33 "BECAUSE I LOVE YOU.."

The car was a Mercedes-Benz, a C-300 Sedan. It was a little bit rough around the edges and the trunk region was stained with a couple of brown spots. Emma thought that those brown spots might have been coffee stains; for in her three hours shift at the café, she discovered that the county inhabitants really liked coffee- They could wake up by 12am and still demand for coffee.

"It's my Dad's car." Derek mentioned. He had been watching as his little witch ran her eyes tro and fro the car, and he wondered whether she was sizing the car up. It didn't matter to him though, his was better; at least after Aaron works on it.

"Oh, okay." She muttered, absentmindedly.

'What is she thinking of now?' Derek thought, as he stared at his little witch keenly. She still stood at the same position where she had been when he pointed out his car earlier; still staring at the car.

"If you don't like the car, we could…" He was saying, when he was interrupted.

"No, not at all." Emma said in a rush, turning her eyes away from the car and looking up at him.

"The car is okay." She stated, before walking off to where the car was packed; it was sandwiched between two Volkswagens.

"Oh.." Derek muttered, grateful that he wouldn't have to call Aaron or Shane to pick them up. The duo were two different versions of trouble that he didn't need now.

"Aren't you coming?"

He heard Emma call out to him. She was already at the passenger's door. He increased his walking pace until he got to the car.

"What are we going to do about these cars ?" She asked, pointing at the Volkswagens which had sandwiched his car.

Before he could reply, two men carrying grocery bags walked towards them. It was clear to Emma that the men who looked to be in their mid thirties were just coming from the grocery shop two feet away from where they were standing. It made her remember that she had settled on getting a cooking book for herself from the store; there was food at home but she couldn't cook. She couldn't survive on oatmeal everyday, neither would she call Clem.

"Seems their owners are here." Derek muttered, also taking note of the two adults walking towards them.

"I'm sorry." The shorter man among the duo, said to Derek; as he fished out his car keys hurriedly from his pocket. Emma could tell that this one was a gentle man; the two goodey shoes.

"No problem." Derek replied, to which the man nodded to and opened his car. He dumped the grocery bags on the passenger seat, waved to the other man who seemed to be his colleague, before entering fully into his car and zooming off.

"Get into the car." Derek said to Emma through his car's window. He had already entered the car and turned on its ignition, immediately the former man had started his own car.

Emma nodded, before sliding into the front seat. She wore her seatbelt and checked her phone for any messages. Actually, she wasn't really interested in knowing if there were any messages, there couldn't be any; she just wanted to do something , to look like she was interested in doing the something to avoid conversation with her ponytailed bean head.

After the incidence where he had palmed her face with his two hands, she had been so jittery and emotional. She couldn't understand what was happening; she couldn't understand herself. She made up her mind to call Amelia when she got home; her sister was more experienced in this field than her. 'Is this the love that her literature teacher so much talked about during their lessons on Romeo and Juliet in high school?' She thought

"Emma."

She snapped her head to him in a jiffy, after all it could only be him that could make her name sound that sweet to leave chills on her body. It had never happened that way with anybody before, including Derren; as a matter of fact, Derren never made her heart race, with all his achievements and body-build.

"You space out a lot." He commented.

"I'm sorry, just tired." She said, rubbing her forehead weakly as she laid her head in a more comfortable position on the settee.

"Oh.. I had thought that you didn't like the car then." He continued.

Emma didn't know what to reply to that. Of course the car was in no way near better than Clem's car but she hadn't downsized it; she had actually been thinking of the owner and what he was doing to her than his car.

"It's okay, but not okayer than Clem's own." She said in a joking tune; not for once expecting the tightening of his grip on the steering wheel. Her joke hadn't been a joke to him. His knuckles were white already!

"Clem.?" He asked, gritting his teeth.

"Yes. He picked me up for school today." She whispered, knowing that the answer will worsen the situation. Well, she was right.

Derek swerved the car immediately to the side of the road and packed, his anger rising by the second. His beta was really something. He thought as he remembered that Clem had a mustang.

"You loved his car then." He muttered in rage and jealousy.

"Yes, but.." Emma tried explaining, for reasons she couldn't tell; but Derek cut her off.

"Okay. But don't let him pick you up again." He said, turning to face her.

"But.."

"No buts!" He shouted, then calmed down as he saw her shudder. He drew closer to her and held her shoulders. "No buts.." He repeated in a calmer tone. "I will pick you up from now." He said, still staring at her intensely.

"Why?" Emma muttered, as she felt herself drowning again under the gaze of his deep blue eyes. The feelings were creeping out again, giving her the chills. She bit her lips, trying to calm her racing heart again.

"Because.." He was saying, when he paused and stared at her lip-biting motion; looking entranced by it.

"Beca…" she was about repeating his statement as a question, when he beat her to it.

"Because I love you." He said, kissing her immediately.