A/N: thank you to everyone who's taken the time to review, I really appreciate it!
"It's just a shame you couldn't stop by the house," Nora sighed.
Casey juggled the phone on her shoulder as she let herself into her apartment and tossed her keys onto the entry table with more force than was strictly necessary. "Mom, I already told you I had a night shift at the hospital."
"I know, it's just that you were here and we didn't get to see you and it's not like you come here often, and plane tickets are expensive and—"
"Mom," Casey interrupted, frowning. "What's with the guilt trip? If you wanted me to feel bad, then mission accomplished."
Nora sighed again. "I'm sorry, Casey." She paused and then continued in a falsely bright tone. "I hope you had a good time catching up with your friends, at least."
Casey had been in the process of rummaging through her fridge, but now she straightened. "I saw Emily," she hesitated and then plowed forward in a rushed breath, "She's engaged."
"Really?" Nora sounded surprised. "And you only found out at the reunion?"
"She…wanted to tell me in person," Casey muttered, "Or something." When her mom remained silent, Casey hastily added, "It's to Sheldon Shlepper, you remember him?"
"I do," Nora answered slowly. "Well, that's great news. I'll have to give her mother a call sometime."
Casey took a deep breath, her heart beginning to thud nervously. "By the way," she said, in what she hoped was a casual tone. "I saw Derek."
There was a sharp intake of breath followed by an intense coughing fit.
"Mom?"
"You…" Nora said in a cautious tone, "Actually said his name…It's been years since you—"
"Yes, well," Casey shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably. "He was there." She paused and then added unnecessarily, "We talked."
"I see. And, er, is everything…alright?"
Casey nodded even though her mother couldn't see her. "We apologized to each other for…you know, everything."
"That's…I'm just so relieved…to be honest I had no idea what could have possibly caused the two of you to fall out the way you did. I mean after graduation it almost seemed like you two were…"
'Thought we were friends-adjacent' Derek's voice floated across her memory, and Casey let a small smile grace her lips.
"Anyway, does this mean that this Christmas we'll finally have the whole family under one roof again?" Nora sounded absolutely delighted.
Casey blinked and then swallowed down the sudden guilt rising like bile in her throat. She'd been so caught up with her issues with Derek that she hadn't really given much thought to how much strain their falling out had put on the family.
She also hadn't, up until this very moment, realized that Christmas fell before the end of the agreed upon 3 month mark.
"Casey?"
"Y-yes," she squeaked out, "We'll both be there for the holidays this year."
"That's great," her mother said happily. "Oh, I don't know if Derek told you he's been directing movies? Not big leagues or anything like that obviously, just the small artsy indie films. His next one is coming out on New Year's Day."
Casey pressed her lips together, now feeling slightly nauseous. "Yes," she said faintly, "He mentioned he was a director."
The truth was, she'd spent the entire plane ride back scouring IMDB and making a list of all the movies he'd directed. Then she'd promptly ordered them all online.
"And…" Now her mother sounded hesitant, and Casey immediately narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Did Derek, ah, mention anything about…his…fiancé?"
Casey's stomach dropped. She hadn't realized he would need to tell the family about a contract engagement. Was it a bigger deal than she's initially assumed?
"Sweetie? You still there?"
"Yes," she answered dully, "He mentioned it, in passing."
"I see," Nora said, but Casey couldn't quite discern her tone. "Well, you sound exhausted so I'm going to let you go. Get some rest and we'll talk later, okay?"
"Sure," Casey replied mechanically, her mind already elsewhere. "Good night." Her mother clicked off and Casey stared down at her phone in consternation.
It had been over 24 hours since she'd left Derek standing in that stairwell.
And he hadn't reached out at all.
No texts, no phone calls, not even a perfunctory e-mail.
She hesitated, her finger hovering above his name in her contact list. She could feel stupid butterflies in her stomach and felt a flash of annoyance that he could still make her feel this way. She hated that he made her doubt everything that had happened between them. Hated that he made her feel like a teenager all over again.
Hated that this was the same feeling she'd had when she first moved to New York and had somehow been waiting to hear from him.
Because even if he'd only been pulling a prank, he had always called. And then, quite suddenly, he just hadn't.
And that was the first time she'd realized that either he was truly mad at her for leaving, or he just really could care less.
Or, of course, there was the third option—that they were both too stubborn to act on anything other than unspoken glances and meaningful silences.
Biting the bullet, she composed a new text and quickly sent it before she could lose her nerve. It was short and to the point.
