Entering her room, she was greatly surprised to find Derek there. He sat in the chair by the window, legs crossed, arms folded over his chest. He was once again wearing his trousers and shirt, all in black.
“Derek!? You scared me! I didn't expect to see you so early.”
“Who were you expecting to see here? Craig?” he remarked, unable to contain his sarcasm.
“Did you see him? He joined us for dinner tonight.”
“Yes, I saw him; he just left, we passed each other a couple of meters apart. Why did he come?” Derek inquired.
“I told you before, he's Warren's friend, and he just came over for a friendly dinner.”
“I see. I think he's very interested in you.”
“What gives you that idea?”
“I don't know… male intuition.”
Megan had never seen Derek so agitated and tense, as if something was tormenting him inside. She decided to change the subject to find out what was really happening with him.
“Why did you come so early? It's only 9:20.”
He was staring into space, lost in his thoughts, not hearing the question.
“Derek!”
"Yes, Megan?” he looked at her as if he had just woken up.
“You've never come this early before. Is everything okay?"
“I got off work at 5 today and couldn’t wait to see you,” he replied calmly.
“I'm really happy you’re here. I missed you.”
“I missed you too,” he said, getting up and putting his arms around her before kissing her gently.
“My mom called today. She and Ted are coming, we’ve arranged to spend a few days together in Edinburgh. I'm going there on Saturday.”
“And then?” he asked tensely.
“I’ll come back.”
Each evening he spent with her, he feared hearing about her return to London. Today, he especially didn't want to broach the subject. He tried to steer the conversation away from it, but now realized it was inevitable.
“Okay, I’ll be waiting for you. What are your plans for tomorrow, and what did you do today?” he tried to guide the conversation in a direction he deemed appropriate.
“Same as usual. Work, Glenn, reading. Honestly, I'm starting to get bored with this lifestyle. My life in England was always so eventful and dynamic. I miss that. I don't know what to do with myself here. How long will this continue?! More precisely, how much longer can I take it?” Megan was depressed. She didn’t want to rake over all this again, but it was imperative for her to set her limits; she couldn’t wait in uncertainty forever.