Chapter 3: Mirror, Mirror
Casey woke up to her world upside down. Everything was a haze, and all she could see was Derek's unusual concern. She woke up to a wet rag on her forehead, to him gently holding her, his voice was going over her in a comfort wave she would have never imagine Derek being capable of inducing. His smile broke though the strange confusion, "Damn you're dramatic, so you have a twin, doesn't mean you can just take the opportunity to fall all over me like that," he teased.
Casey just rubbed her head, "ugh, that wasn't a nightmare?" she sat up slowly, there was a roaring in her ears.
He didn't let go of her as her vision became more clear, he was so close for a moment it startled her as she realized he was moving the rag around her forehead, trying to cool her down.
While he was smiling in his usual teasing way, his eyes were laced with sweetness. "Afraid not, you think I would be nursing you and literally babying you if it wasn't real?"
She let out a little laugh, and he held the rag up to her forehead, and he just paused. Her heart racketed inside her chest, this had to be a dream, all of it. "You're right, you taking care of me is too weird for it to not be real," she honestly had no idea how to feel, she felt utterly confused. "I have a twin….holy crap."
He moved back as she motioned for him to stop, "I know….it's insane, how do you think I felt?"
She tried to imagine Derek's confusion thinking he was seeing her so completely unhinged, not that she would ever judge anyone for wanting a wild lifestyle like that, but she could imagined it was quite jarring for him. "How long did it take you to realize she wasn't me? Just from that video I can tell she's completely different from me."
A blush went over his cheeks, completely taking her off-guard, "A little more than I'm proud of, but honestly in the moment I thought you were pranking me it was the only insane explanation that could even begin to explain how weird that experience was. At one point I thought I was looking a ghost, that's how terrifying it was to realize she wasn't you."
"A ghost? yeah I guess it would have been frightening," she laughed and she tried to fit the pieces together, but something wasn't making sense. "Why would she just leave with you when you were clearly acting crazy in her eyes?"
Derek just looked away, he looked agitated about something, it was the first time she couldn't read him. "Beats me, but clearly I was meant to meet her, if I hadn't well, you would have never known she existed. I'm curious as hell to know how this happened."
She felt winded just trying to understand a web of questions. "Yeah me too….I just don't get it at all…..is there no chance she happens to share my birthday and looks like me but isn't related to me?"
He smiled a little, "I guess it would be a crazy coincidence if she wasn't, but I think she really is your sister."
Casey picked up the camera from the coffee table and reminded the video several times. It was a lot to process, how this girl had been walking around for almost 20 years and she had no idea, and maybe she would have never known about her had it not been for Derek. "She seems…fun," she said observantly, "but also a little…intimidating, kind of scares me."
He leaned closer, looking at the video, he was clearly still so overwhelmed. "She is petrifying, she's bold as hell but I mean it's not like you're this sweet little lamb either, you can be quite scary in your own way, I do see the family resemblance."
Casey gave him a nudge, giving him a hefty eye roll, "Derek, would it kill you to be nice just for once?"
"Case, read between the lines here, I'm being human with you, what else do you want?"
For some reason his jokes made everything a little bit more survivable. She smiled at him, he had been more than just human to her but she'd let him believe whatever he wanted. "Well, thank you for having the courage to figure it out for me, it means a lot. I think if I had met her out of the blue I may have had a heart attack on the spot. "
He shrugged cooly, but he was clearly a little bit rattled by her being appreciative, "Did you really think I'd blow up on you?"
"Uh yeah, thought for sure you'd scream at me for not telling you right away, clearly you're not yourself though so I'll wait for the meltdown later," he said with a cheery grin.
"I'm sure I will, warning you now."
"So, do you want to meet her?"
It was too much to handle already, what if she had a huge meltdown in person? "Do I need to decide this instant?"
"Nope, sleep on it, maybe even drink on it if you want, I can help," he said dangerously. "When's the last time you had a drink?"
It's not that she never let down her hair, it had just been a while for her. She had two good friends Monique and Sasha, both in school for Law and well they enjoyed having a good time but she was too school focused as of late. "Months, I went out with Monique for her birthday."
"That's lame Casey," and he went to his little bar and made her a drink, she tried to refuse but he didn't give her an option. He came back with a tropical drink, even put a little umbrella on it. "It's one hell of a girly drink, but you need it."
Casey took it, and smiled, "Thank you, but only one Derek I hardly think a hangover is helpful in sorting out the tornado I'm feeling."
Derek sat beside her and nudged her playfully, "I don't want you all sick, do you really think I want to clean up any more messes?"
They drank in silence, he was giving her the space to sort through the web in her mind, "Why would my mom…..keep a secret like that? I can't fathom her giving my sister up."
He looked just as lost, "Misty seems to think she was abandoned since she was extremely fragile when she was born."
It broke her in two to even imagine how lost she must feel, at least she grew up with her family but Misty found out her own family wasn't her blood-family. All these questions surged, and as Derek told her the few details about Misty he discovered, she was even more intrigued. "I don't want to think of my mom being able to do something so heinous….but I can't understand any other reason."
As the night progressed she burst out into tears a few times and surprisingly he didn't hide in a hole, he was there. In silence, but he let her fall apart, and handed her tissues, murmuring, "Let it all out, I would be hitting my head on a wall if I found out I had a twin."
Casey laughed at the thought of it, she was a total mess but for some reason Derek could always make her smile even in an infuriating way, and for a moment there was an escape from the world around her. "You and a twin? Oh there's no way God would be stupid enough to make a second one of you."
Derek's eyes twinkled with that rivalry, "Clearly God isn't always on his game, because two of you? He was clearly drunk or something…..as if the world needed more McDonalds to drive me crazy."
"So she irritated you too?" she asked with deep curiosity, because based on the video she clearly wasn't irritated by him.
"Not as much as you," he winked. "You still wear the crown for the most annoying, but if she's your sister, then yes she will probably irk me by default."
