He said, she said
The Importance of correct pronoun placement
His eyes weren't the problem when waking up, it was the rest of his body. Limp and warm under the sheets and duvet of blue; his body was peaceful. There was no alarm ringing rudely in his ear however and the sun wasn't high enough in the sky to pierce through his blinds. Casey's voice was what woke him. Almost a whisper at first, but with growing impatience it soon became a stern yell.
"Derek!" The classic emphasis on the latter syllable seemed so familiar, but the situation didn't. He turned to face her, delicately stroking her hair away from her face.
"Morning," she smiled. She apparently hadn't been awoken in such a horrible manner as he had and the last escaping yawn was the only other sound to leave her lips.
He turned toward the door to his room, then back to this beautiful yet, mysterious girl in front of him. The precise moment that he had invited her to his room or the time in which she had insinuated he do so, he could not recollect. At the moment though, it didn't matter.
"Hey Der," Casey spoke smoothly, gliding off the tongue easier than his full name.
He was debating an answer or whether there was one at all when she glided her hand across his shoulder nearest her and played with the small creases in his gray t shirt.
"It's unfair," she almost whined before noticing the cringe in his face. "Guys just wear whatever to bed and girls..." She trailed off as she took notice of his indifference.
He nodded before she turned away to leave. "Hey," he spoke with a slight catch in his throat. He wasn't sure what else there was to say before she left. Hope to see you here again... I had a nice time. He was at a loss for words for the first time in his life. He was searching for anything when something did come. Casey's voice spoke up again, not as sweet or smooth as before because let's face it, everything Casey said in those first ten minutes after initially waking up was like honey. The way Casey over pronounced the end of his name and the purr of the r when Case shortened it.
"Do you want anything for breakfast?" It was a genuine question. Casey did make the best pancakes whether they were the healthy whole grain ones or the ones with ten pounds of chocolate chips in them.
"Sure," he replied smiling off into space at a split second thought that seemed both preposterous, yet heavenly.
She sat back in bed with her head propped up against the back board for a few minutes while he stared off into space.
"You ever wonder about fate?" She asked him, curiosity being only a slight motive in her inquiry.
He sat back next to her to really think. The fate of Nora meeting George and falling in love with him. The chance that Casey had turned out way she did and how he had the same. How Casey ended up attending the same university as he had and the probability of her ending up in his bed the night before after a long cocktail party hosted by a professor with connections in the film industry.
His eyes returned from a look back on the past as he turned to face her; as gorgeous as she had looked yesterday, even without the alcohol in his system.
"Yeah, I wonder," he replied finally, chuckling to himself before her eyes showed signs of worry and he kissed her temple in reassurance.
"So do you think this was fate or did something happen that wasn't supposed to?" She was dead serious all of a sudden. It scared Derek more than he thought it would.
He was about to answer, whether actual words came out or just a mixture of noises, when Casey appeared at the door with a small stack of blueberry pancakes on plate.
"I made four," Casey began. "I wasn't sure how much you and your guest would eat." Casey gestured politely to the girl sitting in bed next to him as he blushed profusely before turning away.
"I'll eat them out there." Derek replied, hurrying Casey away.
"That was nice of your sister to make those for you," she said awkwardly; very aware of how uncomfortable the situation was and could get if she stayed around. "I'm gonna go," she motioned to the door as Derek nodded and sighed.
"She's my step-sister," Derek almost yelled back, but he couldn't build up the will to do so. By the time the common phrase left his lips, it was as soft as a whisper and the girl was long gone.
Casey appeared at the door moments later with the food still in hand. "Breakfast in bed?" She asked forcing a smile. Derek shrugged as he patted the empty space beside him.
Casey walked over to the edge and sat down keeping her legs hanging off the side.
"Thanks Case," Derek replied minutes later after the fruity cooked dough had entered his mouth.
"No problem," she said leaving out the sarcasm that somehow always found its way in.
"You ever think about fate?" He asked her with a slight tilt of his head.
She rolled her eyes casually. "I think..." was all that came out as she got up and left.
Derek looked down at his pancakes as his fork danced around its golden edges. "About me?"
He was completely serious, but she'd never know that.
A/N: This was originally a lesson on how important the placing of pronouns is for a story to be understood, but I used pronouns incorrectly on purpose in my weird AND disappointing drabble above. If there is any confusion or you actually care to read this... Before the other girl leaves, Casey is referred to only as Casey and the other girl is referred to only using pronouns like she and her. Then afterwards, Casey is referred to using both Casey and the pronouns. It had a deeper and horribly complex meaning for myself, but I hope it was also entertaining in the very least :D