Incest/Taboo Big Cousin Obsession

SARAH

'No! No!'

The scream echoed throughout the entire open space. Sarah was standing upright on the sofa, every muscle in her body flexed. She heard the frantic beats of her heart on her ears, much louder than she should be. Drops of cold sweat were dripping down her face, chest and back, drenching her.

'Fuck...' Sarah muttered much more quietly. 'Dream. Just a fucking dream. Just a fucking nightmare!' She continued reassuring herself, closing her eyes, and trying to steady her breathing.

When she felt good enough to get up, Sarah put her legs down on the floor, opening her eyes. The big windows that overlooked the city let in a great amount of light, so she had to let her eyes adjust carefully. Her head hurt badly, and she suspected she would have a migraine for the rest of the day. She occasionally had some really intense ones, and they were awful.

The practicalities of dealing with an impending migraine forced her to rise up and go into the kitchen to search for aspirin. Gulping down the pill with some water, Sarah decided she needed a shower. When she got to the bathroom and looked in the mirror she was almost scared stiff by her own reflection.

Although she hadn't put on much make up the night before, what little of it had been placed was now completely smudged across her face. Her eyes were also red from crying, and her lipstick had found its way away from her lips and made streaks towards her chin. The black dress she loved was a mess as well, no longer smooth, but filled with creases from having slept in it.

Sighing, the brunette removed the dress and set up the water before going into the shower. For quite a while, she didn't bother to soap up, just letting the water fall on her. Without warning, the image of her kissing Derek the previous night returned, and unconsciously she ran her fingers through her lips, remembering the incredible sensation.

I was so nervous. She recalled.

Sarah had spent such a boring and miserable time in Germany. She'd tried to go on a few dates, but found the few blokes who she went out with to not be even remotely good enough. Derek had been her best friend for years, caring, funny, kind. He set the bar too high.

And then he revealed himself to be an incredible lover. Passionate, strong, willing to sweep her off her feet when the moment came, but also respectful, never trying to dominate her.

How did she not realise that she was in love with him sooner? He'd quietly crept under her skin for years without her realising it. Even her impulsive decision to kiss him on the couch that night after his swimming competition seemed much more than that, looking back. It wasn't just lust, she realised now. She had fallen for him. Derek, though, had loved her almost from day one, and had for years after that. Had he lost patience with her, though? Had he gotten fed up of waiting for her?

It certainly seemed so, Sarah thought dismayed.

What are you waiting for, then? Derek's words had filled her heart to the brim with happiness, and there had been no holding back when Sarah kissed him. God, it was heavenly. Her arms around his neck, his responding lips and the feeling of his strong arms pulling her to him.

The sweet memory turned sour in Sarah's mouth as the water continued to cascade on her head.

He'd just frozen suddenly, and pulled her away. Opening her eyes, Sarah noticed his eyes were closed, and his jaw was clenched, as if he was fighting some unknown internal struggle.

'Der, what's the matter?' she asked.

He swallowed dry before replying.

'I can't do this.'

'Why?'

'I... I just can't.'

She softly used her hands on the sides of his face, forcing him to open his eyes and look down at her.

'Derek, please.' Sarah whispered. 'Talk to me.'

Grabbing her hands, he pulled away, walking towards the windows, not looking at her. Sarah felt she'd almost preferred a slap in the face.

'I... You...' He began a few times, attempting to find the right words. 'You can't just show up after months and expect me to just follow back to the way things were, as if I'm some long lost puppy! That's not how it works!'

There was something very odd about his outburst that Sarah couldn't quite place.

'Derek,' Sarah said, surprising herself with the determination in her voice. 'I know that I have hurt you in ways I can't even begin to imagine, but that's not why you have stopped kissing me. If that anger and pain were enough to make you stop loving me, you wouldn't have kissed me just now!' She felt her voice crack on the last word.

His face appeared to be taken over once more by the internal struggle of a few seconds before.

She continued: 'Please, just tell me-'

'I'm with someone.' Derek blurted out.

Sarah felt the air leave her lungs, as if she'd just been punched in her stomach. Her mouth fell open with shock.

'I'm seeing someone right now. And I... I can't do this.' He ran his hands through his hair in desperation. 'I... I gotta go!'

With that he made his way clumsily towards the door, leaving Sarah standing in the same spot, her mouth still open. She tried to call him, but found that the words caught in her throat. As the door closed behind Derek, Sarah felt herself sob and curled into a ball on the couch, crying herself to sleep.

