Chapter 1544 He's Quite Pitiful All by Himself
Derek said, "Hey, don't stress. I won't just pop up at your door. I'll hang around near your place and spend Christmas Eve with you."
"Who said I wanted to spend Christmas Eve with you? I came back from Whisperlyn City to be with my parents," Laura snapped.
Laura was so ticked off she almost swore.
There was a pause on the other end before Derek finally said, "Alright, I'll find a hotel for the night and see you tomorrow."
His sudden change of heart made Laura uneasy. "So you're spending the night alone?"
"It's cool. I didn't think it through. Being with your parents is more important," Derek mumbled.
"If you know that, why don't you spend Christmas Eve with your own parents?" Laura tried to convince him to go back, feeling guilty about leaving him alone after he came all this way. "Go back, I'll cover your ticket."
"If you can find a ticket back to Whisperlyn City at this hour, I'd be amazed," Derek chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. "Forget it. Honestly, I don't want to go back alone either. At my age, whenever the family gets together, they always bug me about marriage. It's super annoying."
"No matter how annoying, they're still your family," Laura reminded him.
"Yeah, you're right. I'll look for a hotel on my phone," Derek said.
After hanging up, Laura heard someone calling from downstairs.
"Laura, come down, it's time to eat," Rose's voice called from downstairs.
When Laura went downstairs, she saw two tables set up in the dining room, loaded with delicious food and drinks. Even Maeve, the little baby who couldn't even crawl yet, was smiling happily, soaking in the festive vibes.
But on a night like this, Derek had come all the way to Silverwood to see her, and now he was eating alone and spending Christmas Eve by himself.
Maybe she should go see him tonight?
No, she couldn't just go over there; it would seem like she cared about him.
But it wasn't really caring, she just felt bad for him being alone.
After wrestling with her thoughts, she sent a message on Facebook: [Did you find a hotel?]
Derek sent back a hotel address: [On my way there in a cab.]
Laura checked the address; it was a hotel near her house, just two or three miles away.
After dinner, Laura helped bring the leftovers to the kitchen. After hesitating for a long time, she walked over to Rose. "Mom, can you watch Maeve for me? Some friends are back for Christmas, and I want to catch up with them. I'll be back in about an hour."
Rose checked the time; it was only 8 PM. "You can stay out a bit longer, just be back before 11 PM. Maeve is too young, I can't put her to sleep."
"There are a lot of leftovers; I'll take some to share with my friends." Laura was nervous, afraid Rose would overthink. "We can't finish it all anyway."
Rose gave her a look. "Why didn't you say it earlier? These are our leftovers. We could have set some aside before dinner."
"I didn't think it would turn out like this," Laura mumbled.
Rose grabbed some containers and packed up the food.
Laura doubted even four people could finish all the food she was taking.
Before heading out, she messaged Derek to confirm his room number, saying she felt bad for him and was coming over.
Derek: [I'll wait for you at the door.]
Laura: [No, stay in your room. Silverwood is full of gossip. If someone sees us and tells my parents, they'll think I have a boyfriend.]
Derek: [Okay.]
He sent a kissing emoji.
Laura: [Cut it out!]
About ten minutes later, she arrived at his hotel room. As soon as she rang the bell, the door swung open.
Warm air hit her, and Laura felt a bit nervous. It had only been a week since she last saw Derek, but it felt like ages. Soon they were meeting again on Christmas Eve in Silverwood.
Derek, standing there, wore a khaki sweater with a plaid shirt peeking out and casual pants that showed off his legs. He looked sharp, but his eyes were tired, with visible bloodshot lines.
Had he been really tired lately?
Derek looked down at her, a lively smile on his face. "Did you bring me food?"
Laura, feeling jittery, bit her lip and glared at him. "These are just leftovers from my house. My mom was going to toss them, but I thought it was too wasteful, so I brought them to you."
"Awesome, don't waste them. I'll eat them," Derek grinned.
He gently pulled her inside and closed the door.
The suite wasn't big, and with a man and a woman together on a night like this, it felt a bit stifling.
Laura was pretty nervous. Ever since Derek had confessed his feelings, she had been flustered and unsure. She was even scared of being alone with him.
She had rushed back from Whisperlyn City to avoid him.
There were few signs of him in the room, just a backpack on the sofa and a down jacket and scarf on the coat rack. The scarf was the one she had given him last time.
It was just an ordinary scarf, but he had worn it most frequently this winter.
At this thought, Laura's heart raced.
Derek walked over and opened the food containers, his clear eyes lighting up. "Smells amazing."
Laura opened another container, half-smiling, "These are all must-haves for our celebrations. I packed a lot for you."
"Since you brought them, I have to finish it all," Derek said, sniffing the food with a satisfied face.
Laura rested her chin on her hand, watching him eat with more enjoyment than her relatives had during dinner tonight.
But Derek's appetite was incredible.
Seeing him keep eating, Laura couldn't help but ask, "Are you really going to eat it all?"
"Of course. This is the first time I'm eating food made by my future mother-in-law. I have to finish it all," Derek said.
Derek had just finished joking when Laura stepped on his foot.
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