L A Y L A ' S   P O V

For the third time this week I wake up to a cold, empty bed. It's only Wednesday.

Lately Derek has gotten into a habit I'm not so fond of, slipping out of bed before I wake up. Don't ask me why because I've been asking myself the same question.

This wouldn't be so alarming if I haven't woke up to him cuddling me every single morning for the past couple of months but a few days ago it was like a switch flipped and he'd rather spend the morning downstairs alone, doing god knows what, than in bed cozy with me.

You might think aw cute he's probably downstairs making her breakfast. Nope. When I get up he's usually just lounging around on the couch on his phone or watching tv.

I wouldn't be so concerned if we had had a fight or something, but we didn't. Nothing happened between us to warrant this change. He hasn't even said anything directly, but he's been acting weird and distant this week and I'm trusting my gut that something is up.

We have work soon and I can't stay in this empty bed any longer so I throw on his sweatshirt and my slippers and get out of bed. I see him the second I start heading down the stairs. Derek's dressed and ready for work, standing looking out the front window, talking down the phone with someone.

"I booked the room," He says. "Yeah, I'm going to put it in the—"

My stomach churns. He got a room to put what in where? The stairs creek beneath my feet and Derek's head whips around to see me standing here and he quickly lowers his voice and whispers a hushed goodbye.

"Morning," Slipping his phone back into his pocket, Derek brushes past me towards the kitchen. I don't even react when he kisses my lips as he passes me.

"Who was that?"

"Spencer," He says dismissively, spilling some quick story about his birthday coming up and a guys trip they're planning. He turns his back to me and pulls open the fridge. "Want some breakfast?"

My skin is crawling with the urge to check if he's lying, but I push it away. I won't check his phone. I never have and never will. But what if—no. I trust him.

Despite the fact I told him I wasn't hungry, Derek still makes me some toast but all I do is push it around the plate as he eats his and we sit in silence.

The silence only leaves me time to wonder what in him changed in the past week.

Is he regretting having me move in? I know it was fast and in the grand scheme of things we haven't been dating all that long, but he was the one to quite literally carry me over his shoulder and told me I was never leaving. I haven't asked the question because I'm scared for the answer. What if the answer is yes? Then what do I do? I hate this feeling. I feel like I'm walking on eggshells around him waiting for the other shoe to drop.

I push my plate away and pick up my phone. I flick through my emails and when I see my upcoming appointment confirmation, I set my phone back down.

"My IUD appointment is on Friday." I say, cutting through the silence. "I need you to drive me."

Derek nods. "Okay, that's—Wait. This Friday?"

"Yes," I say skeptically, wondering now why he's looking at me like I have three heads. "Is that okay?"

Derek tries to hide his wince by wiping at his mouth. "Can you change the appointment?"

I've been putting this off for so long and it was hard enough to get the appointment I did get so I'd rather just get it over with. "Why?"

"I have plans." Derek says slowly, carefully.

My skeptical eyes narrow. "You have plans at 10am when you're meant to be in the office?"

Derek breaths a sigh of relief and all the tension lifts from his shoulders. "Oh, it's in the morning? That's okay. You'll be okay by that evening though, right?"

"No." The insertion itself is meant to be painful, and on top of that my doctor told me to take it easy after it's done because it's not uncommon to experience aches, bleeding and cramping for days after. I'm not excited about it at all. In fact, I'd rather not get it put in at all. "I'll be in bed all weekend."

With a curt nod, Derek gives me a tight lipped fake smile. "Great."

He never normally makes plans that he doesn't at least mention to me before hand, but that's on me for not checking. "Look, if you have plans I'll get someone else to drive me—"

"I don't have plans," Derek says in a clipped tone, dropping his empty plate into the sink with a clink. "Not anymore."

My restraint that has built up over the past few days is starting to unwind. "Why are you so pissed at me?"

He still hasn't spared me a glance. "I'm not pissed at you."

I resist a snort. "Very convincing. Hollywood know about you?"

Derek grits his teeth, rubbing the tension brewing between his brows. "Layla, my plans are off. I'll drive you to the appointment. Can we drop this whole thing now?"

The first thing I don't like? The tone he just used with me. The second? The fact that he looks like I just pissed on his parade when I'm doing him a favour. Right now the best form of birth control sounds like never having sex with him again.

"Let me get this straight.. you're mad that you have to drive me to an appointment to get a metal rod shoved up me just so you don't have to wear a condom?"

"No. That's not why I'm—ugh." He drags a frustrated hand down his face. "I can't talk to you about this."

"Well clearly because I couldn't even tell you what we're fighting about right now."

