August 1988
She's not coming .
Of course she's not. It was too good to be true in the first place.
Stuff like this doesn't happen to him. He's not the person who gets stood up.
But this is clearly different .
For gods' sake, what had he been thinking ?
" Hey Derek. "
" Addison . Hey, I. .. I haven't seen you here in a while. "
That incredible mouth, twisting into an embarrassed smile. " Yeah. I took a week off. Family. "
" Oh. Well, if you need any help, catching up..."
She darts in front of him, stops, laughing. " What makes you think I'd need help ? "
" What? No, I don't mean you need it. I mean, if you want it. "
He couldn't believe it, how smooth it was.
" If I want it. " she says, quirking an eyebrow.
He felt his face flush ." You know what, forget it. It's okay, you don't have to pretend. "
He pounds down the steps of the building they have classes in, makes for the library.
" Hey Derek ! "
It's embarrassing how quickly he turns around.
" Tonight at eight ? "
And tonight at eight was a study date , neuroanatomy, which makes his heart sing and puts her to sleep, tonight at eight turned into every day at eight, Chinese takeout and books spread over his tiny rickety table, sneaking glances at her as she curls on the floor, absorbed in a book, twirling a lock of that bright hair he's never seen on anyone else.
Every day at eight turned into confidence, confidence that a girl like Addison Forbes Montgomery would go out with him.
And then he caught Sam Bennett stuttering in her presence, the same look in his eyes that has stared back at him from the mirror for two months now.
And confidence turned to urgency, and urgency crystallised into a blurted wouldyouliketocometodinnerwme one night over kung pao chicken and the cingulate gyrus.
" I - "
He's blown it, he's utterly and completely blown it.
She turned down a third of the male population of Columbia already, Shepherd, really, did you think she'd fall for your hair and your color coordinated notes ?
But she's shown up every single day, he even found her sitting on his doorstep the other night when he was a little late.
" - I would love to. " she beams, and he swears then that he'd do anything to see that smile for the rest of his life.
But here he is, and she hasn't turned up.
He's about to turn his keys in the ignition of his little Mustang and leave, drown his sorrows in a bottle with Mark, when he sees her. Damn.He's seen her lots of times, sure, but always in scrubs or sweaters and jeans.
Never in this dark blue dress that clings innocently to her body, hinting at graceful slender curves , heels that make her coltish legs positively endless.
" Sorry I'm late. " she says, sliding in beside him, hair swinging over bare shoulders, filling his car with some indescribable perfume, faint, but he knows he'll never forget it.
" Derek ? " she smiles uncertainly, waving a hesitant hand before his eyes, and he realises he's staring at her.
" Oh. It's... it's all right . You look - you look incredible. "
She smiles, awkward and shy. " Thank you. You scrub up pretty well too. "
She chatters aimlessly in the car, they go to a little Italian place close to campus because she has a seven am lab tomorrow and they've agreed that they can't possibly eat another bite of anything Chinese.
He doesn't remember what he ordered, only that she chose the most amazing red wine and that neither of them ate very much, with the result that the shared bottle loosens both their tongues enough so that he finds out that she's grown up in Connecticut with an older brother, she went to boarding school, then Yale, she wants to be a surgeon, and that he wants to spend the rest of his life listening to the music of her voice.
She's fascinated by the size of his family, envious even. She doesn't laugh when he tells her he wants to be a neurosurgeon, and her eyes when he mentions the girlfriend he broke up with not too long ago make him believe he might just have a fighting chance.
He drives back carefully, not drunk, mostly high on this soaring feeling in his stomach that makes him feel invincible, like he could climb mountains and cross oceans and that it will always be like this, warm summer air blowing her hair across her face, happy and carefree, full of possibility and reckless with the certainty of youth.
" It's okay, you can just drop me off here. " she says, because her dorm is further in than his.
" What, and let you walk back looking like that ? " he says, bold and immediately regretting it.
" Chivalrous. A dying breed, by all accounts." she says. " But I'll be fine. "
" No, really, I'll walk you back. I want to. "
" Really ? " she asks curiously, her eyes hidden in shadow, unreadable.
" Why end a perfect evening before I have to? " he makes a fuss of opening her door and ushering her out, making her giggle self - consciously.
They walk back in companiable silence, he's hyperaware of her fingertips inches from his, but he won't push his luck.
Some things are worth waiting for.
" So. Good night, Derek. " she says, standing a respectable distance away from him, her eyes expectant, inviting.
" Good night, Addison. " he plays along, because it's inevitable really.
" Thank you for tonight. It was amazing. " she whispers , and she's closer, he can feel the warmth radiating off her skin.
" It was ." he agrees, and years later they'll still bicker over who made the first move, but in that moment it really doesn't matter, because he holds her elbows in his hands and she puts her hands on his arms and her lips are soft and warm and she tastes of strawberry lip gloss and heady wine, and it feels like a little glimpse of forever.
For those who asked for a first date scenario.Not all will be in order, I might go from New York to med school to Seattle and then pre - show, but I'll try to be specific in my author notes.Reviews and requests please!