The sound of thunder echoed in the background as Casey stepped off the treadmill. Her breath was steady as she finished her late-night workout. Casey paused her iPod after hearing the low, upbeat intro of Pocket Full of Sunshine emit from the headphones around her neck. She turned around and spotted the blue-eyed Adonis that lived on the second floor. He was flawlessly executing a half downward dog while humming what sounded like Katy Perry.
"You're staring," The Adonis said without looking up from the pose.
"Sorry, I don't really see a lot of guys doing yoga, let alone anyone who's buffer than my High School Quarterback," Casey said feeling slightly embarrassed. The Adonis chuckled as he moved into a more relaxed position.
"My aunt runs a yoga studio in Toronto. I picked it up over summers there," He said, now lying on his stomach with chin resting on his hands.
Casey wistfully began to think of how much yoga has helped with her dancing over the years.
"Well, that sounds fun," Casey said.
"I did end up meeting my fiancé at that coffee shop next door," He said, a love-struck smile appearing on his face.
"How romantic," Casey said, smiling happily back at him.
"I was too shy to tell him anything more than my coffee order back then, we didn't even start dating until we ran into each other my sophomore year of college," he said with a sigh.
"Well, I still say that's pretty romantic," Casey said.
Considering the distressed, rainbow yoga mat and the Katy Perry, she wasn't too surprised that he was into guys.
"Not really. I was so shocked when I saw Quinn I rammed my iced espresso into the both of us. The only thing he remembered about me was my coffee order. I was mortified, to say the least."
"Well, you're engaged now, so it must have worked out for the best," Casey said.
"Very true," he said, "Oh sorry, I'm Martin by the way."
Martin hopped to a standing position once he realized they hadn't exchanged names yet.
"Casey. I moved in last week," she said while shaking his hand.
"Oh, Quinn said a hockey jock moved in upstairs," Martin said. Casey doesn't exactly give off hockey player vibes.
"I moved in with my stepbrother, Derek. We both go to Queens," Casey said.
The sound of thunder rang in the background as the storm seemed to grow closer to the apartment.
"Cool," Martin said as he reached down to pack up his yoga mat.
"You're done?" Casey said.
"Quinn's a bit of a baby when it comes to thunder," Martin said. He slid his mat into a yoga bag that looked like a boom box.
"I guess we will be going up together then," Casey said with a smile.
"Hey, are you by any chance interested in joining a book club," Martin said.
"Well I'm majoring in Literary Arts, so that's a definite maybe," Casey said eagerly.
"Well, we're meeting tomorrow if you're free," Martin said as he opened the workout room door for Casey.
"That's a bit short notice, but yeah, I'm free tomorrow," Casey said. She knew there were little chances of both reading a novel and sleeping tonight.
"Don't worry too much; we're more concentrated on getting a few more members right now. We read a short poetry book this week; you could totally get away with not reading beforehand," Martin said as they reached the elevator.
"Who's this, Casey," an all too familiar voice said, interrupting Casey's response.
Casey sighed as Martin turned to greet the voice that was standing behind himself and Casey.
"Martin, he's our downstairs neighbor," Casey said. Derek was the bane of her existence, though not entirely in a negative way.
"Oh, you must be Derek," Martin said. He held his hand out, and after an awkward pause, Derek took it.
"Nice to meet you, Martin," Derek said. His tone suggested otherwise.
"Um, can I have my hand back," Martin said while lightly trying to pull his hand away from Derek's grip.
"Der-ek!" Casey said while glaring at her stepbrother.
"Yes, Casey," Derek said staring at her.
After a relatively long, awkward pause Martin decided to take himself out of the picture.
"I'll just take the stairs," Martin said.
"You don't have too," Casey said as she tore her eyes away from Derek.
"It's no problem. It's best to keep your heart rate up after a workout anyway," Martin says as he strolls toward the stairs.
"It was nice to meet you, Casey! If you're still interested stop by 2B tomorrow around 11."
Martin took off up the stairs as Derek shot him a murderous glare, Casey was giving Derek a glare of her own.
"De-rek, don't be so rude to my new friend," Casey said as they stepped into the elevator.
"Sure, friend. He was all over you," Derek said, "Why the hell have the doors not closed yet." He was abusing the close door button.
"Relax Derek; the elevator is just a bit slower than usual," Casey said, purposely ignoring Derek's comment about Martin. Her stepbrother always got overprotective of her and other guys, it was entertaining to see him boil.
"So, what are your plans with Mark tomorrow anyways," Derek said as the elevator door screeched closed and began to move towards their third-floor apartment.
"One, it's Martin and two why do you care, Derek?"
Before Derek could respond the lights flickered out, and the elevator came to a hard halt. Casey hurried towards the controls and harassed the open-door button.
"Derek, it isn't opening, why isn't it opening? Do you feel the air leaving? Derek we're going to die in here," Casey said as she slowly slid to the ground and pulled her knees to her chest.
"It's okay Casey, we will just call the landlord, do you have your phone mine died at practice," Derek said as he squats beside Casey and touches her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her.
"No, I have my iPod, my phone is in the apartment," Casey said as she starts to cry.
"Casey, no! Do not cry; I don't do tears you know that," Derek says trying his best to stay calm.
"Should we scream for help then?" Casey said. At that moment a loud, demonic screech came from outside the elevator doors. Casey jumped to her feet and hugged Derek, "Is this place possessed!"
"Case, relax it's just Pierce the Veil," Darek said laughing at her.
"Who's that, what are they piercing, I don't want to die," Casey said hysterically.
