Re: Derek's place: Derek/Marta
It had been worse before she'd talked with Holly. If Derek had come in earlier, the tears would have been real instead of simply threatening to fall. Derek would have seen frustration and hurt and anger, more than just the lingering ache that remained.
Marta had gotten used to the light changing when Derek was around. At first, she'd brushed it away as her imagination, or the sun shifting through the front windows of the shop, or the electricity giving a flicker of surge. But once she was clear-headed enough to really notice it, she realized that it only ever happened when Derek was there. By that time, though, she'd accepted that there was something more to the woman, and she let it pass by without question. It was especially noticeable in the moment, however, since Marta had her bedside lamp on low, mostly having been illuminated by the screen of her tablet.
Even after inviting Derek in, Marta hadn't quite thought through the fact that there wasn't really any place to sit in her room other than the bed. Nowhere comfortable, at least. So it was almost a surprise when Derek folded herself in graceful origami and took up a place at the foot of the bed. The question was even more unexpected than the nearness, and Marta was able to huff out an awkward breath of a laugh. "Not great," she admitted, looking down at the glass of water in her hands.