CASEY: landed this morning. Just got home from my shift at the hospital.
She waited a second, feeling a little silly. It was nearly midnight; he was probably asleep for all she knew. Then her cheeks heated when she remembered he was engaged. She frowned, belatedly realizing she probably should've gotten more details about his little arrangement. Was he living with the girl? Exactly how involved did he have to be per the contract? Was he…sleeping with her?
She was still frowning to herself as she changed into her pajamas and brushed her teeth, getting ready for bed. She couldn't quite believe she'd agreed to wait for him without getting the full story. This wasn't like her at all.
Derek had yelled at her once about how she always changed when she liked a guy. It had been one of their worst fights, and she didn't even remember what it had originally been about. She'd never forgotten what he'd said though, because it had hurt.
Probably because, deep down, she knew that on some level, he was right. And moreover, he had noticed that about her before she'd even noticed it about herself.
It always scared her a little, how well he knew her. Better than any other boyfriend she'd ever had, that was for sure. Better than her parents, usually. Better than she knew herself, sometimes.
Casey heaved a sigh and slipped under her covers. Her body ached from the whirlwind past 24 hours and she could feel her taut muscles slowly relax as she began to get comfortable.
Then her phone beeped with a text and her heart rate accordingly spiked.
She flipped around instantly, her hand grappling on her nightstand for her phone and consequently sending multiple things tumbling to the ground in her haste.
"Shit," she hissed, nearly falling out of bed as she reached down to the ground to grab her phone off the carpet. The text, however, was only from her stepsister.
MARTI: Nora and George are so happy that your feud with my brother is over that they didn't even yell at me about the C- I got on my Spanish final. I owe you one, sis.
Casey stared at the text, torn between disapproval and disappointment. It was an unpleasant feeling. She was still hanging off her bed at an awkward angle when her phone beeped again.
DEREK: glad you hear you made it back safely. I miss you already, xo.
She dropped her phone again.
What was he playing at? Xo? XO?
Seething in the darkness, she huffed and pulled herself back into bed, letting her phone stay on the ground. What was she supposed to reply to that, anyway?
The doorbell rang.
Casey's eyes widened in the dark, feeling fear prickle at her neck. It was past midnight. There was no way in hell she was answering the door.
A full minute passed, in which she lay perfectly still, barely breathing. Just as she began to relax again, deciding whoever it was had moved on, the doorbell rang again.
This time, it didn't stop.
Casey hurriedly got out of bed and grabbed her phone off the ground. Then she tiptoed across her room and slid into the kitchen. She flipped on the light and grabbed a large knife out of the holder. And then with trembling fingers, she made her way to the door and peered through the keyhole.
Then she frowned because no one was there.
She let out a gust of air, realizing she'd been holding her breath. Then, keeping the knife firmly in front of her, she unlocked the door and pulled it open.
And nearly screamed.
"Jesus," Derek said, staring at the knife she was brandishing. "Watch where you point that thing, woman."
Casey didn't let go of the knife, but she felt her phone slip out of her other hand and fall to the ground for the third time that night.
Derek walked in, giving her a wide berth as he looked between her and the knife. His expression was a little bemused, as though he didn't know what to make of the scene in front of him.
"Jesus," he said again, his eyes focusing fully on her as he dropped his duffel bag onto the ground. "You're shaking."
Casey blinked and looked down at her hand, just now noticing that her knuckles had turned white around the knife. She let out a deep shuddering breath and carefully placed the knife back within its holder. And then she stayed where she was, facing the counter, and—most importantly—not facing Derek.
"Alright," she could hear him stepping towards her slowly. "In hindsight, I guess I forgot how much you don't like surprises."
Casey glared at her stovetop. Yeah, right. Derek Venturi never forgot a weakness. Especially if it concerned her.
"Case?" His voice was hesitant, and she realized he was directly behind her now. She felt him place a hand on her shoulder. His touch was warm and inviting and…felt like home, if she was being honest with herself.
She didn't shrug him off, but she didn't turn around either.
"You're still shaking," Derek said, pulling at her a little so she was forced to turn around. Before she knew what was happening, he had pulled her into his arms. "Hey," he offered quietly, his voice muffled into her hair. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I was just trying to be, you know…" He trailed off, now sounding embarrassed. "Romantic."
Casey sighed into his chest as she felt her heart rate return to normal. "Two hugs from Derek Venturi in 24 hours," she mumbled. "Must be my lucky day."
"This isn't a hug," Derek said, not releasing her.
"Oh?" she tipped her head back to look at him, "Then what would you call it?"
