A/N
Hey all! I've been a lurker in this fandom for awhile, thought I'd try to contribute some content. I've had this idea of awhile- I tend to like college Casey and Derek the best. I feel like it's a totally natural progression for them to get together in college. Anyway, feedback appreciated, thank you!
My new roommate doesn't know Derek is my stepbrother.
I didn't intentionally mislead her. It's just, we'd finished unpacking, and our new dorm room was set up perfectly, and we were bonding, and I think she and I could really be friends, like real friends, and that was something I was really worried about, starting college a semester late after a disastrous four months in New York and… I'm getting off topic.
She asked me if I wanted to grab dinner, and I wanted to say yes, but then I remembered I had already made plans with Derek. So I said, "Oh, I already have dinner plans with someone, but would you like to eat with us?"
She smiled enthusiastically, "Sure! I didn't know you already knew people here. I thought you were a lonely transfer like me. Is it someone from your high school?"
And I just nodded. I didn't mean to mislead her exactly. I just… didn't elaborate. He is someone from my high school. That wasn't a lie.
Derek is waiting for us in front of the dining hall. It's the first time I've seen him since I left for New York, and for some reason my breath catches. He's taller than I remembered, didn't we used to be the same height more or less? It feels like he towers above me now. And were his eyes always that warm? His smirk used to annoy me, right?
His hair's too long at least. I try to focus on that, instead of the way he's noticeably filled out. I mean, anyone would notice. I'm not particularly noticing.
We texted while I was in New York. A lot. Enough that I think we might actually be friends now. I know that he works out everyday with the team, and that he had to intentionally bulk up for college level hockey. But seeing him is weird.
I half expect him to yell out 'Klutzilla' or 'Keener alert!' as we approach, but he smiles at me instead. And for some reason I'm blushing. I don't know why I'm blushing.
"Hi," I say, but it comes out too high pitched and perky. My hand does this involuntary frenetic wave type thing and… why?
"Hi," he says and he's kind of laughing at me, but it's in a nice way. Not like in high school. For some reason, I can't quite meet his eye, I'm staring at a spot just behind his head and he lets out a snort. "God, Case," he says. He grabs my arm, and pulls me in for a rough hug.
It breaks the ice, sort of. It's the kind of hug he would give Marti, and it shouldn't be awkward. But I'm hyper aware of his muscles and how much stronger he is now, and… anyone would be. It's impossible not to notice the feel of his warm, hard muscles as he roughly surrounds me. It's over in a second and I'm grateful when he lets go. Truly.
"You must be Sarah," he says, smiling at my roommate. I've seen him be charming before, but it's weird to see him with normal social skills. He can't have changed that much in the last four months.
But it seems like maybe he has matured that much, in just one semester, because he's ushering us into the dining hall and giving us a tour, and pointing out his favorite dishes, and he's doing it in this really nice, polite, normal, adult way. He doesn't once make fun of me, or try to prank me.
I'm bewildered, distracted by his niceness. I feel completely off kilter because of it, until I realize that there's a whole line of people in front of me, facing me, with expressions of annoyance, and I realize he directed me to go through the food line backwards, and that I'm currently blocking the line.
"Der-ek!" I yell with a blush, hurriedly getting out of line.
"That was almost too easy," he's cracking up. "I thought you'd notice immediately, but you're being even Spacier than usual," he says. His eyes are sparkling with good humor, and there's none of the spitefulness I remember from high school.
"You're the worst," I say, giving him a little shove and rolling my eyes. But I'm glad he did it. I feel more balanced now. A pranking Derek makes sense.
We sit down to dinner and I'm braced for Derek to start flirting with Sarah. She's his type, if Sally was his type- tall and blonde and ridiculously pretty. She's nice too, and easy to talk to. It's why I like her so much myself.
I thought about warning him off when I texted that she was coming to dinner with us, because if they date and it ends badly, I don't want it to ruin my budding friendship with her. But something stopped me; I didn't want it to seem like I cared too much. Even though any step-sister would be in her right to care if her step-brother hit on her roommate. Right?
He's not really flirting though. Just making small talk, and being pretty nice, actually.
"So you two seem close," Sarah says with a smile. There's a little glint in her eye that I don't quite understand. "How long have you known each other? Casey says you guys went to high school together?"
His eyes flick to me, I can see that in my peripheral vision, even though I'm staring really hard at a knot in the wooden table. I can feel a blush on my cheeks and I wish it would go away, but instead its building. My whole face is probably red.
He grins and I want to kick him. "We met when we were fifteen," he answers Sarah. "I guess we are fairly close. Our families are… close." There's a lilt in his tone, and I know he's teasing me. I'm mortified. Why doesn't he just tell her we're step siblings and get it over with?
