Turns out all the evidence about Lee getting a huge amount of money was actually Lee sending the laundered money to another account of himself which was actually Tory's. And all the other arrows that pointed to Lee were actually all set up by Tory herself. Nova found this out after asking Lee how it was that they found traces of him everywhere they looked and Lee looked confused first, horrified next and straight up angry at the end. He connected the dots and told them how she must've been using his name because apparently Tory was a 'sly bitch' and used anyone she could.
It was a lot, Nova would agree, but at least they now knew everything.
And no, Lee wasn't lying, Nova was sure of it because after getting Jason to see where the last transaction took place from they got a location of one of the banks from Italy, right in the middle of the capital, Rome.
All of that felt relieving, that they were now almost at the end of the case, that all they had left was to catch Tory and get in contact with the Italian police and let them know about the mafia leader.
So that was how they now found themselves going to Officer Penton's office again a day after they'd had their confrontation with Lee and Genelia.
Lee was taken to the local detention center and Genelia was getting help at a hospital â she was on probation, though â for her anxiety and mild PTSD.
Nova had thought that after talking with the duo they'd go straight to Penton to report back to him all the new information they had but Derek had told her how Penton had told him that he wouldn't be available for two days. Apparently, he had an important meeting and that left Nova hanging because as far as she was aware, Penton didn't have any other case other than the one they were assigned to.
But Nova will get to know that soon enough, seeing as she was now standing in front of the man's office, with Derek besides her.
Contrary to what Nova had expected Derek to do â which was to knock on the door like any other person, Derek did none of that any other person thing. Instead, he held on the door knob and twisted it in one swift motion, successfully opening it and leaving Nova wide-eyed standing beside him.
Sparing a glance at her and quickly nodding his head gesturing forward, Derek went on to step inside, prompting Nova to follow along.
"There they are," was what Nova was greeted with, making her stop in her tracks, right in the middle of the spacious office.
"Well, why'd you stop there, Ms. Newton? C'mon, C'mon, sit right here!" Penton said and Nova felt her cheeks burn before she nodded her head and made her way towards the sofa, right beside Derek who seemed to have had no problem adjusting in this rather frank setting.
"Good Morning, Officer Penton, Good Morning, Officer Mathur," Nova greeted once she'd sat down; slipping on a smile on her face despite the immense confusion she was in.
Because why was Officer Mathur here? And Officer Penton seemed in a rather good mood which shouldn't be the case since the main offender of their case had fled â about which, as far as Nova knew, Penton hadn't yet been informed.
"Morning, Morning, Ms. Newton. We come with excellent news." Said Officer Mathur which did absolutely nothing to calm down Nova's curiosity.
"Oh?" was all Nova could let out.
"Yes, yes!" Officer Penton exclaimed.
"And what would the excellent news be?" asked Derek and Nova let out a breath because now at least it was clear that it wasn't just her who was out of the loop.
"All in good time, kids. All in good time."
"Yes! After all, they do say 'Patience is virtue', don't they?"
And Nova was officially very, very suspicious. But then again, not much she could do except being 'patient.'
"Alright enough with the suspense, you've already got our attention, spit it out already." Thankfully, Derek said what Nova had wanted to, just, perhaps, not in that way.
Officer Penton rolled his eyes before sighing and waving his hand at Officer Mathur. "Go on then," he said, "Tell them. I believe that's all the patience they have."
Officer Mathur rolled his eyes too, though Nova could tell that they were both in a very light mood. Why that was, they would soon come to know she presumed.
"Alright then, party poopers," Officer Mathur began, "Get ready to be rocked."
That wasn't very promising if anyone asked Nova but-
"Case 1542 is officially closed!"
Nova coughed a lung out.
"What?!" she shrieked and looked over at everyone, her eyes wide and frantic. She looked over at Penton to see him and Mathur hugging each other and slapping each other's backs as she heard him say something along the lines of 'man the retirement took forever I feel like I worked more in my last days than I ever did normally' to which Mathur only replied with a hearty laughter in what Nova assumed was agreement.
She looked over at Derek, her eyes still wide open as they met the man's calm and composed state which then helped her ground to reality and not panic for any apparent reason. So she sat back from when she didn't realise she had shifted forward in her sofa chair, so much so that she wondered how she managed to not fall on her butt, blinked a few times and brushed her hair to look more composed, all the while the two seniors still howled and laughed together.
