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Meredith woke up feeling good. Today was the day. She was finally going to have her cast removed. The last few days passed by in a big blur. Derek worked late most of the time, so they rarely saw each other. She had to admit that she missed him. She missed his smile. She missed his scent. She missed everything about him. On the one occasion that they were home at the same time, they never spoke about what happened. They weren't avoiding. They just didn't know what happened, so talking about it made it all the more difficult.

Putting on her robe, she washed her face, brushed her teeth and trudged down the stairs toward the kitchen. The rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafted past her nose as she was halfway down the steps. She paused for a minute, having remembered that Derek told her he had to work today. Was Cristina here? Did Derek let her in before he left? Could it be…Kendall?

She heard movements in the kitchen and took slow purposeful steps as she rounded the corner and stopped at the entrance to the kitchen. What she saw surprised her. Derek stood in front of the stove, making what smelled like French toast.

"Good morning, sleepyhead."

A smile spread across her face upon hearing his voice. He still had his back to her and was busy working on another toast

"How did you know I was here?"

"I smelled you coming a mile away. You're still using that lavender conditioner?"

She smiled again. He remembered.

"Today is the big day."

"Yeah," she replied.

She hobbled over to the island and leaned against it while she watched him cook. He was very meticulous in his movements. He was always comfortable in the kitchen and she remembered how she used to love to watch him cook.

"I bet you're happy to get rid of me," she said.

"Why would I be happy and why would I want to get rid of you?"

His response took her by surprise. "Well, I thought that maybe…you would want me to move out now that my cast is off."

Derek stopped what he was doing and turned to face her. "You being in a cast is not a condition for staying here. I meant what I said to you before. You can stay here for as long as you need—with or without the cast."

Her heart jumped her throat at the look he gave her. "Thank you for that, but I feel like I'm intruding."

"You're not."

"But you and Kendall haven't been able to spend any time alone together since I came." She noticed that she hadn't been by since the first day she arrived at the house. Although she and Kendall got along, she couldn't help but wonder if she was the reason she hadn't been by the house.

Derek's face fell at the mention of Kendall. She noticed it immediately and her suspicions were confirmed. She had to leave. She was ruining his relationship by being here. He was too kind to say anything about it, but she knew.

"Kendall and I…we're not," he began to explain then stopped when his phone began to ring. "Hold on."

He walked out into the family room and answered the call. Meredith moved to the windows overlooking the lake outside. The view was breathtaking. She loved the lake. It was serene and calming and her favorite part of the house. She could see grey clouds in the far horizon and wondered if they were set for another storm.

"Hello."

"I had Olivia postpone my surgery for later today. I have something I need to do first."

"What?"

"No, I saw her last night."

"Hm-mmm. I'm taking Meredith to get her cast removed."

Meredith's ears perked up at the mention of her name. He rearranged his schedule for her? He saw Kendall last night? Was that why he came home so late?

"We already talked about this."

"Tell the guys I'll be there tonight. Bye."

Derek hung up the phone and walked back into the kitchen. He saw Meredith by the window and walked up next to her.

"That was Mark."

"Derek. I really think that I should—"

"Let's eat. The food is getting cold and we need to get ready soon. I'm taking you to the hospital today."

"But—"

"I'm not going to make you stay here if you don't want to. Let's get this cast removed and we'll talk about the rest later. Okay?"

"How does your leg feel?" asked Derek as he drove them home.

"Weird."

"Does it hurt?" he asked, his voice instantly filled with concern.

"No, it just feels…different," she explained. "I guess I've gotten so used to having the cast on that it feels weird not to have something heavy attached to my leg."

Derek smiled at her explanation.

"Derek?"

"Hmm?"

"You didn't have to rearrange your schedule for me."

"I know," he smirked.

Silence.

"Thanks for coming with me."

"Thanks for letting me come with you," he responded in kind and winked at her when she smiled up at him. "Are you going to be okay by yourself tonight? I don't have to go."

Since they left the hospital, he had grown increasingly concerned with the grey clouds that had moved in since the morning. The forecast had predicted scattered evening rain, but the grey, almost black clouds looked foreboding as they loomed in the sky overhead. He didn't want to leave her, but he didn't want to press the subject.

"I'll be fine. Go and have a great time. I'm going to take a long, hot bath and curl up on the couch with a good book and hot soup."

"Soup is not enough to keep you sustained."

"Soup is fine. I haven't been able to exercise because of the cast and if I don't stop eating so much, I'll blow up like a balloon," she joked, giggling half-heartedly. "No one's going to want me when that happens."

"I'd want you," he answered before thinking.

Meredith stopped giggling as the tension mounted in the small confines of the car. She only said that as a joke, not as some ploy to get him to….to what? Her mind was racing a mile a minute as she averted her gaze to peer outside the window. He'd want her? Did he really say that?

Derek realized his second slip-up in the last twenty four hours and silently berated himself. The knuckles had turned white as he gripped onto the steering wheel. His heart was beating madly against his chest and he was sure she could hear it. The awkward silence stretched between them, neither one dared to move. He kept his eyes trained on the road while his hands continued to hold the steering wheel in an almost death-like grip.

The sigh of relief was almost audible as they released the breath that both had been holding. Derek carefully maneuvered the car to the front of the house and before he had it in park, Meredith already had the door open. She whispered a quick thank you and ran up the front steps toward the house.

"I'm leaving now," Derek yelled from the bottom of the stairs. He had finished lighting the fireplace for her. The cold chill from outside had crept inside the house and he wanted to make sure she was comfortable.

