Chapter Eleven: Spill
"Derek?"
"Edwin?"
"Casey?"
"Lizzie?"
Casey and Derek, arms still around each other, stared, dumbfounded, at their younger siblings. Lizzie was smiling, with a knowing look in her eye, and Edwin's mouth was wide and he was staring at the two.
Derek cleared his throat, nervously, and slipped his arms off of Casey and stood up. Casey followed suit, and looked around the elevator nervously. Then Derek looked sternly at the two younger teenagers.
"Why are you here? And how did you get here?" he asked, and Casey nodded, and stared at them, waiting for their answer.
"Well, when Mom and George found out Casey was already here, and we wanted to see the next D-Rock concert anyway, they let us drive up here, and when the concert's over we take Casey back, and leave you to your tour." Lizzie explained, as Edwin got over the initial shock of seeing Derek and Casey kissing.
"Oh." Derek said, and glanced over at Casey, "So you guys will be leaving tonight?"
Lizzie nodded, "Yeah, but if the concert goes over too late, we might have to stay the night…" she smiled again.
Derek's face brightened a little and he grinned, "So, Ed, Dad let you drive all the way up here?"
Edwin shook his head and regained composure, "Yeah, well, I've been driving for a few months, and he figured it would be alright. Nora almost didn't let Lizzie come, because Lizzie always says that it scares me when I drive."
"I'm not lying. I just really wanted to come, so I sucked it up." She laughed and shrugged.
Casey smiled, and hugged her sister, "Well, I'm glad you're here, I wanted to go to the concert, and I was worried I would be there by myself."
Lizzie pulled back, "Alright, now I'm going to point out the elephant in the elevator." She said as she and Edwin entered the small space.
Derek and Casey shared a nervous glance. "Wh- what elephant?" Casey asked nervously.
Lizzie folded her arms over her chest, "Well, that was quite a scene we saw when the doors opened…"
Casey became immediately interested in the tiles on the floor, and Derek stared at the ceiling. Neither looked at the other, or the two waiting siblings.
"Come on, you can't just kiss, and not tell us why?!" Lizzie cried, as the doors shut behind her.
Casey cleared her throat, and Derek rubbed the back of his neck.
Edwin turned and looked at Lizzie, "They're not going to tell us, are they?"
Lizzie grinned, "Nope, I guess we're going to have to make them!"
Derek and Casey both looked at Edwin and Lizzie, wide-eyed, "What do you mean?"
"Well, we could always call Dad and Nora; I think they'd want to know the full story…"
"NO!" the two cried in unison.
Casey sighed, "We kissed, because… well, because we wanted to okay?"
"Yeah, we don't have to have a reason to kiss, do we?"
"Well, you do if you're Derek and Casey. Last thing we knew you two hated each other." Edwin said, Lizzie nodding.
Derek frowned, "I never hated Casey. I just liked making her aggravated."
Casey hid a small smile by turning her head, then she turned back to her interrogators, "And if I gave off that I hated Derek it was only because I was trying to hide my real feelings."
Derek couldn't hide his grin. He turned to her, forgetting Edwin and Lizzie were even in the elevator, "Your real feelings?"
Casey smiled, "Yes, my real feelings."
Lizzie and Edwin grinned, and stepped back, as they watched the two, knowing that this bound to happen soon.
"And what might those be?" Derek asked.
Casey turned her head slightly, but then looked back into his eyes, "I… might just like you… more than a step-sister should…"
Derek took her hand in his, "Well, that's good, because I sure as heck don't think of you as a step-sister."
"Then what do you think of me as?"
"A beautiful girl who just happens to live in the room next to me."
Casey laughed, "Well, that settles it. I like you, and you like me. Now what?"
"Well, I didn't really want to do this with my little brother and your little sister around…"
"Oh just shut up, and ask her out already! We knew you liked each other long before you two even knew!" Lizzie blurted out.
Casey and Derek whipped around to face her, faces shocked, "What?!"
"Well, the only way you couldn't see it was if you were blind. Or our parents, who don't seem to notice anything." Edwin laughed.
Derek shrugged, and stepped closer to Casey, "Well, before that interruption, I was going to ask you to be my girlfriend. Would you?"
Casey's smile grew, and went all the way up to her eyes. She wrapped her arms around Derek's neck and leaned up, touching her lips to his.
When she pulled away, Derek let out a breath that sounded like a short laugh, "Does that mean yes?"
Casey nodded, and Lizzie and Edwin sighed. "Finally!"