After waiting for about a few more minutes, both the seniors calmed down and Penton released a whistle.
"Well then folks, if you are as happy as us and would like to party like no tomorrow then you're dismissed. Enjoy the break!" and with that he was just about to leave, leaving Nova appalled when Mathur burst out laughing again and Penton stopped to join in in the laughter.
This time Nova couldn't stop herself so she looked at her side at Derek and asked the one question she really wished to ask. "Are they both alright?"
Derek only scoffed before replying. "It's time you saw their real selves. They're fine, they just like to be dramatic," and with that Nova turned her head away and towards the two men who had finally decided to calm down.
After a few more minutes of them heaving their breaths they finally both sat down at their previous seats and both cleared their throats. If the two men hadn't been so different looking â from Penton's pale skin to Mathur's more tanned one, and from Penton's blue eyes to Mathur's darker ones, Nova would have thought for maybe a second that the two were twins because this kind of being in sync she had only ever seen or heard about amongst twins.
"Damn William, it's been a long time since I've seen you and as always it's so good to see you again!" Mathur exclaimed to which Penton only chuckled.
"Damn right it is. Same with you, Ankur, no one quite gets me like you do, my man."
"If I didn't know any better I'd think you both were married." Derek's lazy voice spoke out which then triggered another round of howling laughter.
As they waited for the two seniors to get back at them, Nova was left wondering as to what they could possibly mean by thatâ
"Alright then, since you lot wish to talk business, we'll talk business."
"Thank the lords, sheesh," Derek let out to Penton's sudden serious tone.
Nova was seriously starting to wonder if Penton really was alright...
"But first," Penton said, snatching Nova's attention. "Tell us what you came here for."
And Nova was once again left gaping at the sudden shift of temper in the room. Where just minutes ago you could hear loud laughter, that same room now was filled with a silence so quiet you could hear a pin drop. It was even more daunting if you looked over at the two elders who were the ones exchanging pleasantries were now the same two people who sat at the sofa seats, looking composed as if they were never out of character in the first place.
But then again, Nova shouldn't be so surprised now, she should be used to all this by now. This was what they did.
"We come here to report you about our case." Derek informed them, breaking the ice.
"Go on, then." Penton replied and Nova saw Derek's eyes narrowing.
"It's the same case you just said was over; case 1542." Derek said.
"I know, now tell me the report." He asked and Derek delivered.
He told him of what all they had got out of Lee and what all the new research told them, he showed him the case file and by the time Derek was done â which only took maybe five minutes â Nova was sure that Penton had already known all that.
Which planted a new doubt in her head, one that had her angry.
What if all of this was one big test? What if it was all planned and heâ
"You know all this already." Derek voiced out what Nova had guessed, his tone still bored and lazy, his eyes narrowed.
"I do," Penton admitted.
"How?" Nova found herself asking.
"Well," Penton heaved a sign, cocking his head to the side as he adjusted on his chair, crossing his legs and placing his hands on his knees.
"You two were taking a lot of time, time that I needed. So, I looked into the files myself, before you two brought it. I'd looked at it yesterday itself, was just waiting for a final report that I'm sure our Derry has right here." He said; a nonchalant smile of his face and Derek rolled his eyes when Penton wiggled his eyebrows at him, trying to get a reaction out of him for the nickname.
And Nova was just confused, very confused. And it must have been visible on her face as well because Penton then asked her in an alarmed tone.
"Whoa, whoa, Ms. Newton, are you alright there?"
Nova wanted to throw a tantrum that no, she wasn't alright but she took a deep breath instead, closing her eyes for just a brief second before nodding her head and smiling.
"C'mon, now," Penton pestered. "What is it?"
"I'm just..." Nova tried. "Confused?"
Penton clicked his tongue before replying. "Well, that's understandable. You really must be overworking your brain right now trying to make sense of things, huh? Whelp, should've thought of that, my bad."
"No its-" Nova said. "It's alright just- just continue, what you were saying."
"Are you sure?" He asked and Nova nodded her head, pursing her lips.
