Chapter 1: Stranger Danger
Author's Note: Hi everyone. I had many readers ask for a college fic, but I was just waiting for a different idea to hit me, and this story was it. Please let me know if this is something that intrigues you too, and I will continue writing if there is enough interest. I thought the twin thing would be fun, I'm not sure if it's been done or not, but I'm looking forward to writing it in my style :) I enjoy writing stories with a bit of a spin, and drama, a long lost twin, and love was too appealing of a concept for me. I've been watching too many telenovelas, so as a Mexican this is my soap inspiration coming through! Hope you enjoy the first chapter :)
"You are so dead," Casey glared at Derek intensely. "How could you use my computer and 'accidentally' delete my assignment? Are you really that much of an idiot?"
Casey looked like she was close to bursting into tears. Normally he would have taken credit for such a blunder, but in this case, it was a total fluke. She had worked for weeks on that project, watched her almost set their apartment on fire due to stress, so this was the worst thing he could have done to her.
He gently put his arm around her, feeling guilty as hell. "Case, I swear this was not a prank. I wouldn't be that stupid to do anything that would have you become even more crazy, when you have been cranky as hell for months. Believe it or not, I'm not a masochist."
She groaned with annoyance, moving away from him angrily. "Derek, do you have any idea what this means? It means instead of having a normal spring break, I'll spend the next two weeks finishing this stupid assignment, I hate you!" She got up and stormed into her room.
Derek groaned and slumped on the couch. He'd been living with Casey for four months. For some reason, she came up with the idea as a way to save money, and because she didn't like living on campus. She told him she didn't want a stranger to be her roommate, and immediately grilled him, saying, "You are my only family here, Derek. I know you hated living with me before, but you have also been complaining about your roommate. Living together makes sense, I swear I'll give you your space, and we'll hardly see each other. It's just for convenience, I can come up with a roommate contract if you'd like."
Derek had made a huge show about his lack of enthusiasm at the idea, but he hardly saw her during the first year, so he may have been more excited by the idea than he'd ever admit. Plus despite himself, he found the way she asked him cute, so like Casey to make moving together seem like the most logical, most professional arrangement ever, and well she was persuasive.
Casey decided to get her undergrad for law school after a lot of debating, as for him, he was taking some courses hoping to get a better idea of what he was interested in, but he still felt like he had no real direction. He agreed to live with her, and for the first couple weeks it was as awesome as he remembered it, but it wasn't long before they were constantly fighting. Casey was dating a guy named Jacob, who seemed like a decent guy, studying Law as well. She started dating him about a month after moving in together, and to say he was a little annoyed by it was an understatement. He was always over, basically worshipped the ground Casey walked on. He'd constantly run into them kissing and flirting, and it quickly caused him to lose his temper.
Derek lost it when he walked in on him feeling her up, they were just making out like crazy teeneagers, and he just wanted to pluck his eyes out. When Casey saw him, she shyly asked Jacob to leave. As soon as the door closed, he glared at her as she fixed her top. "Casey, I shouldn't have to walk around my own apartment wanting to wear a blindfold, if you want to make out with your perfect boyfriend by all means go for it, but not on my couch and in the open where I will surely run into it. Do you really think I will want to sit back and watch tv, when I know you two have been living it up on it?"
Casey rolled her eyes, and looked at him steadily. "Oh yeah, like you're so perfect. You think I like running into your bimbos? For crying out loud Derek, don't you want more than just meaningless sex?"
Derek laughed, trying to drown the awkwardness he felt. Sure, maybe he wasn't any better at hiding his dates, but she was the one that started it. "You are such a square, it's not even funny. This is college Casey, that's part of the experience."
Casey had moved into him like an angry viper, ready to snap at him. "Then go have your wild adventures somewhere else!"
And Derek boiled over and ended up saying, "No way, this is my house just as much as yours Casey, and I will not live under your thumb. If you want to live like roommates, then this comes with it. My last roommate and I had a system, maybe we should establish our own."
Casey glared at him, as if he'd slapped her. "How dare you associate me as just a roommate! I'm your step sister, it's awkward, strange, and so off-putting! At least in my case, I'm in a committed, healthy relationship, as for you, you're just a pig. If you want to have the frat boy lifestyle, then go have it somewhere else." And she went into his room and started angrily shoving things in a bag.
Derek felt a welt of guilt hit him, and reached for her abruptly, taking her hand to stop her from throwing him out. She froze in place and they looked at each other for a long time, and he caved. He really was having a hard time maintaining his dominance with her now, living together on their own was just much more intense than a civil roommate situation, more intense than living with the rest of the family around them. It was just them two now, and he had to find a way to at least get on her good side because he didn't want to move out. He lashed out because seeing her with Jacob made him realize he would always be a third wheel in his own house, who would ever want that? It had nothing to do with jealousy, or so he told himself.
He finally spoke, "Okay, you're right our arrangement isn't the same, so why don't we go over some ground rules? Clearly neither of us want to see the other getting frisky."
Casey cracked a smile for a moment, oh she was clearly enjoying his discomfort, "You are coming up with rules? This should be good." She looked way too excited about having to talk about house rules.
