A Lesson in Romantics

[Derek's P.O.V.]

I went back to Brooks' early to pack up my stuff for tomorrow, and to help set up for the party. I started drinking when Brooks went in the shower. I started drinking lightly mainly because I wanted to get drunk as fast as possible. I had already attained a small buzz when the guys showed up, and kept it going when everyone wanted to do shots. Then the guys' girlfriends showed up. Although I was happy all the guys had girlfriends, it was really hard to see how happy Jessie and Jake were. How in love Katie and Brooks' were. How funny Jennifer and Jeremy were together, and how alike Madison and Alex were. I loved all my friends, and their girlfriends as if they were sisters, but I was jealous. Although I had that for a while with Jamie, it just all feels like a lie now that I found out the truth.

But all that hurt had subsided for a little while we all partied in the back as if we were dying tomorrow. Just as I went to go turn inside to grab more alcohol I saw Skylar walk into the backyard. She looked out of it, and nervous. I immediately forgot the alcohol for like a second. I was so happy she came. She spotted me and waved at me with a smile.
"Hey! I'm glad you came!" I said hugging her while trying not to spill my cup. She hugged me tightly, and laughed slightly.

"I think someone needs to cut you off Mr. Sanders." She said trying to grab my cup from my hand. How'd she know I was drunk? Most people can never tell I'm drunk,and if anything they just think I'm tipsy.

"No I'm good. Come on, come say hi to everyone." I said draping my other arm around her shoulders. I walked around with her tucked under my arm re-introducing her to everyone she left behind when she met Jason. Sometimes it was awkward, but everyone was overall happy to see her there. As the night unfolded, and we both kept filling up our cups, I kept my arm around her. At first I thought she felt awkward about it, but then she slid her arm around my wait and slid her finger into my belt loop. We stood in Brooks' backyard as everyone else trickled inside, or left, until it was just the two of us.

"I'm glad you came." I said looking down at her as I finished my cup and threw it in a nearby garbage can.

"I am too.." She said looking up at me with a twinkle in her eye.

"I think I am going to come on tour with you.." She said smiling at me. I smiled so widely when she told me that.

"I'm so excited to hear that!" I said hugging her and picking her up I started spinning around and making us both dizzy. We were both uncontrollably laughing,and then we fell on the floor. She was laying on the ground next to me and laughing still.

"I...Love...You" She said laughing, and not even realizing what she said.

"What'd you say?" I asked trying to clarify if I heard her right.

"I said...Oh god I can't believe I just said that...I don't mean it... I have to go." She said sitting up and trying to stand up but stumbled. I sat confused by her statement. I stumbled to my feet and tried to catch up to her. She started searching in her bag for her keys. Oh no she's gonna try and drive!

"Skylar stop! You can't drive!" I said running up to her and grabbing her arm gently, but she didn't perceive it as gentle. She turned around with tears in her eyes, and a scared look on her face. She looked as if she was about to punch me.

"I can do what ever the fuck I want Derek." She said extracting her keys from her bag. I pulled them out of her hand which made the blood boil in her whole body.

"Give me my keys!" She said trying to reach for them, but I jerked them up above my head. She was trying to jump for them but she was too short.

"Sky look I don't care if you don't want to stay here, I'll walk you where ever you wanna go but you can't drive!" I said putting my hands on her shoulders trying to calm her down. Finally she relaxed a little.

"You would do that?" She said half smiling.

"Do what? Walk you somewhere? Of course. You're drunk, and pretty. That's not a good combo around here." I said slightly nudging her.

"That's the nicest thing anyone has ever offered to do for me." She said as if she was taken aback by my offer.

"Jason probably would have let me drive like this." She said gazing down at the ground and thinking. She started slightly laughing.

"God he's such an ass." She said laughing at her own sentence which made me laugh.

"Yeah he is." I said smiling down at her. Then she randomly hugged me.

"Thank you Derek. You're a great friend." She said squeezing me tightly. Fuck I'm a great friend. Guess she doesn't think of me like that. Oh well I don't want to lose her at all. Friend is better then enemy.

"Thanks you too." I said wrapping my arms around her and squeezing her tightly in return.

"Come on lets go back inside we have to get some sleep for tomorrow." She said snaking her arm around my waist and guiding me back towards the backyard.

"Well why do you need to sleep. You're not going anywhere." I said laughing.

"Oh so you don't want me to come on tour with you?" She said pretending she was offended.

"No! I don't!" I said laughing.

"Well too damn bad." She said running away from me as I closed the gate behind me. I turned around to see her bolting into the house. I started walking towards the house when I noticed she had shut the door behind her and was about to lock it.

"No Skylar! Bad girl!" I said running towards the door. Just as I had put my hand on the door handle she locked it.

"You bitch!" I said uselessly jiggling the door handle hoping it would magically slide open. As she was laughing hysterically on the floor I used the key Brooks' gave me to unlock the door before she could even realize. I was in the house and I picked her up off the floor and carried her into the living room and threw her on the couch and started tickling her like crazy. She kept letting out high pitched squeals and laughs.

"DEREK....STOP!...I CAN'T...BREATH!" She said trying to push me away, but I just plopped down next to her on the couch and started laughing with her.

"You're an ass." She said turning away from me.

"Oh come on I was kidding." I said wrapping my arm around her and feeling her get comfortable. God she's so adorable. I just wish she cared about me like I did her. We both laid on the couch playfully bickering until we both fell asleep. And when I say we fell asleep I don't mean "sleep" or sleep. I mean we closed our eyes and slept together. It was the best sleep I had in weeks.