"Well then okay. So, since you've brought the final report, the case will be closed the moment it gets signed by me which is..." Penton paused as he reached out to the table for the manila folder and took out the papers before unhooking a sleek black pen from his coat pocket, signing the papers before briefly reading them and then continued. "There, all done. Any more questions?" he asked, looking up at Derek and Nova, satisfaction clear on his face.
"Well, yes." Derek pressed and Nova inquired after him. "What do you mean the case is close? What about Tory, we have to find her. She's still out there, we have to--"
"And that's where I will have to interrupt you, Ms. Newton." Nova stopped speaking as Penton spoke over her.
"'We' don't have to do anything anymore." He said and Nova couldn't stop herself from asking this time.
"But why?"
"Because, Ms. Newton," Penton paused again and Nova was almost sure that she was officially about to lose her head. Thankfully, however, Penton decided to have mercy on her because he went on.
"We weren't supposed to catch a gang member. Surely you remember the case file, Ms. Newton?" Penton asked, addressing Nova directly which then made her realise that she was the only one currently who was on the verge of having a breakdown. Because Derek, now that she paid attention, was already sat back down, sipping on whatever the mugs placed in front of the table contained.
As the realisation of what Penton just said dawned on to Nova, she exhaled and relaxed, the details of the case swarming in her memories now steadily.
And yes, she remembers. The case was to find out the reason behind the money laundering, to dig out the cause of it, and yes, they had already done that much. The cause was Lee Hiram, he had spilled all there was to know for further investigation and yes, they had already done what was required according to the case file. Which, now that Nova comes to think of it, Derek must've been aware of, because he was the one who filled up the case file yesterday. So why did he look equally baffled by the news of the case being closed?
She looked over at Derek again only to find him tipping the mug all the way up, indicating that he was done drinking the entire thing. As he set the mug down, he rose up from where he had been sitting all this while and Nova sat down and as she did, she saw Penton sigh and nod to himself.
"I get all that," spoke up Derek. "But what about the rest of the case? That's what I've been interested in this whole while."
Penton raised an eyebrow at Derek's question, now having taken a seat on the sofa chair himself.
"Sit back down, Officer Adams," Mathur spoke up, causing all three of them to turn their heads towards him as he too tilted the mug all the way up, also having finished his drink. Which then caused Nova to eye hers, to see what exactly was it but the sudden movement of Derek plopping himself back beside her distracted her from the thought.
"Now, Officer Adams. What exactly about the rest of the case are you interested in? We just told you you've completed your part of it. Now, you're not a rookie to be asking such questions. You know the drill; whatever is left of it is none of your business since you've already done your part of it, so there's nothing for you to be worried about." Mathur said, his tone now business, just like how Nova was used to it always being.
Derek pursed his lips but Nova could tell that he was about to speak up and as it would seem so did Officer Mathur because even before Derek could let out a sound, Officer Mathur was already speaking.
"But since you're so curious, we'll have you know that the finding of Ms. Tory is being handed to someone else."
But why someone else? Nova wanted to ask but she didn't have to for Mathur answered her unasked question by the next second.
"Because you two need to be here for some more important business." Mathur told them. Nova looked over at Derek at that, wondering what Mathur meant by that.
"That's right," said Penton now, sitting up straight again. "And that's what we were to discuss today in this meeting."
"Alright then," Said Derek. "What is it?"
"Why do you think we made your relationship so public? The entire ruse? And to announce you as the successor of the company as well, you didn't find it suspicious?" asked Penton and Derek looked pretty much unfazed.
"But then, you're Derek Adams, of course you would've picked up on it. Didn't you, Officer Adams?" Penton asked him, a taunting gleam in his eyes.
Derek audibly clicked his tongue before speaking. "Yes I did."
"And what conclusion did you reach on?"
"Are we playing some kind of a game here?"
"I don't know, Derry, do you want us to?"
Derek didn't say anything for a short while and Nova was left to be just sitting there wide-eyed staring and witnessing the strange exchange. A tense silence filled the air then before Mathur tsked and decided to end the... whatever it was that just took place.
"You two are back at it with the sore father-son relationship, I see. And I would say to go and sort it out but I'm kinda really not in the mood for more drama because today is the day I retire for god's sake so, Ms. Newton, ignore those two while I tell you in short, precise sentences as to what exactly the fuck is going to happen now." Mathur said, successfully shaking Nova out of the contagious tension. She looked over at Mathur again before nodding. She could see from her peripheral vision that Derek had just pursed his lips before subtly shaking his head and Penton just rolled his eyes.