She felt oddly relieved, a part of her thought there may have been a spark. Derek then took out his camera, narrating that he was documenting her process in case she decided to kill him at one point to have proof of her craziness, and even though she was so confused, upset, overwhelmed, Derek made her laugh all night.
She was so warped in her thoughts at one point and didn't hear the bell ring. Derek's voice broke through, "Oh, hey Romeo, really can't go one day without Casey can you? May I suggest you find a hobby?"
She looked up to see Jacob there, and he laughed off Derek's comment. "Derek you crack me up, I think you secretly want a girlfriend, so you just mock me because you're jealous. I could set you up with someone."
Derek laughed, "That's ridiculous, me jealous? Pfft, I'm living the life, I'm in college, too many girls out there to just settle on one."
Casey got up and she already felt annoyed with him, why was it that in any given moment Derek could make her day and then sour it moments later? "Jacob, don't waste your time, Derek here has been on a-new-girl-every-week plan for a like year, let him be a pig. You don't want any of your friends heartbroken, trust me."
Derek scowled at her, "Uh, you do realize I've had girlfriends before right? I just haven't met anyone worth it in awhile, again why do you care so much what I do with my spare time?"
Casey just folded her arms over her chest with annoyance, of course she knew he did but as always it made her sick to think about them. "I don't care," it came out sounding sourly annoying.
Jacob looked between them with surprise. "Are step sibs usually this intense with each other? " and he laughed and moved over to her. "Ignore him babe, he is trying to get a raise out of you."
Derek had a look of disgust on his face, and went back to the table, took his beer, and looked at her with aggravation. "Guess it's my cue to leave, maybe he can cheer you up with his sparkly wit and charm."
Casey reached for his arm , yes he irritated her with his stupidity sometimes, but she didn't want him to leave. "Stay you idiot, no one's kicking you out," she blurted out much to Derek's surprise.
Jacob looked just surprised, "Oh yea, hang out if you want."
Derek straightened up, giving him a cold smile, "I don't need your permission to hang out in my own house."
Casey didn't know what she was doing, there was a strange voltage of anger between him and Jacob, some unspoken rivalry. Maybe Jacob hated the fact she lived with Derek, he had mentioned before he found it odd. She ended up pulling Jacob aside. "Look, I just found out some ….weird family stuff, and Derek and I were just ….unpacking it, tonight I'm not good company."
Jacob smiled a little, "Oh, yeah that's cool no problem."
Derek overheard them, and got up, "Case, it's cool….I actually have some stuff to do."
And then Casey just blurted, "Leave Jacob, please. I'll call you tomorrow." She made a big show of hugging him and kissing him, and ushered him out the door.
Derek was flabbergasted, as if kicking out her boyfriend wasn't that big a deal. "You chose to hang out with me over that dreamboat of yours?" he asked with a lazy smile.
She shrugged helplessly, "He wouldn't understand what I'm going through…..you're the only one I can talk to right now. Even though you bug me to end, I um appreciated everything you did for me. I could really use another one of those drinks, maybe add another umbrella."
"When did I become Dr. Phil?" he asked with annoyance, but she saw him smile as he went to make her another one, "I think you chose wrong, but I can't fault you, you're clearly not yourself right now."
Two drinks became four, and she got tipsy. All the sadness was gone, and she felt the endorphins of something like excitement course through her. Derek was amused, "four drinks and you're just nuts, I'm cutting you off and you're going to bed." He nudged her to move towards her room.
Casey gasped with round eyes, "Are you kidding, I'm sane, so sane in fact I'm thinking of starting a genealogy tree, who know what other skeletons my family is hiding. Come on Derek, help me."
Derek just laughed, "You just know how to kill the mood don't you?"
Casey hiccupped and giggled at the same time, "Are you saying I'm boring? You take that back this instant or I'll have to prove you wrong."
Derek continued laughing, taunting her with those eyes, "Do I look bored to you? Your craziness amuses me, I can't help it."
She moved closer, and his smile dissolved instantly, feeling a fountain of surprising lightness considering the bomb that went over her hours ago, "Hmm…" she murmured as she studied him intently, "wanna know a secret?"
He looked surprised by the question and smiled, "I'm intrigued…"
"You're not…..that horrible of a guy," she said after a moment.
Derek suddenly looked stunned, "Okay, you clearly are a little loopy tonight, you don't mean that."
She blamed it on the drinks, but she felt extremely grateful, overly so, and to her shock gave Derek a look of total rare admiration. "I do mean it, you're a mystery Derek Venturi, you claim to not stand me, yet you chose to stand by my through this when you could have just dropped the bomb and fled….yet here you are…..why?"
He looked away, but not before catching the burst of color of in his cheeks, a tender smile went over his mouth. "Believe it or not, I like tormenting you in many different ways, mostly because it's fun, but there's nothing enjoyable about causing you actual pain. I can't stand …."
She was getting one of those rare moments with him and she clung on to it with everything, "Can't stand what?"
He took a deep breath before meeting her gaze, "I can't stand seeing you so upset, and as much as you drive me up the wall like 99% of the time, I can't just leave you on your own with all this. I care about you enough to stick around even though I hate being around weepy people. I guess , I am here because I know you need it."
Casey felt a rubble inside her chest, that was so sweet, and selfless of him. She moved closer, caught up in the moment of it, just hearing that he cared about her was enough to unleash something in her. Obviously he did if he went through all that for her, obviously he cared if he looked out for her twin without him knowing it. "Well," she murmured, "thank you for enduring my weepiness, you're so…." Words failed her, because for the first time she just couldn't find any word that could hold the appreciation she felt for him.
Derek moved back at once, "don't say sweet," he said with a little snap, as if it was the most insulting word she could ever say.
She pushed through, and smiled at him. "It's not a dirty word Derek…but fine, you're…..surprising, and you know how much I hate surprises, but I happen to like this one."
He smiled brilliantly, he could be so unspeakably handsome sometimes. "Oh really?" she nodded, feeling a little breathless, "Well, guess I'll have to keep you on your toes then."
"Goodnight, Der….thank you."
He just waved dismissively, "no big, seriously take all the time you need."
