I'm deeply sorry for the delay of this chapter. I wish I had a valid reason but I really don't. But don't worry, I don't intend to just leave these stories. And even if I did, I wouldn't leave without letting you know.
Thank you for your patience, and thank you for reviewing and begging for an update. You don't understand how much I love that you are so invested and want updates.
So here it is. Date night. Finally, I have to say. I think after everything Mark and Lexie have been through, they deserve a calm night just to themselves.
And also, this chapter will be in two parts. So this is part 1. Part 2 isn't quite done yet, but I promise it will be up soon. So stay tuned!
Enjoy, and don't forget to leave a review!
"Lexie, you paged me?" Callie Torres asked as she entered the residents' locker room. The Latina had just finished up with a patient and received a page from Lexie. It was unusual to be paged to the locker rooms, so she could only assume that what Lexie wanted was private.
"I need your help," Lexie said in a hurried voice as she rolled on some deodorant under her arms and then pulled out two dresses from her bag. "Which one?" She asked as she held the two pieces of clothing up in Callie's eye sight. "I don't wanna be too slutty but not too boring either."
Callie felt a warm feeling swirling around in the pit of her stomach as she watched the nervous Lexie being anxious about her date with Mark. She understood the feeling, and she knew how special this night was for the two of them. Mark had texted her the night of their therapy session last week and expressed his nervousness about this date. He'd acted like a teenager. With a warm sigh, Callie took a step closer and carefully eyed the two dresses. "I like that one," she said and pointed at the dark blue one.
Lexie frowned slightly and glanced down to both dresses she was holding up. She liked both of them, but her gut didn't really like any of them at this point. They were too challenging and showed a bit too much cleavage. Under normal circumstances, that's exactly what she would've been going for, but this wasn't normal circumstances.
"What's wrong?" Callie asked when she noticed the look on Lexie's face.
"They're too challenging. I thought I would change my mind if you chose one, but it didn't help," Lexie replied sadly. So many things depended on this evening, and she wanted it to be perfect. She would do anything to get things back to normal with Mark, so the date had to be perfect.
"Okay," Callie said in a calm voice and offered the brunette a small smile. "Do you have anything else?" She asked calmly and slightly glanced towards the bag Lexie had brought.
A soft sigh left Lexie's parted lips before she nodded a little. "Yeah. I brought a pair of jeans and two tops. But I'm disappointed because I really hoped I would feel confident enough for a dress."
"Dresses don't define a woman's beauty," Callie said confidently. Callie if anyone knew exactly how to be beautiful and what beauty was. Beauty was never defined by your body type, skin, weight or height. A woman's true beauty shows when she feels confident. Whether it's in a ball gown or a trash bag, you're beautiful when you feel beautiful. "Let me see the tops," she said and smiled at the younger Grey.
Lexie didn't make a sound as she put the dresses down and turned to her bag. After some digging, she pulled out the pair of dark blue jeans and the two tops. One purple with details around the waist, and a black blouse with cute buttons.
"Definitely that one," Callie said quickly when she laid her eyes on the purple top. "You look amazing in purple and that fake belt is a prefect detail. Not to mention it will look gorgeous with those jeans."
Lexie glanced up at Callie for a moment before cautiously looking down to the top she was talking about. She did like it, and she remembered Mark complimenting it on multiple occasions. Maybe that top was it. With a small smile, she put away the other top before walking away behind the lockers and changed from her tank top to the purple top. She took her time to make sure it fit properly before walking back to Callie. The small smile on Callie's face was enough for Lexie to feel like she made the right choice. Lexie mirrored her smile and took a few steps to the mirror. She looked at herself in the reflection and watched as Callie came closer.
"What should I do with my hair?" Lexie asked and ran her fingers through her dark brown curls.
"How about a half-up do?" Callie suggested and removed a hair clip from her own hair before walking closer to Lexie. After receiving a small nod, the Latina ran her fingers through Lexie's hair for a moment before she gently pulled up half the hair and made a cute little up-do with the clip.
"Is he gonna expect things tonight?" Lexie asked in a cautious tone. The thoughts about sex had been circling in her head all day and she didn't know what to do.