"So, the deal is that you both are going to keep doing what you've been doing up till now. Which â I will specify for you since you guys have so many doubts lately â will be to continue to be the power couple in the business world. Officer Adams here already has a degree in business so handling the company shouldn't be much problematic, seeing as he also has a team of people to help him. So, your mission, from now on, is to remain in the business world, as The Watsons."
"So yes," Spoke up Officer Penton again, seemingly having been done with whatever he was on to before. "This will be your new mission, and this is your new case file." He said, bending forward and tapping on a file that was already placed on the table with his pointer and index finger before continuing.
"Case 1596. The file is here, go through it thoroughly. What you have to do for this mission is nothing much. Since the ruse seems to be doing wellâ"
"Too well." Added Mathur.
"'Too well' as my dear friend just pointed out, the council and I discussed and along with the confirmation form Q themself it has now been decided that this is the best way to counter the black market and all the corruption and laundering that has been taking place right now."
Nova took the file after Derek was done looking it over, and saw all the news headlines they made, along with the mention of a fan-club dedicated to them before she looked on and saw the details of the mission.
"Your work is to slip in the business world, make it your own, get information on every corrupt or suspicious person you can, dig into them and take care of them, all by yourself." Penton said.
"That's right, you're going to work straight from the fields, and this is the promotion you both get for successfully completing the previous mission in less than the allotted time." Mathur added on.
"Ms. Newton, you're now officially an Assistant Officer." Penton said and he dropped the bomb so nonchalantly that it took Nova a second to realise what she'd just heard.
"What?" she all but screeched.
"Yes. Sorry to disappoint but there's no ceremony for undercover officers. You may take your badge from your superior â who is right here I notice â Officer Adams. Adams, don't forget to hand her the other forms and licenses and stuff, you know how it is."
"But," Nova spoke up, finding it hard to just swallow the big news.
"A promotion? Just like that? Only after one successful mission?" she asked bewildered.
"Well, yes," Penton answered. "I don't see why not? I mean, you did very well for it to just be your first case as an Assistant. Officer Adams reported everything to us and of course we had a discussion over this as well. Your performance was really impressive in the past few weeks, and while I do agree it is quite rare for there to be promotions within such a short period of time, but still, it isn't unheard of. Those who deserve a promotion, get one. Plus, it's not like you've been promoted to Officer. You'll have to wait for that one, I'm afraid, Ms. Newton, but other than that, yes, you've been promoted to Assistant Officer. Enjoy!"
"IâThank you, Officers, I- I don't know what else to say," Nova spoke up, really not knowing how to tread on from here on out.
"Well, it's okay, heard that one before, don't worry. Anyways, this meeting is dismissed unless anyone has any more questions?"
Nova didn't have any more questions, she was still processing the fact that she just got promoted and from the way that Derek was yet to react, Penton and Mathur took it as a no and then went out the door, shaking each other's hands.
Nova looked back at Derek only to see him standing up and coming towards her.
"Come on then, Assistant Officer Newton," he said, taking her elbow in his firm but gentle hold. "Let's get you the badge."
And if Nova suppressed a squeal, no one needed to know.
---------
On the way back home â it was going to remain their home for another good while, and that thought triggered some doubts so Nova decided to dignify them with a thought at a later point in time â Nova couldn't stop looking at her badge and license. Twisting and turning it around in all sorts of angles, trying not to blink altogether and failing because her eyes would burn after a certain time. Needless to say, Nova was ecstatic, still couldn't believe that so much time had already even passed since she joined the team. It almost still felt like a dream, almost like she'll wake up and get ready to go to school, as if the last couple months didn't even happen.
But she knew it's all true, that all this really happened, and the presence of the badge, the feel of the leather and metal in her hands, the shine it emitted under the sunlight that the windows of the car allowed was proof enough that all of this was real. That she'd done it.
She was aware that this wasn't the end, that this badge was just the beginning, that her journey had just now begun, but this small victory meant so much to her, so much that she couldn't really name what she felt.
Simply because she'd never really felt it before.