She didn't need more time, Derek was gifted at coaxing her to do pretty much anything, "I want to meet her, but only if you come with me. I just don't know if I can take it being by myself with her, and you're just…good at breaking the ice. Please, I promise I'll leave you alone for an entire week after this."
Derek looked a little hesitant, but she begged him for several minutes until he gave in. "Let me tell you, you are good at surprising me too…..and um, sure, but only once Case. I mean it, just because I'm here for you doesn't mean we're just going to sing kumbaya together from now on, once you are used to your new reality, then I'll peace out and I'll go back to teasing you like old times, deal?"
Casey stuck out her hand eagerly, "I promise, everything will go back to our crazy normal."
He moved closer until he clasped her hand in a slow shake, the flames of his eyes caught her attention, "Deal," but somehow she had this weird sensation that nothing would ever be the same again. Misty had changed the game.
Derek was pretty much in a circus after that night, to say Casey was stressed was an understatement. He tried not to be too touchy feely with her, and after that night he kept his distance a bit more, but it was clear she needed him and as much as he wanted to be indifferent, he just couldn't. He cancelled plans with friends just to be around her, and basically held her hand as she texted Misty for the first time.
She was wild-eyed, talking a million miles per hour, afraid that they would be too different, that too much time had passed to be able to build a connection with her. Man, he'd seen Casey through a lot, and this was the first time he was actually worried about her actually going through a complete breakdown. She avoided her friends, ignored Jacob, and even was a little dodgy with Nora's calls because she didn't think she'd be able to keep it a secret.
The morning of the meeting, she burst out of her room in a long t-shirt, and no pants. He was just eating toast when he saw her, and almost choked on his food. She seemed clueless, scatterbrained clearly. Her shirt covered enough that it wasn't like he could see much, but it was enough to make him complete crazy, she caught him looking but he couldn't look away, like a deer caught in headlights.
"What are you staring at?" she barked anxiously.
Derek just glanced at her with utter confusion and round eyes. "Uh…Case did you forget something?" His mind couldn't get the words out and she just went to the cupboard and reached for a mug. He caught sight of a pink thong for a moment, and that's when he lost it. He looked away, oh dear God, what the hell was she doing?
He heard her tumbling around, muttering under her breath, "I know I'm not really going out in a t-shirt Derek, just give me a break okay?"
He laughed a little, he knew he was blushing completely, he couldn't help it. "Oh it's not that but um…I realize Misty doesn't care for much of a dress code, but I think pants might be a good idea, just a suggestion," he offered almost shyly, and tried looking at her face only.
Casey looked down at herself with complete horror, turning beet red, and looked up at him angrily, "Well don't just stand there, look away!"
He laughed and moved away from her, his heart was pounding as she ran past him, "You're a hot mess Casey, it's hard not to look," and then immediately kicked himself as he realized he called her hot, but she was too embarrassed and chaotic to realize what he said.
She just yelled over her shoulder, "This is the worst day ever!"
He felt all shaky and tried to get out of his mind just how beautiful she looked. He actually loved her morning look, as much as he used to tease her about her, nothing made him crazier than seeing Casey with her crazy morning hair, fresh faced, and well she was cute. And now the memory of the sight of her legs, and her shapely curves was making him spin.
When she came out of her shower all dressed up in a simple pink dress, she avoided eye contact and he took the opportunity to tease her, "Is it safe to look?"
She blushed as she put on a jean jacket over her dress, "Um yeah, sorry about that. I'm sure I scarred you for life, I wasn't thinking I swear."
He chuckled as she flightily looked at him, scarred was far from what he felt. "Oh I know you weren't thinking, but it's cool I've been scarred all week, that was just funny. Come on Casey you need to learn to laugh at yourself, the look on your face was hilarious."
She relaxed and smiled a little as she handed him over a piece of paper, "What do you think?"
"What am I looking at?"
"My get-to-know-my-twin list," she said it as if it should have been obvious.
Derek smiled, of course the questions were intense, complex, there was no surface talk at all. "I see you're not breaking her in gently to your weirdness."
She gasped with fright, "Should I be reigning in? Oh what if she hates me…"
Derek put his arm around her gently, "Case, no worries I gave her the heads up about your dorkiness, just relax."
She leaned into him, and rolled her eyes, "You probably made me sound like a total freak."
He smiled and gently pushed her towards the door, "It's my job to make sure everyone knows it, but trust me you aren't meeting a total princess or something, she's more of a freak than you."
Casey relaxed, "Alright, well thanks for coming Der."
He wanted to be there for her, but at the same time he was nervous of Misty oversharing or saying anything about that night. He hoped she didn't try to flirt with him openly, but she seemed unpredictable. As they made their way to the pub Misty picked out, Casey just closed her eyes in the car, trying to get her breathing under control. He tried to lighten the mood by telling jokes, but even that didn't garner the usual eye roll.
When he parked, she had proceeded to pull out a paper bag and breathed into it vigorously. He reached for her hand, and that seemed to snap her out of it, and her vivid eyes looked at him with surprise, "It's going to be okay. I know this is hard, but Misty has spent 20 years without you, even if it takes time for you two to warm up to each other….don't you think it's worth it?"
Casey's eyes glittered with tears just threatening to spill. "Yeah, you're right this distance wasn't our fault, and we need to try." She looked out the window for a long time, and stared at her watch, clearly wanting to be right on time, not a moment sooner, or later. She clamped on to his hand tightly, there was nothing sweet about the moment, this was her just trying to survive, so he refused to question it. "I'm ready," she said quietly.
Casey stumbled into the bar, nothing around her felt real, it was as if she was moving through smoke. She kept leaning into Derek, and she was worried she was depending on him too much, but he wasn't making fun of her, he was just there in the only way he could, and she appreciated it more than she could ever express.
They scanned the room, but she didn't see Misty anywhere, so they sat down at a table and the loud music of the venue was making her heart beat frantically. "She's five minutes late," she said anxiously, "what if she bailed?"
