Woo quick update!
Yadda yadda, not mine
For one breathless minute, Casey thought for sure the world had been jolted off its axis and was now reeling wildly through space. Her eyes had fluttered closed almost immediately, and she lost herself completely in the moment.
But then Paul jerked away sharply, and it was over. They shared a long, silent stare before he sputtered back to life.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't, that, I, uh…" he trailed off helplessly as Casey's soft hand alighted on his chest, right over his heart.
"Don't worry about it," she breathed softly, leaning in and softly pressing a chaste kiss to his lips. Pulling back, she smiled at him gently before turning to walk back towards campus. "See you next week," she called over her shoulder with a sly grin.
From there it was a short skid down a slippery slope to a full-on relationship. Paul ended up leaving his job at Sir Thompson and getting an apartment in Mississauga, working as a social worker.
It took Casey a lot of effort not to fall into her usual obnoxious relationship patterns (monthiversaries, anyone?), but she managed to do a pretty good job. She knew that she had to be more mature about dating than she had been in high school, not just because she was in college now, but because Paul was so much older and more…experienced.
Old habits die hard, though, and so that is how they found themselves out to dinner at a fancy restaurant in downtown Toronto on what she considered their anniversary—that is to say, it had been exactly one year since that first breathtaking kiss.
The soft lighting made Casey appear as though she was glowing, and she smiled beatifically at Paul as he held her hand across the table. She daintily licked a smudge of the key lime pie they were sharing off her lip, and then looked Paul right in the eyes, suddenly nervous.
"I, uh, I made a reservation at the InterContinental, down on Bloor Street? If you didn't want to drive back so late," she stammered uncertainly, a blush of color rising to her cheeks. She was living with Derek by now, so staying at her apartment wasn't an option.
Paul said nothing, simply looked at her seriously. This was more than just an offer of a place to stay. Although it had been a year, and although it had been incredibly difficult for him, he had respected Casey's wishes when she said she wasn't ready to sleep with him. he was a gentleman, and he said he wasn't going to pressure her. And he hadn't. But Casey had decided a few weeks ago that she was ready.
"Are you sure?" he asked softly, after a long minute of silence.
She nodded, more confident now, and broke out into a contagious grin.
Just then, the waiter brought over the check. Talk about impeccable timing.
Even though there was nothing illegal about their relationship, the air of scandal was still heavily present, and Casey felt nearly giddy on the fumes of it as they checked into the gorgeous hotel. He kissed her in the elevator with a kind of breathless urgency, and she giggled as she pulled him closer by means of his necktie and slid a cool hand under his shirt. They tumbled in the door like something out of a movie, and Casey's heart pounded in her throat as he unzipped her dress. Speechless with anticipation and want, she didn't even laugh as he fumbled a little with the clasp on her bra, never breaking the heated kiss.
"Uhm, Casey?" Derek interrupted in an oddly strained voice.
She looked at her stepbrother in surprise, as if she almost had forgotten he was there. His face was oddly contorted in a pained expression.
"I don't, ah, really need to hear about this part…" he said uncomfortably.
Casey's eyes widened more than he thought was possible for a human being, and she threw a hand over her mouth as a hot blush splashed itself across her cheeks.
"Oh God. Sorry Derek, I just got carried away. It was such an amazing night…" she sighed dreamily. Quickly though she remembered herself, or rather, Derek."Right, sorry. I'm sure you can uh imagine the rest."
Derek winced.
"Not! Not that, uh, you'd want to. Or, whatever," she stuttered, subconsciously trying to crawl inside the jersey she was wearing.
"Yeah. Um. Its, uh, sort of getting late. Maybe we should, you know, continue this tomorrow or something," he replied lamely.
"Yes! Yes. Good idea," she responded, a little too enthusiastically. Glancing at the clock on the DVD player, she grinned brightly. "Hey! Law and Order should be on, want to watch?"
"Is it the one about the kinky shit, the one with the big dude, or the really boring one?" he asked warily.
"The big dude," Casey said smartly, settling back into the couch and reaching for the remote.
Derek smiled genuinely. "Awesome. That guy's the man." Satisfied, he situated himself more comfortably on the couch, and the two stepsiblings quickly drifted into a television coma.
An obnoxious, thumping bass beat pulled Derek slowly out of unconsciousness. With a groan, he lolled his head from side to side, trying to get rid of the painful kink he developed. In the process, he cracked his neck with a satisfying 'pop,' and with it came more clarity at his surroundings. He had apparently passed out on the couch, along with Casey, who was now making soft snoring noises and drooling slightly on his leg. The TV was still on, and the annoying sound that had woken him was the overly upbeat music being played in the background of the current infomerical. Some stupid exercise gimmicky thing. It was still dark outside, and even with the lights left on in the living room (Lizzie would have a fit), the television screen still managed to cast a strange, bluish light on himself and Casey.
He looked down at her for a moment, almost transfixed by the odd light dancing across her face.
Here was his nemesis, harmless and almost vulnerable in sleep. He was tempted, in his groggy, half-asleep state, to gently cup his hand around the smooth curve of her cheek. As soon as he had the thought, however, she shifted slightly in her sleep, jolting him out of the trance. Her breathing changed slightly, and she made a sound that sounded exactly like a baby pig—or what he imagined one would sound like, as he had never actually been around a baby pig (unless you count Edwin). Derek tried to stifle his laugh, not wanting to wake her up, but failed. It burbled out of him at an unsettlingly loud volume.
Casey stirred, and again her breathing changed. She wasn't really awake, but she was no longer sound asleep either. Looking at the clock for the first time, Derek decided it would be best for them to go back to their beds and get in a few more hours of sleep.
"Hey Case," he said softly, "time to go to bed."
"Mmmmhm," she replied incoherently, and snuggled herself deeper into Derek's lap and the folds of the couch.
With a sigh, Derek realized she wasn't going to go on her own, and gently scooped her up and carried her to her room. He set her down awkwardly, as he tried to pull down the covers and get her under them. Finally he succeeded, and she instantly curled up on her side like a little pill bug. She reminded him so powerfully of Marti in that moment, that before he even realized what he was doing, he leaned down and smoothed her hair, planting a kiss on her forehead.
"Goodnight, Casey," he whispered into her hair, inhaling the intoxicating vanilla smell.
"G'night," she murmured dreamily, before fading back into the deep shadows of sleep.
He lingered in her doorway for a silent moment, watching her small body rise and fall with each breath. Then, with a trace of smile, he left, flopping down on his own messy bed and drifting back into dreamland.
I obviously do not live in Canada, so I apologize to any Canadians who may be like 'wtf.' Forgive me, for I am just a lowly American, and am doing my best.
This was initially going to end right after they turned on Law and Order, but then the other scene just came to me and I couldnt pass it up.
I apologize if anything seems rushed, I didn't think it necessary to drag you through the first year of Casey and Paul's courtship. Slash, its weird for me to write a lot of it because really at heart I'm a hardcore Dasey shipper. But there is still lots more to come of the Casey and Paul story. Dramarama ahead. Hehehe.