Two thousand.
That’s how much I still pay for my apartment. I’ve put it up on Airbnb and I get maybe three or four people a month who take the whole apartment. I usually meet them and give them the keys and explain everything about the apartment. Jenna must have come in shortly after Jake raided my room because she literally took everything of any value to her, except for the mattress. So, most of the time I rent out Jenna’s room, and sometimes I rent out the whole apartment after talking to them online. This has pretty much covered Jenna’s portion of the rent. Of course, yes, I know what you’re going to say. I ask myself every morning why I even bother to pay rent when I’m literally spending every night at One57 with Derrick.
I don’t know. Well, wait. I actually do know. There’s a giant elephant in the room with all the happiness that’s inside of me, and I don’t know what to do. Oh, you forgot what that elephant was?
Derrick thinks he’s having sex with Daphne Apple.
He’s falling love with Daphne Apple – the ex-stripper.
My name is Alicia Bayers and I work for The News of the Times. My job was supposed to be dig up enough dirt on Derrick to make everyone hate him, remember? If he ever finds out, then I think I’m moving out.
If you get a spare moment from reading this, would you mind going on Google and seeing how hard it is to change your name in the State of New York? Because I’ll go change it to Daphne Apple if that’s what it takes.
Actually, wait. I’ve done that search already. But it doesn't matter. Even if I did all that, he’s talked to me about Alicia enough times – that I can’t let it ever come out.
One.
That’s how many times other Derrick has been in love. We don’t just have sex, you know? Although, the sex is absolutely life-changing. We also do a lot of things that normal couples do. And yes, okay, that smile you’re giving is okay because we really are a couple. Well, as close to a couple as you can be when the girl has a fake name and the guy is a bad boy prince. But one of the things we do a lot outside of sex is talk. He talks to me. He tells me things that he hasn’t told anyone in the past.
One weekend, we decided to stay in on a Sunday. I remember we got into his hot tub. It took Derrick all of five minutes to get my bikini off of me and it took me all of another minute to pull his board shorts off. But then he looked into my eyes, and got a far off look. “You have the most beautiful fucking eyes, I’ve ever seen,” he whispered. “I want to fuck you till you can’t walk.”
I giggled. “You’re so romantic, Your Highness,” I teased him.
He began tweaking my nipples and I gasped.
When we were done, I wrapped my arms around him and he told me all about his Dad. All the time he wasted being mad at his father and all the questions he has to ask. How long did his father know about his mother’s drug habit? Why didn’t he ever say anything? How much he regrets all the hateful words.
I hold onto Derrick at that time. He doesn’t expose himself like this to anyone. It’s only for me.
Fifty
That’s how many times Derrick and his father have spoken since I showed Derrick the truth. The two spend hours now talking on the phone, catching up and getting to know one another. Derrick has had some pretty intense conversations on the phone with his father, listening to some of the nightmarish things that their mother put them through as she fought with her disease of alcoholism and drug addiction. I don’t know if he’s cried – but if there was ever a time that he would, that would be it. Of course, he wouldn't admit it. He certainly wouldn’t do it in my presence.
I’m glad that Derrick and his father speak regularly now and they’ve finally started to heal some of the words that they had dividing them all this time.
Okay, fine. Sometimes, just sometimes – and not all the time – I get a little irritated if the King calls and we were about to have sex. But the feeling of irritation goes away as soon as the Prince lays his hands on me again. And it’s forgotten as soon as I cum. Derrick Blaine literally fucks it out of me.
Nine.
That’s how many articles I’ve written as Abigail Adams since Derrick and I had sex. Each one gets better and better for him. It’s strange though – at first when Mike and Danielle put me on the Abby desk, they wanted me to trash Derrick. And I did. Savagely. But saying good things or having flattering stories where we only poke fun at him in a good natured way sells WAY more papers. People don’t like to see others torn down – they want to feel happy.
And Abby’s column on Page Eight is starting to reflect me. I feel very happy when I’m with Derrick. No one has made me happier in my entire life. Every moment I’m with him seems to go by so fast. I feel like snatching them and never letting them go. I miss him when he’s not around and my heart leaps like it’s the first time I’m seeing him when I do see him.