But the conversation moves on and it doesn't come up again. We talk about our upcoming classes. Derek promises to give us a tour of campus so we know where everything is.
At one point, Derek informs me that grades from last semester were posted a few days ago and he's managing a 2.5 GPA (which is slightly better than the 2.3 cut off needed to keep his hockey scholarship.)
"Der-ek!" I exclaim happily. I tackle him from the side a little as I hug him. "That's amazing! I'm so proud of you!" He blushes and tries to brush off my praise. I cut myself off from asking if Mom and George know and say instead "Do your parents know?"
His gaze lingers on my face for a second, and he definitely noticed the way I phrased the question, but he just shrugs. "They'll know when I keep my scholarship."
He walks us back to our dorm after dinner, and I wonder if he's trying to flirt with Sarah after all. Why else is he being so nice? Touring us around campus, hardly pranking me, making polite conversation… it's weird.
"One of the upper classman from my team is having a house party tonight, off campus, if you guys want to come?" He looks at Sarah as he says it. The question confirms my suspicions and for some weird reason that I don't really want to examine too closely, I feel my heart sink. He's not really inviting me, he just wants Sarah to come. I think about declining but Sarah answers for both of us.
"That would be so fun! We'll be there. Thanks for inviting us," she gushes.
He grins. "Of course," he says easily. "My parents made me promise to help my…" He grins at me. "... high school classmate ease into college."
If Sarah notices the weird emphasis he puts on 'my' parents, or the pause, she doesn't comment on it. He tells her more about the party tonight, and before I can really say anything, he's gone.
Sarah turns to me immediately and she's practically bursting with excitement. Her eyes glow and she's got a giant grin.
I recognize this look. It's the "I just met a cute guy and now I need to know everything" look.
I sigh, just slightly. I'm used to this. Using me to get closer to Derek Venturi has been at least a small part of every single one of my female friendships since the moment our parents got married.
I don't mind. Really. It's not like it negates the friendship, if it started with slight ulterior motives. It was how I became best friends with Em, after all. And where would I be without Em?
"Well?!" Sarah demands.
"What do you want to know?" I ask, resigned.
"What is your plan, Miss "we just went to high school together'?" She demands.
"Plan for what?" I'm confused. This isn't part of the script I'm used to.
"Plan for boning him!" She exclaims.
Of all the thousands of things I could've imagined her asking, that didn't even come close to making the list. I'm frozen in shock.
"I've never seen two people who are so clearly into each other but not together before," she goes on. "It's like a movie or something!"
"Wha- what are you talking about?" I stutter.
"I mean, I've seen one sided crushes of course, but this is clearly mutual. Why the hell are you two not together?!"
She goes on, talking over my confused protests. "I mean, has it always been like this? Since you were fifteen? God I felt like I was going to catch fire with the way he looks at you. And could you have been any more awkward? What was that weird hug in the beginning?!"
"We don't like each other!" I finally exclaim. "I think he's into you." I assert. For some reason it hurts me a little to say that. But I can't have her believing this completely off base mutual crush she seems to have imagined.
She stares at me. Her mouth is open just slightly. "Are you joking?" She asks.
"No!" I say, and for some reason I feel a little like crying. "That's why he invited us to the party. He's interested in you."
"You're serious," she breathes. She's staring at me with this weird expression. It's a little excited and a little awed. "You really don't know."
"There's nothing to know," I say firmly. "There's nothing between us. He thought you were hot, I could tell."
"Oh. My. God!" She squeals, clapping her hands together. And this is more the reaction I'm used to. Now she'll start gushing and pumping me for information about Derek.
"I've never gotten to be a matchmaker before! This is so cool. It's like a movie! I get to be the one that makes you two see the light!"
"I- that's not- you," incoherent protests burst out of my mouth.
She laughs lightly. "Casey, I'm saying this because I really like you and I'm pretty sure we're going to become lifelong best friends."
I smile a little. I think so too.
"You like Derek," she continues. "He likes you. I'm going to be the maid of honor at your wedding."
She laughs gleefully at my expression and I question how much I really like her. First impressions can be wrong and she's clearly showing herself to be a crazy person.
"Don't worry, I'll help you," she says. "It'll be easy, he likes you too, I promise. I'm really good at reading this kind of thing. Trust me."
Theres an easy way to clear this up. I can just tell her the truth about him being my step brother and this madness will end. But for some reason I don't. I just… blush.
She must take my silence for some sort of tacit agreement because she squeals again and says "What are you wearing tonight?"