A/N: I know this chapter has been a long wait, but I have been so busy with life in general. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's one that I'm sure a lot of you have been waiting for. Happy reading!
*I re-edited this chapter b/c there were a few bugs in it. :)
Chapter 7
Derek was lost, literally lost. After he left Sally, he walked aimlessly while submerged in his thoughts and now he did not know where he was. He did know how much of a jerk he had been to Sally, but he hated the way she pushed him to confess he had feelings for Casey. He thought to himself, 'I'll admit that I care about her but in love, that's just insane. People do not fall for their step-siblings.'
Derek looked around and saw the red-flashing of a 'MOTEL' sign two blocks away, so he headed there and decided to rent room for a night. He went in to the room, threw himself onto the bed and as soon as he closed his eyes, the images of the dinner party flooded his mind.
'Max looked at Casey, rose from his seat and clinked his glass. 'Guys, I am so thrilled to tell you Casey and I are engaged!' Casey smiled and her left hand shot up to show off her ring. Derek sat in his seat, completely breathless. He didn't want anyone to notice his discomfort, so he struggled a quick smile. He looked over at Sally. She was so thrilled for the happy couple and Derek wondered why he even brought her with him tonight. She was his friend and she was supposed to be on his side. Then, he looked at Casey and to his surprise she was looking right back at him, dead in the eyes. She did not look thrilled, she looked uncomfortable. She looked like she didn't love him and like somehow her icy blue eyes were begging for him to save her. But, he knew he couldn't and it killed him inside.'
Derek opened his eyes with a start, would those eyes haunt him forever?
The next morning Derek took a cab back to his apartment and the first thing on his mind was to apologize to Sally. She didn't deserve all he was putting her through, but he also didn't want her to go around thinking he was in love with Casey. When he pushed open his apartment door, he called for her.
"Sally! Salllyyy! You home?" Derek walked around the apartment, searching frantically for her. Now he knew how Casey felt when she lost something important.
He checked his room, the guest room, and even knocked on the bathroom door. Then, he looked around for her luggage, but there was no trace of it. He circled back around to the kitchen and found a note laying on the counter.
Derek,
I know you're hurting. I am sorry I pushed you so hard to admit you had feelings for Casey, but I really thought that if you talked about it, it would make you feel better. I love you and I will always be here for you when you need a friend. I had to go back to Vancouver because Dean is leaving to explore Brazil and I wanted to see him again before he left. But, even though, I'm not there with you, I can be there for you. Call me anytime you need to talk.
Love always,
Sally
A tear rolled down Derek's cheek as he realized the reality of the letter. He pushed away the one person who tried to help him. He remembered how he yelled at her, screamed at her, and just left her to get home on her own last night. The more he thought about it, the angrier he grew. He closed his eyes and ran his hand through his hair and crumpled up the note he had in hand and threw it. It landed somewhere in his kitchen, but he didn't care enough to pick it up. Instead, he ransacked his kitchen to find something edible and settled on a microwave dinner with a dessert of Doritos. Then, he threw himself on the couch and let himself get lost in the world of hockey.
Casey was irritated. She slammed her morning cup of tea on the coffee table causing it to splash around and spill a little around the edges.
'Who does Derek think he is anyway? Storming out of here like that last night. I'm supposed to be happy about my engagement, but instead I'm stuck here worried about him,' she thought angrily. She heard the creak of a door opening and saw Lizzie coming out of the guest room through the corner of her eye.
Lizzie walked over and said, "Morning, Casey."
Casey smiled at her not-so-little sister and said, "Morning, Liz. How did you sleep?"
"Fine," Lizzie replied as she rummaged through Casey's fridge.
Casey looked down at her tea and said softly, "Sorry, I didn't tell you about the engagement right away. I wanted to, but everything was so hectic with the dinner party-"
Lizzie cut her off as she poured herself some orange juice and sat down next to Casey at the coffee table. "Casey, it's okay. I was glad that I could help you. But, I would love to hear how you ended up engaged to Max."