After they got home, he showered and got ready for his poker night with the guys. It was their Friday night ritual and they hadn't missed a game in the last year. Tonight, they were meeting at Mark's apartment which was halfway across town. Derek felt bad leaving her alone and offered to stay with her, but she insisted that he go. She wasn't about to let him miss the game on account of her.

"Okay," she yelled from the hall. "Drive carefully."

She stuck her head over the top of the stairs to see him standing in the foyer looking up at her. He had on a pair of dark stone washed jeans with a white buttoned down shirt. The sleeves were rolled up over his forearms and she couldn't help but think how sexy he looked. Her throat felt dry as her eyes devoured the sight of him.

He hesitated, almost waiting for her to ask him to stay and when she didn't, he gave a slight nod of his head and walked out the door. She closed her eyes, her heart heavy from the loss. She missed him already. She didn't want him to leave, but it would not have been fair for her to ask him to stay. He had offered to stay, but she knew he was doing it out of obligation.

Once she heard him drive off, she walked into her bathroom and drew a warm bath. She poured some lavender and chamomile bath salts into the water and quickly undressed. The warm water was a welcomed relief to her aching body as she slowly lowered herself into the oversized tub. She closed her eyes and leaned back against the pillow headrest on a soft sigh as the scented water completely enveloped her body. She was in heaven.

An hour later, dressed in a jade green silk lace cami and vanilla colored a-line skirt with a side slit that ran up the length of the skirt to mid-thigh, she felt good. The bath did wonders to ease the tension in her back and relaxed her leg muscles. She took one last look at herself in the mirror, taking in the way her soft golden tresses framed her flushed cheeks. Her makeup was minimal, consisting of a touch of blush and lip gloss. Her body felt soft and smooth from the lotion she had lathered on it after the bath. She took one last look at herself in the full length mirror and had to admit that she looked good. Her attire, hair, and makeup were understated, but it still exuded sexy and she liked how it made her feel.

The doorbell rang as she descended the stairs. She walked to the door, pulled back the curtains and was surprised to see who it was on the other side of the door.

"Hi."

"May I come in?"

"Yes, of course." She moved aside to allow her guest to walk past her into the foyer. "Derek's not here. He's at…"

"Poker night, I know" finished Kendall. "I actually came here to see you."

They paused in the foyer, each one waiting for the other to speak. "Shall we?" Meredith finally spoke, gesturing to the living room. She felt awkward acting as the hostess, since she was the one who was the guest at Derek's house. Kendall was his girlfriend, yet she was behaving strangely which irked Meredith a little.

"Is something wrong," Meredith asked, eyeing the box that Kendall held in her hands.

Together, they walked to the living room where Kendall deposited the box onto a nearby table and turned to face Meredith. "Your cast is gone."

Meredith was distracted, her attention still focused on the box. "What? Oh yes, they took it off today."

"You look great. I bet you must be glad to be rid of that."

"I definitely don't miss it," she replied, smiling at Kendall. Her eyes kept straying to the box, yet she didn't dare ask what was inside.

"Those are Derek's stuff," said Kendall, as she followed Meredith's gaze to the box.

Meredith was confused but she remained quiet.

"I forgot to give them to him last night when he stopped by to say goodbye."

"Say goodbye?" she asked, feeling even more confused.

Kendall looked at Meredith long and hard before it finally dawned on her that she didn't know. "I'm leaving…to New York. Tonight."

"You're leaving?" echoed Meredith, her brows furrowed together, stressing her confusion even more.

"Derek didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"He and I...," she paused to clear her throat."We…we broke up."

It was hard to hide the look of surprise on Meredith's face as what Kendall said sunk in. They broke up?

"But Derek…he loves you. Why did he—?"

"He doesn't love me," replied Kendall solemnly. "I wish he did, because he…he's a wonderful man. But I can't make him love me when his heart already belongs to someone else."

"S-someone else?" she whispered, clearly shaken by the news. "How can this be?"

"He loves you, Meredith."

"Me? No, you're mistaken. We're friends, that's all. Oh god, please don't think—"

"It's okay, Meredith. I know all about you two and what happened eight years ago in New York. Derek told me."

"He…he told you?" Meredith gasped. She felt lightheaded as though all the air had been sucked out of her lungs. "Oh god…"

"Please don't be angry with him."

"I…I…," she grabbed onto the back of the loveseat for support. "I need to sit."

"Of course!" said Kendall as she rushed over to help Meredith move to sit on the couch. "Does your leg hurt? Stay here."

Meredith watched as Kendall rushed out of the room, only to return a few seconds later with a glass of water. "Here drink this," she said, offering her the glass.

It took a few minutes for Meredith to calm her nerves long enough to look at Kendall.

"I'm sorry if my visit upset you. My flight is leaving tonight and I wanted to stop by to say goodbye. I know we haven't known each other long, but I feel as though we could've been good friends if we had the chance." Kendall moved to sit beside her on the couch and turned to face her. "He's an amazing man, you know."

"I know."

"You know, I would never dare tell anyone how to live their life. And it's only because I care so deeply for him that I'm even doing this." Kendall pulled her hand back and took a deep breath before she continued to speak to a dumbfounded Meredith. "He still loves you, Meredith. Deep down, I think you feel the same. He deserves to be happy. I couldn't give him that, but I believe with all my heart that you can and I hope that you'll give him a chance at love again."

"I…I don't know what to say," replied Meredith hoarsely, after finding her voice. "I'm…so sorry."

"Please don't be. This past year has been amazing and I wouldn't give it up for anything. If its one thing that Derek taught me is that true love really exists."