Chapter Six: From Pleasant to Ass
Meredith arrived at the restaurant that Derek had suggested they have dinner at. She was still unsure what this dinner meant to him, and she was pretty sure the he had not yet noticed her wedding rings. Tonight she was going to make sure that she cleared up any misunderstanding, she had no plans of telling him who her husband was she just to make sure he understood that there was no chance for them. After the way her friends had reacted she knew there was no way Derek would take it well. Luckily for Meredith her friends had come around though, understanding her reasons for keeping her new life separate to the one she had had in Seattle.
She saw Derek sitting at a table already, she looked around the restaurant it looked a little fancier than she had expected for a friendly dinner to catch up. As she made her way over to the table she couldn't help feeling a little nervous. Here she was having dinner with the man who had completely broken her.
"Sorry I'm late, I was um…" Before Meredith could come up with a reason for why she was late Derek had interrupted her.
"It's okay Mer, I haven't been waiting that long. What would you like to drink?" Derek couldn't help but notice how beautiful Meredith looked. She was wearing a simple pair of jeans and a black sweater, her hair sat down past her shoulders in her signature waves and she wore the lightest amount of make up but still she was absolutely glowing.
"Okay, just water for me thanks."
Derek looked at her with puzzlement. The Meredith he knew could out drink most men. Perhaps she had changed more than he had anticipated. "You don't drink anymore?" He wanted to know what had changed about her, it seemed as though he knew nothing about his former love anymore.
"Um not really, I used to drink to numb my pain and forget about all the bad things that had happened to me, but I'm better now Derek, I've dealt with all my issues. Besides I have to drive home tonight, so just water." Meredith gave him a weak smile. She wanted more than anything to tell him the truth but she knew she was doing the right thing by not telling him, for now anyway.
After their mains and polite conversation Meredith was feeling more at ease with Derek. They had been discussing what each had been doing in the last 5 years. They had both danced around the subject of partners until now.
"So Derek, are you still seeing Rose?" Meredith couldn't take it any longer she needed to know if the woman he had left her for had turned out to be the person he had been looking, for the one who could give him what at the time Meredith was incapable of doing.
"Ah no, we dated for about 6 months after…well after you left but it turned out we were two very different people. And well she wasn't you Mer." Derek looked into Meredith's eyes hoping to see the sparkle that once shined just for him. But it just wasn't there. He had no affect on her anymore. So there was only one thing to find out. "How about you?"
Meredith wasn't sure what to say; obviously he was still yet to notice her rings so she would have to just point them out. "Actually I um got married about 6 months ago." She held up her left hand to show him the 3 sparkling diamond rings she wore.
Derek's heart leapt out of his chest he hadn't noticed the rings. He had always hoped that maybe she would come back for him. "Wow, congratulations, who is he?"
"He is a doctor, and we dated for about 3 years before we got married so it wasn't spontaneous or anything." Meredith found it surprisingly easy to talk about Mark to Derek, without giving away exactly who he was.
Derek now saw the sparkle in Meredith's eyes as she talked about the man who had managed to capture her whole heart and keep hold of it. Something he was unsuccessful in doing. "I'm really happy for you Meredith. So how much longer are you planning on staying in Seattle, don't you have to be back at work soon?"
Meredith was sick of people asking her about this, she was tired of making excuses but at the same time she didn't want people knowing about her mistake that had cost her, her job. "Um no not yet, I just wanted to come spend some time with mom and dad, they have come and visited us in New York but I haven't been back here in 5 years, I think its time I was back here for a while."
Derek watched Meredith as she talked about her family it showed in her voice and on her face that she really did miss being here in Seattle, and it was fault that she had left in the first place. "Have you ever thought about coming back to Seattle, for good?"
"Yeah I have considered it but Ma…my husband doesn't like rain and he has a really good position in New York. He wouldn't want to give it up."
"Don't you think that's selfish, I mean if you are unhappy in New York then you should be here with your family." Derek regretted what he had said straight away. He was in no position to be judging her marriage.
"You had to ruin this didn't you; we were having a surprisingly nice evening. I am perfectly happy in New York, if I wasn't I would have come back a long time ago. I have to go, thanks for the dinner ass."
With that Meredith left the restaurant leaving Derek sitting there processing exactly what had just happened.
