Chapter 440 - Wedding Rehearsal Dinner (M&H) (5)

Derek saw that Ashton was glaring at him furiously, and he realized that he needs to say something before Ashton starts hitting him again.

Derek is not a weakling who would just take a beating, but at that moment, he was defeated from the inside. He had no willpower to fight back because he felt that he does not deserve it. Part of Derek hoped that Ashton will steam out like this and forgive him, and with that maybe Derek can forgive himself.

"I admit that at first, I thought Angela was just an easy picking, but then I realized she is smart and kind and that her smile lights up the room and that she is a girl who should be treasured and… I fucked up, OK? She does not want to look at me and it's killing me from the inside."

Derek had no idea from where those words came out, but they came with a sense of relief.

Ashton sneered. "I hope you truly realized that you fucked up. You talk about her smile… well, she is not smiling anymore and it's all your fault!"

"How do I fix it?" Derek regretted asking this question when he saw the fury in Ashton's eyes. Did he really think that Ashton will give him any good advice?

Ashton's face contorted in anger. "Fix it? There are things you can't take back and this was one of them! You stay the hell away from Angela. You wanted a hookup? Why didn't you call one of your sleazy women to find your release? Shit, Derek! MY SISTER! MY LITTLE SISTER!!! Even if she was coming onto you, you should have thought about our friendship and treated her with respect!"

Anger swelled inside Derek. Why was Ashton unwilling to accept that Derek was sorry, and he was trying to fix things? And how can he fix anything by staying away? "You are a hypocrite, Ash! You tell me to stay away, and you are fine with that Roberto being all over Angela."

Ashton's eyes almost bulged out of their sockets as he stared at Derek. "Something is seriously wrong with your brain, Derek. Regardless of how I feel about Roberto and if I approve of him courting my sister, I didn't see him touch Angela or make her uncomfortable in any way. They are talking, and he is trying to get to know her. That is how relationships work! And what did you do? You used the first opportunity to get into her pants!"

Ashton growled in anger and punched the wall. He felt the sharp sting when his skin cracked on impact, and the heat of the blood oozing, but that only made him angrier.

"You made her cry, you son of a bitch! My whole life I am looking out for her, protecting her from scoundrels that only want a lay, and I was blindsided that one of my best friends will get his hands on her behind my back because he saw her as an easy picking! Instead of considering the possibility that she is an inexperienced gentle soul, you assumed that she is a slut!"

Ashton gritted his teeth, and he didn't want to talk anymore because he said everything he had to say, and he didn't want to spend another second in Derek's presence. The only thing Ashton wanted to do was to rip Derek into pieces. Ashton exhaled forcibly and walked away.

Derek was not sure what to say, but he knew that he has to speak up or the wall between them will only get thicker. Maybe if Ashton hits him a few more times, he will steam out and forgive him.

"Ashton…"

"Shut up, Derek! I don't want to hear your excuses because nothing can justify what you did!", Ashton shouted back without looking at Derek. "You can live your life any way you want but stay the fuck away from my family!"

Derek leaned his shoulder on the wall of the alley and watched as Ashton's shadow disappeared from the sight. Great… now what?

When Ashton entered the restaurant, he first went to the restroom for customers that are dining in the general area and he washed his bloodied hands. They had a first aid kit and he applied antiseptic cream and put bandages over his bloodied knuckles. He didn't feel like tending to his wounds, but he knew that if he leaves it like that, Sabrina will give him a hard time.

Ashton threw a few punches at Derek and he hit the wall, spilling both Derek's and his own blood in the process, but his anger didn't subside because Angela's sobs still rang in his ears. He took some time in the restroom to cool off before he joined the party in the private room.

Ashton saw that Sabrina looked at him with concern on her face and that Angela was sitting next to Roberto a few seats away.

Angela was nodding at what Roberto said, but it was obvious that she was not in a good mood and Ashton understood that Angela probably wants to leave.

Sabrina leaned close to Ashton and spoke only for him to hear: "Don't force her to talk about it. It will be best if we pretend that we don't know anything."

Ashton agreed. He didn't want to talk about it either. He was happy to see that dessert was served already.

"How about we go home early?", Ashton asked, and Sabrina agreed.

Angela was happy to join them because she was struggling to keep her façade from crumbling. Crying in the restroom helped a bit, but at the same time, it made her miserable as well.

"I will see you at the wedding...", Roberto said to Angela with a smile, disappointed that she didn't stay longer.

Roberto hoped to see her before the wedding, but he heard that guys and girls will have separate parties and he didn't have a reason to meet with her before that without forcing it. Besides, Fabricio wanted to go over security details, so Roberto will be busy because Mia is occupied with dresses, makeup, and her girlfriends, just like any other bride before her wedding day.

Derek didn't return to finish dinner and out of people who remained in the private room of the restaurant, only Mia knew about Angela's situation, and when she saw that Ashton and Derek were missing and that Sabrina was nervous, Mia guessed the rest. Mia wondered, how did Ashton find out about it?

Mia was aware that Angela was ashamed of falling for Derek's charms and Mia was sad that Derek treated Angela as a hookup. It's one thing when both sides understand what is going on, but in this case, Angela and Derek were on completely different wavelengths. 

Angela is Ashton's sister and that only makes the whole situation worse, but isn't every girl someone's sister or daughter? It's easier when a person does not know the family of the other party involved because one-night stands are successful when there is nothing more than a short-lived physical attachment.

Mia was not sure what to think of this situation between Derek and Angela, but what was done was done, and she hoped that Angela will get over the incident and that Derek and Ash won't fall apart because of this.

…

Derek took a long motorcycle ride to clear his head, but it didn't work. Ashton's angry expression full of disappointment flashed in Derek's mind and he was unable to shake off the guilt because he made Angela cry.

The fact was that he had fun that day. When they met, in the hospital, Derek thought that Angela is hot and funny, and he craved for her proximity. Why did he accept to come up to the apartment after dropping her home? He felt the attraction, and he knew that it's mutual, and a small voice in his head told him that she is Ashton's sister and that it's a bad idea, yet he still went with it.

That day, Derek had two obvious choices, one was to be a gentleman and leave after a drink, and the other one was to go with the flow and finish the deed, yet he picked a third option that left him yearning for more and miserable at the same time.

He knew that he needs to fix this, or accept losing not only Ashton, but probably Mike, Jake, and Hunter as well. But how can he fix this when Ashton wants to fight, while Angela is treating him like air? And what exactly is the fix? No matter how much he thought about this, everything was a dead end.

Derek thought about the possibility of him giving up and accepting that he is a jackass who messed up not only a potential relationship with a sweet girl who made him forget the reasons why he should stay away, but he also messed up his long-term friendships as well.

Derek returned to his apartment and observed the mess which was heaping everywhere. This was not like him… Derek always kept things tidy, but in the last two weeks he lost the desire to clean up and he became a slob.

The stench from week-old food containers reminded him that this is not the way to live, but he had no energy to trash them. It was the same for pizza boxes and opened cans of beer that were littered through the living room.

Derek exhaled dejectedly, threw his jacket on the side chair, and made his way into the bedroom. He needed a shower and sleep, and things will be better in the morning. Probably.

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