Damn it, he had really missed this side of her and had to fight to conceal a smile. "Don't get too excited. I say the living room is common ground, I don't want to see you smacking lips with Jacob, it's disturbing, trust me. And I'll do the same. What if we let each other know when we are going to be….um busy, that way neither of us have to worry about our eyeballs falling out from how gross it would be run into that, or hear it."
Casey sat down on the chair, smiling vividly. "Should we have a code word? And fine, my only rule is I don't want girls here overnight, and I'll do the same. I think it's fair."
Derek smiled, good, it bothered her. It made him a little happier than it should have. "Fine, you come up with the code word, I'm sure it'll be ridiculously classy."
She grinned, and after a moment she shrugged shyly, "How about sending a text saying 'I'm baking' and we give a time reference."
He quickly realized that might be even worse than just accidentally running into it, he would get the texts and know every time it was happening. He felt that annoyance swirl through him, oh and it would just sour his day, no doubt about it.
As if Casey could read him, she smiled shyly. "Jacob and I haven't …..crossed that milestone, so don't worry about me spamming your phone."
Derek smiled way more than he could even control. "Oh, so it would just be me spamming you then?" he said with a little taunting smile.
Casey glared at him, "Maybe a code word isn't right for us. You know my schedule Derek, why not try to work around it, and only text when um an emergent situation comes up?"
Derek burst out laughing, "You want me to organize my sex life to fit your schedule? Egocentric much?"
"It's called common courtesy," she said adamantly.
He pretended to think it over, if it made their living arrangement better, then he'd do whatever to make her comfortable, "Fine, you're always on campus anyway, I guess I'll try to train my libido just for you, but if you and Jacob decide to um get to it, you better do the same for me," he said sternly.
Casey beamed, "Perfect, maybe we'll be able to live together comfortably."
However, there always seemed be something to fight about. So far living with Casey wasn't all he thought it would be, but he still wanted to be around her. He thought in least they would have more fun together, and so far Casey had been on school mode only. He so desperately wanted her to relax. He played some pranks on her just to get her attention for a moment, and for a few minutes she'd give him that angry glare that he loved, and she got him back a few times. But those moments were rare because she was either studying or hanging out with Jacob, and the rare times where they did hang out, she seemed agitated with him.
And now of course he made things much worse. He liked tormenting her, but there were some lines he didn't feel okay with crossing, and messing up her grade was definitely off limits. He took a deep breath and knocked on her door. "Case, come on open up. I'm sorry." He could hear her crying, but she wouldn't open the door. He really screwed up this time. "What if I helped you with your assignment? I know I'm not smart like you, but if you want-"and then the door swung open.
She looked at him with bloodshot eyes, "You'd really do that? You hate having to do your own assignments."
He smiled at her, "I do hate it, but it was my fault. Even I know how big a deal your project is, and well, I want to help, I owe you."
She gave him that rare sweet smile, and then looked down at her feet for a moment, "I've been a nightmare haven't I?"
He was taken back. "What do you mean?"
Casey sniffled with annoyance, "I've given you so many headaches with my constant complaining, I just knew getting into law would be hard but I didn't realize it would be this difficult. I'm no fun, Derek. You can move out if you want, I haven't really been a fun roommate."
She slowly met his gaze, she looked so tormented and small. Even with her being so stressed, he didn't want to be away from her, "Nice try Case, but I'm staying. For one, I hate moving, secondly, you're way better to be around than my last roommate, he was a total psycho. And come on, admit it, you like having me around to yell at."
She laughed a little, rubbing her eyes tiredly, "You are fun to yell at, I can't help it you bring it out of me."
He moved closer, grinning widely, "One of my special skills, I should add that to my resume. And well I love annoying you."
She fiddled nervously with her hair, "I love annoying you too," she said quietly, "But I'm worried I've annoyed you too much."
He laughed, "Casey, you really think I'd still be here if it had become too much? I would have left on week three, running and screaming. But turns out, I have a good tolerance for your craziness."
Casey looked at him for a long time, she looked so exhausted. He felt a twinge of emotion, just wanted to trace under her eyes as he noticed the dark circles. Even with that, she was still…..well, beautiful. As much as he wanted to pretend she was an ogre, he couldn't convince himself of it.
"Okay, Jacob was going to come help me, but if you want to...then I'd like that, no need making him insane."
He quickly nodded, he wanted to help. "When's it due?"
"One week," she sounded so anxious.
"Alright, I'm all yours," he said tauntingly, and noticed her cheeks pinken a little, "But it is Spring Break. If I help you, you have to promise to lay back a bit and relax at least once. You need rest Casey or your brain will explode."
Casey chewed her lip, and then sighed deeply. "Fine, I promise. Thanks Der," and she smiled so sweetly for a moment it made the past few months worth it. And then she moved aside, "Then we better get moving, luckily I have everything outlined so all you have to do is help me lay out the PowerPoint presentation, think you can handle that?"
Derek smirked, "Man, what did I sign up for?"
Casey laughed tugging him, "Signed up for the nightmare that never ends, but I'll try to be a little nice, I promise."
He followed her lead, and she sat on her bed smiling as she pat the spot beside her. "Alright, I'm ready to get the life sucked out of me, lead the way."