Back in the present, Sarah finished her shower and pushed the memory away, angrily removing a tear that made its way down her cheek.

'I've cried enough already!' She told herself aloud. 'Get a grip, Sarah!'

She dressed herself casually, just with jeans and a hoody, and quickly packed the discarded dress back into a small travel bag she'd brought with her. It would probably be best if she left quickly, since Amanda would probably want to check how things had gone, and Sarah had no desire to speak to anyone for the time being.

As she neared her car in the small parking space she'd left it in, she knew what she was going to do next. Derek would probably be at work, so Sarah would wait until late afternoon before going to their apartment again. Lauren might be there, but that wouldn't be a problem if she talked to her first.

The likelihood of Derek rejecting her again was quite high, but she really didn't care at the moment.

Turning the car key, Sarah realised she was looking forward to driving for a while to force her brain to focus on something else.

She laughed humourlessly.

'Wow, I'm looking forward to driving, I really must be miserable!'

LAUREN

Unlocking the door to the apartment, Lauren stepped inside. Derek wasn't home. Where can he be? She was becoming increasingly worried. He hadn't come home at all the previous night, and judging by the look of the place, he hadn't been in her absence either.

She was exhausted, wanting nothing more than to go to sleep. She'd gotten less than 3 hours sleep the previous night, determined to be awake if Derek arrived.

I find myself in the group of women who don't like a cocky boyfriend. Lauren cringed. Why the fuck did I say that?

Worst of all, Amanda had appeared just before she could explain herself. But what would she have said? It was three months since she'd moved in, and three months since she'd lost her virginity to him. If anything, she loved him even more than she had then.

Lauren had told Derek the reason behind her desire for him to be her first. She trusted him completely, and so was sure he would make it good for her. And boy, had he been good... They made love most nights and continued to talk to each other in the carefree manner they always had.

They had been walking a tightrope, though, Lauren could see now. She knew Derek well enough to know that he wouldn't have been able to keep going on like this indefinitely. But it was too good to stop. And now he was avoiding her, she was sure.

Sitting down on the couch, Lauren tried to busy herself from her worries by reading a book, but found that she read the sentences without actually remembering what they were the next instant. When the lock turned, she almost jumped from the couch.

'Where have you been?' Lauren demanded angrily at the opening door. Only it wasn't Derek.

It was Sarah. She jumped at Lauren's shout, eyes wide.

'Germany.' Came the short girl's reply, a twitch of a smile playing her lips.

Despite her worry, Lauren couldn't help but laugh, accompanied shortly by Sarah. She closed the door.

'Sorry, I thought it was Derek.' Lauren explained.

'Yes, I could tell by the warmth in your voice.' Sarah mused, smiling.

Lauren liked her. She hadn't talked down to her the first time they spoke, even though she'd been 12 at the time. The feeling of embarrassment that she'd felt when meeting Derek's adult friends for the first time in one of his birthday dinners had been very quickly extinguished by the friendliness Sarah had shown her, seeming genuinely interested in what she had to say.

Obviously they hadn't met much more after that, but a few months before Derek had his swimming competition, they had spent the evening chatting. Lauren had guessed that Sarah wouldn't want to continue hanging out with her best friend's cousin, but surprisingly she'd discovered it had been Sarah to invite her to the trip to Portugal. It flattered her, for some reason.

Having teased her cousin about why he hadn't been the one to invite her, he'd simply said that he didn't want to force a family member along to a trip with his friends. Sarah asked me if I minded. I said I obviously did, but she still forced me into it... He'd smirked and Lauren had made a face.

The thought of Derek reminded her that Sarah was also the woman that had broken his heart, running from him afterwards. Lauren had also envied her for being the one who Derek wanted to sleep with. Now she was the one who got to do it. Well, maybe, if things weren't broken beyond repair. It was a weird situation, and Lauren didn't know exactly how to react.

'When did you come back?' she asked, trying to not seem weird.

'A couple of days ago, I've been with my parents.'

'If you want your room back just let me know...' Lauren instantly regretted saying it. No more torrid romps with Derek whenever she wanted.

'Oh, don't worry. Don't rush out because of me.' Sarah assured her. 'I take it by your effusive welcome that Derek isn't home yet?' She said "welcome" with an ironic tone.

Lauren couldn't help but smirk slightly. Damnit, why are you so likeable! Now that she thought of it, maybe that was what her cousin thought when she'd found him with a tear in his eye at the beach.

