Derrick felt the feeling in the back of his neck, their stares were on him, long before they approached the table.
Their laughter, the little whispers, the intentional looks they were all throwing at him.
He tried to ignore it, focusing on the little sounds and clink of spoons and the warm feeling from the lights above him, but the words eventually came closer to him.
"You really think you belong here with her?" one of them said, her tone sharp and mixed with amusement.
"Honestly, Derrick," another came in, moving slightly forward,
"you and Sophia..… it just doesn't make sense. You're from two different worlds. Can't you see that?"
Derrick kept his face as calm as he could, his hands were still resting on the table as if he was holding himself together by just his will alone.
But on the inside, every word hit him hard, reminding him of all the nights he had felt like the world was against him and he was meant.
He could feel the old feeling of frustration growing within, the urge to defend himself, to shout back at them, but he didn't.
He just sat there and listened, calm and silent.
Sophia's hand touched his under the table, a quiet support, and he felt a feeling of courage. Before he could respond, she stood almost instantly, the movement so calm yet commanding in every way.
"That's enough," she said, her voice calm but holding that seriousness.
"You're welcome to your opinions, but Derrick doesn't need your approval to be with me. Now, if you'll excuse us." she paused glaring at them.
Her friends exchanged glances between themselves, a look of annoyance and surprise, before saying their excuses under their breath and leaving them.
Derrick breathed out, the tension in his chest he didn't realize he had been holding, slowly freeing his shoulders.
Sophia returned to her seat, her eyes returning to that warm look, as she stretched for his hand. "Are you okay?" she asked, her thumb rubbing lightly on his knuckles.
"I am now," he said, a small smile growing on his lips.
"Thanks to you."
She smiled, moving closer. "You don't need me to fight your battles for, Derrick. You're strong enough, but I'll stand by you and with you any day anytime."
They returned to their meal, and Derrick felt the familiar, comforting feeling he usually felt when he was with her.
Every laugh that escaped from her lips, every soft look at his direction, filled him up with a feeling of belonging he didn't know he needed. With her, the world felt more at peace, safer, like nothing could touch them.
They remained over their food and continued their conversation, the city lights shining through the windows, painting the restaurant in golden colours.
Time seemed to slow down and sometimes pause around them, making the world outside fade into one that didn't matter anymore.
Derrick also noticed how easily Sophia carried herself, how she made him feel like he mattered, like he could be more than he had ever imagined himself to be
When the evening finally came unexpectedly, Sophia insisted on driving him home and Derrick couldn't disagree.
Derrick sat beside her in the quiet sound of the car engine, the night covering their way around them like a peaceful banquet.
The city solo passed by them in a series of light and darkness, and Derrick felt a rare peace come over him.
When they reached his house, Sophia turned to face him before stepping out of the car. Her eyes met his, and for a moment, everything else disappeared.
"Thank you for tonight," he said softly, his voice becoming low. "For.... being here."
She smiled, moving closer so their foreheads could touch. "Always," she whispered back to him, and Derrick felt the warm feeling of her words spread round him.
They stayed there for a moment longer, their hearts quietly saying what their words could not fully express.
At some point Derrick moved in, to steal a kiss from her lips but she pulled back immediately.
"Goodnight, Derrick," she said, a soft smile still staying on her lips.
'Maybe it shocked her a bit' Derrick shrugs it off.
"Goodnight, Sophia," he replied, watching her drive away, another day etched in his memory.
Once inside, Derrick closed the door and rested against it, letting the silence of his house settle around him.
He then moved to the living room, falling into the couch as his mind went back to the evening. Every laugh, every word, every soft touch from Sophia replayed over and over in his head.
She had changed everything for him. She had made him feel better than he was, valued, and loved in a way that no one else ever had.
Derrick realized then, with a thought that both made him lose his breath and scare him, how much he truly loved her.
He didn't just want her in his life, he wanted to build a future with her, no matter the odds against them.
His thoughts turned to the reality, to the life they could have if he could find a way to merge the worlds between them.
The plans slowly formed in his mind like pieces of a puzzle slowly coming together.
He would make her his, officially, not reversible.
He would get her engaged, secure in his place beside her, no matter the obstacles.
Derrick leaned back, letting out a slow breath, a smile tugging at his lips. He knew the path ahead wouldn't be easy.
Surely he knew there would be challenges, doubts, even dangers he hadn't imagined yet. But the thought of Sophia, the sureness of her feelings for him, and the memory of the love in her eyes gave him a quiet confidence.
He would do whatever it took. She had opened his heart to possibilities he had never dared to dream of, and he would not let anything take that away.
Derrick closed his eyes, letting the silence of the night fill him with different thoughts. The future was now his
to shape, and he knew exactly where he wanted it to lead.
Sophia. Always Sophia