Casey immediately took it upon herself to boss him around, and he just rolled his eyes a few times but ended up doing whatever she told him. The fact they were lying on her bed together made him a little distracted. He watched with fascination as Casey chewed on a pen as she was concentrating. He showed her the PowerPoint , trying to amp it up and said, "Now it looks like something people would want to listen to, know what I mean?"
Casey just looked at it, "You don't think it's too showy? It's a serious topic Derek."
"Just trust me with this, you'll keep people awake," and then she just gave him the go ahead.
This was the most he'd spend with Casey all week, and he ended up having a lot of fun. If only this was the regular. They ordered pizza, and he begged her to take a break where they watch TV for a little bit, even let her choose what to watch. And then they went back to her room, and he ended up falling asleep.
Casey woke up with the first smile she had in weeks. She looked over to find Derek sleeping on her bed, and realized with shock that she had been holding him. She moved back as if she had been burned, oh god. Good thing he didn't wake up before her, he would have made fun of her no doubt. He told her he wouldn't go to sleep until she was happy with how much they did, and he was actually helpful. He even made the PowerPoint look much better than she had it. She had gotten up to use the washroom, and when she came back, he had passed out. She came back to him slowly lying down beside him. She didn't want to wake him up, she was so exhausted, she fell asleep within moments.
She smiled for a moment, Derek was as infuriating as always, but it was moments like this that made her happy for days. As she stared at him, a little wave of tenderness went over her, a little moment of peace in all her chaos. Oh she'd been a tyrant for weeks, no question about it. Stress was truly an ugly side to her, and Derek got the worst of her. When she had suggested living together it was due to being overwhelmed by the constant dorm party life, but a little part of her had missed living with him. She was delighted when he agreed, excited for a moment that she'd see him more. Derek actually made an effort to spend time with her for once the first couple of weeks of living together, but then they both got busy, and suddenly she never saw him. She'd seen him at school with a different girl every week, and she was upset by it more than she wanted to admit. So when Jacob asked her out, she accepted.
Jacob was in her program, he was tall, dark hair, brown eyes, handsome and extremely smart. Emily mentioned he sort of looked like Derek, but she laughed hysterically, "In what world does Jacob and Derek look alike? Don't be silly."
Emily giggled, "One is the bad boy, and the other is a preppy, but come on Casey, they look alike."
Casey just shook her head stubbornly. "You're blind…..I could never go after anyone that reminds me of Derek, please I hate him."
Emily just rolled her eyes, "You don't hate him, but alright I'll play along. Derek is hotter than Jacob, simply because he's Derek, just my opinion."
Unfortunately, now that Emily brought that up, every time she saw Jacob she couldn't help but think of Derek, she was right there was a resemblance. But Derek was just much more…..lively, and way too attractive for his own good, while Jacob was approachable, funny, easygoing and extremely sweet. Completely different personalities. Ever since making that connection, she felt weird around him. She also didn't know why Derek was on the receiving end of her yelling and upset, but for some reason the moment she saw him at the end of the day, it was as if she felt free to explode, and well he had no problem yelling at her right back. She knew it wasn't the healthiest way to relieve stress, but she couldn't help it.
Last night was the first time she let her guard down a bit, it seemed to be the usual. Whenever he did anything remotely caring, she was helpless to her melting heart at times. She often wondered what would have become of her if he was sweet like that all the time, she didn't even want to go there.
Derek stirred in his sleep a little, and she smiled as she remembered the banters, and she laughed a few times so hard her ribs hurt. As she studied him, she couldn't help but marvel a little. Derek looked amazing, even in his sleep state, it seemed impossible that he'd have a normal appearance for once in his life, but he was so striking. His hair was all over the place and it made him look innocent for a moment. She wanted to touch him, and that thought alone made her freak out
Casey then had an idea, and went to the kitchen filling up a jar of water and came back to him. She giggled quietly as she poured it on his head. Derek's eyes flew open, and she just fell over with laughter as he frantically tried to figure out what just happened. The water trickled down his head, his face.
He gave her a taunting look as he sat up, and then looked around with surprise as he realized he was in her bed. "Did you really just do that? Don't you know never to wake up a man abruptly like that? I was about to punch you out," he said with that teasing smile.
Casey grinned despite herself. "Not my fault, you woke me up with your snoring and I just had to get you back."
He rubbed his head and got out of the bed slowly, and without another word he went to the kitchen, could hear the water running. Oh no, he was going to get her back. He came back with a giant squirt gun, and she moved backwards, "Don't, don't you dare Derek. These are my silk pjs, you ruin them, you buy me new ones."
Derek smirked dangerously, "It's worth the cost," and then she yelped as he sprayed her. She ran away from him, and could hear his laughter as she tried to hide in her closet. Her heart thudded as he opened the door and got her face, her neck, her body, all while he laughed.
"Derek, stop!" she pleaded as she giggled, but it was useless. She was soaked from head to toe.
When he was done, his eyes looked like liquid fire as he assessed his final work, clearly pleased. His gaze went over her body slowly. Her wet clothes clung to her, making her look completely indecent. She blushed, and his laughter went away. As the silence went on, she felt a little winded. She pushed past him quickly.
"Get out, I need to change," she felt breathless.