He shrugged, "An apology?"
Casey hid a smile as she disentangled herself from him. "What are you even doing here?"
"I told you in the text," he said, turning on the charm full force. "I missed you." When she only crossed her arms, he went on hastily. "I didn't text you before that because I was on the plane. And I didn't want to ruin the surprise."
"That's…well." Casey paused, unsure of what to say. "You're not…you haven't answered my question."
"I did," he said, shoving his hands into his pockets. And just like that, she could feel the tension begin to rise between them. "Maybe you're not asking what you actually want to know."
She opened her mouth, and then closed it, thinking. "Where's your fiancé? Mom called me you know, asked me if you had told me about her."
Derek didn't flinch, but his gaze immediately skittered away from hers.
"I didn't realize contract engagements required telling the family," she went on evenly. "Unless it matters a little more than you initially let on."
He looked back at her, his mouth twisting. "The whole thing is for publicity, it's in all those trash gossip rags. I couldn't not tell the family. You'd rather they read it in some magazine than hearing it from me?"
Casey frowned at him, "So they know it's not real?"
Derek looked exasperated. "I can't tell people it's not real. That would ruin the whole point!"
"But you told me!"
"Because I was trying to be honest with you! I didn't want—and we had just—" He broke off, looking frustrated. "Forget it."
Casey didn't say anything, because for better or worse, the two of them had always been on the same wavelength. And she kind of got what he was trying to say.
"And then you would have found out anyway," he suddenly said, "After we…" His cheeks slowly became tinged with red and he looked at her quickly. "Because if I hadn't said anything, we would have…because we almost…" He swallowed, and then stopped talking altogether.
Almost slept together.
Casey chewed on her lip as she stared at the ground. There wasn't much she could say, not when everything he said was annoyingly true.
"She's at home," Derek said into the silence. "My fiancé."
"Your home?"
"No."
Casey nodded, still refusing to make eye contact. "Have you slept with her?"
There was a long pause. "Yes."
Her living room suddenly felt suffocating.
"Is that part of your contract?" Her voice sounded unnatural, even to her own ears.
Derek swore under his breath. "I'm not currently sleeping with her, and no it's not part of the contract." He strode towards her, grabbing her forearms none too gently. His voice was harsh when he spoke again, "Don't do this. Don't…be this."
Casey thought that distinctly unfair.
"If the situations were reversed," she said through gritted teeth, "You would be through the roof. Don't deny it."
Derek looked a little sick as he stared at her, and she knew he was imagining it. "Just because I'm a jealous prick," he growled, "Doesn't mean you have to be."
"Why not?" she shot back, now getting angry. "Because I'm a girl? Because I constantly have to be a better person than you are?"
"Because you're Casey!" he exploded, "And you are better than this! And me, for that matter." He turned away from her, but not before she heard the bitterness that laced his final words.
Casey scowled, "Derek, don't be ridiculous."
"I'm not," he said simply. "Just like your grandmother always thought Nora was too good for my dad, which let's face it, she is. The McDonalds are a tier above the Venturis, that's just how it is. There's no point in pretending about it."
He didn't sound bitter anymore, just matter-of-fact, which somehow made her angrier than before.
"My grandmother was wrong," she snapped at him, "And so are you. And stop trying to change the subject!"
"I'm—" Derek's eyes were blazing. "Fine," he said shortly, stomping over to her sofa and throwing himself into it. "Sure, I'll take a seat, thanks for the invitation. Now, what's on the McDonald interrogation agenda for today?"
Casey glared at him, her arms folded. "Tell me about her."
"No," he shook his head. "There is nothing to tell that you don't already know. Everyone thinks we are engaged, and we will be till after the release date of our movie. New Year's Day."
"Yeah, mom told me. She was absolutely thrilled that we'd both be home for the holidays this year, by the way."
Derek looked at her, vague panic settling across his gaze. But when she blinked, his expression became impassive once more. "Can't wait."
Casey waited, but he seemed perfectly content to sit there in silence. "Is that all you're going to tell me?" she demanded. "I'm making a huge effort here, Derek, to be—understanding."
He groaned, leaning back so his head was resting against the top of her sofa. "The contract only says Aimee and I have to be seen together. We aren't living together because that would be a hell of a lot of work to move out in a few months."
"Seen together doing what, exactly?"
Derek's fingers were twitching. "Just…being out together," he muttered, "Like on dates. Doing whatever it is people do on dates."
Casey tapped her fingers on her arm, thinking.
"I slept with her once." He hadn't moved from his position of staring at the ceiling. "Before the contract."
