Derek's POV

It was Sam's bacholer party. I'm the guy who usually would order the stripper, get the keg, and maybe more strippers. Tonight however, I didn't feel like partying, I felt like...I actually didn't know how I felt at that moment. I was numb and all I wanted to do was lie awake in my bed and think. But Sam was my best friend, so I had to put on a smile and enjoy the strippers and gallons of beer we were going to drink.

The doorbell rang. I answered. "Hello."

"Hi" said a beautiful red head wearing a big trenchcoat. "You Sam?"

"No" I said.

She walked in and whispered in my ear "Too bad." she entered the living room and saw all the guys there. "So which one of you is Sam?"

All the guys raised their hands and shouted "Me, me, me!" like little second graders who knew the answer to a math question. 1+12.

"I'm Sam." said Sam walking toward her with his beer in hand.

She wrapped her pink boa around him and took off her coat. She smiled then kissed his cheek. One of the guys turned on the music and she began to dance.

I looked for about a minute then went outside and sat on the porch. I looked at the stars in the sky and thought about everything. Every thought that flashed in my head was consumed with her face, her smile, her voice. Casey...Casey...Casey...I wanted to escape it but when I tried to think about something else it would just go back to Casey. I couldn't fight it anymore, I didn't even want to. I wasn't over Casey, I never have been.

Later:

I was still sitting on the porch when the stripper came outside.

"Hey" she said sitting next to me. "Enjoy the show?"

I took a swig of my beer. "I didn't see it."

"Why?"

"Didn't feel like watching." I said.

She smiled "Well, if you ever care to watch what you missed give me a call." she gave me her card. It's funny, I didn't think strippers carried business cards, but I guess I was wrong. "Or if you want to get together sometime for a drink maybe." she smiled again then walked over to her car.

"Wait, I didn't get your name."

"It's on the card." she said.

I read the card aloud "D-licious?"

She laughed "It's Deanna." then she got in her car and drove off.

I smiled and for that second my mind wasn't on Casey. Sam came outside with a lipstick kiss on his cheek and he smelled like her perfume.

"Dude, you missed one good show." he chuckeld and took a swig of beer.

I shook my head and also took a swig of beer. "You're getting married."

"What?"

"You're getting married."

"Yeah, I am."

I looked away then back at Sam "Do you love her?"

"Of course"

"How did you figure that out."

Sam laughed "Uh...I don't know it just sort of happened."

"How?"

He gulped his beer down. "Are we women now? Come on let's get more beer." he went inside.

I stood there for a minute trying to figure something out. How could one girl change a guy so much?