Derek cackled as he walked away, "That'll teach you never to wake me up like that again. I was having the sweetest dream about well, babes, and you ruined it."
Casey glared at him, "Ew, you were dreaming disgusting things while sleeping on my bed? You're so gross Derek."
Derek winked, "Oh I'm just filthy," and she shuffled him out the door and locked the door.
Just like that he managed to kill that soft feeling she felt for him in an instant. She got changed in a hurry, and then he was knocking on her door. "We better get a move on Case, I'm going to a party tonight and want to get some work done."
Casey took her laptop and opened the door with a huff. "You're going to a party?" she asked accusingly, "How do you expect to help me finish quickly if you're already slacking off?"
Derek was making his breakfast, and tossed her a look. "Case, it's Spring Break. I need to unwind, maybe come with me, come on it'll be fun."
Casey just moved past him, making a cup of tea, "Yeah right, I can't have fun when I'm this stressed Derek. You promised, and now you're just flaking out on me."
He stopped and turned to face her, "I'm not flaking, I just think taking breaks is important. We can work all day, but tonight I'm going out with Ralph and Sam, and you can either come or be a total loner, up to you. You need balance Casey, it won't kill you to just relax."
Casey couldn't stop the annoyance, "I'll be a loner then, come on let's get a move on then."
For the rest of the day they worked in silence, everytime he tried to talk to her she would shush him, she was annoyed. He was already looking to be away from her and she wasn't stupid. Every time he went to a party he ended up going off with a girl, she was already uptight, and certainly didn't need another reason to be upset.
Before he left, he seemed to have enough of her stony silence and tugged her towards him abruptly, "Case," he said softly, "I promise this will be get done. I don't care what I have to do to make sure of it, but I want to have fun with you. Please, come with me."
Casey felt a rolling heat go through her as she felt his closeness, took in his scent, "You're going to ditch me, I know you."
He was still holding on to her arm, and she noticed a rare plead in his eyes. "No, I want to see you let loose a little. I'll stay with you, I swear."
Casey was about to answer him, was about to give in when someone knocked on the door. Derek opened it and the minute he saw Jacob, he turned back to her with annoyance. "So I'm not allowed to slack off, but you can?"
She quickly fumbled, but Jacob interrupted, "She didn't know I was coming, I just wanted to see if she was okay, she sounded stressed on the phone this morning."
Derek just rolled his eyes, "Well, aren't you just a knight in shining armour then?"
Casey felt a weird desperation, she wanted to go with him, "Derek," she started to say.
He just shot her a glare, "Forget it Casey, just be a hermit with your boyfriend like you always do. You'd just drag me down anyway. See you later," he said with aggravation and then left.
Casey was upset immediately, he actually wanted her to go with him, it wasn't her imagination. As she stared at Jacob, she plastered a smile. "I brought over your notes, when I got your text that your presentation got erased, I remember you had left them at my place. Maybe they will help get you back on track."
Casey looked into his warm eyes, "Thank you that was so sweet of you, but um, I want to be myself right now. Is that okay?"
Jacob smiled, "Of course, like I said I was just worried about you. Call me if you need anything." He kissed her, and normally she was receptive, but she felt nothing in that moment.
When he left she went to her room. Why was she so upset? After a long time, she felt a little disappointment that her time with Derek was cut short, but it was for the best she didn't go. She was not a party girl anyway, hated the loud noises, the excessive drunkenness. She made the right choice, she knew it, but she still felt so bad.
Derek met up with Ralph and Sam. They went to a house on the west end, where a major rave was taking place. He was annoyed with Casey now, why couldn't she ever find the time to have fun with him? He knew his reaction was over the top, but he couldn't help it. They actually had fun that night. Somehow he found working on homework with her fun, and he slept on her bed. When he opened his eyes and realized Casey was playing games with him, he was instantly, well turned on. It was such a weird thing to get his motor running, but playing games with Casey always caused that kind of reaction. He had to get her back, and when he sprayed her entirely, he couldn't help but check her out a little. Man, Casey just got hotter over the years, and well she had an amazing body, it was hard not to notice. He actually dreamt of her the night before, and for a moment he thought of telling her. Just imaging the mortification on her face to know he had such filthy dreams about her made him smile, but he decided not to.
And of course perfect Jacob had to show up, he really wanted a reason to hate the guy but it was clear he was head over heels for Casey, and she'd been with Truman the idiot for way too long. Truman was a loser, he didn't deserve her at all, and was relieved when she broke up with him. Casey deserved to be with a good guy, but it still bothered him. He was annoyed that he couldn't get her to relax.
He was desperate to get her out of his mind, so he allowed himself to kick back with his friends. Ralph was the same usual lovable goof, and Sam spent all night trying to pick up a date, but he sucked. At one point Ralph was telling him about his job, when Sam came to him with wide eyes.
"Sam, what's with the crazy eyes?"
Sam suddenly whispered something in Ralph's ear, and his eyes went round. "We'll be right back D, Sam wants to show me something."
Derek didn't think much of it and he shrugged as he continued drinking. There was a girl making eyes at him, and he smiled back for a moment when Ralph came back. He was as white as a sheet, and Sam looked extremely awkward.
Ralph sputtered, "Dude, I thought you said Casey was at home being a nerd..."
