles at me. "We needed each other, didn't we?" he asks.

"Yeah. Definitely. I needed you to hold me in your arms, you needed someone to hold in your arms. We're good for each other."

He tenderly kisses me on the lips and I close my eyes, savoring the moment. His lips will always be the sweetest things I've ever tasted.

"I'm sorry your mom was so hostile to people like us. I see how much of an impact that was," I tell him. "I guess I'm just lucky I have a loving family."

"Don't brag," he grins, pulling my body closer to him. I feel so comfortable being shirtless and practically lying on Derek. He just makes me feel so safe.

"We'll be okay. We'll be okay," I whisper to him.

"Thanks. Sorry, I didn't mean to just break down like that. I just don't really want to spend Thanksgiving with her and her boyfriend."

"You can come spend it with my family. I'm sure they'll be excited to meet my boyfriend."

"Hmm. Maybe. Is your dad one of those kinds of dads that's an ass to people you date?" he asks.

"I don't know. You're the first person I've ever dated."

"Oh. Yeah. I guess we'll have to find out then?"

"Derek," I laugh. "They'll love you. You're so great to me, you take such good care of me, they really have no reason to dislike you at all. Oh! I have a good idea! I'll tell them that I have a boyfriend during Thanksgiving and then I'll gage their reactions and then I'll introduce you to them. I'll make sure they know that you make me feel happy," I peck his nose.

"Okay. That sounds great. This Thanksgiving is going to be rough for me, but I have to go, even if I'd much rather spend the time with you and your family."

"I want you to spend Thanksgiving with me too. I love eating food with you. It's chill."

"Yeah. That's basically how we got to being good friends again," he remembers.

We sit in silence for a few minutes, just in each other's arms. I'm glad Derek opened up and I'm glad he's comfortable crying in front of me. I've cried in front of him a lot, and I think it brought us closer, so I'm hoping this can bring us closer as well. I don't love seeing him cry obviously, but it's still important to be comfortable and open with him.

"Hey," I say.

"What's up?"

"We should go for a run and then run to wherever you want to get lunch today."

He smiles at me, his smile lines so obvious in the morning sunlight coming through the window. He's so fucking gorgeous. I can't believe how pretty he is.

"Of course, Adri. Can we walk back here and hold hands?" he asks and my heart fucking melts. I never knew Derek had such a soft spot in his heart until we started dating. He's so fluffy sometimes, it makes me forget that he's an actual fucking unit. He's just a guy that hasn't experienced real romance until me, and I am in the same boat.

"Yes. Please."

He digs his head into my shoulder again and kisses my neck over and over again. Out of nowhere, I feel him suck a hickey into my flesh. I breathe out a little heavy, and Derek notices and stops what he's doing.

"Sorry. I-I shouldn't have done that," he apologizes.

"No, it's okay! It just felt nice. Maybe don't do it on my neck where everyone can see it though. Other than that, it was okay. Don't worry."

"Thanks."

He brings his face to my bare arm, planting a few kisses up and down the limb. His lips are very wet. That's something I've always noticed, but his lips are so unbelievably wet. It's kinda hot to be honest.

"Can I put one here?" he mumbles into my skin right at the joint of my shoulder.

"Yes."

He softly places another hickey before going back to his former position, just sitting up and staring at me. He uses his hands to cup my face before he begins kissing my lips very sensually. He's started to bite my lips a tiny bit while we make out. No tongue still, but he somehow knows every way to make me happy while we're kissing.

He does exactly that again, biting my lower lip softly, prompting me to groan into his mouth. He laughs a little and continues to move his lips over mine. Despite neither of us being experienced kissers, he really seems like he knows what to do.

When we're done, my hands are gripping his biceps and his hands are on my waist. He knows I like when his hands are on my waist, otherwise he would not do that.

"You taste like pink lemonade. I like pink lemonade now because they remind me of you," he smiles at me, rubbing circles into my waist.

"Thanks. I brushed my teeth before I drank it."

"That just defeats the purpose of brushing your teeth, does it not?" he grins.

"Whatever," I say, kissing him again.

"Hey, I know it's kinda early, but we can go on a long run, right?" he asks and I nod. "So, how about you get dressed and we can go on a run, yeah?"