Derek smiled softly, "Believe it or not, not everyone is as crazy about being on time like you are, she isn't one for rules in the slightest."
Casey suddenly had a horrible thought, "Are you telling me I'm meeting a female version of you?"
Derek laughed loudly, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but she may be wilder than me. Guess I was always your practice run for this very moment, you're welcome," he winked.
Casey smiled a little, and for a moment she was so focused on him that she didn't see her coming in. "Well don't you two make a cute couple," Misty's voice curled through her, and she was deeply terrified of hearing that voice for the the first time. She was electrified with nerves, she was ice, couldn't even blink.
Derek glanced up at Misty, and she could tell by his face he was taken back as his gaze went over her slowly. He smiled timidly, "always have to make some form of entrance." There was nothing normal about Derek's voice, or how he was acting, where was his confidence?
Misty laughed, the sound was like an airy bubble, "It's the only kind I know," and he shot Casey a perturbed look.
What are you doing? She slowly looked up at Misty until she was looking at way more attractive version of herself. Her hair was dark and wavy, she wore eyeliner, and heavy makeup, her eyes were electric, filled with intense curiosity. She wore a black cocktail dress that was extremely revealing, hugging her body was if it was skin, a plunging neckline that never in a million years would she feel comfortable wearing, and high heels that for sure would have made her fall on her face. She was just in shock mode.
Misty was looking at her in the exact same way, her eyes went over her slowly as if she was trying to figure her out in a moment. Casey was dressed in her most attractive dress, yet compared to her she felt she was wearing a paper bag.
Misty smiled brilliantly. "Can't decide if I want to touch you or run away," she said with a sassy laugh.
Casey somehow managed to get up, and for some reason she was reaching out her hand, "Hi Misty, I'm Casey McDonald, it's a pleasure to meet you," and she knew she sounded all professional sounding, but she tried to sound as enthused as possible.
Misty shook her hand slowly, "You don't need to a lie, this is anything but pleasurable. I'm staring at a much more classy version of myself," she said with a little smirk.
Casey wavered, "Fine, this is terrifying," she admitted, "please sit with us."
"Good girl, the feeling is mutual, " and she watched as Misty looked at Derek with the most brazen smile she'd ever seen. "Can I sit beside you brown eyes?" Immediately Casey felt a frantic throb go through her body. Brown eyes, why did that sound too flirtatious and at the same time it came across as sweet?
Derek looked extremely frazzled, and he blushed. This was Derek, he was hardly ever frazzled by a girl, "Uh yeah sure."
Misty sat down beside him, and Derek avoided eye contact with her but she just continued smiling at him teasingly, "Is he always this shy Casey?"
Casey tried to laugh, it but it wasn't her imagination. Misty's eyes were literally eating him alive, and he almost choked on his drink. "Derek, shy? No, never, clearly he's just as frightened by all this."
Derek caught her gaze, and she felt a little relieved that his attention was back on her, as if everything was leveled again. "You think it's horrifying just for you? I'm seeing double right now and it's trippy as hell, at least you guys have completely different styles otherwise it would be hard to tell you apart."
Misty laughed and looked at Casey, "such a drama king, he almost fainted when he figured out the truth. I wish I had his reaction on tape, I'm sure you would have gotten quite a laugh."
Casey smiled as she tried to picture it, "I'm sure he was an idiot about it," she saw Derek smirk a little, but he clearly didn't have a lot to say, or maybe he was too overwhelmed.
"A cute idiot," Misty said without pause, and maybe Casey gasped a little too loudly. Misty shrugged coyly, "I mean I have eyes."
Derek looked down, blushed and drank his water down as if it could make him disappear, and then he cleared his throat. "Okay, I know I'm here for ice breaking reasons, but Casey has an insane list of things she wants to know about and trust me, my cuteness is the last thing she wants to talk about, right Case?"
Casey pushed herself to laugh, she wasn't blind either, but there was no way she'd ever tell him that to his face, who knows what kind of mockery he would put her under. "Oh, so not on my list of things I want to talk about."
Misty eyed both of them, and then she leaned over the table, studying her. "A list, damn you're prepared! Well go ahead grill me to death, you seem kind of intense Casey."
At that Derek laughed, "You don't know the half of it, surprisingly she's actually intense on the down low right now," and he smirked at her teasingly.
Casey shot him a little glare, before reaching for her purse and pulled out the list. She was completely nauseated. "Firstly, I wanted to take this time to say that I never knew about you, I really had no idea. I have not spoken to our….mom about this because I wanted to know what you're life was like all these years. I know your parents passed away which I give my gravest condolences, you have an older sister, and that you live with your aunt and her family. Give me a summary of you, please."
Misty leaned back, and her smile faded a bit, "Well, I don't know if I trust you enough to give you a deep summary, but I guess I could give you the superficial version, alright?"
Superficial, it seemed just from looking at her that everything she put out was so that people only focused on her exterior, not that she could tell her that right off the bat. "I understand, whatever you feel comfortable."
Misty then called the server, looking nervous for the first time since she came in, "Not before I take a few tequila shots, would you like any?"
Casey shrugged, and then Derek jumped in. "Come on Case, I think we are all a little tense," and she gave in.
As they waited for their drinks, she noticed Misty was looking at Derek a lot, it was completely obvious that he got her attention. It was weird seeing her mirror looking at Derek that way, because for a moment it was as if she could see herself in the situation. Did she ever look at him at that way too, and was she that obvious? She always covered up everything with her glaring, and eye rolls, but there were the rare moments where she knew she couldn't control looking at him with that soft look as well, it was so weird to witness it.
Derek's part of the mirror was disfigured though, it was shocking that Derek was friendly with her, he wasn't teasing her, no sarcastic comments, just easily talked to her with an outgoing banter. Maybe he was just trying to be welcoming, but she never received such a welcome into the family that's for sure.
Finally when they had taken their shots, Misty grinned, "Alright Casey, just a heads up even my superficial summary is kind of twisted."
Derek and Casey exchanged a look as her features became somewhat stony, "Go on, no need to feel so worried we won't judge," she pleaded.