Casey grinned at Lizzie who was waiting anxiously for her sister to gush about her romance the way she used to when she was in high school. Casey told Lizzie the entire story and by the end of it, Lizzie felt slightly disappointed. She noticed that there was something missing in Casey's tone as she spoke about her relationship with Max. When Casey used to talk about her romantic life in high school, she would have a dreamy look in her eyes and Lizzie would instantly know that Casey was smitten, but this time Casey's words felt as though she were telling Lizzie about recent events from the daily news.
Casey picked up on the worried look on Lizzie's face and asked, "Liz, are you okay?"
Lizzie quickly snapped out of her thoughts, turned to Casey and asked, "Are you happy?"
Casey smiled hastily and said, "Of course, I'm happy. I'm getting married. Don't I look happy?"
The answer to Casey's question was written all over Lizzie's face. Lizzie put her hand over Casey's and pleaded, "If something is wrong, you know you can talk to me, right?"
Casey shook her head and asked, "When did you get so smart, Lizzie? I'm supposed to be helping you when you mess up, not the other way around."
Lizzie looked Casey right in the eyes and said, "Casey, we are sisters. I am here for you and you are here for me. We both need each other. The difference in our age does not matter."
Casey's eyes welled up as she took in Lizzie's supportive words and she broke down in tears. Casey's chest heaved as the sobs came pouring out of her and Lizzie looked on in horror. She thought that Casey was unhappy, but she never imagined that it took this kind of toll on her. She was used to her sister being in control and confident about her life path. But, then again, Lizzie had no idea of the other problems Casey now faced in her life. Lizzie stroked Casey's hair without a word as Casey continued cry with her head in her hands.
With tears streaming down her face, Casey turned to Lizzie and said, "I just don't want to lose Max. Sometimes I feel like he's all I've got."
Lizzie looked sadly at her sister and said soothingly, "Casey, you have so many friends and family that care about you. You don't have to marry Max if you don't want to."
Casey rose quickly from her hunched position at the sound of Lizzie's last words. She wiped the tears from her face and pulled herself together. Then, she looked at Lizzie straight in the eyes and said sternly, "Lizzie, I do want to marry Max. I am going to marry him. And I don't want you to mention a word of this to anyone, okay?"
Lizzie stared at Casey with mixed feelings of worry and surprise crowding her mind. She nodded slowly in agreement and wondered how Casey had lost control of her own life. Casey smiled sorrowfully, hugged Lizzie, and scurried into the bathroom. Lizzie remained at the coffee table, sipped her orange juice and thought to herself, 'I need to talk to Ed about this.'
THREE WEEKS LATER
'What is that awful smell?' Derek sniffed his armpit. 'Oh, it's me. Whatever.'
Derek did not care that he smelled awful. There was no one there to bother him about it. He was alone, as usual. He got the occasional text from Sam asking him to hang out, but he ignored them. Derek didn't want to talk to anyone that reminded him of everything he lost. He flipped through the channels and caught a glimpse of a football game. Suddenly, he didn't even want to watch television anymore. He switched it off and sat in the dark, swimming in his own misery.
In the darkness Derek saw his phone buzz and light up, this time it was a text from Sally.
It read, "Hey, D. I miss u. I talked to Sam. Please call me. I need to talk to you."
Derek sighed as he read the message. 'Is Sam trying to ruin my life? First Casey, now Sally.'
He closed his eyes and flashes of memories raced through his mind. First, he saw Casey's face when she found out that Sam had lied to her and why he was lying. Then, he saw Casey's grin as she flashed her engagement ring at her guests. And lastly, he saw the sadness in Sally's eyes when she realized how much he loved Casey.
Derek felt the tears stream down his face as he sat in solitude. He huffed as he felt the anger build up inside of him and in a moment of frustration, launched the phone at the wall and then, he heard it fall to pieces on the ground.
