Casey laid silently next to Derek in the big queen sized bed. Derek swallowed, and nervously laid on his side, opposite of Casey the whole time.
"So. . .We need to make sure we have our story straight!" She breathed out deeply, drying the rest of her wet hair with a towel, telling herself to get over the awkwardness, that is was just Derek.
Derek turned to look over at her, "I was just thinking the same thing, Keener."
Casey nodded, ignoring the insult, "Well, first, how did we meet?"
Derek smirked evilly, rubbing his chin, "Well-"
"No, Derek! We are not going to say over girls mud wrestling! It's offensive and wrong!"
Derek made a mocking face of horror.
"You said it, not me." he smirked, as she looked at him with disgust.
"You didn't have to say anything you pig, your face said it all." Casey scoffed, turning herself, this time, away from his sight.
He snickered, watching her back, and the steady rhythm of her breathing, as her white silky night-gown moved along with her, he tried to look away from the slight showing of her shoulder when the sleeve had moved down, but couldn't, "Well, it's not that bad of a plan." he said, clearing his throat, and looking away finally.
"Fine, than lets just change the gender." she teased, turning back to him with a devious grin, "Boy mud wrestling. You where such a champ, you could have gone all the way if you hadn't slipped and hurt your ankle, and of course, I was there to help you!"
His face turned, "What, no, if anything it's you and me mud wrestled and that's how we got to know each other better." he chuckled as she hit him with and extra pillow by her feet, "Ugh, you are so nauseating, Der-ek!"
He grabbed the pillow and hit her back with it. They ended up with feathers all over their bed, and laughing, "Shh! We don't want to wake up the owners!"
His face was only a few inches from hers, his hand on top of hers had been a way to stop her from hitting him with feathers, than felt like something more as he leaned in, " Yeah, they are freaking scary aren't they?"
Casey looked cautious of her words, as she pushed him away from her, and swept away the feathers from her side, "Derek! That's not nice."
"Seriously, that's kind of generous considering." He laughed, throwing a feather into her hair. She glared at him, throwing one at him too, "And what does that mean?"
"It means they seem like the might be in a society of some sort, and like to drink the blood of the innocent! Looks like you won't be safe after all keener."
Casey rolled her eyes, "Come on Derek, that's ridiculous. . ." she paused, than looked over at him a little uncertain,"Right?"
He saw her fear, and chuckled, "Yeah, so be careful when you turn off the lights, someone might grab you."
"Now you're just being stupid, the lights are already out nitwit!" Casey groaned, flicking him. "Well, except for the lamp."
He looked at her in annoyance, and flicked her back. They kept at it for so long till Casey couldn't take it any more!
She glared at him, "Der-ek!" she practically shouted, pushing him off the bed in anger. "Thump!"
"Shh, you wouldn't want to wake our neighbours." He scolded, "And that was not a very lady like thing to do, MacDonald." he growled, sitting back on the bed.
"Okay, just knock it off, Jerk!" she growled. It was silent for a moment, than he flicked her again, one last time, "Ugh!"
"You started it." he said casually, as he laid on his side, ready to fall asleep. It was silent once more, till a voice whispered towards him, "Derek, are you still awake?"
He didn't say anything, and kept still.
He felt her come near to his back, and lay her hand softly against it, her head laying very close to the back of his neck and shoulders, and her body pressed slightly against his, "I-I know this is completely stupid, b-but I'm scared. . ."
He gulped, "You're right. . .that is stupid."
"Shut up, Derek!" She felt sad, and a little mad at him for not understanding, and was going to back away, until she felt his hand wrap around her left wrist, and pulling her arm over to his chest, holding her little hand in his strong hands, caressing her's softly with his warm fingers. "But it's totally normal, don't worry about it, Case." he said, turning to face her.
She felt a flutter go off in her heart as she leaned into him more, her pulse quickening as fast as his own "Okay."
"Just don't tell anyone I did this!" he warned in his Derek style. "Or I'll-"
But Casey shut him up with a kiss on the cheek, "Good night, Derek! Stop talking and go to sleep already you brat!"
"Whatever you say, Captain." he grinned, his hands still holding hers, "So you think they have and booby-traps around here? I mean who know's, they're probably a vampire couple who are going to suck the blood clear out of you!" Derek said in a hushed scary tone to freak her out.
Casey glared at him, and pushed him away from her, "What was I thinking, I should be more afraid of laying in a bed with a jerk like you, than ghost or vampires any day."
Derek smirked, staring at her back again, than looked up at the ceiling of the bedroom, arms under his head lazily, "Wait, so you never heard of the story of 'Ole Esmerelda Cloud'?" Derek asked, acting like he was genuinely surprised.
"Knock it off Derek!" Casey growled, hugging her pillow closer to her, face turned from his. Derek grinned as she tried not to listen to him.