All her life, Nova had always found herself to be in the spotlight for being good at everything she did. Making her come out at the top as soon as she started, let it be academics or extracurricular activities, it was all the same to her. She would start and people would be impressed by her and then proceed to place her on the top altogether. She'd never really got to experience the small steps and, naturally, neither had she ever known how it would feel to accomplish small tasks and to pave her way to the top in slow but sure steps. In the right way.
So no, Nova didn't know how to put all that was happening to her in a single word. The erratic beatings of her heart, or how she couldn't pay attention to her surroundings, how her mind replayed everything that led her to this little badge. But she knew it was a happy feeling, it was a warm, happy feeling and Nova wanted to feel more of this. Wanted to earn more of this feeling.
And maybe, Nova realised, maybe this feeling was pride. Pride for herself, for her own hard work. But she also had a feeling that perhaps it could be more than just that.
"Do you plan on coming out at all?" a voice took her out of her train of thoughts and she looked up at the source of the voice in a slow motion. Not in a hurry anymore, not even startled. Everything seemed to still be in a slow-motion, it felt as if she were in a daze. And the daze didn't seem all that bad.
And perhaps it was funny to whoever looked at her because upon lifting her head up and seeing Derek standing on her side of the car, door already opened and a hand held out; she saw a little smile on his face. His eyes crinkling from the sides just the tiniest bit. The sight only made her happier.
Nova took a few more moments to take in the face of the man in front of her, the expression he had on, how soft his eyes looked and how that little smile was enough to multiply his beauty as the corners of his lips lift up, and his deep, blue eyes twinkle. It was an expression she hasn't seen before, on anyone, as far as she could remember. Yet somehow, she knows that no one would look as beautiful as him, that no one else would make her pause and want to smile and invoke such pure happiness in her like Derek did. And that brought her back to her dilemmas.
She blinked at the reminder, coming out of the daze yet still not letting those thoughts ruin this feeling.
Derek lifted an eyebrow up, then, and Nova smiled, teeth showing and nodded her head in a soft but excited manner before taking his hand and stepping out of the car.
All the way from entering the building to reaching the penthouse suite, Nova didn't let go of Derek's hand, and Derek didn't seem to want that either and all of it only made her feel even more giddy but it also made a certain nervousness pool in the pit of stomach. Because she realised that she may have to face her doubts soon enough and that she would also have to talk to Derek about them as well.
As Nova went in her room to change and as she began to think about these 'new thoughts,' somehow, somewhere she realised that they weren't all bad, that there was no certainty that the end result to them surfacing would be bad, but that was another thing because it also didn't mean that the result would be good either.
But Nova didn't want to sit alone and ponder over such things when she could easily just make some effort and tackle the entire situation at hand. She should, she realised. And so, splashing her face with water, she decided that she would.
So that same day after the both of them had washed up and the weather outside had started to get all dark, the small moment of sunshine that had peaked out now long gone, only clouds and the colour blue visible, Nova decided that she would voice out her doubts to Derek. And along with doing that she would also confess.
Despite that sky looking like it was nighttime, it was still only five in the evening. Nova and Derek had both sat down by the floor-to-ceiling window, sipping tea. Nova had been the one to offer and Derek; having been taking care of some matters with Penton on his iPad, had nodded his head, signaling his affirmation on the offer.
So now they sat, fifteen minutes later, looking out the window, taking in how small the world looked from this height, anticipating snow to fall from the dark clouds that seemed to be closer today, because Christmas was just round the corner, and sipped tea.
"So what is it, then," spoke up Derek's baritone voice over the silence, taking Nova by little surprise.
"That obvious?" she asked, letting out a nervous chuckle.
"Mhm." He replied. "You've been looking out the window with you eyebrows all bunched up, not to mention you haven't asked me anything yet and I was prepared to get interrogated the moment we left Penton."
Nova felt heat rush to her cheeks at Derek's words, not having expected that he paid that much attention to her.
"But I figured you were too astonished by the promotion, and you looked like you'd travelled a different galaxy so I presumed the bombarding of questions would be taking place after we reach home but well, here we are." He said, placing the cup he held down on the table and giving her his entire attention. Nova blushed some more.
"It's, um, it's nothing." She said, wanting to take some time before she blurted everything out.