Callie took a moment to fix the last details in Lexie's hair before answering her question. She would lie if she said that Mark hadn't talked to her about this evening. They hadn't discussed that subject, but Callie knew that it was lingering there in the back of his head. "He's not expecting anything. He won't touch you unless you want him to. And this night isn't even about that. You're supposed to have a nice time and enjoy each other. But if I can give you some advice, you know woman to woman, I'd say that whenever you feel that real desire build up, go for it. Don't push yourself."
Lexie nodded. She knew the advice Callie had to give here were helpful. That's why she turned to the ortho surgeon in the first place. Lexie trusted her. "Dr. Jones said the same thing," she commented and eyed herself in the mirror. And she had to admit, she looked beautiful.
"Just don't think about it too much. It'll happen when it happens," Callie said and offered the younger Grey a warm smile. "You look beautiful, by the way. Mark's gonna faint," she said with a chuckle.
A soft sigh left Lexie before she turned around to look into Callie's almost black eyes. "Thank you, Callie. For everything."
"Anytime," Callie replied and squeezed Lexie's shoulder. "Come on, let's not keep the man waiting. You have a date to get to," she said and let Lexie collect her belongings before leading her out of the small locker room.
—
The small restaurant was one of the cosiest Lexie had ever entered. It was a small, intimate, romantic little place that Mark had picked out especially for this evening. Perfect for first dates and anniversaries, Mark had said when Lexie asked. Although this wasn't a first date, nor were they celebrating some sort of anniversary, it was a special night anyway. This date would mark a new beginning, so maybe technically it could count as a first date.
They hadn't really exchanged words on the way from the hospital, both were a bit tense about this evening and their own thoughts took over. However, despite the tension, they both felt some sort of comfort in each other's company. And they were only focusing on having a good evening. Lexie found herself smiling at the thought as she stood beside Mark by the entrance, both silently waiting for the waiter to show them to their table.
"You look nice," Mark said softly, shifting from one foot to the other and pushed his hands into his pockets. He knew Lexie felt slightly unconfident so he decided to approach it carefully.
Lexie glanced up to her boyfriend for a moment before offering him a small smile. The look on his face in the lobby of the hospital was enough to tell her that he loved the way she looked. That purple top was indeed a wise choice. "Thank you. So do you," she replied and eyed him. That light grey dress shirt of his was one of her favorites. And it fitted his body perfectly. Mark Sloan sure knew how to dress.
"Thanks," he replied casually and smirked lightly. He kept his eyes on Lexie for a moment longer before glancing down to the floor. The thought never occurred to Mark that he would be nervous about a date. "I'm glad we're doing this," he added and took a breath before meeting her eyes.
"Me, too," Lexie replied with a smile. She sighed softly and reached out to touch his arm.
"Dr. Sloan," the male waiter interrupted softly, waiting for the doctor to give him his attention before smiling at the pair. "Your table is ready."
"Thank you," Mark replied and offered the man a smile before letting Lexie go first. They followed the waiter to the table reserved for the couple. Mark felt a rush of calm when he noticed the table was placed right by the window, slightly away from the big crowd. He was aware that Lexie was slightly uncomfortable and he wanted to do what he could to ease that for her.
They both sat down by the table and got comfortable before receiving the menus form the waiter. "Would you like to start with something to drink?" The waiter asked friendly, clutching his hands together and glancing between the couple.
The tension was back again as both Mark and Lexie realized that alcoholic beverages were offered at this point. And to be honest, it wouldn't be a date at a restaurant without at least a glass of wine. Mark froze slightly in his seat as he eyed Lexie's reaction. "Lexie, you don't have to order something if you don't want to," he said softly.
Lexie glanced up at him and noticed the honesty in his eyes. She thought about it for a moment and eyed the wine list before reaching a conclusion. "No, it's okay. Uhm… I'd like a glass of… uhm, that Italian wine, please," Lexie said and swallowed before looking up at the waiter. She watched him nod before glancing towards Mark.
Mark knew he had barely a second to decide. One glass of wine wouldn't hurt, but he was only thinking about Lexie. After a quick glance towards her, he made up his mind. "Same for me, please," he told the waiter with a friendly smile.