"Well, Esmerelda Cloud once lived in a castle like this one long, long ago. They say that you can still hear the faint cries of the people she brought to this house and killed. I mean no one knew why she wanted to kidnap couples, maybe she hated seeing happy couples as much as the next single guy. Anyways, she decided one night to capture a sturdy young farmer, and a princess who had decided they were going to run away from the world who told them what to and not to do, and elope. Soon after that, Esmerelda caught them, and started to take them away to her tower, the same tower we saw outside earlier, or at least one that seems eerily similar. Moving on, little did Esmerelda know that the young stout farmer Joe carried a small carving knife, and he'd cut himself free. Half way up the very long tiring steps, he loosened his girl too, and they struggled to keep steady when Esmerelda figured out what was happening, she and the farmers fiancé fell down the stairs together, and the farmer watched helplessly. The fall was so long and so hard because of the cement stairs, that they both died instantly. And they say you can still hear Esmerelda looking for the long-awaited Farmer, and Princess by the way she searches every room at night, her breathing shallow as she grabs innocent couples, an takes them to her tower to complete her work on them."
Casey gulped, "That's the worst story you've made up so far!" she said scornfully.
He laughed, "You think it's not real? Look it up, sweet cheeks."
"Uggh, do not call me 'sweet cheeks'!"
"Okay, Princess." he teased, starting to fall asleep facing her back.
"Well, at least I'm not afraid of Play-dough men named Mr. Bill!" she spat back.
Derek's eyes popped open, and he sat up looking at her in surprise, "Wait, who told you that?! Was it my dad, Edwin? It was Edwin, wasn't it? Oh, I'm gonna kill that kid!"
"No, it wasn't Edwin, or your dad." Casey said, glad she'd got him back.
"Well, let me just tell you that if you were a kid, you'd have been scared of becoming play-dough too if you were sympathetic for the poor guy getting stepped on." he said. "It's a big deal."
"So technically you're more afraid of big feet? Why Derek? Is it because you haven't got big feet?" she asked, trying not to laugh at her own joke.
Derek glared, "Oh wow, the MacDonald made a funny. Whoopdie doo." he grunted tossing himself around, "And just so you know, I've got enormous feet, and am proud to say most of all the girls from college know it as well." he grinned.
Casey groaned in disgust, "You are so gross, Derek!" she said, pushing him once again.
He turned near her, and smiled, "You didn't seem to think so when you were dreaming about me."
Casey froze, "W-what? Dream about you?! I would never do something like that unless it was a nightmare, which it obviously was."
"Wow, so you giggle and moan when you are scared like that, hm, you should get that checked out." he chuckled.
"Whatever, just go to sleep!" Casey growled, turning of her lamp light, and creeping far away from his side as she could.
"Wow, emotional much." he laughed, "It's normal for someone like you to have the hots for someone like me."
"What? That does not make any sense? I do not have the "hots" for you. That is absurd!"
"Yeah, that you don't have the hots for me is absurd, cause it's so obvious."
"Is not!"
"Is too, I mean just look at the way you look at me."
Casey felt her face flush.
"And how you turn completely red when I'm too close to you."
She glared over at him, as he leaned closer to her, talking into her ear.
"And how you-"
"Fine! I am attracted to you! So what! It's not like I want to be! I hate the way you act like you are all that, because you defiantly aren't!"
"And yet you are attracted to my "All that!" personality."
"Yes, unfortunately." she sighed, "Shameful as it is. . ."
He grinned, and laid on his back, "Called it."
Casey rolled her eyes, "You didn't call anything. Anyway, it's not like I like you or anything, there is a complete difference."
"Nah, you have a thing for me too." Derek muttered, "You just don't want to admit it."
She felt her heart rising and slamming in her chest, this was getting embarrassing, "Shut up."
Than the silence was broken by thunder crashing. Casey jumped a little at that one. It sounded really close.
She felt Derek's hand slide into hers, and squeezed it, "Don't think to much about this, I just know you're a sacred keener."
And she didn't think to overly about the gesture as she started to doze off, tired from the walking in the rain, and their humiliating discussion.
She couldn't help but be a little truthful of her feelings, or she knew she'd turn all klutzy on him, and that was worse than admitting how she felt.
She could feel his breath on the back of her neck as she fell into a blissful sleep. She hadn't realized he was laying his head ever so closely to hers. Nor did she feel his arm wrap around her waist softly so as not to wake her. "I like you too, Keener." he mumbled, his eyes fluttering closed, and moved his face against the back of her hair, down to her neck, laying his forehead close to it, "I'm seriously messed up. . ."
Than he fell asleep with Casey turning to hug whatever was holding onto her.
A/N: Hello, I am so mean, I am a slower writer cause I want to get the feel down. So hope you R&R, and tell me if you think I should do something a little differently? I like this chapter, and I hope you like it too. :) 3
