Casey loved a good hot shower, and after the morning's fiasco, she needed one. She let the water wash away her stress and reached for her shampoo.

Derek is an idiot she resolved. A complete idiot. Who else would wake up at God knows what hour, just to move her bed out with the garbage? More importantly… how did he manage that?

She felt her body tremble with anger as she lathered the shampoo into her hair. She had had enough. The pranks were getting ridiculous, and just no! Walking right into her! Couldn't he watch where he was going? And why did he go so red? She figured he must have been angry. She was too.

She groaned and fixed her thoughts on Nick.

He was sweet, funny, clever, and chivalrous; everything a good boyfriend should be, and yet, when he kissed her, she felt nothing. No fireworks, no warm feeling that spread to every part of her body. Nothing.

She decided she had three options. End it, confront it, or ignore it.

After much consideration, she decided on the third, at least for another week. She had her whole life to have fireworks. Right now, it was nice to be treated well. For once.

Besides, she knew Derek didn't like him, and she couldn't deny the small sense of satisfaction she got from the face he made every time he saw her and Nick together.

Derek had no reason to dislike Nick, and Casey knew that. She had figured out long ago that Derek had little respect for anyone who had any interest in her.

However, his current hatred for Nick was beyond any of his discontent for her former suitors. Yes, he'd made fun of her exes, but he seemed to genuinely have a problem with Nick.

Casey brushed it off and tried to focus on something else.

As she stepped out of the shower, she heard the phone ring. She quickly wrapped a towel around her and dashed to get the phone in her room.

"Got it!" She yelled, smiling that her mattress was back in its proper place. She picked up the phone, and plopped down on her bed. "Hello?" She asked.

"Hey!" a familiar voice greeted.

Nick she thought. "Hi, how are you? Are you still coming over for dinner, tonight?"

"Actually, that's what I'm calling about…" There was a hesitation in Nick's voice.

"Look, Case, it's just no working out, I'm sorry."

"Ohh.." Casey stifled a grin and tried her best to sound upset. "Oh, I'm sorry. Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"Okay… well… See you around." Casey returned the phone to it's base and sighed with both exhaustion and relief.

From the other room she heard a quite "yes!" and her face went scarlet.

"DER-EK! What did I say about listening in on my phone conversations!"

Derek answered with a long laugh and Casey groaned.

Men, she thought angrily and started to pick out her clothes for the day.

-

Derek couldn't stop laughing. Poor Nick obviously thought she'd be more upset, and she definitely let him down.

What an idiot Derek thought, walking to Casey's door and knocking.

"What?" Casey shouted.

"Can I come in?"

Taken aback by the question, Casey found herself saying yes.

"I'm shocked.."

"Hmm?" Derek mused, as he walked through the door.

"Usually you just barge right in here."

"Well, I'm kind of on your bad side right now, and I don't want to add to that by walking in on you naked."

Casey glared at him.

"Sorry, but if I keep ingesting that much salt, my blood pressure will go up!" In truth, the idea of walking in on her amused him slightly, and he blushed at the thought.

"What do you want, Derek? I'm not going to apologise for breakfast. You know you had that coming"

"Yeah, whatever, I'm over that. What I'm wondering is," Derek flopped onto her bed and reached his arms behind his head. "if you were so relieved to be done with Nick, why date him for as long as you did?"
"It was only a few weeks, and, to be honest, I don't know," but Casey did know. Nick was a sweet guy, the kind of guy she was supposed to like, but his novelty extended mostly to the fact that Derek seemed to hate him with every fibre of his being.

"Why did you date Marie for a month when you wouldn't even touch her?"

Derek shuddered at the thought of Marie, a stupid girl he'd hooked up with after a winning game back in Montreal. What was supposed to be a one-night thing turned into much more thanks to the girl with the iron grip. It wasn't all bad; the sex was fantastic, but he refused to touch her in front of Casey. He would just lose interest, and Marie noticed.

When she finally dumped Derek, she mentioned something that had deeply disturbed him. How obviously in love with Casey he was.

That one stupid comment had basically ruined his entire summer.

As hard as he tried to forget it, every time Casey came downstairs morning fresh, or walked into a room, and went upstairs to go to bed, or really any time he saw her, Marie's voice chimed into his head, and he cursed her.

After all, this was her fault.

If she hadn't said anything, he wouldn't have even considered this ridiculous notion, but now all he could think about the what ifs.

What if she was right?

What if it was true?

What if Derek was in love with Casey?