"What will people think," she asked flatly, "Of you being here?"
At that, Derek shifted so that he was looking at her. "What is there to think?" he asked incredulously, "I'm visiting my stepsister. Convenient cover story, huh?"
"Right," she looked away, "Convenient."
"Case, come on," Derek got to his feet, "It's late and we're both exhausted. Can we just continue this interrogation in the morning?"
She eyed him suspiciously. "How long are you staying in the city?"
"I only bought a one way ticket."
Her mouth opened in horror.
Derek laughed, though it didn't hold any amusement. "I have a couple days off before I have to get back to work," he said. "So don't worry, I won't be in your way for too long."
She knew him well enough to know when he was being facetious. "I didn't mean…" she sighed, "I want you here, of course I do. I just…I don't think it's a good idea. Especially with…everything."
He didn't argue with her, which was surprising in itself. "Do you want me to leave?" he asked quietly. "Because I can."
"No," she said quickly, "Just…no, I want you to stay. I have the day off tomorrow. We can…" She reached out for his hand, feeling her skin jump as he entwined their fingers. "Hang out."
Derek was watching her closely. She chewed on the inside of her cheek.
"I would like that," he said finally. Then he stepped back and looked her over, a smirk pulling at his lips. "Nice PJs."
Casey pulled her hand out of his grasp, annoyed. "Well, I didn't know you were coming, did I?" she shot back without thinking, tugging self consciously at her comfortable pink flannel set. "It's October," she added defensively, "It's cold."
He was giving her that look again. The one from the roof. The one that no doubt made girls everywhere collectively melt at his feet. He stepped closer, his lips brushing her ear. "I can keep you warm."
She pushed him back a little. "That'll be hard to do from the couch."
His eyes widened, "You can't be serious."
"Oh, but I am," Casey said firmly. "I told you already, nothing is happening between us while you're engaged—contract, or otherwise."
Derek didn't say anything for a moment. Then he tilted his head, studying her. "Don't trust yourself to be in the same bed as me?"
Casey flushed, "That's not—"
"I mean, I know I can control myself," he said idly, "But if you feel like you can't keep your hands to yourself, then I totally understand."
She glared at him as he tossed her a triumphant smirk. "Fine," she hissed, "Give me a minute to find you a damn pillow." She turned on her heel and stormed into her room, giving it a cursory onceover. Then she flounced into her closet to change.
Time to teach him a lesson.
A few seconds later, she walked back into the living room and leaned against the doorway. "The room's ready now."
"Great," Derek bounded off the sofa, "I'm exhaust—" He broke off when he caught sight of her, his mouth dropping open comically. "Wh—what," he asked hoarsely, "But that's…"
Casey raised an eyebrow at him, "Something wrong, Derek?"
He visibly swallowed. "You're wearing…my jersey."
"Yep," she said cheerily, her fingers skimming the hemline. "Just the jersey and nothing else, in fact."
Derek paled.
"Ready for bed?"
"You—"
She turned to hide her smirk and had just stepped back into her bedroom when he was suddenly there, grabbing her arm and spinning her around so her back hit the wall. She gasped when he pressed into her, his arousal straining against his jeans. "You're trying to seduce me," he accused, his breath hot against her neck. "You're playing with fire, Case."
And as her breath began to come faster, she had to admit that maybe he had a point. Was she really trying to outsmart the master?
"Why do you even have this?" he asked roughly, his fingers grasping the material of the jersey over her stomach. The movement caused the hemline to raise dangerously high and she sucked in a startled breath.
"I—I, umm…" she stammered, attempting to gather her thoughts. "They streamed your games online sometimes," she said finally, her head falling back against the wall when she felt his hands begin to wander. "I know you said I couldn't be there, which is true…but that doesn't mean I didn't watch them."
Derek's hands stilled. He pulled back and looked at her, his gaze roaming her face.
And even if she couldn't read his expression, she knew what her admission meant to him.
"Case," his voice was gravelly, as though he'd forgotten how to use it. "I—" Then his hands cupped her face and he was kissing her fiercely.
And in an 11th hour twist, she found that her feet were the ones propelling them backwards to her bed. When the back of her knees hit her mattress, she pulled back and met his gaze. His eyes were dark, his pupils dilated. And then, without a second thought, she was pushing him down, her lips finding his.
So maybe he had called her bluff and won. But she found she didn't really mind.
*so, i'm thinking a couple more chapters. we have to at least see the drama that happens at xmas, right? be sure to drop a review!
