Three days in a row!? I think this might be a new record for me! Anyways, here is the second date! Hope you enjoy… xx
By the end of her shift, Meredith is exhausted. Add to that the energy of getting three kids hopped up on excitement and experiencing a sugar crash to bed and by the time she is in her car, driving to Cormac's house, she is more than ready for a few hours without screaming kids.
She pulls into his driveway at 10:05 by the glow of the orange clock on her dash, and quickly parks in the free space out front of his house. Walking up the path to the door, she starts to worry, should I have brought something? Am I dressed well enough? I know it is a casual date but maybe I should have put more effort into my appearance? That said he knows I just came off shift and putting kids to bed so do I really have the extra brain space to worry about how I look? But then I do want him to like how I look. I mean I really like him, and he should see how I look when I am… she is cut off from her internal ramblings by the front door opening.
Cormac stands in the soft glow of light coming from inside the house, looking at her with a fond expression, "welcome Meredith" he says, "you look gorgeous" he adds, and she wonders if she imagined the hint of awe in his voice.
Looking up at him, she can't help but appreciate how domestic he looks, his soft grey sweater and jeans fit incredibly making him look relaxed, and pretty irresistible she might add, "you look great yourself" she replies, blushing as she walks through the door, happy that the casual sage cardigan and black pants she is wearing are just fine for this date, and glad she took the two extra seconds at home to throw on some lip gloss and tidy her hair.
He leads her into the living room, and she appreciates the subtle touches that he has added. From the right, a speaker fills the room with quiet sounds of someone singing some old love song, probably from the 50s, she thinks to herself as she continues to take in the room. The main lights are turned down, and the room is awash with a golden glow from three lamps spaced about. What makes her happiest though, is how he has laid out a bottle of whiskey and a bottle of tequila along with glasses on a table in front of the smallest couch, giving them the perfect excuse to sit close together. Beside the alcohol is a beautiful platter laid out with fruits and cheeses and she marvels at the effort he has already put into this evening.
"This looks incredible, you have put in so much work already, I can't help but feel like I have contributed nothing" Meredith says, looking sideways todays him as he leads her over to the couch.
"I wanted to" he says, simply. "Besides, you took my shift today, on a Saturday no less, and you still agreed to come over tonight, so it is I who should be thanking you" he says as they sit down beside each other. Meredith curls her feet under her, settling onto the couch and Cormac feels a warm happiness at how comfortable and natural she looks here beside him.
He gestures to the glasses on the table in front of them, asking "Tequila?"
"Actually, I think I will go with whiskey, I want to savour and remember tonight, not get drunk off my face" Meredith replies with a soft, genuine smile.
"What if my plan was for both of us to get completely smashed as the kids say" he responds with a smirk, pouring two glasses of the whiskey and handing her one.
"Then I guess we will just have to finish the bottle" she says, grinning as she raises her glass to his, "to happiness, hopefulness and our beautiful children" she says, and they both catch each other's eyes as they take a drink.
"How were your boys' games?" Meredith asks and they both setting into the couch, chatting about their days.
"So then, half our attendings are out of commission high on weed, and Bailey pages me 911 to an OR" Meredith says an hour later as they both finish their glasses of whiskey. At some point in the last hour, they have shifted closer to each other, and Meredith is now leaning up against Cormac as she tells her story.
Cormac gestures to the bottle, a question in his eyes. "Hmm, yeah, sure why not" Meredith says, shrugging with cheeky grin. He hands her back her glass and puts his arm around her shoulders, drawing her closer as he says, "so, what happened next?"
"Somehow the rest of the day went by without any major problems, though I did find Bailey unknowingly high in the OR, the stopped the surgery when she noticed her impaired senses and I had Wilson complete it" Meredith says, laughing.
"I don't know if I have ever been at a hospital with as many crazy stories as this one" Cormac says, shaking his head as he starts laughing.
"I guess you will have to keep me around to hear the rest" Meredith says, smirking up at him.
Cormac turns, his arm slipping around her back as they sit, turned towards each other, "you are extraordinary Meredith Grey, even if I have heard every story a thousand times, I cannot imagine not wanting to spend every moment with you" he says, his other hand reaching up to brush a strand of hair that has fallen out of her messy bun behind her ear.
Meredith smiles and feels her heart flutter at the gentleness of Cormac's touch, Cormac watches the way the light catches in her eyes as she looks up at him, feeling fortunate that she is here with him "you are the one who is incredible" Meredith says, putting her hand onto his knee, "I don't want to ever imagine not having this" she says, looking him in the eye and wishing she could somehow express just how lucky she is to spend time with this man.
They continue to sit there, smiling quietly at each other, "may I kiss you" Cormac says, breaking the silence and Meredith nods quickly but surely. "Yes" she says as she reaches up to meet him.
Their lips touch, softly at first and Meredith waits for Cormac to set the pace, after a few moments his hand moves, catching into her hair and pulling her closer to him as he shifts, turning himself to meet her fully. She leans into him, bringing her hand up as their lips work together, bringing them closer.
She gets lost in the feelings, the joy at this man who is here with her, the warmth of his mouth as it meets hers, the slight tug as he pulls her closer still. They run out of breath, finding themselves leaning against the arm of the couch as they slowly separate, her head finding itself nestled in his chest.
They sit like that for a few minutes, his hand absentmindedly rubbing small circles on her back, "I know that was a first for you, and I know how overwhelming that can be, so just say the word and I will leave, know that I will understand completely if you need some time to process" Meredith says quietly.
"Thank you, it isn't that I am hesitant, if there is anyone I experience these firsts with, I want it to be you. I was actually wondering how I managed to catch your attention. I mean I am broken, I don't know what I am doing, I haven't dated in 20 years, and you put up with me, why?" he asks, looking down at her.
"You aren't broken, you are incredible, and we are both healing together, we have had two perfect dates, and I for one am hoping for many more" she says, looking him in the eye with a timid smile, "I really care about you, and I want this, so as long as you will have me, I will be here."
"Then I think we had better do this again soon" he says, hugging her to him and they both grin.
Thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed!
I want to say a big thank you to all the other MerHayes writers, you guys are incredible, and your stories are so beautiful and inspiring. Thank you for your words! xx