Casey felt content lying in bed with her head nestled on Max's bare chest. She looked up at Max with a grin on her face and he greeted it with a kiss. Casey kissed him back and as it started to deepen, Max reached for the bottom of her shirt to pull it upwards. Casey immediately broke the kiss and said quickly, "Max, you know I'm not ready for that yet."
Max threw his head back on to the pillows and rolled his eyes, "Case, we are engaged. We love each other."
Casey folded her arms across her chest and said, "All the more reason to wait for our wedding day."
Max grumbled and buried his head in the pillows. Casey was about to ask him what he said when her phone started to ring. She looked at the caller and gasped in surprise when she saw that it was Sam.
She hadn't heard from Sam in weeks and to be honest, she missed him. She told Max that she would be right back to finish their conversation after she took the call to which he waved goodbye to her with his head still buried in the pillows . She headed into the living room for privacy and settled herself on the couch.
"Hello, Sam," she whispered.
"Hi, Casey. Why are you whispering?" Sam asked.
Casey asked herself the same question and replied, "I didn't realize I was."
Then, she took on a more condescending tone and asked, "Why are you calling me?"
Sam sighed and said, "Casey, I think something is wrong with Derek. I haven't heard from him since your engagement dinner. I even tried to get Sally to talk to him, but he wouldn't answer her messages either."
Casey was instantly worried, but her suspicion got the best of her and she asked, "Why don't you go over to his apartment?"
"I did, but he wouldn't let me in. I don't know what's going on with him. I don't even think he took his finals," Sam replied.
Casey's eyes widened with surprise. She knew that Derek wouldn't miss his finals for anything because he really did care about his classes and getting his degree in Film.
"Wow, that is really bad. But, if he won't talk to you or Sally, what makes you think he'll let me in?" she asked with concern.
"You have a key to his apartment, don't you?" Sam said, enlightening her.
Casey smiled and said, "Yes, I do! I'll go over there now and try my best to figure out what's going on. Thank you for being such a good friend, Sam. I have really missed you."
"I miss you too, Casey. Call me after to you speak to him," Sam said.
"I will," Casey said before she ended the call.
Just as she was about to tell Max that she was heading out for a while, she saw him stroll out of the room.
Casey ran over to him and put her arms around his neck.
"Do you mind if I run out for a little while?" she asked in her sweetest voice.
Max looked away from her and said under his breath, "Yeah, whatever."
Casey pulled her arms off of him instantly and asked angrily, "What is that supposed to mean?"
Max chose not to acknowledge her and walked into the kitchen.
Casey stared at him in disbelief and yelled, "Max!"
Max turned around and said, "What do you want me to say, Casey? You do whatever you want to do anyway. Do you even care about what I want or what I need?"
Casey literally could not believe what Max was saying, she felt as if she was in a nightmare. Casey asked in astonishment, "What are you even talking about?" But then she looked at her watch and since didn't want to go to Derek's too late, she said, "Listen, we can talk when I get back. I have to go."
As she hurried out the door, she heard him say, "Of course you do."
It was already after 9 pm when Casey arrived at Derek's apartment. When she opened the door, she could see absolutely nothing. The apartment was in complete darkness. She walked carefully through the apartment to the light switch and she used her leg and her arms out in front of her to make sure there was nothing to bump into. She flipped on the lights and walked over to the living room, only to find a horrible surprise. Derek was on the floor passed out with garbage all around him. And the stench was unbearable. She looked around and saw empty frozen dinners, pizza boxes, beer bottles and dirty napkins everywhere. But, the dirtiest thing of all was Derek himself.
She nudged him with her foot and said, "Derrrrek." But, there was no response.
She kneeled down in front of him and shook his body and yelled, "Derek. Derek! You need to wake up!"
This time he opened his eyes slightly and blinked them a few times before he opened them fully. He yawned loudly and a waft of his bad breath floated into Casey's face causing her to cough and say, "Gross, Derek!"
Derek looked at Casey in surprise and asked, "What are you doing here, Casey?"
"I came to make sure you were okay. Sam called me. He's really worried about you," Casey said trying to appeal to Derek's sensitive side.
