Complicated Bliss

Chapter 7

Mabel felt her heart spring into her throat when she noticed Derek standing directly in front of her, staring at her.

“Oh my God!” she shouted, crossing her arms over her chest to cover her breasts. "Why are you in this place?" She snatched up the duvet and wrapped it around her body to cover up her nakedness.

Derek watched her motions with his gaze. Noticing her firm grip on the duvet, he said, "Why are you covering up so quickly? You don’t need to hide from me. I’ve seen you like this before. You know I’ve seen enough of you.”

Mabel shot back, "Derek, this is not right. We are done."

"I have missed you, Mabel." He whispered softly as he stepped closer to her and continued to stare.

He extended his arm to plant a kiss on her lips, but Mabel averted her gaze. She firmly said, "Stop, Derek," and moved away from him. "You can't keep doing this."

"Why not?" Derek questioned, his voice full of annoyance. "Do you no longer want me?"

Mabel shook her head, "Everything we had perished the day you cheated on me. You made the choice to let me go, Derek. You broke up with me, remember?”

Derek looked down, regret darkening his expression. "I acknowledge my mistake, Mabel. I am aware that I hurt you. I still love you, though.

"Stop it, Derek," she screamed, raising her voice once more. "This isn't fair to me."

Derek did not give up, though. His heartbeat quickened with eagerness as he took a step closer.

Mabel rolled back onto the bed, feeling her own heart quicken. She still harbored feelings for Derek in spite of everything he had done.

Though he sensed her reluctance, Derek was unfazed. With his eyes fixed on hers at all times, he drew even closer and stroked a lock of hair out of her face.

Mabel felt his fingers on her flesh, and her heart skipped a beat. She desired to withdraw, to tell him to stop, but she could not seem to find the right words.

"Are you afraid?" With a deep, silky voice, Derek questioned. "Are you afraid that I will not be able to stop you?"

Mabel's breathing became more labored and her eyes grew wide. "No, I'm not afraid. All I want is for us to avoid making a mistake."

Her voice wavered, and Derek chuckled softly, stepping even closer, his gaze burning with a mix of longing and desperation. “Regret? Mabel, how could we regret something that felt so right? We were good together, and you know it.”

"Good?" she yelled back, clutching the duvet more tightly. "Do you refer to what we had as that? Derek, it ended the instant you turned on me. You broke my heart.”

With a sigh and a hand over his hair, Derek expressed his frustration. "Okay, I made a mistake. I’ve apologized a hundred times. But you can’t just erase what we had, it was real, and strong."

Mabel averted her gaze, flashbacks of their romance flitting across her thoughts. She said, her throat tightened, "That does not change the fact that you slept with someone else."

"Maya didn't mean anything to me!" Derek cried out, a desperate tone growing in his voice. "I was careless and foolish. However, I have changed. I'm no longer the same guy.

Mabel whirled back to him, her eyes flaming. "That is the issue, Derek. I can not act as though it never happened. You wounded me. You ruined me!"

Derek took a step toward her and lowered his voice to beg. "I have hated myself every day for it, and I know it. But suppose this is our second opportunity? What if we're meant to be together?"

Mabel shook her head, feeling a whirlwind of emotions. "You can not simply enter my life again and hope that things will return to normal."

Derek leaned in until his face was inches from hers and said softly, "I am not asking for anything to go back. I am requesting another opportunity. One chance to prove to you my changed self. To express my continued love for you."

Mabel squeezed her eyes shut, fighting the tornado of emotions gathering inside her. She said in a hushed tone, more to herself than to Derek, "It is not that simple, Derek."

It can be,” he murmured, his hand brushing against her arm, sending an involuntary shiver through her. “Just give me a chance, Mabel. Let me prove to you that we still have something worth saving.”

Torn by the storm raging within her, Mabel opened her eyes and met his gaze. She responded, "I can't," but her tone lacked conviction.

Derek drew in closer, his breath warm on her skin. "You can. You simply do not want to acknowledge it."

With a trembling breath, she attempted to center herself while his words replayed in her head. Her fingers became white as she tightened her grip on the duvet. "It is unfair, Derek, to both of us. You cannot simply turn up and pretend as though nothing is wrong."

Derek put his hand on hers and added, "I am not asking for it to be fine right immediately." Though his touch was tentative and soft, she could not help but peek into his intense eyes. "I am requesting an opportunity to set things right."

Mabel murmured, "You had your chance," her voice breaking as tears filled her eyes. "And you made it worse. This cannot be resolved by you using some nice phrases."

Derek's eyes flickered with rage as he clenched his jaw. "But it goes beyond that, Mabel. You know it is. We were on to something. You were in love with me. Are you suggesting that you can simply turn a blind eye to all of it?"

Before Mabel could respond, Derek leaned in, pressing his lips to hers, silencing any protest she might have made.

Suddenly, the door was pushed open.