Derek knew what it was like feeling that you failed the ones you loved. He got more heated than he meant to. Even worse, Joy ended up spiraling and cried on him again.
This had already happened a lot in the past few weeks. Could summer just be over already so things could get back to normal?
Joy stopped crying eventually and dutifully ate her dinner before curling up on the couch uncomfortably. He saw her wince and rub her neck as she sat up and knew he would probably regret it but ended up offering his lap as a pillow so she wasn't so cramped.
Derek knew this was the sort of thing couples did despite never having been in a relationship himself. But they already did a lot of things couples did so she probably wouldn't say no.
He was right. She settled in and fell asleep before long. He made sure she was out before playing with her hair. This was actually really nice, even if his heart was going wild.