"Well, hold on to your hat then. My parents were wonderful, I had a sweet upbringing before my parents died, and life was never the same after that. I basically became my aunt's unwanted offspring, and I found out early on that nothing I did could make them proud of me, so I just stopped giving a fuck," her voice kept that same cheery tone, but the light of her eyes were turned off. That was the superficial version, which means living with her aunt was worse than she was revealing.
"I got expelled from two schools for…..well things I don't want your sensitive ears to hear just yet. I have had one serious boyfriend, and he was such a douche, I swore off relationships and now I just do whatever I please without any attachments, and guess what, it's awesome and empowering. Now some lighter things about me, I'm an actress and currently got a lead on a play but hoping to make it big one day, even have an agent. I'm rich, which of course means I have a lot of friends that only hang out with me for that alone, but I'm okay with that. I am a vegetarian, love astrology, love travelling, I have a chihuahua named Pepper who is like the love of my life…..and that's all I can think of right now."
Casey felt overwhelmed, what could she say to that? Behind that confident face, she could see the cracks of hard stuff she probably had to overcome. She cast Derek a pleading look because she just couldn't find words, and he quickly read her mind, "You're an actress? That would explain a lot, that's cool. I bet you're good."
Misty smiled a little, and Casey jumped it, "I would love to see your play someday, and um if you ever want to talk about the other things, well I'm a great listener," she offered with as much enthusiasm as she could, "Anything you want to know about me? Ask a dark question, it's only fair."
She bit her lip, thinking deeply, "I get the sense that what I see, is what I get with you. You're obviously smart as hell if you are going to be a lawyer, and you're a little odd, but not in an off-putting way. Derek mentioned you're a bit of a nerd. I think you're the vanilla twin, and I say that in the sweetest way, you seem too normal."
Normal? Her whole life she had heard the exact opposite. She felt a little disappointed, did that mean she didn't impress her?
She looked away for a moment, and next thing she knew Derek spoke up, "As nerdy as Casey may be, she's quite popular with the law students, they seem to like her for some reason," he gave her a comforting little look. He defended her vanilla status and it was so sweet of him.
Misty lit up with intrigue, "A popular nerd, that is impressive. Maybe we really are related, so what do you do for fun?"
Casey blushed a little, worried her answers would only make her unimpressed again. "Um I love writing poetry, singing, dancing..."
Misty gasped with excitement, "You dance? What kind, I happen to dance too."
Derek just groaned loudly, as if it was painful information. It took them both by surprise. He laughed awkwardly, "Sorry, just….I make fun of Casey's dancing all the time, so I'm sorry Misty but you fall under the same scrutiny too."
Casey rolled her eyes, "grow up Derek, you are just jealous of our talents."
Misty laughed, clearly amused by their banter, "I dance hip pop, and there's nothing funny about it Derek, I've been told I'm quite the vixen when I dance."
Derek coughed up a little, and picked at his food idly.
"I dance jazz, a bit of ballet, some hip pop," she chimed in.
Misty's eyes lit up, "Guess we have something in common maybe we can enter a competition!"
Casey grinned at her, "I'd love that," oh thank god!"
And then Misty's face morphed into a teasing look, "I'll ask the dark question now. How many guys have you slept with?"
Casey instantly blushed, her mouth opened in surprise, and she sputtered nervously. She had a hard time looking at Derek, but he was scarily quiet. When she had the guts to look at him she realized he was completely pale, looking at her steadily with round, surprised eyes which only made her even more nervous.
At last, Derek laughed, breaking the silence. "What kind of getting to know you question is that?"
Misty was clearly loving putting her on the spot, "You don't have to answer if you don't want to, are you a prude?"
Casey blushed intensely, "Um, I don't think Derek wants to hear that."
Derek chuckled, but he sounded nerve wrecked. "Come on, it can't be that bad, I mean it's you, I think I'll survive."
Casey felt nauseous, but she had to try, "You first."
Misty smiled vivaciously, "Oh I've lost count, too many. I like sex, sue me," and she gave Derek an unsettling suggestive look, which made him blush like an idiot, it irked her beyond belief.
Casey took a long time to respond, for sure she'd be seen as vanilla now. "Um well….you see I'm a romantic, I believe sex should be with someone you are in love with, and well…..it hasn't happened yet. "
Misty gasped in a whisper, "But you're hot, I mean look at you, you are in college, how's that possible?"
Derek looked astounded, his gaze pierced her. "You mean it never happened with all those guys you dated?"
Casey shrugged shyly, "Something could have happened, but I just talked myself out of it, and maybe I never loved anyone enough to want to. It's why I broke up with Truman, he just kept pressuring for it to happen when I wasn't ready."
Derek was smiling for some reason, it took her breath away for a moment, a dark smoldering look went over him. "Good call dumping that guy, but you are just something else, this is college Casey, you're really missing out."
Misty was observing them with curiosity, as if it was odd for Derek to want to talk about that subject with his step sister, "Aw, it's cute you're so romantic. I'm sure it would be better with someone if I were in love, but I don't have the time or energy to find that out. Guess it's my job to get you laid then."
"I'm already dating someone, and he's ….well, really sweet."
Derek rolled his eyes, which Misty seemed to notice, "Yeah he's a total love struct idiot, basically worships the ground she walks on. He's too perfect."
Misty winked at her, "Sweet? And will he be the one?"
To both their surprise Derek got up, "Case a word," he said a little bitingly and motioned for her to follow him.
They walked a few tables over before he grimaced, "Alright, I've learned way too much about you for one afternoon, it's sickening, and I have a feeling you are going to dive in to deeper uncomfortable topics that I honestly don't care to know about. unless you want me to have a stroke. Would you be okay If I bounced?"
Casey knew it didn't make sense for him to stay, "I guess I get it, um….sorry if I made you uncomfortable."
He softened a little. "I wasn't expecting to be all relaxed, but I can't listen to your girly talks anymore. A guy can only handle so much, plus I think she likes you."
"You're not just saying that to get out of this?" she asked accusingly.