Another snarky response is on the tip of my tongue but I don't divulge because it will more than likely be something I'll regret when we're not in the heat of an argument. He's mad. I'm mad. This conversation isn't going to go anywhere but downhill so I'm putting a stop to it right now.

I take a calming breath when I glance at the clock. We're going to be late if we don't leave soon so I hop off the bar stool. "Can you feed the bunnies? Make sure they have enough water? I'm going to go get dressed."

I get dressed and ready in record time and when I'm back down stairs, Derek is waiting for me by the front door.

"What are you doing?" Derek asks, watching me grab my car keys off the hook.

"Taking my car." Derek always drives us to work but right now I think we need some space from each other to calm down.

"Layla."

I turn around to find Derek following me down the porch steps. "What?"

He levels me with a pointed stare. "I don't care how mad at me you are. Don't get into that car without kissing me goodbye."

Do I want to kiss him right now? Not particularly. Do I like the fact that he doesn't want us to walk away from each other on a bad note? Absolutely.

-

I'm not naive to the fact that I thought Derek and I were never going to fight, but it doesn't mean I have to like it.

Because I don't. Not one bit. I hate the space. I hate not talking to him. I hated every second of the drive alone to work. I hate the fact that we didn't go to lunch together today like we usually do every day.

I also hate the fact that it seems like every girl in this building today seems to have a sixth sense on when to swoop in because today I've watched Derek be pulled into more conversations with women around the office than I have in months.

It's just not realistic to expect him to never talk to any other women but am I crazy to wonder if he's slept with any of them? He's worked here for nearly a decade so it's highly possible. I try not to think about it because I'd really rather not know.

Our relationship is private, but not a secret. People know we're together but we don't feel the need to be glued together all day long to prove anything to anyone. Which is exactly why I'm not about to go over there and try to mark my territory, if he can't fend them off on his own then we have a bigger problem.

You know when you're a little bit pissed so absolutely everything else sets you off more? That's me right now.

I'm literally pissing myself off more with my overthinking in my own head when Derek hasn't done anything but what seems like making quick casual small talk when he's approached, then walks away within the first twenty seconds.

Derek's never given me a reason to not trust him and I'd never use his past against him, but you can't blame me for being a little apprehensive that he's suddenly changed for me. Why? There is absolutely nothing special or different about me, in fact, I don't know who he's been with before and I don't want to know, but there has to have been prettier, funnier— My pen falls from my hand in frustration before I drag it down my face when I realise I'm working myself up into a frenzy for absolutely no reason. We had a fight. We'll fix it. It will be okay.

I decide to distract myself from the deep seeded insecurities that I just discovered by gathering up my paperwork and taking it to Penelope's office for a change in scenery.

"Hey," Penelope's bright smile quickly turns to a frown when she sees the expression on my face. "What's wrong?"

Our relationship is also very private in the fact that I don't think it's right to discuss our personal problems with anyone else before we've sorted them ourselves so I keep my answer vague. "Derek and I are fighting."

Penelope's concerned frown deepens as she pulls out the extra chair beside her. "About what?"

I somehow manage a laugh. "I'll let you know when I find out."

Next thing I know there's a knock on Penelope's office door and Derek pops his head. When his eyes settle on me he nudges his head out towards the hall. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

Getting up out of my seat, I step out into the quiet hallway with him and close the door behind me.

"I'll be home late tonight," He says. "Spencer and I are going out for a few drinks."

I try to mask my sigh. I don't want this fight to go on any longer than it already has, but I know that Derek likes to get Spencer's advice sometimes and maybe that's what he needs right now.

Maybe he can get some clarity on whatever the problem is on his end by talking with Spencer so I nod. "Do you want me to wait up?"

Derek winces. "So you're mad at me, tired and grum—"

My glare shuts him right up. "Do you enjoy digging your own grave?"

Derek flashes me his brightest forgive me smile that's only semi working. "We'll talk in the morning," He cradles my face him his hands and kisses my lips. "Okay?" When I nod, he kisses me again. "I love you."

After I watch him and Spencer disappear into the elevator together I step back into Penelope's office. "Everything good?" She asks as I approach the desk.

"Don't know," I sigh, sinking back into my seat. "We're talking tomorrow."

Her skeptical eyes narrow. "He's staying out late?"

I shrug. "Seems like it."

"Then you're staying out later," Her mischievous grin grows as she swivels back and forth in her chair. "Did someone say girls night?"

-

A/N: hey! I apologise for not posting recently I had some personal stuff going on, I won't get into it but I'm back now and excited to get back into writing this story :)

Side note, I low-key love fighting chapters because I like to make the relationship parts of these stories as real as possible but also hate them because the second an oc says something wrong they are the worst in the world🤷‍♀️ aw well cant please them all lol