'No, he hasn't. I... He hasn't come home since last night, I'm a bit concerned. He had his swimming trial, and after the group dinner Amanda asked for a ride to that house in the hills that Felix has. Do you know it?'

'Oh, yes I know it.' She replied, blushing.

The blush gave Lauren the thought that, maybe, Derek and Sarah had spent a night (or more) in the amazing house before their break up. Envy reared its nasty head again, and when she continued she sounded a little colder, even to herself.

'Anyway, what brings you here?'

'I just wanted to talk to Derek about something.' Sarah replied. She seemed a bit embarrassed, which only made Lauren slightly more paranoid. 'And also I need to get a few things I left in the closet of my room. Well, your room. Would you mind if I...'

'No, go right ahead.'

An hour passed in which Sarah stayed in the room organizing a few books and other papers she'd left behind. Lauren occupied herself with dinner. There was another click near the door. This time she waited. It was Derek.

As he closed the door, he noticed Lauren. Without giving him time to think she grabbed hold of his arm and pushed him to the kitchen. He followed bewildered by her sudden control. Once inside she grabbed his face and kissed him hard. When the kiss broke she punched his chest.

'Ow!'

'Where the fuck have you been!' Lauren demanded, almost sibilating the words. She did it to avoid alerting Sarah, but Derek assumed it was to try to keep her fury with a lid on. Which it kind of was...

'I'm sorry.' He replied, with a similarly low tone. 'I should have said something-'

'You think?'

'I'm sorry. I needed time to think.'

Lauren felt her shoulders slump, her fury replaced by concern.

'Derek, there is nothing to think about! It was just a stupid thing I said, let's just forget about it. We can't ruin this because of something so dumb...'

'It's not just what happened last night, Lara. I've been thinking about this for a long time before. Last night was just the final step.'

'Final step?' Lauren could feel herself panic. 'I love you. Don't you care about me anymore?'

'Of course, I care about you!' he looked horrified, that she would think otherwise.

'Then, don't leave me.'

'Lara.' Their faces were close to one another, their matching eyes gazing directly at each other's. 'I can't continue to make love to you. We agreed to only do this as long as we both understood what the other wanted from this. And I don't think we do anymore.'

'Well, fuck the agreement!'

'Lauren...'

'I don't care about other people. I love you.'

Derek paused.

'You're not saying what I think you're saying anymore, are you?'

No, Der, I'm not...

'I don't want this to stop. Ever. It's too good to stop.'

'We can't be in a relationship, Lauren...' Derek said, his voice filled with sadness.

'Why not? We do everything together, we tell each other everything. We're not brothers, if we ever wanted kids-'

'You're thinking of practicalities?' he asked, wide-eyed.

'I'm thinking I found someone I want to be with bad enough to consider the practicalities.' Lauren replied.

'Lauren, I adore you. But I don't think of you in that way.'

She took a step back, looking down with her eyes closed. The conversation had been leading here, and she was expecting the blow but it still hurt her more than she could believe.

Following a sudden thought she whispered: 'What happened last night?'

Lauren heard Derek take a deep breath.

'Amanda wasn't actually intending to surprise Felix. Sarah is back and she did this together with Amanda to get me to meet her there. She told she was sorry and that she loved me. We kissed, but I broke it.'

'How fucking sweet of you. I'm touched!' Lauren reacted, her voice rising, full of contempt.

'That's not what I meant...' he said, closing his eyes, looking like a broken man.

She was determined not to feel sorry for him, though.

'Oh, I'm sorry!' She was shouting now. 'What did you mean? Was it: I made the huge sacrifice of not fucking the bitch that broke my heart so that I could tell my cousin "thanks for everything but I'm bored of fucking you"?!'

'That isn't even remotely what I thought, and you know it!' Derek shouted back, not bothering to try to calm her. 'That is not fair.'

'Fair? Then stop talking like this is a business contract reaching its end! I let you take my virginity! Well, "let you"... You seemed pretty willing at the time!' Lauren mused, as she took a step towards Derek, who looked at her perplexed. 'Just like when you had your tongue in my pussy' she continued, in a quieter tone, though still filled with fury. 'Or when I had my lips wrapped around your cock. Or the, who knows how many, times that you've cum inside me. Or last night, when I offered you my ass and you ravaged it.'

A sudden loud bang made them both jump and look at the direction where the noise came from.