The older two laughed and at that time, the elevator dinged again, and the doors opened one last time. The two Venturi boys and the two McDonald girls stepped out of it, and looked around; they were in the lobby.
Derek took Casey's hand in his again, and looked around at the other three, "Well, why don't I show you all around town, and we can have some fun before the concert."
"Don't you have to tell someone where you'll be?" Casey asked.
"No, just as long as I'm back an hour before the concert, I'm free to roam."
The four smiled, and headed out into the big city. Edwin glanced over at Lizzie, a look not unlike Derek's in his eye. But when she looked over at him, he quickly averted his gaze and cleared his throat.
She grinned, and sighed, another Venturi boy in denial. But this one, she was going to work on soon. She waited long enough for Derek and Casey. Edwin would have to get over it quickly.
--
Derek and Casey were sitting at the table Derek had sat at for two hours that morning, smiling and eating lunch. Edwin and Lizzie had taken a walk down to the park down the street, and Derek and Casey were glad with the alone time.
"Derek. Even though Lizzie and Edwin weren't being serious about calling Mom and George, they're going to find out about this sooner or later."
Derek shrugged, "We're eighteen, there's not really anything they can do about it."
Casey sighed, "I really want to think like that, but, Derek, think about it, I mean, do you really think our parents will approve of this?"
"To be honest, Case, I really don't care if they do. I've waited three years to be with you, and I'm not going to let our parents stop us."
"Really? You've waited three years? That's as long as we've known each other!"
"Well, when I really think about it, yeah. I mean, I always picked on you because I liked having your attention. And plus, you're really cute when you're angry. But I never thought about it like that, because, well, I guess I was in denial."
Casey took a bite of her food, and thought hard. "I have to admit, I really did think I hated you for the first year. But, then, I started to realize, that I didn't hate you, I just hated the fact that you could be so carefree, and well, just be you, and I was always so uptight. I think that's what bugged me the most. And, I guess I just wished I could change, but I never did, and I got angry, and I took it out on you. It wasn't until recently that I realized over time I came to have feelings for you."
"Well, as much as I don't like to think that I was the only one who fell at first sight, I'm glad you realized that you did have feelings."
Casey smiled, "Well, I kind of like the fact that I made you wait."
Derek chuckled, "I'm glad you liked it, because it was torture for me! Having to act like I was just the annoying step-brother when I wanted to be so much more. I'm glad we're done with those days."
"Me too. I just like being with you, right now. I don't want to go home."
"You have to finish off school."
"That's five more months!"
"Well, then you can join me on the tour, and we don't have to be apart."
"What am I going to do for those five months?"
"The same thing I have to do. Wait and miss you."
Casey smiled, "You sure do have a way of making a girl smile."
He grabbed her hand, "It's only because I love seeing yours."
"Since when did you turn into a sappy love card?"
Derek pretended to be offended, "That hurt, Case! That truly hurt!"
"I'm sorry. I'm not saying I don't like it. I just didn't think you could be like that."
"To be honest, I didn't either." He laughed, "You just bring out the best in me. Or, Ralph would say it's the worst."
"I definitely do not think it's the worst, so Ralph can stuff it!"
Derek grinned, "You're amazing. Remind me why I waited this long to do anything?"
"Because you were waiting for the opportune moment."
Derek leaned across the table and put his mouth next to her ear, "Then I'm glad I waited." And he moved his lips to hers and kissed her gently.
Casey smiled as he sat back in his seat, "I'm glad too."
--
Edwin had been quiet. Too quiet. And Lizzie was beginning to worry.
"Edwin. Talk to me, please."
"Well, Liz, you just told me you liked me. What am I supposed to say?"
"Well, for starters, you could say you liked me back…" it sounded lame, even to her.
Edwin shifted his feet, "I don't know what I feel right now, Lizzie. I couldn't tell you."
"Oh."
"But, I'll tell you as soon as I figure it out!" Edwin said, trying to brighten her up again. He hated it when she was sad.
"That's alright. I think I know how you feel right now." And with that she spun on her heel and hurried back to the café to see her sister. She needed some sisterly advice.
Edwin meanwhile decided to take another lap around the park. He had a lot to sort out, and a very short time to do it. He sighed and began walking, thinking about Lizzie and all the things he felt, and didn't feel toward her.
It wasn't until he was halfway around the park that he realized how blind he had been.
He took off running to the café; he needed to stop Lizzie before she went to Casey.