"Okay." I get off his lap and grab some athletic shorts and a compression shirt and change in the bathroom. One thing I respect is that it's pretty obvious that Derek wants me to be the person to make the first move if we take the next step. It's only been a couple weeks, but we've already been on countless dates, which is not even including us just eating in my room literally every night. We're comfortable enough for me to be straddling him on his lap, and he's kissed my abs before and I've kissed his chest.

Is that a lot though? This is obviously my first relationship with anyone ever, and I don't really know what the normal time to start getting intimate is. I would, at some point, like to start doing things with Derek. He's got the most beautiful body I've ever seen, and I have to assume that he's packing and could be a sex god.

He's not a virgin, obviously. He's done it at least once, and I unfortunately walked in on that, but was he good at it? I guess there's only one way to find out but I don't think it's the right time to do anything like that yet. It's still too early.

I leave the bathroom and Derek is on his phone, scrolling through TikTok. He looks up and sees me, standing up and stretching a little.

"You ready to go on a run?" he asks.

"Yeah. Let's go."

"Cool."

We go on a run for about 30 minutes, which kinda surprised me because we aren't really playing a sport that requires insane amounts of stamina. If we were playing soccer or even basketball, it would make more sense, but we're only really moving for like 4-5 seconds per play and then we get damn near 30 seconds of just standing around waiting for the next play. Thinking about it now, we're really not doing that much because it's not every play that me or Derek even has to go to the other side of the field.

"That was fun," Derek says, his breathing heavy.

"Yeah. It was."

"We should've gone later," Derek laughs.

"Eh. It was nice to get a run in. Now we can go back and shower and then have lunch."

"Yeah. That sounds like a plan."

We get back, take showers separately and then go out to eat. We got some nice sandwiches from a food truck on campus and ate in the grass just looking at the sky. Somehow everything that me and him do together just feels so romantic. I don't know how hard he's trying at this, but he is so effortlessly making me feel love. His smile, his laugh, his voice, his personality, his body, his face, all of those things contribute to me being so head over heels for him.

While we were sitting in the grass, Derek put an arm around my shoulder and pulled me closer to him, resting his head on my head. He's so tall. I'm not really short, but next to him I just feel so small.

"I like your hair," he says. "It smells nice."

"Thanks. You smell great too," I tell him. I'm not lying, he really does smell like heaven.

"So, Cheesecake Factory tonight?" he asks.

"Yeah," I grin. "That sounds good."

"Awesome."

He leans down a little and kisses my forehead softly. Butterflies go rapid in my stomach after that kiss, and I think he could tell he got a big reaction out of me, because he did the same, this time kissing my cheek.

"You're really cute when you're trying to act nonchalant," he smiles, kissing my cheek again.

"Well, when you're kissing me I can't help but try not to freak out," I tell him while he keeps on kissing my face.

"Sorry."

"You're not stopping."

"I don't want to. You're so cute," he states.

"We can also do this not in public, Derek. PDA is nasty."

"That's true. Should we go back to the dorms?"

"Yeah, sure," I reply.

We get back to the dorms, we don't really do anything at all but kind of just sit really close to each other. We're basically cuddling on the couch. I didn't realize how much I craved human contact until Derek showed me how amazing it is to always have an arm around my shoulder or a hand running through my hair.

I just hope I'm making him happy. I feel so horrible that he was raised on such homophobic values, and now this is kind of the first time he's been with a guy. I hope I'm making him feel free compared to when he was younger.

"Am I a good boyfriend?" I blurt out.

"Huh?"

"Am I a good boyfriend? I really want to know."

"Yeah. You're an amazing boyfriend, Adri. I still can't believe we're actually together, because this is like a dream to me, but you've been so amazing to me. I can be myself around you," he says.

I look up at him and kiss him, smiling into the kiss. "I'm glad I make you happy. You're nice."

"I can be mean too," he says very nonchalantly. "If you like that."

"Uh, maybe."

"I'm joking, Adri," he laughs. "I would never be mean to you."

We keep sitting there talking to each other and just feeling so comfortable around each other. He really just makes me feel so relaxed. I only ever feel this comfortable by myself when there's no one around to judge me, but Derek just makes me feel so important. I really did need conformation of someone caring about me a lot. I knew I mattered to people, but I needed someone to really show me that, and Derek has shown me that and more.