Derek smiled, trying to come off unbothered by them bringing her up. "Oh yeah, left her with her perfect boyfriend, Casey can be such a freak sometimes. For once it would be funny to see her go a little nuts."
Ralph and Sam exchanged a look as they chuckled nervously, "What the hell is the matter with you guys?"
Sam tugged at him, "Well I don't know what to tell you man, but it seems Casey might have listened to you after all. She's here, and well, um, she's gone wild."
Derek spat out his beer, "You are pulling my leg aren't you?"
Sam led him around the house, and for a moment he was excited. Did she decide to come after all? Sam laughed awkwardly. "Um no. Casey is here, I saw her with a guy. And you wouldn't believe it but the guy was doing belly shots off her."
At that Derek burst out laughing, that had to be the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard, "Casey McDonald letting a guy do belly shots off her? Clearly you guys are stupid, there's no way she'd do something like that."
Ralph was blushing a bit, and coughed, "Well, I will say for such an uptight freak as you call her, she sure knows how to go wild."
Sam looked back at him. "Well, maybe she's drunk but it was definitely her. I would never confuse her with anyone else. It's Casey, I dated her."
Derek rolled his eyes, Sam was clearly baked out of his mind. How could he confuse Casey with anyone else? She was unique and unforgettable, how the hell could he make such a mistake? He was getting ready to make fun of him, when he pointed her out.
All at once, he froze. The temperature of the room seemed to get hot and hazy as he zoned in on her. It was Casey. His mouth gaped open in disbelief. Casey was on a table, her hair was down, and she was laughing as the guy guy sucked on her belly button. It wasn't Jacob that's for sure, some random guy. If that wasn't shocking enough, Casey was wearing a tiny skirt and a crop top that barely covered her chest, and her stomach was exposed to the world. She had a belly button ring. When did she get that? Everything in him was in shock mode. He blinked a few times, but the terrifying image was still there.
"What the fuck…" he said slowly.
Sam's voice broke through his thoughts, "I know right, I had the same thought. And damn I forgot how hot sexy she is…"
Derek elbowed Sam aggressively, "Shut your mouth this instant, don't ever talk about her like that in front of me again, got it?" he snapped. He watched as Casey started kissing the guy, and that creep's hands were all over her. "What is she doing? She's clearly under the influence, she'd never do something like that."
He didn't even hear anything Sam was saying, and went to her in a total haze. He was overwhelmed with a wave of protectiveness and at the same time insane jealousy. The closer he got, the more real it felt. It was definitely Casey. When her blue eyes went to him, she smiled, slowly looking at him up and down. He just stared at her, trying to come up with words. At last he cleared his throat. "Fun time is over, you're clearly drunk. What are you doing? " he asked viciously.
Casey grinned, and her inspective gaze went over him slowly. She bit her lip, "Well hello, gorgeous," she said flirtatiously.
Derek's mouth dropped and turned to the guy beside her, "What the fuck did you give her? Get lost now."
The guy smirked, and gave Casey a questioning glance, "Who do you want, me or that crazy guy?"
Casey was still openly checking him out. He felt hot and unsteady, "Go away, you are a horrible kisser," she got up and shooed the other guy away. " I rather go home with this guy," she said cheerfully.
Derek glared at her, "The hell you are, I'm taking you home this instant."
And then he went from mad to enraged as the guy took her arm and brought her back to him, and kissed her. She was clearly no longer interested because she was trying to push him away. Derek took hold of his shoulder and pulled him back, "You clearly don't know what the word no means, never touch her again or I'll beat you to a pulp."
The guy just laughed, shoving him with annoyance, "She's all yours, but trust me she may look hot, but she's nothing special." Derek glared at him until he left. The guy was a moron, how dare he say that about her?
When he turned back to Casey, she was eyeing him surprise, "Why did you do that? You really care what happens to me?" Her voice was a little lower than usual, which he found odd, had a tinge of huskiness.
Derek rolled his eyes angrily and took his coat off, offering it to her, but she just handed it back. "That's such a stupid question, of course I care what happens to you, and clearly you're drunk out of your mind. Also what are you wearing?"
Casey got off the table, moving closer to him. He tried to remain stern but the closer she got, the weaker he felt. He tried not to look at her body, but it would have been easier to walk in the dark than to not look at her. She smiled charmingly, and everything in him was fighting against smiling at her. As hot as she was, he was pissed. He invited her, and she refused him just to come down and go absolutely girls gone wild, and god only knew where she would have ended up if he hadn't come along. She was reckless.
She laughed, "I'm not drunk, not even a little. Trust me if I were you'd know it," and as she surveyed her own body she looked up at him with confusion. "Let me tell you, this is the first time a guy's ever complained about my looks, don't you like how I look?"
Derek blushed, she looked so hot he was dying, but it wasn't like Casey to just walk around like that. Even in her more liberated attempts, this was completely out of her comfort. He couldn't help but laugh, "Why would I like it? It's you, I'm horrified."
Her eyes lit up, and she slowly trailed a finger down the front of his body, completely rattling him. He pushed her hand back frantically. "Wow, you're hard to impress, but don't lie to me. I see the way you're looking at me, you're tempted by me."
