'I want it to be you,' I narrowly manage not to say. It's right at the tip of my tongue, but after everything we've shared this morning, I'm too afraid to ruin it by either making a fool of myself or pushing Derek into an uncomfortable rejection.

He squeezes the back of my neck and I know Derek is just a tactile sort of guy and that the way his hand drags down my back doesn't really mean anything. But goodness, do I want it to. I want to reach over and take his hand, hold it the way Simon used to hold mine so easily. I think I miss that part, most of all. Just the way he'd hold my hand out in public without a care.

Luckily, the moment snaps a second later when Derek raises his hand to his stomach, patting it with a smile. "There's that burger place not too far from here," I point out, hoping my smile doesn't falter too much. "Guess you burn off a lot of calories running around without a care in the world."