Later in the day, we got ready to go to Cheesecake Factory and made out for a few minutes before making our way out of the building. Derek never fails to get me super horny just for us to go out in public. It is unbelievably inconvenient to go in public after that, for obvious reasons regarding my private parts.

Derek wore nice shorts to dinner, but they're super short, so when he's sitting down next to me in the car while he drives, I have to do everything in my power not to just grab his exposed thigh. He really works that whole area out a lot.

"What are you staring at?" he says, smirking as he continues to drive.

"Nothing."

"It's fine, Adri, we're dating."

"What's fine?" I ask, trying not to give away that I was staring at his leg, which is very close to his dick.

"Looking at me. I don't mind. I like the attention."

"You're cocky," I grin.

"You like that about me though. I will admit I am full of myself, but you like me because I'm confident."

"You weren't confident after Devin almost walked in on us kissing. I had to be the one with the balls. But yeah, other than that you are confident."

"See? You like me a lot," he says, stating the obvious.

"I never denied that. I do like you a lot."

"I know," he smirks again.

"Shut up," I laugh.

When we get to the restaurant, we get seated and figure out what we want to eat for dinner pretty quickly. Soon enough, we're back to just talking normally, laughing, and most of all just being happy.

"Do you mind if I kiss you in here? I really want to. You look really nice," Derek says.

I look around a little bit and decide that he can kiss me. "Yeah. Sure. Just don't be too dramatic about it. Just a little kiss and then sit back down."

"Okay," he grins.

He stands up a tiny bit and places a sweet kiss on my lips before sitting back down. He smiles at me again, making my heart melt for what seems like the millionth time in this relationship. He's just so fucking pretty and I can't resist his smile or eyes.

I look around us a little bit to see if anyone saw that, and to my absolute horror, Devin and Alicia are standing up near the front of the restaurant, which is a flight of stairs above us, staring down at us in disbelief.

Derek clearly notices something's wrong, and he reaches over the table and puts a hand on my hand.

"Hey, is everything okay?" he asks.

"Yeah. I uh, I thought I saw a celebrity," I lie.

"Who did you think you saw?"

"Uh, Megan Fox."

"That's a woman straight guys like. If we were straight we would've been going crazy if she was actually here," he laughs. "But I only go crazy around you."

I blush hard and feel my face heat up. "Thanks. I only go crazy for you too."

Dinner goes smoothly, but I am still pretty worried about Devin and Alicia seeing us. I trust them, and I know they won't tell anyone, but I don't really want Derek to freak out because someone other than the two of us know that we're dating. He is still trying to stay secret, and I don't want him to be uncomfortable with other people knowing.

Is he really trying to stay a secret though? He doesn't seem to be making any effort to hide his sexuality in public. Literally earlier today, he was kissing my cheek in the middle of campus. We're not just random students either, we may not be known well by our faces, but we still play football and are more recognizable than the average person going to UCLA.

"So you really think your parents would like me?" Derek asks.

"Yeah. They would. They would be happy to know there's someone here that cares for me."

"Cool. I really want them to approve of me," he states.

"Derek, it doesn't matter what they think as much as what I think, and I approve of you, obviously, and I want to be with you. I really want to be with you."

"Same. You're the best."

"Thank you."

I've been having a really difficult time not saying 'I love you' to Derek recently. I think I am very quickly falling in love with him, but I don't know when the right time to say that is. I don't know how long it took for Devin and Alicia to say 'I love you' to each other, and I don't know how long it took for Cam and Aaron to say it to each other. I hope Derek's falling for me the way I'm falling for him.

And I'm praying he likes me enough not to care that other people know he's gay.

A/N: Uh oh. Will there actually be angst despite what I've said before? I don't know, maybe. I kinda don't have a great storyline past here. Smut will be soon though, I'll tell you that much. It's been kind of refreshing not having to write a bunch of smut for this book though. I feel like TWB was pretty much 50/50 smut and story and really made me feel weird rereading it. I feel like the smut in this book when it comes time will feel more sweet and genuine than TWB. There were only a couple smut scenes in the last book where the smut was fueled by actual love instead of rage and hate, and all of the smut in this book will be fueled by love. Thanks for reading!!!