He had never been a mumbling idiot before, but now he was having a hard time getting words out. He was trying to piece everything in his mind. If she wasn't drunk…..then what the hell was she doing? "I'm just going to ignore that comment. I'm just so lost, are you hiding a double life? This morning you were just freaking out over finishing that assignment, and you got mad at me for leaving to party, but of course for you the rules are different. I felt guilty as hell for leaving you, and yet here you are just letting some guy take belly shots off you. Normally, I would have just said way to go, you're letting loose, but must I remind you of your boyfriend?" His breathing was all crazy.
Casey laughed, and picked up a beer from the table and drank it back. She hated beer, she was a total fruity cocktail girl, so he was even more frazzled. "Wow, you're a total psycho, I don't have a boyfriend! Don't tell me how to live my life, but I must say your whole protective vibe is so sexy," he couldn't say a word, just stood there like an idiot. "Even though you're clearly insane and I shouldn't want you, I do. Take me home."
Derek had enough, something was not right and he was legitimately scared now. She just called him sexy, and he wished he had no reaction to that, but he did. His head was swimming. This had to be one big prank, it had to be. So, he shook off the weird tension and took her hand. "Oh, I'm getting you out of here."
He walked past his friends, "Sorry guys, gotta take off. She's gone insane."
Casey laughed, "Oh you have such cute friends," and she stopped, throwing them the same flirtatious look she'd given him, and honed in on Sam and winked at him. Sam blushed like a total moron, and Derek didn't find the humor in the situation at all.
The minute they made it outside, Casey whirled him around and moved into his body, wrapping her arms around him tightly, "You're much hotter up close," she murmured and he was so thrown off as she gazed at his mouth with total longing. "Damn, I've never wanted anyone like I want you right now."
Damn? Casey never used that word. He tried to pull away but she clamped on to him tightly, could feel the softness of her body just moving against him. Oh god, he was dying, he was moments from just sweeping her up and kissing her, but this was clearly a scheme and he wasn't going to fall for it.
"For the love of god, snap out of it. You're freaking me out. If this is your way of getting back at me for ditching you just to prove you aren't a hermit, then you really are crazier than I thought," he tried to move away, but she was strong. He was reacting to her scent, to their closeness with intensity.
Casey smiled up at him, "I think you're the one who is drunk, are you stalking me or something?"
Derek glared at her, taking a step back but she kept moving in on him, like a leopard about to pounce. "Me, stalking you? Please that's ridiculous, you clearly came down and went rogue just to show me you had a wild side, the question is why? Do you really care that much what I think of you? "
Casey smiled a little sweetly, "Obviously I do," and she slowly linked her arms around his neck, "Stop fighting this, I know you want to kiss me."
Everything in him was screaming, god yes I want to kiss you, but right now you're scaring the hell out of me. "Well, you're out of your mind, like I'd ever want to kiss you."
A challenging flicker went through her eyes, and she reached up and kissed him. His heart stopped, all he was aware was of her mouth moving enticingly, kissing him with absolute determination, as if she was trying to get some sort of truth out of him. He wanted to pull away, but she was intoxicating. He was flooded with a wildness he couldn't hold back, and with a rough sigh he pulled her into him and kissed her back. He kissed her with confused hunger, and at first it was passionate but as it went on, the kiss became even more confusing.
His mind started spinning. Something didn't feel right, he couldn't put his finger on it. He was searching for Casey in that kiss, wanted something deeper than she was giving, and he felt that passion for her quickly fizzle out. He wanted to feel more. Maybe it was because Casey wasn't kissing him because she wanted him, she was kissing him to prove some kind of point that he just didn't get. The kiss was nice, but it felt like a let down, and he couldn't believe he was even thinking that. It was Casey, so why did it feel like he was kissing a stranger? He didn't feel any differently than when he was kissing anyone else.
Suddenly, he was pushing her back. He looked at her for a moment as she took deep breaths, and he was torn inside. He felt oddly devastated, cheated out of something he thought would be incredible. As she was about to kiss him again, he stopped her. "Casey, please stop. Why are you kissing me?"
Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "Casey? Who's that?"
Derek laughed off his frustration, "Case, quit yanking my chain alright. If this is some prank to get back at me for last week, then I'm telling you, you went too far. I must say you've won. You're officially better than me."
She smiled, and that only made him more confused. How could he react to seeing her smile, but feel so underwhelmed by kissing her? "You kissed me too though," she teased.
He tried to come up with an excuse, but he had nothing. "I was obviously just confused, that should have never happened. It screwed everything up." He'd never be able to look at her the same.
She didn't seem to react to that at all, he thought in least Casey would get emotional over his indifference, but she looked unaffected as she stroked the front of his body lazily. "Come on babe, quit teasing me. I want to have sex with you, please, take me home."
Babe? And random sex? This wasn't Casey at all, she had to be on something it made no sense, but she was talking so clearly. "Okay I've had enough. Casey you win alright, you got me," and he clapped, "Best performance I've ever seen, maybe you should be an actress."
She rolled her eyes, looking completely offended, "I'm not Casey," she said adamantly, "Stop calling me that, that's such a lame name. My name is Misty, what's your name brown eyes?"