He smirked, "A little for selfish reasons, but I do mean it."
She understood and found herself feeling relieved and at the same time a little sad that he was leaving. She wasn't sure how much more she could take of Misty giving him the look. They went back to the table and found Misty batting her eyelashes as the server. Misty was so naturally charming, as for Casey, she often had to work hard to come across as charming .
When Misty saw her, she beamed, "That's my twin, Casey."
The server looked at her, giving her an intense rove over. "Well beauty clearly runs in the family," and then turned to Derek. "Man you're so lucky to be out with hot twins, so jealous."
Derek looked rattled, and at the same time annoyed by his comment, "They happen to be my step sisters." Step sisters, and all at once any fear she had of Derek liking Misty was subdued.
Hmmm maybe Misty was naturally a flirt and everything with Derek was just a misunderstanding. When Derek announced he was leaving though, Misty looked a little bummed, went on to give him a sad little pout, and told him he was fun to have around. And then Misty asked Derek if he'd drop them off at the mall since they had drank a little, which he did with little complaining.
They ended up window shopping all while Casey ended up telling Misty all about the family. About how much she hated being in a blended family at first, but it turned out to be the best thing and that her mom was clearly happier with George than she ever was with their dad. Any time she mentioned her mother, Misty's charming smile would disappear. She found herself apologizing, but Misty told her it was going to take time for her to accept that her reality was never real.
Not surprisingly, Misty asked her about living with Derek, and well as usual she went into her rant about how annoying he was, but for some reason she didn't feel the conviction she normally did. He had been so extraordinary sweet the past week, it was hard to come off as annoyed.
Misty commented, "I would have cried into a bucket if I had moved in with my new family and realized Derek was my step brother, talk about a curse….. how did you do it to be indifferent? I mean come on, between us girls, didn't he ever tempt you?"
Casey immediately blushed, "Um no, because he made it easy to be indifferent. He drove me crazy, we were so different and he was always looking to torment me, and it seemed he was always making fun of me. While some may find him "attractive," his personality irked me so much I couldn't see him that way." Liar, a little voice said inside her, but she couldn't admit to it.
Misty laughed saucily, "I think you're a horrible liar," she winked, "but I get it, it's not something you'd ever want to acknowledge, too complicated….don't judge me but I think he's a total hottie, not that I'd ever do anything about it."
Casey found herself equally jealous, and at the same time relieved, "You wouldn't?"
"It definitely wouldn't be the right thing to do if I want to be accepted by the family, I may be scandalous but I don't want to kill everyone on the spot. It's too much to take as it is that I exist, I don't think going after Derek would be wise."
Casey was astronomically relieved and pulled out her list, desperate to change the topic. She laughed, "You've done well without it, but if you want to continue interrogating me, how about we do it while doing something a little…..fun?"
"Fun how?" her curiosity piqued.
"I'm curious to see if Derek could tell us apart," she said with mischief, "want to play a game on him?"
Casey couldn't help but want to, she was sure he would be stumped and frazzled. Her 'game on' smile went over her face just imagining it, "Okay, but ground rules I don't want to dress so…."
"Sexy?" Misty poked her teasingly, "Fine I can find a neutral ground, but nothing so…preppy alright?"
It was surprising how quickly the awkwardness was melting between them, and they got their hair styled all while Misty told her about what it was like to be an actress. She had the mouth of a sailor, but she was quite funny. But she wouldn't talk about herself much. She wasn't sure how genuine Misty was being, she was an actress, what if she was actually much more twisted than she appeared?
They went through outfits and it took them almost two hours to come to something that made them both equally happy, "We're about to find out how well Derek knows you, how do you feel?" Misty assessed their final looks in the mirror.
"Derek may live with me, but he avoids me most of the time. There's no way he's observant enough to be able to, we look eerily the same." Yet as they made their way to her apartment, she was getting nervous beyond belief. She wanted to keep her expectations low, but she hoped he knew her well enough to be able to tell her apart.
Derek was watching TV, just trying to relax from the crazy day. Wow, seeing them together was definitely crazy, but at the same time, they complimented each other in a weird way. He could totally see Misty helping Casey not be in her head as much, but Casey also brought some softness out of Misty. He tried to imagine what life would have been like if he'd actually gotten to know both of them, but it was too weird. Misty's bluntness made it hard to appear as if nothing had ever happened between them.
He went over that meeting in his head again, man so far all he was seeing was two Caseys. He just couldn't separate them yet, and any look, or flirty line Misty threw at him, all he could think was: I wish Casey talked to me like that, and then he'd look at Casey and couldn't ignore this gnawing feeling consuming him, a longing for Casey on a whole new level.
He could not believe Casey had never been with anyone, it boggled his mind, but at the same time she was just….so adorable, such a romantic he shouldn't have been surprised. He couldn't help it, a desire to be the one to take care of her in that way plummeted him. Casey had claimed to love many of her exes, so he was stumped as to how she could have gone so long without it. He oddly liked her more for having that attitude. As much as he bragged about his escapades, it wasn't as great as he made it seem.
He went to get some ice cream out of the freezer, and was literally about to take a spoonful, when the door opened. "Back so soon?" He shouldn't be surprised, Casey was so flighty about the meeting.
To his total surprise, Misty and Casey came through the door, and he dropped his spoon. They were both dressed in a biker chick outfit, tight leather black jackets, tight black jeans, and studded high boots. Both their hair was down, wore the same makeup, it even seemed they got the same exact haircut. Neither of them spoke for a moment, and he felt like his eyes nearly bugged out of his skull. Casey is so fucking hot, that's the only thought going through his head, all he could think was Casey's name in repeated sequences.
"Uh, hey," he said awkwardly, trying not to stare too much.
The twin on the right spoke quietly, "Can you tell who is who?"