Derek didn't say anything at first which then made Nova lift up her head and look at him only to see that his eyes were trained on her. There was a little furrow in his eyebrows, but it cleared out when Nova kept looking at him, her eyes wide. And then, another smiled adorned his face.
Gosh that were a lot of smiles for today, and no, she wasn't complaining.
"It's okay," he said, his voice soft, reaching over for the cup he just placed on the table again. "Take your time."
Nova contemplated for a while, how to word her thoughts and the more she thought about it, the more it felt like she was only stressing in vain. But when she caught Derek still staring at her patiently, sipping some more from the cup, she decided to just get on with it. And so, she blurted out the first thing that came to her mind.
"How is this going to work out?" She asked, suppressing a wince as soon as the words escaped her but decided that the damage was done so now it was entirely up to Derek as to how he approached this because Nova thought â and she thought hard and yet â this was all she could come up with.
"What do you mean?" He asked; his eyebrows furrowed in a curious confusion.
"Just, um-" Nova struggled, gesturing vaguely with her free hand, then giving up and sighing out. "All this."
And she knew she was doing a terrible job at explaining what she wanted to say because Derek frowned while asking, "What? The ruse?"
Nibbling on her lower lip, Nova nodded her head in confirmation.
"Well," Said Derek, heaving a breath as Nova's own hitched in her throat in anticipation. "Just like it's been up till now."
Nova looks up at that. "How exactly has it been till now?"
Now Nova was aware that she may have been coming across as a little bit difficult but she honestly didn't know how else to go from here. Because it wasn't just about her wanting more, wanting a confirmation, but it was also about what Derek thought of her. She couldn't help feeling this way.
"What do you mean?" Derek asked her, eyebrows pulled together.
Nova sighed, deciding that it was time to be forward about it. "We haven't exactly been acting, have we?" She asked and she held her breath as she saw Derek stiffen in front of her. He slowly put the cup on the table again.
"I haven't at least," Nova added, wanting to make it clear, not wanting to leave any room for any misunderstandings. She looked down at her hands as she said that, still cupping the teacup in her hands, feeling the warmth seep into her skin, patiently waiting for Derek to say something.
"No." He said finally after a brief pause. Nova released the breath she was holding. "No, we haven't."
"What do you mean?" Nova asked, despite the butterflies that had already started residing in the pit of her stomach.
"What did you mean?" Derek questioned back, an intense glint in his eyes.
"I have feelings for you." she answered, biting her lower lip.
Derek went quite for a while at that, and Nova was left to nibble on her lip in anticipation. Then, sighing, Derek shifted his chair from in front of her to beside her, now closer to herself, and sighed.
"Is this what troubles you?" He asked, sincere.
"Not entirely but on some parts yes." Nova answered after taking a long breath in.
"Well," Derek let out. "You don't have to be worried about that." He said. "I feel for you too. It runs a little deeper than it should, I'm aware, but that's how it is and it shouldn't be a problem. If anything it only makes everything easier, don't you agree?"
Nova stared at him as he said that, not quite able to bring herself to believe it all at once. The butterflies in her stomach â she could feel them going haywire, her cheeks feeling warm as the corners of her lips lifted up in a soft smile.
"I-I do." She stutters out, her cheeks only blushing redder. "I was just â I guess I was worried that you wouldn't like me like tha-"
But Nova couldn't quite finish her sentence. Because in the next moment she felt Derek shift even closer to her, lift his fingers to her chin to turn her head towards himself and planted his lips on hers, softly.
Nova stilled for just a second before closing her eyes and feeling the softness of the kiss.
But Derek pulled away only a few seconds later.
"I thought you were supposed to be smart Ms. Newton," he whispered against her lips, his face still very close to her. Nova went a little cross-eyed as she lifted her gaze from his full, pink lips and up to his beautiful blue eyes. They were shining.
And Nova couldn't help look at him and try to take in as much of his beauty as she could. The way his lips were so beautifully pink and he had this glint in his eyes that almost made him look ethereal. And to think he was looking at her with that look on his face!
Nova smiled, despite herself, her stomach doing all kinds of flips as she closed her eyes once more and pressed her lips against his, this time initiating the kiss herself.
