"Are you in love with her?" I asked and waited for a reply. But the look in his face said everything it was the same look of emptiness that he had when we broke up. He had to love her if he was this distraught over the postponing of the wedding. "Does it really matter anymore?" he asked. "It does if you want to fight for this for her. I can see the hurt in your eyes no matter what Keith said to you, which I can guess it was about the same thing Kate talked to me about. Don't listen to him do what you want to do follow your heart. Don't do what Keith wants your to do, what Kate wants you to do, what our parents want you to do, what Grace wants you to do or even what I want you to do. Not that you ever listened to me anyway." I said to him trying to help. "What do you want me to do?" he asked surprising me. "Does it really matter anymore?" I replied. "Yes it does I haven't asked you how you feel about it." He replied. "I want you to be happy. That's all I ever wanted so if she makes you happy marry her if she doesn't don't but don't marry or not marry her because that is what others want you to do." I said noticing that my drink was now empty. "Areale she needs another drink and so do I." Derek told the bartender. "Ok, Are you Casey? I've heard a lot about you." she said as she was pouring my drink. "Areale butt out." I heard Derek say under his breath. "Yes I am Casey what lies has he been telling you about me?" I replied to the nice woman with the crazy blue hair she looked like one of those anime characters. "Nothing bad, although I did get to hear Keith rip him a new one." Areale replied enjoying this too much. "I don't even want to know." I said with a smile. Derek turned to me and said, "If you were me what would you do? Case I'm asking you as a friend not as my stepsister and not as my ex-girlfriend." He asked me looking deep in my eyes. "Well I would make a pros and cons list and then make my best decision." I replied honestly not telling him I had just made one earlier. "I'm not going to make a list." He replied. "What do you want from me Venturi? Do you want me to say yes I give permission for you to marry her, do you want me to tell you to cancel it, do you want me to tell you to marry her? What do you want from me Derek?" I asked frustrated. "I don't know what I want?" He replied morosely. "Maybe you should figure that out, I need to go back to New York this week I need to turn in my manuscript for the new book. I will come back for the wedding if there is one." I got out my money to pay Areale. "Goodbye Derek, please keep in touch I'd like to be friends." I said kissed his cheek a little to close to his mouth turned around and walked away. That may have been the most masochistic thing I have said all day and I just tried to talk Derek into marrying Grace.
Derek
"I swear to god if you let her go again I'll kick your fine ass." Areale said to me seriously. I may be a pro hockey player but that girl scared the hell outta me. "It's complicated you know that." I replied hoping she'd drop it. She didn't. "Derek think things over, preferably while you are sober. Make a fucking decision and get on with your life." My friend advised me. "Fine I'll catch a cab home. I'll see you later." I told her standing up. I paid for the drinks and started to walk towards the door processing what just happened. I had just let Casey McDonald walk out of my life again and it hurt more than I thought it would. "Friends, I can do friends." I said to no one in particular and walked out the door. Yeah right.