He moved slowly towards them. They were both smiling, and he looked between them slowly. It was weird getting permission to stare to his heart content, but he moved right up to one and then the other. He picked Casey out right away, she was on the left, chewing her lip nervously, and the closer he got, the more her breathing accelerated. Misty was just so confident, looking at him with obvious attraction and Casey while confident could detect a bit of shyness at being stared so openly. They also smiled differently, Casey's smile was gentle, warm and sweet. While Misty's smile seemed bold, like she was being seductive, and mischievous all the time. He made a big show of looking at Misty first, but all he wanted was to look at Casey.
He moved closer to Casey, until he was towering over her, her cheeks went pink. He noticed the uneven rise and fall of her chest, clearly nervous. He smiled at her, which only seemed to fluster her more. He locked in on her eyes, they were so soft, and beautiful, like blue opals. He took in that spring scent he had come to love so much. That outfit made her look so sexy, it clung on to her like a glove, the shape of her body was so defined and striking. He didn't want to stop looking at her, for the first time he had an excuse to stare at her, to memorize everything about her in real time. Holy Fuck, you're so beautiful.
"Hey Case," he said at last with a confident smile.
Her mouth dropped, "how?" she stammered.
Misty looked impressed, but also noticed the speculation in her gaze. "Wow, that took him maybe five seconds, either he really knows you very well, or he made a very lucky guess."
Derek just laughed. Casey was stunned, "Please, I've lived with you for years, and now that I see you side by side like this I noticed the differences. While yes you look the same, you also don't, it's hard to explain. Nice try, but there's no pulling a fast one on me."
Casey just looked at him with that sweet smile. "Wow, um that's amazing, we tested our twinness on a few strangers and they all said it would be hard for anyone to tell us apart."
He felt proud of himself, he knew Casey and Misty well enough in just a week's time to be able to know who Casey was, and it was on purpose. He had studied her like a book ever since he met Misty, he would never confuse them again.
Misty broke the moment, "Would you have been able to tell us apart if you saw us one at a time?"
Derek just smirked, "Probably, go ahead give it a try."
Misty immediately pulled Casey by the arm and they walked into Casey's room. Misty came out first, it was hard not to know it was her, she was very dominating, even though she was clearly trying to mimic Casey in some way, it was all in the eyes though, "Hey Misty."
"What the fuck, are you sure?" she muttered with shock.
Derek laughed with amusement, "Well Casey would never swear, that's for sure."
Casey came out of the room, smiling at him brightly, "I think there is no tricking Derek," and she seemed really happy for some reason, almost had a halo glow on her face. "I'm impressed."
"Who's hotter?" Misty asked without an ounce of shyness.
Casey's mouth dropped and shot Misty a terrifying angry, look that should have made her shrivel up, but she was just unaffected. "Misty I don't want to know that!"
Derek covered his shock with a laugh, Casey, no doubt about it, more so when she looks so damn angry and intense now. "No way am I answering that."
Misty laughed, and inspected him closely, "Well, this is where we're different Casey. I can tell a lot from a guy and well notice how Derek didn't say 'I don't find you hot,' he refused to answer, which means he does find us hot on some level and he clearly likes one over the other."
Derek's smile wiped off, fuck. Misty knew too much about him, was way too savvy on men in general. It was going to be hard to get anything past her. He gave Misty a pleading look, "Uh you're so wrong," he said a little too harshly.
"So say we aren't hot, I dare you, pretend for a moment Casey is a stranger, " she taunted.
Casey blushed, she looked really embarrassed. "No, Derek don't answer that, I know what you think of me. No need to ruin my day with your insults."
Derek felt a twinge, she was actually terrified to hear him say he didn't find her attractive. She must know on some level he wasn't indifferent to her physically in the slightest, yet again she was queen of clueless. He slowly looked at her, "Um, well you're not ugly…."
Misty burst out laughing, "There you have it Casey, he can't deny our hotness but also won't say the words."
Casey's mouth dropped with surprise, and her eyes darted to Misty. "Oh well if that's the case, then he probably doesn't want to anger me by telling me you're the hot one."
Derek was about to admit what he could never say out loud before, but he felt he had to since she thought he was so attracted to Misty. You are so blind and silly. "Okay, I don't want to die, the thought of being killed by twins is not something I'd relish. So just this once I'll say, from a total guy perspective if I didn't know who you were and I happened to just run into you, then I'd find you both hot," he choked the last word out and just couldn't look at either of them.
Casey blushed, looking at him with total shyness. "You don't have to lie Derek."
Misty elbowed him, "Smart man, doesn't want to upset either of us which means he's not the jerk he pretends to be, but he's lying. He finds one hotter."
Derek just got up as if there was a fire under his butt. Misty was a second away from exposing him. "How did I get dragged into this craziness? I'm just going to go chill, now," and he basically escaped to his room.
He could hear them giggling and Casey saying it was so awkward. Damn it, she was hot though, he was going to have to be careful around Misty. He would have to be more, well discreet with anything he said to Casey because she was clearly suspicious of him.
As he was drifting off to sleep, Casey knocked on his door, "Can I come in Der?"
He got up and opened the door, she was still dressed in that leather jacket. Thoughts of kissing her senseless eviscerated him. He shook his head, man he was losing it. "What do you want?" he asked a little surlily. "Case, I think we have exceeded our feel-good moment quota for like three months."
Casey took a deep breath, moving closer. "I know, just wanted to say one last thing, I promise."
Derek sighed and leaned up against the door, "Fine, make it quick so I can finally sleep at last."
"I just want to thank you for keeping me together. I don't know how I could have met her on my own," she was casting him that rare, soft look that made him warm and stupid.
Derek smiled, he couldn't help it. He was having a hard time staying surly with her. "You're welcome, you didn't embarrass yourself too much, I think she liked you. "
"Really? She's…really out there, it's going to take a bit to get used to her wildness. Can you believe this outfit to her was too conservative?"
Derek laughed, "Uh yeah, I can believe it because when I met her she barely wore clothes at all, it was scary."
Casey frowned a little, "So you do think she's hot then, you weren't just saying that to appease us, you think that of her don't you?"
Great, now she was going to skewer him because she clearly thought he found her hotter. Why did he have to open his stupid mouth? "Casey, can we please drop it? I just gave you guys a compliment. Man I'll remember never to say anything nice again, clearly you can't take a it."