It came from the kitchen door. There were scattered books all around it, having fallen from a cardboard box. A box that Sarah had been holding.

Her mouth was open, her face registering nothing but complete shock. She looked at the two of them, who didn't move or speak. At last she slipped away, and Lauren was sure she heard a sob.

'Sarah.' Derek called out. The only response was the opening of the door.

'I'm sorry.' Lauren felt compelled to say, whispering.

He looked at her with a strange look, as if he'd just realised something.

'You knew. You knew she was here, and you still shouted all of that...'

'I'm sorry.' She said again, barely able to get it out, as tears slowly crept down her face.

'If I have made you feel the way you just described, then I apologise from the bottom of my heart. But I never hurt you on purpose.' He accused.

Then he followed the same path Sarah had just taken, maybe to go after her, maybe to just get away from his cousin. The noise of the front door closing echoed around the house. A house Lauren was all alone in.

SARAH

The atmosphere in the room was icy chilled.

Sarah had been crashing at Kath's place since the night she'd stormed out of Derek's apartment. Despite the fact that she was also his friend, Kath had so far not told him where she was. Woman to woman solidarity seemed to remain strong so far. The problem could be Jack. He was practically living with her all the time now and could potentially say something to Derek. But he was all mellow with Kath, so the secret was still safe.

Until today.

For obvious reasons, Sarah couldn't explain to her friends that she didn't want to see Lauren, either. Not that she would be expecting a visit from her. Unfortunately that was exactly what she did. Apparently she had told Kath that she wanted to talk to her urgently about something important.

Kath had opened the door to Lauren, and invited her in, before claiming she had somewhere to go. She'd probably felt they would be discussing something private and decided to stay out of the way. She did give her a questioning glance before leaving, indicating she didn't understand what the two of them would have to discuss. If only you knew... Probably for the best that you don't.

So now Sarah and Lauren were face to face in the living room. Sarah couldn't help but scrutinize Derek's cousin. She had a very thin body figure, although it didn't look to be a product of a ridiculously healthy diet. Her face was pretty, even though it was a little chubbier than the rest of her body. The bulges of her chest were on the small side, but that just made them seem in harmony with her body. She could definitely understand the appeal she had to boys. Bitch!

'What do you want?' Sarah asked, not bothering with pleasantries.

Lauren made a sympathetic smile, which only served to annoy Sarah further.

'I just wanted to apologize.'

'For what? For fucking your own cousin or for screaming about it?'

A blush spread across Lauren's face and she looked down for a moment. But just as quickly she recovered herself.

'For screaming about it. For the fucking part I have nothing to apologize for.'

She had a defiant look when she said it, and Sarah felt herself boil with anger.

'You don't?' Sarah asked, suppressing her fury.

'You and Derek were broken up for months when I made a move on him. It's not my fault you rejected him when he told you he loved you.'

'I knew he could have met someone in the meantime. But I mean, you?!' she reinforced the last word. 'How does it come about, fucking your own cousin?'

'Is that why you're upset?'

'No.'

'No?' Lauren asked, surprised.

It wasn't, much to Sarah's own surprise when she'd first started to come to terms with her anger after running away from Derek.

'No.'

'Seriously?'

'Yeah, I mean, it's not that weird when you think about it. You and him were always close and you're both adults. A lot of cousins experiment with each other. Like, my first kiss was with my cousin, because we were both curious, so...'

'Wow...' Lauren's answer came after a while. She clearly hadn't anticipated the smaller girl to be so open minded about it. 'So, what are you upset about?'

'I left a couple of months after Derek told me that he loved me, that having sex for him wasn't bearable if we couldn't be a real couple. And when I return, he's having sex with you.'

'It's just sex.'

'No, it's not just sex. It's sex with you.'

'I thought you said you weren't upset about that...'

'When I say "you", I don't mean "you", his cousin, I mean "you" someone he clearly wouldn't be in just for the sex.' Sarah explained, feeling finally weirded out of saying these things whilst looking at Lauren. She went to the window and looked at the view as she continued. 'He adores you. If he was just in it to forget me, he would have gone for someone who meant nothing to him. Instead, he chose you.'

'I think you're thinking about it the wrong way.' Lauren said, quietly. 'You and I both know Derek doesn't really get excited about the idea of going out to meet random girls. I came onto him, and we agreed to just make it fun and casual as long as we weren't interested in anyone else. Guess you coming back means, that's over...' she muttered the final sentence.