Derek started to get up and said, "Sure he is. I thought you two weren't talking."
Casey rose as well and said, "Well, we made up. But, the real concern is what is going on with you?"
Derek smirked at Casey and said, "Why do you care? Don't you have a wedding to plan?"
Casey felt immediately annoyed and replied, "I should have known helping you would be a bad idea."
"So, what are you doing here? Why are you pretending to care about me? Just run back to your husband," Derek yelled angrily.
Casey fought the tears rising in her eyes and said, "Derek, would you just stop? I don't want to fight with you."
Derek looked at her, saw that her eyes were glazed and realized that he had hurt her. He shook his head and said, "Fine. I'm sorry. Let me just take a shower and we can talk, I guess."
Casey nodded and said, "Okay. I'll help you with the living room."
About twenty minutes later, Derek came out of the bathroom feeling fresher than he had in weeks. He walked into his living room and was stunned by its spotlessness.
"Wow, you really are a neat freak," Derek said with his signature smirk.
Casey rolled her eyes and said, "Let's get to it, Derek. What is going on with you?"
Derek narrowed his eyes at her and asked pointedly, "Why do you care?"
"Because I do. And my impending marriage doesn't change that," Casey said softly.
She noticed Derek intensely staring at her and for some reason, it made her nervous. She gathered herself and asked again, "Derek, why did you hole yourself up in this apartment? You missed your finals and you're not responding to the people that care about you."
Derek rolled his eyes, grunted and said, "Casey, no one really cares about me. Sam is doing his own thing, Sally went back to her boyfriend, and I'm alone as it should be. I mean you wanted me to stay out of your life and I did. It ended up working out great for you, right? You're getting married, for heaven's sake. So, I figured if I stayed out of every one else's life, they would be happier too, " Derek said slapping a huge fake smile on his face.
Casey smiled back sadly and put her hand over Derek's causing him to gasp as the electric waves flowed through his body. She looked into his eyes and said, "I know it seems like we all are moving on, but not without you. We want you to be a part of our lives. I want you to be a part of my life."
Derek looked up at her and said, "I thought you hated me."
Casey sighed and said, "Of course I don't hate you, Derek! I really do care about you. And, I know you don't want to fail this semester and miss the end of the hockey season. You are better than all of this depression crap, Derek. You are Derek Venturi, you can do anything you want."
Derek's eyes met hers and he said softly, "Not anything." They gazed into each other's eyes, his deep browns locked on her clear blues.
She broke the gaze, feeling slightly out of breath like there was not enough air in the room. She tried to get up, but she realized that Derek still had her hand in his. He pulled her down next to him on the couch and cautiously reached out his hand to tuck a few loose strands of her long, soft brown hair behind her ear. Feeling more confident since she let him do that, he traced his fingers down her jaw line and settled three fingers under her chin.
Casey couldn't breathe and she felt motionless. Or rather, she didn't want to move. She felt an excitement within her that she had never felt with any other guy. But, nothing prepared her for the electric fire that coursed through her veins when he put his lips on hers. He kissed her long and slow. Suddenly, she regained her power to move and her hands flew into his hair as she sank deeper and deeper into the kiss. Her heart beat so fast that she felt as though it would jump right out of her chest.
Derek could feel Casey's heart and it felt as though their hearts were in a race of which one could beat the fastest. Derek's hands wandered from Casey's neck down to the edge of the top of her pants and he let them play there for a while. Then, they made their way under her shirt and he felt her body tense up as she broke the kiss.
Derek's hands were a wakeup call for Casey. She was instantly taken back to just a few hours earlier when she was with Max, her fiancé.
Casey started to straighten up herself and then, turned to Derek who was surprised by the sudden halt.
"What the hell was that?" Casey asked in both astonishment and confusion.
Derek stared at her with blank eyes, shrugged and lied, "I don't know."
Casey put her head on one hand, shook her head and said, "I have to go."
Then, she gathered her things and before he knew it, she was gone.