"Of course," the waiter replied and nodded before turning around to head back to the bar.
"And a glass of single malt scotch too, please," Lexie quickly interrupted, causing the waiter to turn around. "Uhm, for him," she added and pointed at a surprised Mark. Scotch was a huge trigger for her, and it was time to let that go.
Mark was taken aback by Lexie's request. It was just a few days ago they discussed how scotch triggered Lexie's memories for that night, and now she suddenly wanted him to have it? "Lex," he said softly and slightly shook his head. "You don't have to… I don't need-"
"I know you don't need it," Lexie interrupted and smiled at him. "But it's time to deal with all this. And I want you to have it. Just let me do this for you."
Mark was still uneasy and uncertain to if this was such a good idea. They had already come a long way and he didn't want anything to ruin that. However, the look on Lexie's face was so convincing and it made him actually believe her. He sighed slightly before nodding to the still waiting waiter, receiving a nod and a smile before he turned around and left to get their orders. "Thank you", he said to Lexie before looking down.
"You're welcome," Lexie replied with a smile as she moved her hand across the table to touch his, causing him to look up and meet her eyes. Every time Lexie's chocolate eyes locked with his ocean blue, something clicked and everything felt right. Like the world was circling around them and the only thing that mattered was the two of them.
"So, what are you having?" Mark asked with a smile, breaking the trance they got caught in and let go of Lexie's hand before looking at the menu.
"I'm not sure," Lexie replied and looked down at the menu as well, carefully going through the list and trying to decide what she wanted. "Salmon sounds good. Or maybe a steak."
"Yeah, I was thinking steak, too," Mark said in a thinking tone as he browsed through the pages and tried to find something he liked. "A sirloin steak will go well with the wine, too," he added and smirked proudly at his food/wine knowledge.
"I'm sure it will," Lexie replied and chuckled at her boyfriend before closing the menu, having made up her mind. As she waited, she kept her eyes on Mark and just admired him sitting opposite her. The way he looked as he kept reading the menu made butterflies release in her stomach and she found herself slightly tugging at her bottom lip with her teeth. She was reminded that he was called 'McSteamy' for a reason.
The moment was interrupted when the waiter came back with their beverages, causing Lexie to get out of her trance and Mark to finally put the menu aside. "Here you go, two glasses of Amarone and one glass of single malt scotch," he announced as he placed the respective glasses on the table. "Are you ready to order?" he asked and glanced between the couple as he brought out his writing pad and a pen.
"Yes," Mark replied before quickly glancing to an agreeing Lexie. "I would like a sirloin steak with mash potatoes, please."
The waiter wrote frantically on his pad and nodded before glancing towards Lexie. "And for you?"
"I'll have the same, please," Lexie replied with a smile.
"Two sirloins coming right up," the waiter replied with a smile before gathering their menus and walked back towards the kitchen.
"You always have to copy me," Mark joked and chuckled slightly at Lexie, crossing his arms over the table and just looked at her.
"What can I say? You have as good a taste in food as you have in women," Lexie replied with a smirk as she casually corrected the positions of her silverware so they were laying more straight.
"I sure do," Mark replied with a warm, proud smile. He watched Lexie for another moment before he glanced down to the glass of scotch she had ordered for him and gave it a cautious look. He still felt uneasy drinking the beverage that he knew would set Lexie off, but he understood that she wanted to fix that issue.
"Just drink it," Lexie commented as she watched him from across the table. "Like I said, I have hundreds of amazing memories with that drink, and just one bad memory. I need the good memories to win."
Mark listened to her carefully and made sure to comprehend everything before he nodded. Memories of what the therapist had told them entered his head. They would have to move carefully and really work to get back to normal. And if Lexie wanted to reconnect the scotch to him, he would have to do his part to help her. Just like they would have to do with everything else. Mark was so proud of her, she had come such a long way since he got back from Africa. She'd gone from keeping everything a secret, to working on getting things back the way they once were. And he figured this evening would be an important part of the healing process. With a soft clearing of his throat, he gently grabbed the glass and swirled the contents around for a bit before placing it to his mouth and taking a sip. The taste felt so familiar and just so good. A lot of good stuff had happened while drinking scotch, a few bad things too. This drink had been the reason to him staying up all night with Derek, and the same reason he'd stayed up all night in bed with Lexie. He felt warmth spreading in his body as he quickly remembered some special moments.