Sarah almost heard the click inside her own head, as she finally understood something. She turned back to Lauren.

'You lied to him, didn't you? You don't just want a casual fuck from him, do you?'

'I didn't lie, per say. I thought I could be okay with the rules we set, but maybe deep down I knew I wouldn't be okay with just that in the long run.'

'You're in love with him.'

'Look, I don't need you to tell me it's wrong, okay?' Lauren reacted quickly. 'I know it's dumb and stupid, so whatever you're gonna tell me: save it!'

Another sudden realisation hit Sarah. She sat next to Lauren on the sofa she was in.

'Was he your first?' she whispered. The taller girl blushed scarlet and looked away. 'Oh, my God...'

This new information made her regard the girl next to her in a completely different way. A first lover was always unforgettable. For good and bad. Sarah's first time hadn't been anything to party over, so she got over the failure of that relationship quickly. For Lauren, though, she was sure it had been different.

Derek had probably been gentle, loving and concerned for her well being the whole time. Even if Lauren's crush on Derek hadn't been too big when this whole thing started (which Sarah doubted, considering the planning that had gone into it), she was definitely head over heels right now.

Placing her arm over Lauren's shoulders, Sarah gave her a reassuring squeeze. That was Lauren's undoing, letting her head fall on the older woman's shoulder, as the tears flowed.

'Damnit! Sorry.' She mumbled, clearing her tears with her hand angrily.

'Don't worry, it's okay.' Sarah replied, caressing Lauren's hair soothingly.

They stayed like that for a bit, as Sarah waited for Lauren to get a grip on herself again. When she felt that the younger girl had recovered herself enough, Sarah spoke.

'I know it's not the comforting words I should be saying right now, but I'm not going to give up on Derek.'

'I understand.' Lauren said, sitting upright again. 'Guess you weren't scared off yet, huh?' She added with a smile.

'Not yet.' The older girl smiled back, the previous anger replaced with pity.

'You weren't just bluffing the other night, were you?'

'No, I really do love him.'

'So that's me done, then...'

'I was with him one night when I told Derek I loved him, and he went away. I don't know where he stands anymore...' Sarah muttered, as if to herself.

'Less than a day after you confessed your love for him, he told me he wanted us to stop having sex. I'd say it's pretty clear where he stands!'

Feeling selfish, Sarah couldn't help but being hopeful on it. She was surprised at not being upset with Derek over what had happened. The truth was that Lauren was right. She'd shoved down his romantic proposal and it had been months before he made a move at anyone else. And it was also now clear that even though he loved Lauren, he wasn't in love with her.

But did that mean he was in love with her? Unlike Lauren, Sarah didn't share her view that it was so obvious. She would have to find out.

SARAH

The swimming pool was almost completely still, with only three lanes occupied, each with one person. Outside there were grey clouds, as an annoying drizzle that barely qualified as rain came down.

As she stood behind the railing that separated the pool from the seats, Sarah waited for Derek to finish. He didn't usually come this early to swim, and she had just gone to the pool to find out when his instructor gave lessons, when, by accident, she noticed him there.

She didn't have to wait too long for his lesson to finish. As the morning instructor whistled the end of the lesson, the three figures stopped one at a time near the end of the lanes. They started stepping out, and Sarah identified Derek as the one on the far left.

He was holding his goggles and cap on his hand, as he slicked his wet hair back. Sarah noticed she was biting her lip, as she admired him. Although he didn't have a ripped body, his muscles seemed more protuberant after the exercise they'd just endured, which, coupled with the water dripping down his body, was giving him a very yummy look.

It was not the first time, as well, that Sarah noticed how serene he looked after taking a swim. Derek had told her once that he sometimes lost track of how many laps he was on in the long runs, because his mind would start to wander away, disconnecting from any problems he would have in that moment.

Although she wasn't so sure about it when he told her she should try it, Sarah did find his enthusiasm when speaking about anything even remotely related to swimming to be quite attractive.

Derek saw her at a distance. She could tell that because his expression instantly changed, from carefree and joyful to surprised and worried. He made his way quickly to her, nearly slipping along the way.

'Hey.' Sarah greeted with a smile that she hoped would be reassuring.

'I am so sorry about what happened. Are you okay?'

'I'm fine-

'You're probably so angry at me right now. And there is no reasonable explanation.' he rambled on.

'Der-'

'I was worried about what you would be thinking all this time alone, and I tried to find out where you are. But then I thought you'd want some time al-'

Sarah grabbed his hand gently.

