A/N: Hot DASEY action, hehe, sort of…Anyway I know the start of this chapter is kind of clichéd but I just couldn't resist. Please read and REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW (hint hint). Oh yeah, and I meant to say this on chapter one but I forgot so: I do not own Life with Derek or any of the characters etc. However the plot and other aspects of the story are all mine (as far as I know at least.)
Chapter 3: Distractions
He was so close to her that they were breathing the same air. He leaned in, the familiar glint in his deep brown eyes. Their lips met soft at first but then harder, more passionate. "Casey…" he whispered her name and it sounded sweeter on his lips than anyone else's. He grabbed her and roughly pushed her against the wall setting her body afire. Suddenly there was a noise in the distance and they both looked worried for a moment. "Don't…" he pleaded.
But it was too late, Casey woke up. The details of her dream came back to her and she groaned and rolled over in her bed feeling utterly exhausted despite having been asleep all night. She looked at the clock and was shocked to see that it was nearly noon and remembered that her date with Noel was in an hour.
Jumping out of bed she walked to the bathroom to take a shower only to realize that someone was already using it. Cursing Derek in every incarnation she rapped on the door and yelled for him to hurry up. She waited fuming by the door for awhile longer and was almost going to leave when she heard the water shut off and the door opened taking her by surprise.
Derek stood before her dripping wet in nothing but a towel that was wrapped around his waist and riding dangerously low on his hips. Casey felt like her heart was going to explode as she used all her self control to stop herself from gaping at his body, but she still had to sneak a peek at his well-toned form and was not disappointed by his glistening muscles.
"Excuse me, Princess, but this is when I always shower on Sundays. It is not my fault that you overslept on the one day you actually had plans," he said irritably.
Casey fought the overpowering urge to turn around and watch him as he walked past her to his bedroom. She went into the bathroom in a daze and took a shower, glad for once that Derek had used all the hot water.
She continued to get ready in a hurried daze, wondering where the time was going. While she was finishing putting on her makeup the doorbell rang downstairs. Shoot, she thought as she ran down the stairs, tripping on the way. As she picked herself up she noticed that Derek had answered the door and was talking to Noel in the foyer. Walking down to meet them she tried to keep her eyes trained on the right guy.
"Hey Noel!" she said cheerfully.
"Casey!" he replied happily turning towards her. "You look great!"
That was the idea; she thought harshly but replied with a sweet thank you, silently chastising herself for not giving Noel more of a chance. If she felt like being honest with herself she would know that she was really annoyed that he was the one in the foyer that she was about to go out with as opposed to Derek.
"I don't know, isn't it a little cold for that skirt?" Derek said tensely glaring at her outfit.
"No, I don't." Casey replied wondering where this strange burst of protectiveness was coming from. The two glared at each other for a moment longer and Casey almost forgot that Noel was there until he spoke to her.
"I got you these; I saw them and thought of you since they are your favorite color," he said, handing her a beautiful bouquet of yellow flowers. Too bad her favorite color was really…
"Her favorite color is pink you loser," Derek said scathingly, surprising everyone including himself.
"Oh, I'm sorry Casey; I guess I was wrong…" Noel said apologetically.
She smiled and took the flowers. "Don't be, they are beautiful. Besides," she looked at Derek, "I love the color yellow."
Derek just rolled his eyes and left, muttering something that sounded like "but it's not your favorite." After a slightly awkward silence Casey suggested they go.
After an oddly quiet car ride they arrived at the restaurant and finally settled into a comfortable conversation. Casey was actually enjoying herself a lot but in the back of her mind she couldn't stop thinking about Derek. Was the jealously she thought she detected really all in her mind?
"Casey? You ok, you seem a little distracted," Noel asked.
"Huh? Yeah, I am fine Der-NOEL," she said embarrassed. "Sorry, I didn't really sleep very well last night, I am probably just tired."
"Oh, well, do you want me to take you home?"
"No, no, really I am fine. I am having a really nice time with you, thanks for going out with me," she said.
"You're thanking me? I thought I was dreaming when you called me last night. I have had a major crush on you since the musical. I kept trying to get up the courage to ask you out but you were dating Max and then you went all cheerleader…anyway, it is good to have the real Casey back."
Casey bridled slightly at his comments. "I am still a cheerleader, you know."
He looked surprised but recovered quickly. "Oh, of course, Casey McDonald doesn't shirk her commitments," he said with a smile and she beamed back at him.
The rest of the date passed very enjoyably. She found Noel to be ridiculously sweet and mildly funny if not a little too generic. Casey could even convince herself at times that Derek was not on her mind. Overall the day was a success for her purposes, but even so she shirked his attempts at a goodnight kiss and hugged him casually instead before going into her house.
She told her mom hello and then headed up the stairs towards her room. She walked very slowly past Derek's room. The door was closed and she couldn't help but wonder what he was doing in there. She approached but could not hear anything inside so she sighed to herself and went across the hall to her own room.
Casey closed the door behind her and when she turned around she almost had a heart attack. Derek was standing in front of her, smirking as she jumped startled.
"Der-EK! What are you doing in here?" she asked.
"Oh, you know, hanging out," he shrugged and sat down on her bed.
"What do you want?" she asked tiredly.
"How was your date?" he asked coldly.
"It was absolutely fantastic," she embellished but he didn't seem to buy it.
"Oh yes, I am sure it was. I honestly don't know how you pick these losers."
"Noel is not a loser. He is…artsy," she said defensively. "Besides, you always said you liked Max and the guy I dated before him happened to have been your best friend. But I will let Sam know how highly you think of him."
Derek turned serious for a moment. "You know what I mean. None of them are ever right for you. This Noel guy didn't even know your favorite color."
Casey was taken aback once again. "It was our first date, how would he know? Where…where is this coming from?"
He stood up from her bed looking uncomfortable as if he didn't know what to say. After a long silence he seemed to come to a conclusion and simply shrugged. "You know, just trying to do the brother thing once and awhile."
Casey flinched at his casual use of the term brother but he didn't notice and continued without meeting her gaze.
"I mean…well, you were really broken up about Max for awhile and I…well it was really annoying having to pick up your slack around the house while you moped around so next time choose a guy who won't leave you crying in the middle of the night when I am trying to sleep. Honestly, our rooms are right by each other and it is annoying." He looked up at her as if trying to convey what he was actually saying and Casey thought she understood.
"Sure, Derek, I will be careful. You know, just so I won't interrupt your beauty sleep," she smiled at him and they stood there for a moment just looking at one another until it became uncomfortable. With one last smirk Derek left her room, leaving her alone with her fiercely beating heart.
After he left Casey walked over to her desk and turned on her computer looking for anything to distract her. She e-mailed Noel and set up another date for later in the week but could think of nothing to do in the present to take her mind off of her stepbrother.
Why did he have to pick now to give her one of those rare glimpses into his sweet side? It would be so much easier if he would just act like the jerk she knew he was, but she suspected that even that would only increase her infatuation. There was just something about him that she found irresistible. Maybe, she thought, instead of trying to distract herself she should try and figure out what it was that attracted her to Derek in the first place. After all, she was a firm believer of getting to the root of one's problems.
So Casey decided that in the next week she would observe Derek and analyze their interactions in the hopes of pinpointing the source of her crush. She theorized that once she knew this vital piece of information she would be able to cure herself of her affliction. Plus, as a voice in the back of her mind told her, there was not a better way she could think of to spend the week than "observing" Derek.
A/N: Not my best chapter, but I sure had fun writing it ;) Please R&R, I promise the next chapter will be better, I just had to push through this one to beat my writers block but now the ideas are flowing again!
