𝐱𝐯.

One of the best parts about the NBA playoffs for Faith was that she didn't have to work, at least this time around. Since she was still new to her working environment, ESPN had assigned someone with more seniority to cover the games for as long as the Celtics were in it, and for that she was grateful. It would be relaxing to simply just observe and enjoy things from a fan's perspective without needing to analyze every moment and play as it happened.

Of course, another upside was that she and Chris' schedules were now more closely aligned. Not having to agonize over scheduling conflicts to see when they could spend time together was a relief. And now that the drama with Carly was behind them, Faith was looking forward to gaining some semblance of normalcy back into their personal lives.

But, as she and Chris would soon find out, that would be easier said than done.

A couple of weeks after her birthday, Faith, Cass, and Hope were nearing the end of their first girls' night out in years. They'd started with mini golfing, ate at one of their favorite Mexican restaurants and were ending things with a nightcap at a local bar downtown near the waterfront district.

"I think I'm finished," Faith exclaimed, having just finished her third margarita. Her social battery was starting to dwindle, though the company made it easier to navigate.

"Already? It's not even midnight!" Cass practically yelled as she downed another shot.

Hope, who was in a bad mood because she was their designated driver and therefore couldn't drink, rolled her eyes as she checked her phone. "Girl, it's almost 3am..."

Faith giggled. "Cass, slow down. They're not running out of alcohol."

"Fine..." Cass whined with more syllables than necessary. "Do you really want to go now?"

"Yes, I do. It's super late and I wanna get some rest." She checked her phone once it buzzed and saw a message from Chris asking if everyone was good. She quickly typed out a response and hit send.

Cass sighed and plopped back down in her seat. "Party pooper."

"Give her a break," Hope said, nudging her sister's shoulder. "She's just anxious to get back because she's got a movie star boyfriend waiting for her at home."

"With open arms and open legs," Cass added, earning a high five from Hope.

All Faith could do was shake her head, though she was sure that the embarrassed expression on her face gave her away. "Shut up, that is not the reason. Can't a girl just be tired?"

"Oh, you can," Cass answered nonchalantly. "I'd be tired too if I was getting my back blown out by Captain America every night."

That earned another round of laughter from them, making Faith roll her eyes playfully. "Y'all are goofy as hell."

"Hey, did we lie though?" Hope said with a raise of her eyebrows.

"I don't kiss and tell." She responded, to which they started booing her. Laughing, Faith paid their tabs and then grabbed her purse, swinging it over her shoulder. "This was fun, y'all. I'm gonna go to the bathroom and then we can leave."

Hope nodded, making the move to stand. Cass followed suit, although with a noticeable wobble in her step. "Okay. We'll meet you outside. This one's gonna need some help getting in the car."

As the girls went in opposite directions, Faith couldn't help but feel a small twinge of guilt in her chest. She felt bad for ever having suspected either of them of being the leak. She would've been devastated if it'd been Cass, and even more so if it'd been Hope. So, she could only imagine the sense of betrayal Chris was still feeling because of Carly.

They hadn't talked about it much since he'd first broken the news to her—not for lack of trying on Faith's part, though. But they'd always been the type of couple who could discern when the other didn't feel like sharing something. Whenever Chris was ready to talk with her more about it, Faith knew that he wouldn't hesitate.

The line for the bathroom was long, and after a couple of minutes had ticked by, Faith figured it would be easier to just go home and do her business there instead of continuing to wait. Weaving past people as she headed for the exit, Faith accidentally bumped into someone and dropped her phone. The person picked it up before she could reach down and grab it. "Sorry. There you go."

Faith stood back up and then froze as the man's voice hit her ears. It was like time had stopped.

Derek. The man who'd made her life a living hell. Right there in front of her, staring at her as though he didn't recognize her. But she knew he did. He had to.

Forcing herself to act, Faith snatched the phone out of his hands and shoved it back into a random pocket of her purse. There was no reason to say anything, not even a thank-you—he wasn't worth it.

She'd just barely made it to the door when she felt a hand on her upper arm yank her back. Faith turned and started swinging at him with her purse, not caring who saw or heard. "Let go of me! Don't touch me!"

Derek obliged her demand, if only perhaps to get onlookers to stop glancing in their direction. "Calm down, Faith. I can't even get a 'hello'?"

"No, you can't. Stay away from me, Derek. I swear to God." Faith practically bolted outside at that point, where Hope and Cass were parked curbside. Hope rolled down the window and yelled out: "What's going on?"

Faith could only muster a gesture over her shoulder at Derek, who'd stormed out after her. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to calm her nerves, and not let his presence get the best of her. Even though years had passed since they'd last seen each other, the mere touch of him on her skin made her feel physically ill.

Deep breaths, Faith. In and out.

Hope got out of the driver's seat and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You okay?"

Faith nodded wordlessly. Chris' words came back to her mind in that moment, and it brought her the calm she sought: Even when you think he's still got some part of you, remember where you are right now and how far you got without him. "I just want to go home."

"Okay. Give me a second," In a flash, Hope walked over to Derek and got in his face. "Stay the hell away from my sister, Derek. Don't talk to her, don't touch her, don't even look in her direction. Do I make myself clear?"