'Derek, look at me.' She smiled softly again. 'I'm not freaking out, I'm completely calm.'

'How?' He finally asked after what seemed like an eternity.

'I've had my time to process it.'

'And you're okay with it?'

'I'm pretty fucking far from okay, if I'm honest. But getting there...'

'Well, where do we even go from here?'

Sarah thought about it for a moment.

'How did it start?' She managed.

'How did what start?' Derek asked.

'Are you telling me you seriously can't figure it out...'

'Sarah...'

'You asked for a conversation starter.' She shrugged.

Derek sighed, before starting.

'It was a couple of months since you'd left when I got a call from Lauren. She thought I looked depressed and asked to move in because of a new job, and since you weren't going to be around for a while I didn't see much problem in her using the empty room.'

'Okay...'

'And, the first night of her moving in, we just decided to have dinner together, and when we were going to go to sleep, we just...'

'She made the first move, didn't she?'

'Look, Sarah...'

'I'm not throwing her under the bus!' Sarah said, understanding his problem. 'In fact, I... I had a talk with her.'

Derek looked somewhere between afraid and confused.

'Talk with her? What do you mean you talked with her?' He asked.

'I've been staying at Kath's place for the last couple of days.'

'Godamnit, I asked her!' Derek said, angrily.

'Don't be mad at her, please. I told her not to say anything...' Sarah replied, not wanting to create a divide between Kath and Derek. 'I wanted some time alone to think about things.'

'Then, how did Lauren know where to find you?'

'I didn't explain to anyone why I didn't want to see you, so when Lauren came asking for me, Kath didn't see why I wouldn't want to see her.'

He shifted his bent position over the railing slightly.

'What did you talk about?'

'Just... about this whole thing. And what she felt about his.' She bit her lip. 'She's in love with you, you know that?'

Derek looked down with a sigh.

'I know.'

'Do you feel the same way?' Sarah asked the question she'd been dreading.

'She's my cousin and I adore her, but I'm not in love with her, no.' He said, looking at her.

Although she knew it didn't exactly make her a good person, Sarah couldn't help but feel relieved at him confirming what she suspected after the talk with Lauren. Silence established itself between them for a moment, as neither of them really knew where to go from there.

'I probably should beat around the bush a bit more.' Sarah said after a bit. 'But it's been a couple of days of imagining worst case scenarios in my head, so here goes.' She took a deep breath. 'Before you disappeared that night at Felix's place, you kissed me back. Was it because you wanted to talk to your cousin first?'

'Yes.'

'Was that the only reason?'

Taking a moment to understand what made Sarah ask that question, Derek appeared to understand the implicit question he would be answering. Do you still love me? He appeared to be completely taken aback by the fact that not only was she not freaking out, she still wanted to be with him.

'Well,' he started, as he got himself back together. 'I've talked with her already.'

'Okay... Doesn't really ans-'

Before she could finish, Derek kissed her. She felt his hands on the sides of her face, keeping her in place. Just like at Felix's house, it was incredible. All the men Sarah had ever kissed always seemed to her to be too eager, too rough. Not him. He managed to be firm, yet gentle, somehow.

Before she had time to wrap her arms around him, Derek finally broke away softly.

'Yes, that was the only reason I stopped.' He said, caressing the sides of her face tenderly.

Sarah closed her eyes and pressed her forehead to Derek's.

'So, what now?'

'What do you mean?'

'It feels strange to just go back to the way things were.'

'I know what you mean.' He replied, removing his hands, and resting his elbows on the barrier that separated them. 'How about this: we go on a date.'

'A date?' Sarah asked, amused.

'Yeah, we've never actually been on one, coming to think of it. How will we know if we'd be at all good as a couple?' Derek smiled back.

'Yes, certainly the 11 years we've known each other, don't count for much.'

'Exactly.'

She thought it over in her head. A date. It did sound fun.

'Okay. When are we going to have our first date?'

'I'll pick you up at Kath's place, at 7?'

'Deal. Now, seriously, you should go, you're freezing.' Sarah told him, as her cheeks had turned very cold when he'd held her.

He gave her a quick peck on the lips, before starting to go the changing room, when Sarah remembered something.

'Der.'

'Yeah...' He turned back, looking slightly worried.

'I kind of like Lauren, so just... Don't be upset at her for what happened at our place, and don't hurt her feelings.'

'I'm not upset. And I won't, don't worry.'​