"What's the story?" Lexie asked warmly, placing her arms on the table and leaning forward. "What's the story with you and single malt scotch?"
"I haven't told you?" Mark asked with a slight frown, he thought he'd told her everything there was to know about him. When Lexie shook her head, Mark nodded before taking another sip and placing the glass back down. "It's actually pretty funny. Derek's father loved drinking scotch, and after he died, they had a bottle that they just kept in the cabinet. I'm not sure why, but it was just wrong to pour it away. Derek and I were like 16 or something, and he had been eyeing that bottle for some time, curiosity getting the better of him. So one day we agreed that we should try it, you know, just taste it and figure out why his dad loved it so much." A soft chuckle left him at the memory, and the humor about them basically thinking it would taste like lemonade. "So, Carolyn was out with some friends, we were home alone and decided to try it. And that first sip tasted so bad we both almost passed out, but we were teenagers and trying to be macho so we couldn't give up on the first try. We had also heard Carolyn say something about learning to like coffee, and that you would have to drink coffee multiple times in order to start liking it. We figured it worked the same way with scotch."
"Oh no," Lexie said with a laugh when she realized where Mark's story was heading. "You kept on drinking."
"What were we supposed to do?" Mark asked, laughing at the memory before he continued. "We hadn't really realized that the beverage contained alcohol, so we kept forcing ourselves to drink it until we liked it. However, instead of starting to like it, we got a good buzz. Carolyn was not happy when she got home and found us on the living room floor almost passed out with an almost empty bottle."
"Why would she be?" Lexie asked with a smile, enjoying Mark's story. "Two minors emptying an expensive bottle of scotch. I'd be pissed too," she said with a chuckle.
"Yeah," Mark agreed and smiled. "Anyway, we decided to wait a few years before drinking it again. On Derek's 21st birthday, his mom got him that same kind, and we carefully started to learn to like it. I don't know, it just became our thing and some sort of honor to his dad."
"That's nice," Lexie commented and smiled warmly at her boyfriend before reaching out to take his hand in hers. She understood the special connection he had to Derek and his mom. Especially since Mark never really had a family of his own when he grew up.
"So yeah, that's the story," Mark finished off and chuckled at the memory before looking up at Lexie. The way she smiled at him sent a wave of warmth. He loved her so much he couldn't even describe it in words.
"It was a nice story," Lexie replied in a warm tone and a loving smile. She would probably never get tired of hearing Mark tell her stories about his life. Especially stories with Derek. Lexie knew how much Derek meant to Mark, and how much he wanted to have a family of his own someday. She figured a wedding would be a first step. "I love you, Mark," she added suddenly with a more serious face. "It's important that you know that. And that everything I've done to you these last few weeks, I've done it because I love you."
"I know." That was his only reply as he reached his hand out to touch hers across the table. He did know. He was fully aware that all the lies Lexie had told him and keeping all the secrets were because she loved him and wanted to protect him. He would lie if he said he wouldn't do the exact same for her. "I love you, too," he added with a smile. The two of them held each others' gaze for a moment and smiled at each other before the waiter came back with their meals. Releasing their hands, they both watched as the waiter placed the plates in front of them and wished them a pleasant meal.
"This better taste good now," Lexie commented with a smirk as she placed the napkin over her legs and prepared the knife and fork. "I trust you on this."
"If it doesn't, I promise I'll make it up to you," Mark replied, winking at her and chuckling lightly before he started eating.
Lexie took an extra moment to look at her boyfriend. This whole thing felt good. They were already laughing and joking, and most importantly talking. Not necessarily about their healing process or about what happened that night, but they were having conversations. And that made Lexie happy. Maybe a date was exactly what they needed as a push to get back to normal. As she watched Mark from across the table, she felt something in the pit of her stomach. She couldn't quite define what kind of feeling it was, it didn't feel exactly like butterflies, but something good nonetheless. Lexie found herself biting on her lower lip again, and with a slight shake of her head, she pushed the feeling aside and started eating.