She felt her breath leave her lungs as Derek pressed into her, his soft lips tingling hers as he pulled back for just a moment to press them more firmly against hers. Nova brought her hand up and settled it on the nape of his neck for better access and tilted her neck a little sideways, indulging in the little dance that their lips did. She felt the kiss on her lips even after Derek pulled back a little â just a little, his forehead still pressed against hers, his hot breath still fanning on her face.
"Of course I feel for you." He whispered in the space between their mouths. "So much. I'm surprised you even had any doubts in the first place. When even Penton could see it."
Nova's eyes widened at that and she pulled away, shocked. "What?" She almost screeched, the burning in her cheeks only getting worse.
"Yes," he sighed, shifting his chair now completely beside her, taking her hand that had been on his nape into his hand, rubbing circles on the back of her palm with his thumb.
"He'd confronted me about how I behaved 'odd' the other day. I simply told him it was because- well, he just somehow decoded that I have feelings for you and then he asked if you, well, if you knew." Nova couldn't believe her eyes, nor her ears. She couldn't believe she got to witness Derek in a flustered state â how he lifted his free hand over to his neck to starch on the back a little, how he stumbled in his speech. It made her feel so warm. Because this was confirmation â confirmation that Derek felt the same way, that she affected him the same way he affected her. And if it made her feel the least bit giddy then no one needed to know.
"Anyways then," He continued, waving his free hand in front of them airily, as if brushing the embarrassment away. "When he realised that we didn't exactly profuse our feelings, he got a bit mad and started acting petty."
Nova was stunned after hearing that. "So-" she started, remembering the mentioned man's odd behavior prior in the day. "That was what it was about today in the meeting as well?" She asked.
Sighing, Derek said 'yes,' and Nova didn't try to contain the laugh that bubbled up her chest.
"You've had a good mentor," she comments after stopping, a smile still on her face, her head resting on Derek's shoulder as the new position allowed her to do so.
"Eh," she heard him. "Not so sure 'bout that." Nova chuckled again at that and she could feel his fond smile on his lips as he bent down to kiss her on the head.
"Keep in touch with him," she muttered then, meaning it. "Always." And she meant it because she knew that Penton was the one Derek had ever since he moved to London, ever since he was a kid. She didn't know much about his parents, he never really talked about them but she knew they cared for him. Which is why Nova never pried about it because she'd seen firsthand how Derek was with people who cared about him openly. Sure, he was making progress with Nova, but she knew she still had to go on his pace, and she had no qualms about that whatsoever. She knew he had feelings for her, genuine feelings, and right now, that was enough â more than enough. Because she knew it in her bones that they would only be going forward from here on out. And that was everything â on the road to everything.
"Hm," Derek's humming brought her back to the present and she lifted her head off his shoulder to look at him properly. "Not sure I have any other option seeing as if I don't, he'll come barging in any time he pleases."
"Derek." Nova warned playfully, still smiling, her cheeks almost starting to hurt.
But it was all worth it, she decided when she saw Derek grin, her heart dropped in her chest before levitating, soaring high up.
"I'm only kidding, darling." He said through the grin, his teeth all white and perfect, and then he dipped his head to kiss her once again. His lips parted a little to fit her own bottom one between his, promptly stealing any and all air that might have been left out in her chest. He nibbled on her lips and that's when Nova gasped, looking for more air now, begrudgingly.
"Darling." Nova repeated, pulling back after a few moments â her heart still soaring, her lips still tingling, and she could tell they were a little swollen now. "I like the sound of that."
Derek smiled against her lips, his eyes twinkling.
"Yeah," he agreed. "Me too."
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A/N:
HERE IS THE LAST CHAPTER YOU GUYS!!! YES YOU READ THAT RIGHT THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER I'M SO AKSNSJNSSJSJ I WILL CRY IT'S FINALLY HERE I'M- T_T
I was thinking about what to do with the ending note but seeing as there's still an epilogue left (that's right) I'm thinking maybe I'll include it there if not create a new chapter itself dedicated to the ending author's note but we shall see!
What were your thoughts about the last chapter, though? I'd love to hear from you!! Thank you guys, I can't believe it's going to end but ajskdndj
Alright I'll go, bye. Don't forget to read, comment, vote, add, share, follow and enjoy!!
See you soon (hopefully)!
-Z.