Derek laughed, but it came out as a concern chuckle. She was being funny, and again he felt that attraction, what was the matter with him? "Misty, is that really the best name you could come up with? Did you just roll out of the bed, look out the window and say to yourself: 'hey it's misty out there, oh that'll be my name to trick Derek' with? You're absolutely nuts, but I'll play along, my name is Storm," he said with heavy sarcasm.
She giggled, clearly she was having way too much fun with this. "Derek, that's such a sexy name, and you're funny. I've never been so fascinated by someone so obviously insane."
He was about to shake her a little, when his phone rang. He looked at it with alarm as it displayed Casey's name. He glanced up at her, "Wow, you're insanely good at this "Misty'" he said with an eye roll, "but you're not match for me."
He stared at his phone, while she just looked at him with a teasing smile. Fine, he'd answer to stop the stupid game, and he basically yelled into the phone : "Casey you're crazy!"
Then to his total shock, he heard her, "You're right, I am going crazy Derek. I'm sorry for not going with you tonight," she sounded upset and he felt like a bucket of ice was dumped on his head. "I was just so stressed, but I should have gone with you. I need a break, can you come pick me up, please Der?"
He was shaking as he stared at the woman in front of him, was she a ghost? He was so deeply terrified, "Um, of course Case, I'll come get you." There was still a chance that message was automated, so he added, "And that water fight was fun this morning."
Casey laughed, sending a chill all through him, "It was fun, but you ruined my pjs , I'm so getting you back mister. See you soon, Der."
His voice shook, "Bye Case," When he hung up, he stared at her again. As he took her in, the fear went over him in unsettling surges, he felt as if his blood had been drained.
"You're not Casey," he said at last, and she just laughed.
As he took her in with that crop top, tiny skirt, and that confidence, he realized this was some twisted game from the universe. What were the chances that someone who looked just like Casey would be dumped in front of him? They were literally clones. They couldn't be twins, it was impossible, but suddenly realizing she wasn't actually Casey made him sigh with relief. He could finally breathe for the first time all night. Casey was at home waiting for him to pick her up, and he was able to smile at last. Casey changed her mind, she wanted to hang out with him.
That meant he never kissed Casey, oh thank god! He was clearly smiling too much because she was staring at him with confusion."Man, am I relieved," he said out loud.
"Like I said, I'm Misty," she said with a grin, "Why didn't you believe me?"
Derek wanted to pinch himself awake, "I'm sorry I teased you about your name. This is crazy. You look just like my step sister, Casey. I mean you're identical physically, you sound like her, but your personalities couldn't be more polar opposite. I'm honestly so confused right now."
Misty looked taken back, and she wrapped her own arms around herself as if she was freezing. "Oh so you weren't playing some kind of different pick up game here? You actually confused me with your step sister?"
Derek could only nod, he was as lost as ever. As Misty was putting together the pieces she laughed, looking at him like he was a total weirdo, "You acted like a total jealous boyfriend and you kissed me back. Do you have the hots for your step sister or something?"
He just shook his head quickly, crap, he sounded like a jealous, lovestruck idiot. He had to nip her thoughts in the bud, because Casey could never know he kissed Misty thinking it was her. "No, I was honestly thrown off, and well I don't have any morals. I just kissed you back because it's what I would have done with any other girl. So, Misty what?"
"Misty Dawn Remington. "
Derek tried not to laugh, a part of him thought maybe she was using a fake name altogether. "Oh... was it done on purpose?"
She giggled, and to his surprise it wasn't a fake name. "I know right, my parents were a little eccentric."
He reached out his hand politely, "Derek Venturi," and she shook it slowly, "I think you may have a twin, Misty."
When she let got, she shook her head adamantly, "I'm not related to Casey, there's no way. My family is rich and large. If I had a twin I'd know it."
Derek was puzzled. He couldn't imagine Nora having a second daughter she'd never spoken about. Casey would have known about her, right? Either they were long lost twins, or she just happened to be a clone. So he pulled out his phone, he needed to prove he wasn't crazy. He had taken a picture of Casey last week when they went on a walk. It was a candid shot, she wasn't aware he even took it, but it was a nice photo. She was looking out into the sunset, looking for a moment complete stress free.
"Take a look, it's uncanny."
Misty gasped, staring at the picture with complete confusion. "She does look like me."
"Exactly like you," he said with a laugh.
She handed the phone back to him, that confidence was drained from her features. "I have no explanation for that," and after a few minutes of pure silence, she cracked a smile. "Well, now that you know I'm not your step sister, want to make out?"
It was the last thing he wanted, all he wanted to do was wake up from the nightmare. There was no way he could ever look at her as a different person. "Um, no offense but it's just too weird, even for me."
She laughed a little, "Alright well let me meet her. She could be my sister."
Derek wasn't sure if Casey could handle more stress, she would go crazy if she found out about her. "Give me your number okay, and I'll keep in contact. Casey has a lot on her plate, and um, I don't want to freak her out without knowing if it's you know true."
She looked away, looking sad and completely lost. Her life had been turned upside down. "Yeah I get it, I'm pretty freaked out too. I think I'm going back to the party, I need to hook up with someone, like now," she said frantically.