Derek held up his hands in mock surrender, voice raised and clearly ticked off. "I ain't even do anything! She bumped into me in there, and I just–"

Hope clapped out every word as she cut him off. "Do I make myself clear, nigga? Stay away from her or I will send you to prison. Go home!"

By now a few spectators had gathered, some trying to break things up and others filming with their phones. Without waiting for a response, Hope took Faith's hand and they got into the vehicle, speeding off into the night.

• • • •

Chris made a habit of waking up early, and he'd been doing so more recently to make some headway with his screenplay. It'd been smooth sailing so far, with minimal interruptions—except for the call that was coming in from Faith a few minutes after he'd taken a seat at his desk and set down his coffee. There wasn't anything wrong with her calling, of course, but Chris assumed that being out with the girls last night would give her reason to sleep in.

He turned on his AirPods and picked it up. "Hey, beautiful." He glanced at the wall clock across the room. It was a quarter past 6:00. "You're up kinda early, aren't you?"

"I guess, but then again I barely slept once I got home."

"Oh, no. Things didn't go so well?"

"Things were going great the entire evening until Derek showed up. I'm sorry I didn't let you know about it until now, but I was completely drained."

Concerned, Chris sat forward in his seat, project momentarily forgotten. "Are you kidding me? What happened, what did he say?"

"I only saw him because we accidentally bumped into each other. He tried talking to me twice and then he grabbed my arm, but I started whacking him with my purse until he let go."

Chris chuckled. "That's my girl."

"I knew you'd be proud. Anyway, we made it outside and Hope set him straight. It pissed me off more than anything that of all the places he could've been, it was where I happened to be."

"Yeah, I can only imagine. But you're okay, though? He didn't hurt you or anything?"

"No, thankfully."

"Good. I'm sure it was nerve-wracking, seeing him again. If you want to talk more about it, we can do lunch later."

"Yes, to lunch, but no to talking about it again. I'm fine, I promise. I honestly want to forget it even happened."

He knew her well enough to know it was still bothering her. "Are you sure, babe? Because it sounds like maybe–"

"Christopher."

"Okay, sorry. You know how I am. I just want you to be happy."

"Yes, my love, I'm fully aware of how you are. And it's deeply appreciated. Text me later for where we're going to eat, okay? I'm gonna try and get some rest."

"Alright, sounds good. See you then."

Later that afternoon as promised, Chris and Faith sat across from each other at a small corner café in the waterfront district. Spring's warmth hadn't yet fully arrived in Boston, and so they'd both opted for the soup of the day. They'd been making small talk here and there, but mostly just enjoying each other's company.

"Alright, so..." Chris set down his spoon, dabbing at the corners of his mouth with a napkin. "I have two things I want to talk to you about."

Faith raised her eyebrows. "Two? Uh-oh. Is one of them about he who shall not be named?"

"No, nothing like that. These are more like...major life shift type of things."

She took a casual sip of her green tea. "Should I be worried? You're not sick of me already, are you?"

Chris reached across the table and squeezed her hand. "Never. Okay, let me break it down that way I won't scare you to death. The first is something personal with me, the second is about us."

Faith let out a soft chuckle. "That lessened my anxiety a tad. Go ahead."

"Okay, so ever since I directed my first movie back in 2014, I've always wanted to get behind the camera more. So, for the last few months or so...I've been working on my first feature screenplay."

Her eyes lit up with excitement. "Really? That's amazing, babe. What's it about?"

Cheeks flushed, Chris rubbed the back of his neck. "It's a romantic drama. I know I'm a sap, but it's set in the eighties, and I really like the storyline."

"That sounds incredible. How far have you gotten?"

"I'm nearing the end, actually. Right now, it's just about fine-tuning things and making sure all the plot points connect." He let out a soft sigh. "You're the first person that knows about it, actually."

"I'm honored that you'd trust me with something so personal to you," She replied with a small smile.

His eyes softened. "You shouldn't be so surprised, you know. You mean a lot to me."

"Really? I had no idea."

"Very funny. However, that does lead me into the second thing I want to tell you. Well, more so ask you..." He reached into his shirt pocket to retrieve something, then opened Faith's hand and pressed the item into her palm.

Brows furrowed, she examined it closely. "A key?"

Chris nodded. "Our schedules are always keeping us busy, and nine times out of ten whenever we do a night in, it's at my place. So, I was thinking maybe...maybe you'd want to move in with me."

He'd said it. There was no going back now. Chris's nervousness was at an all time high as he waited for her to reply. Was it too soon? Was she not ready for that sort of commitment yet? Maybe he'd misread things, maybe...

Without warning, Faith leaned across the table and kissed him gently. When she pulled away, the smile that he loved so much was on her lips. "Yes, but on one condition. You're going to help me pack."

Chris kissed her again before she retook her seat. "It's a deal."

• • • •

Derek was pissed off.

It was bad enough that Faith wouldn't talk to him the other night, but Hope wounding his ego and some people catching it on video was humiliating to the umpteenth degree. Even when he and Faith were together, Hope was always on his case about one thing or the other. That was a shame, too, because if Faith at the time hadn't been so insecure, Derek could've easily bagged Hope instead.

Oh, well. That was in the past. And now, it was time to focus on the future.

Nothing was more important to him than getting Faith back.

• • • •

sorry this took so long!! i love u all sm, we're so close to 20k ahhh <3

alsooo, what y'all think derek is gonna do?! drop some theories!!