Derek's gaze drops to my chest and then travels downward and, thinking I must have something on me, I look down to check. And that's right about when he says I should take my clothes off.

I can feel my entire face go red and I whip my head up to stare at him. "But it's-- it's so cold!" I point out. But that's honestly not my biggest worry. I've been naked tons of times in front of other guys. Heck, back at Samwell, it happened daily, but here... well, here, I haven't been in months. And I certainly haven't with Derek.

There was that one time in that other version of Darrow when I was nearly naked and Derek entirely so and we shared a bed. But I absolutely can't think about that right now. I can't.

Instead, I suck in a breath and force the wild beating under my chest to calm down.

"Okay," I say with a definitive nod. "Here." I hand the vial back to him and start in, unzipping and shrugging off my jacket first, followed by my shirt. I fold them neatly and set them just under a tree, trusting that Derek will know how to find this spot later, and then toe off my shoes and peel off my socks. The ground is frigid under my toes which is a nice distraction as I tug my jeans off next, turning just a little away from Derek before finally sliding off my underwear.