The elevator doors eventually opened in front of Meredith, and the grin that took over her features was one that was simply too difficult to stop from forming. There he was. Mark, leaning against an elevator wall and looking incredibly sexy, with his cell phone open in one hand.
Mark casually glanced up to the person standing in front of him and then let his eyes fall back to his phone. That is, before he realized the person standing before the elevator was Meredith. His Meredith. He quickly brought his gaze up to her again, this time with a smirk, having read her text message not long before.
"I'm definitely still not sleeping."
The expression grew across Meredith's face to his words; her smile then reaching her eyes as she stepped into the elevator. She purposefully had not stepped in all that close to him, considering he was pretty damn irresistible to her in that moment. Actually, he always seemed to be.
"It's pretty difficult to fall back to sleep without you there…" Mark continued on. He closed his phone and slipped it into his pocket, stepping toward Mere. His hands soon found their way to rest on her waist as he breathed her in, also taking the time to place a warm kiss to her neck.
She was obviously able to keep her distance, somewhat, but Mark could not seem to be in an elevator with her and not be close to her.
--
The set of eyes continued to take in Mark's and Meredith's interactions from a distance. Derek's eyes. He had not bothered to bring his focus back to the chart open in front of him, considering Mere was still in his viewing range. Just as he was about to return to his work, though, he noticed Mark just happened to be in the elevator Meredith was waiting for.
His grip subconsciously tightened around the pen he had been writing with. He remembered when Meredith would smile warmly up at him; when he would hear her giggle; when he was able to hold her in his arms…
"Did you want to grab some coffee, Der?"
Rose's familiar voice suddenly brought Derek from his thoughts.
"Yeah," Derek replied and looked at her, not even bothering to force a smile. He knew he would not be able to do so, then. Guilt washed over him momentarily as he realized just that.
As he went to glance back to the elevator, the doors had already closed. A heavy sigh made its way past Derek's lips as he closed the chart and handed it to a nurse behind the counter. He simply thanked the nurse and walked off with Rose, while she attempted a conversation with him.
--
"You looked pretty comfortable when I left," Meredith shrugged slowly while her head tilted slightly to his lips on her neck. Luckily, they were the only ones in the elevator.
"Comfortable? Sort of. Able to fall to sleep? Not at all."
"So that's all I'm good for… Helping you get some sleep. Real nice," she smirked and rolled her eyes teasingly.
"Admit it; you sleep better pressed up against me."
"Well there's no denial there. And you do keep me pretty warm.."
Mark then chuckled lightly, slowly bringing his head up to kiss the side of her head. His hands slid around her fully as he pulled her into him. He noticed the elevator was approaching his floor and he really did not want to part from her. Ever, really.
"Good thing. You're coming to my place again tonight."
"Of course I am," she smiled and leaned back into him a bit more, before she turned around in his arms to face him. He grinned down at her before he bowed his head down to softly meet their lips for a quick kiss.
Once Mere felt the elevator coming to a stop, she slowly parted from his lips before another smile curved her lips. Her tiny hands rested to his chest for a moment, noticing as the elevator doors opened.
"See you around, Dr. Sloan."
"Count on it, Dr. Grey."
She smirked once more, and he met her smirk with a wink. A few individuals stepped onto the elevator along with Mark as he watched Meredith walk off. She had not looked back, but he watched her figure make its way away from him as the doors closed once again.
Mark always had a special bond with Meredith and it continued to strengthen. He found it ironic that the two of them were in a relationship, considering their pasts. The Dirty Mistresses- Dirty Ex-Mistresses, and so on.
--
While walking alongside Rose, Derek allowed his mind to wonder once more. He wanted to drink. Drink his problems away and spend some quality time with Joe. Well, his bar at least. He was not normally one that would choose to drink away his issues, especially by himself, but that was what he figured would suit him best. He almost felt sorry for himself. Disgusted, maybe. So many emotions ripped through him he could not quite name them one by one.
Derek let Meredith slip from his grasp. He said he would wait for her. He said he wanted to build a home with her; start a family; spend that lifetime together. Then it hit him. Mark was there for Meredith when he was not. That's all it was between them. Some tentative flirtation with commitment. Nothing more, so Derek thought.
"I did the right thing, didn't I?"
With turn of his head, he glanced back at Rose. "Yeah. You... you did the right thing." Whatever the right thing she was talking about, was.
