#Chapter 79 - Taken

I spent a good half of the morning digging through my bag to find something remotely decent to wear to my lunch with Ben. It wasn’t as though I was trying to impress anyone, but the thought of going anywhere in sweatpants and an oversized hoodie seemed a bit inappropriate. I felt like I needed to make myself look somewhat presentable even if it was just a short meet-up. ‘Perhaps, the Derek family mentality was finally rubbing off on me,’ I thought humorously. I reached a point where I settled on a long sundress with a light sweater and a pair of comfortable sandals. I threw a good portion of my hair back in a clip and gave myself just a slight brush of mascara. I felt Emily’s eyes dig into me for a good portion of the time I was getting ready. She sat stoically on the couch with her hand pressed to the side of her head. “Are you sure going out to lunch with Ben is a good idea?” she asked. I knew from the hesitant tone in her voice that she was worried. Truthfully, I didn