Darek laughed harder, "They're a band, Case."
"Der-ek, this isn't funny. No one can hear us! How are we supposed to get out?"
Martin arrived at the door of apartment 2B to hear the loud music Quinn was playing. He always listened to the same song on repeat when it stormed. It drowned out the sound of the thunder and comforted him. Usually, he was able to calm him down by the sixth round of King for a Day.
"Honey, I'm home," Martin said as he walked over to a terrified Quinn. He was in a ball on the couch fully engulfed in a blanket with only his nose poking out. Martin drinks iced mochas before yoga every day, yet he is the man in this relationship. Martin walked over to his fiancé, removed the blanket from his face, and cuddling Quinn.
"I met the nicest girl in the gym today; she's going to come to the book club. She's the sister of the hockey player upstairs, he seemed nice enough, but definitely has a glaring problem," Martin said.
"I can't wait to meet her, and I'm so happy you're home. I made pop tarts for dinner," Quinn said as he passed the warm pop-tart to Martin who was laughing adoringly at his fiancé.
"I love you Quinn, but that isn't dinner, I'll call in Dragon Palace," Martin said before kissing Quinn's cheek and dialing the restaurant, "Hey, turn the music down a bit so I can order."
"The music will eventually stop Casey, we're not going to be in here forever," Derek said.
"How do you know! What if we die in here?"
"Someone in this building will notice the elevator isn't working and report it, no one takes the stairs anymore Case," Derek said.
"Not everyone is as lazy as you, Martin took the stairs just a few minutes ago. Even if it was to escape your rudeness," Casey said.
"Speaking of Mason, why the hell are you going to his apartment, he could be a psychopath for all you know. He did willingly take the stairs," Derek said.
"MARTIN, seemed like a lovely man, you should really take lessons. You can't win over a girl by being an ass anymore Derek, this isn't high school," Casey said.
"So, you want me to take lessons on how to win you over Case," Derek said with a smirk.
"Der-ek!"
"But really Casey, a keener like you should have heard of stranger danger by now," Derek said.
"Derek, I appreciate you being worried, but I can take care of myself," Casey said.
"I'm coming with you tomorrow Case, you literally just met this guy," Derek said.
"You will not. I don't need you around to protect me all the time Derek," Casey said.
"You did with Truman."
Casey stepped closer to Derek and slapped him.
"How dare you bring him up, I'm grateful you were there that night, but this isn't the same situation," Casey said as she began to cry.
"God Case, don't cry again. Look I'm sorry I shouldn't have brought up the Truman incident, you were too good for him. Just like I'm sure you're too good for Matt," Derek said.
"For the last time Derek, it's Martin, and I'm not too good for him."
"You are, you're too good for any of your past boyfriends, it comes with being a keener," Derek said smiling at Casey.
"I wasn't too good for Jesse."
"I wouldn't call him a boyfriend, you had one kiss," Derek said.
"Which you interrupted by the way," Casey said.
Derek smirked at her, "You didn't seem to mind."
Casey remembered how Derek tore her away from Jesse mid-kiss, she also remembered how she didn't really mind. She had much more fun dancing around the lodge with Derek. It was one of those rare moments he let his guard down around her, she treasured all those moments.
"Why did you do that by the way, aren't you usually disgusted by touching me," Casey said.
"I'm not fourteen anymore Casey, I can dance with you without the fear that your keener-hood is contagious. Anyways, I didn't want to watch you make out with him, I'm still surprised you didn't 'Der-ek' me, " Derek said laughing.
"I had to watch you make out with plenty of girls, that one kiss shouldn't have bothered you."
"You made out with my best friend, remember Sam!"
"Remember Emily! Why does it matter I'm your brother remember," Derek retorted.
"Step-brother," Casey said.
"If I recall correctly, same difference," Derek said.
"We both know that was a lie," Casey said.
The two step-siblings froze at the outburst. Derek pushed Casey against the elevator doors a moment later.
"Der-ek," Casey thundered.
Derek responded by crashing his lips into hers.
After hanging up on Dragon Palace, Martin heard a faint screech coming from the hallway.
"That sounds like Casey, do you think the elevator broke down again?"
Quinn stood and walked towards their front door, "Probably, let's go check just in case. Maybe I can be the hero this time,"
Quinn steps across the hall and attempts to pull open the elevator doors.
"Quinny honey don't hurt yourself, let me try," Martin said before kissing his pouting fiancé and successfully prying apart the metal doors.
The two men only have a second to register Casey and Derek falling, connected by the mouth, on top of Martin.
"I thought you said he was her brother," Quinn said.
"Step-brother," Derek said in the middle of the Dasey-Martin sandwich.
Casey hopped up in embarrassment, "You must be Quinn, nice to meet you, I'm excited about book club tomorrow."
"Girl, you better come at ten now, we need details," Quinn said.
"Will do."
"Great I'll make breakfast," Quinn said.
"For the last time Quinn pop-tarts aren't breakfast," Martin said, "Derek can you please get off me."
Derek hopped in embarrassment off Martin, "Wait, he's gay, and you knew."
"See you tomorrow Martin."
Casey took off towards the stairway door laughing, Derek followed close behind.
"So, Casey, I thought you'd bring Derek," Quinn said as he served Casey a toasted pop-tart.
"Please, he isn't going to be out of bed for at least another two hours," Casey said laughing.
"Long night?" Martin said with a smirk.
"You could say that," Casey said winking at the two men.
"So, Casey, how come you were on top of Derek when you fell out of the elevator," Martin said.
Co-written with Mere888, enjoy!