Casey moved closer, chewing her lip nervously, "Fine, it's just weird that the first time you decide to give me a compliment is with my twin present."
"Casey, what are you trying to say?"
She looked away abashedly. "Nothing, forget it I'm still swimming with weird emotions, did you mean it towards me?"
Derek sighed, why take it back now? "I never lie about hotness, it's the only time you'll hear those words from me, so don't get used to it," he said at last.
Casey's eyes lit up like Christmas lights, "Really? Sorry, I normally don't care for shallow words like that, but it's just I spent all day comparing myself to her, and well….I was jealous of her. She's basically everything I always wanted to be: confident in her skin, funny, and well so bold. So for you to say you find us equally…well it was nice, thanks Der."
Why would you want to be different? You're perfect. "Like I said, it was a one time thing, never to be mentioned again, got it?"
Casey beamed, "Fine, all forgotten."
She was way too excited about it, and well it was cute as fuck it was hard to look at her with annoyance, "Anyway, bounce out of here, time for me to finally get some guilt free sleep," he shooed her out.
He was about to close the door when she reached for his arm, "Wait," she said urgently, "how did you know it was me?"
His eyes sparkled with mischief, and he grinned mysteriously, "It's a secret I'll never tell…I'm just that awesome."
Casey giggled a little, and she didn't let go of him. "Come on, please tell me I just can't believe you knew it was me so fast, tell me," she begged.
Derek ended moving closer until he was towering her again, and she gave him that exact same look as she did earlier. Did his closeness fluster her that much? "Well, there are things only you do, but I won't reveal all of them because again, It's a secret but I'll give you one."
"Tell me," she murmured quietly.
"Well, you just look at me differently," he said after a long pause.
Casey's eyes went round, clearly astounded, "What do you mean?"
"You look at me with annoyance of course," he said quickly and tried to laugh the tension again.
"Right," she laughed shakily. "Misty seems to tolerate you. She's clearly never lived with you, or she'd look at you the same way. And clearly Misty gives you the flirty look, don't think I didn't notice."
Derek chuckled nervously, damn it , he was hoping she was oblivious but Misty was so obvious even a rock would have noticed. "Come on Case, can you blame her? You're just used to me, but clearly she has good taste. She just met me is it really that insane for her to look at me as a guy?"
Casey shrugged shyly. "Well she flirts with everyone from what I've seen, so don't flatter yourself."
"Believe me, your twin crushing on me is the last thing I want, like my life isn't already crazy enough, " he said as convincingly as possible, hopefully it was enough for her to let it go.
She let out a little sigh of relief, "So I guess you really know me then….."
He smiled, he could help but gloat. "I'll always know it's you….so go ahead play all the games you want, but there's not tricking me ever again. I bet your boyfriend wouldn't have been as clever as me."
Casey flushed, shooting him a murderous glare, "He would have been able to tell! He's dating me, you're just being cocky now."
"It's not cocky if it's true, no guy could know you better than me," and as the words left he was terrified that the conversation had taken a 180. Casey just stared at him softly, and he just couldn't take it anymore, "Now get lost, night," and he closed the door on her before he did or said anything else stupid. Already he revealed that he found her attractive, man there was no question about it. Tomorrow, everything would go back to the exact same, he was set on it.
Casey laid on her bed just staring up at the roof, sighing deeply. How did he know it was her? It was frightening to think that he was so attuned to her. She wanted to believe Jacob would have known it was her, but they had just started dating. She couldn't believe Derek had the audacity to say he knew her better than any guy. She just scowled, he was pompous, arrogant, and such an idiot but for some reason she feared he was right.
He called her hot, and she still felt the burn of it sweep over her again. When he just stared at her, her heart had rattled like a caged beast. She had practiced her "fierce" look with Misty to try to trick him and she even said it was spot on. Maybe she did crumble when he was looking at her. Even though it was only moments it had to be the most intimate moment of complete unchecked eye gazing, and his tantalizing eyes were reading her entire soul, it was frighteningly intense. When he said her name, it just stunned her to the very core. The instant joy she felt knowing that he could pick her out went through her in waves. Oh god what was happening to her?
She felt a little airy, considering she felt annoyed all day that Misty was so openly checking him out, it was nice to feel noticed by him. So much had happened in just a few days, Derek took care of her, gave her the push to meet Misty. He went with her and was supportive but not surprisingly she knew everything would go back to normal now, and she felt disappointed knowing his attention was no longer going to be on her.
She had survived her first Misty outing…she couldn't help but wonder what life would have been like if they had grown up together. It was weird, after a whole day with Misty, she realized she was in lots of ways who she always wanted to become, she envied her strength because had their places been switched she may have died under the pressure of her life.
Misty was fierce, but there was clearly a lot to find out about her, it didn't escape her than whenever she asked questions about her life, she just ignored it or gave her an answer full of sarcasm, but there was a lot of her to admire so far. However, something was gnawing at her, she felt this strange fear that she might want to try to be with Derek, surely he wouldn't go for it right? Misty texted her.
Casey, I had fun we should definitely do that again. As for your question before I left, I am not ready to meet Nora yet. Please try to understand, I just can't imagine any scenario where finding out the truth would ever be a good thing. Unless, if you'd be up to doing a little snooping for me. Nigh C.
Misty
Casey understood her apprehension, she'd have to find a smart way to get some information out, and then she grinned thinking of enlisting Derek's help again. Maybe he'd be annoyed for asking for his help again, but until the truth was out, he was the only person she could trust right now. It was scary as she realized despite the years of torment Derek had put her through, there was no denying the truth : Derek is the only guy I trust.
Author's Note: Hi everyone, sorry for such a delay but all my works took a sudden halt and am currently working to get back on this chapter ha extra love to make up for lost time. I hope you liked Misty's introduction! She's a fun character for me, and I loved showing right from the bat that Misty was not shy in showing her interest in Derek, and it will only get more crazy. Please let me know how you're feeling about this story 3