"Oh, wow," Derek says, looking both amused and impressed. "Now I get baked goods out of it? Why didn't I ask you out months ago?" he asks, grinning.
Because he was scared, is the actual answer. He doesn't like having feelings for people. He doesn't like feeling emotionally vulnerable like that and when he's with someone, he pours his whole self into her. That can be rewarding if she loves him back — like Paige — or it can be devastating if she means to lure him into a false sense of security — like Kate. Derek has no actual idea where Lucy stands on that spectrum. If he had to guess, he'd think closer to Paige's end of the spectrum, given not on par with it since they don't know one another well enough for her to love him. But then...he'd thought Kate and Jennifer had been at that end of the spectrum, too, and he'd been horribly wrong about that.
So the reason he hasn't asked her out until now is because he'd been waiting for himself to move on and forget her; stop stalking her favorite hot spots and stop thinking about her all the time. It just...never really happened and now here he is, for better or worse.
The rest of their dinner goes pretty well and Derek finds himself looking forward to some alone, quiet time with Lucy to get to know who is hiding behind the beautiful face and bubbly demeanor. He wants to know her. He wants to be with her. He wants this feeling to never be perverted or shatter. Most of all, he wants her to feel the same and he can't gauge whether she does until she knows a little more about him. Derek doesn't like sharing, but he doesn't mind sharing a little if it means forging a bond with another person. If there's one thing Derek craves above all else, it's companionship, no matter how much he might pretend otherwise.
"Where to?" he asks when they're in the car and he's got the engine running. He has no idea where they're going because he doesn't know this town and he doesn't know her. He knows the hotel and the bar and maybe a coffee shop or two. She'll have to guide him where they're meant to go next.
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Because he was scared, is the actual answer. He doesn't like having feelings for people. He doesn't like feeling emotionally vulnerable like that and when he's with someone, he pours his whole self into her. That can be rewarding if she loves him back — like Paige — or it can be devastating if she means to lure him into a false sense of security — like Kate. Derek has no actual idea where Lucy stands on that spectrum. If he had to guess, he'd think closer to Paige's end of the spectrum, given not on par with it since they don't know one another well enough for her to love him. But then...he'd thought Kate and Jennifer had been at that end of the spectrum, too, and he'd been horribly wrong about that.
So the reason he hasn't asked her out until now is because he'd been waiting for himself to move on and forget her; stop stalking her favorite hot spots and stop thinking about her all the time. It just...never really happened and now here he is, for better or worse.
The rest of their dinner goes pretty well and Derek finds himself looking forward to some alone, quiet time with Lucy to get to know who is hiding behind the beautiful face and bubbly demeanor. He wants to know her. He wants to be with her. He wants this feeling to never be perverted or shatter. Most of all, he wants her to feel the same and he can't gauge whether she does until she knows a little more about him. Derek doesn't like sharing, but he doesn't mind sharing a little if it means forging a bond with another person. If there's one thing Derek craves above all else, it's companionship, no matter how much he might pretend otherwise.
"Where to?" he asks when they're in the car and he's got the engine running. He has no idea where they're going because he doesn't know this town and he doesn't know her. He knows the hotel and the bar and maybe a coffee shop or two. She'll have to guide him where they're meant to go next.