He couldn't believe how different she was from Casey, now that he thought of it, he should have known right away she wasn't Casey. "Alright, I have to go, but um we'll keep in touch okay?"
Misty put in her contact info in his phone, and before giving it back she smiled charmingly. "If you ever want to let go of all your hidden step sister fantasies with me, well then call me. Even if Casey and I are related, we aren't because I have a different family legally, " she winked and strutted off, leaving him with his rattled mind.
Derek had no idea how he managed to get home in one piece, but somehow drove without crashing. Fuck, how would he approach the subject? When he got to the apartment, Casey was already outside. She looked so beautiful, she went all out, wore a black dress, and she curled her hair. It had been a while since he'd seen her so dressed up. She waved a little, smiling timidly. He just couldn't think, as if he was seeing her for the first time in his life. He opened the door and went to her in quick strides. She looked at him with confusion, before he pulled her into a hug. God, he'd always made fun of her nerdy, keener personality, but for some reason seeing the alternative made him realize just how much he liked her for who she is. Although, truthfully he always liked her, but now everything about her was much more attractive than ever.
Casey was shocked, "Der, are you drunk?"
"Just, let me hold you, please," he begged.
He half expected her to push him away, but Casey melted into him. She smelled so good, like spring, and he felt so confused. He kissed her twin, he was certain of it now, and felt guilty as hell. What if she hated him for it? He put the thoughts away, he just needed to feel her close. This was their first real hug, sure there had been quick side hugs in the past, but nothing as intense as this. The lushness of her, the feel of her body, the scent of her hair disarmed him completely. He felt more with one hug from her, than he did from kissing Misty, and that was a horrifying thought. He was aware of her sighing softly, aware of her hands moving over his back gently.
When she pulled back, her eyes looked streaked with emotion, she blushed and smiled shyly. Damn it. How could for one moment confused her with Misty? Casey's eyes shone differently, her expressions were softer, and well, she looked like she was melting.
"Are you alright?" she asked quietly. He felt winded and speechless, "You are so pale, maybe you're the one that needs rest."
He smiled slowly, it was rare to see her look at him with total concern. "Maybe."
As the silence went on, she looked anxious, "I'm sorry I didn't go with you. I know I must have come off as lame, it's just I'm not a party girl-" and he reached for her again, pulling her into him for another hug. He was clearly not himself, and all this was a crazy illusion, but he selfishly lingered in the moment.
He felt the way she was shivering from their closeness, heard her little intake of air as he spoke into her ear. "You know what, I've had second thoughts. I don't think I ever want to see you go all wild, ever."
She was clearly thrown off, but tucked herself underneath his chin. They fit nicely together. He felt this weird emotional tornado take over, now he was more curious than ever. He wanted to know what kissing Casey felt like. "Case," he whispered softly.
She sank deeper into his hug, "Yes?"
He couldn't bring himself to ask. Instead, he just laughed as he pulled back. "I'm sorry, but it turns out I'm not in the party mood. I feel bad, I mean you clearly dressed for the occasion, but would it be okay if we just...hang out?"
Casey smiled, reaching to touch his arm softly, "You're acting really weird Derek, but sure we can hang out if you want."
He grinned, and as that familiar undercurrent between them surged, he laughed, trying to break the ice. "I know it's a random question, but I'm curious. Would you ever let a random guy do belly shots off you?"
Casey gasped, looking at him as if he had five heads. "De-rek!" she said with deep offence, "What kind of question is that? Of course I wouldn't, not only is it insane to allow a stranger to do that, it's also highly unhygienic, and unnecessarily graphic. You are clearly drunk…."
Derek laughed and pulled her into the apartment. She went on and on about how ridiculous he was for even picturing for a moment that she'd ever do that, and he just smiled the entire way. She was a nerd, a keener, a goody-too-shoes, but Casey could also be quite surprising at times. She did have a wild side, just not Misty wild and he was glad for it. He wouldn't change one thing about her. He didn't know what that even meant, but he had a newfound appreciation for Casey's uniqueness, there was no one out there like her, even with a potential twin out there.
When they got to the apartment, she spun him around and laid a hand on his forehead, "You don't feel feverish, but you're acting really freaky. You're scaring me."
Aw, when she was in protective mode, she was even more adorable. Her touch made him a little weak, but he just smiled even more. "It's just a question Case, you're so dramatic sometimes."
"Do I look like the type who would?" she asked slowly.
He grinned, "Nope, not even a little, trust me it would be a horrifying sight if you did," and then he changed the topic, "Let's watch a movie, okay?"
They sat on the couch and watched a couple movies, and he teased her as she teared up over the ending of were having fun, but he felt off. He just wanted to forget that night, but Misty came back to his mind like an unwanted plague. How the hell would he approach the subject? Maybe he should talk to Nora first? Either way, he knew the truth would have to come out, because if Casey ever found out he kept a secret like that from her, she would be the type to excommunicate him for life. He definitely didn't want that.
Casey kept giving him little looks, clearly he'd been staring at her too much. Maybe the hug freaked her out, but to his surprise she moved closer, snuggling up against him. "Just resting on you, hope it's okay."
He looked down at her and smiled as he slowly put his arm around her, "I'll survive," he teased. And just like that, his night turned around. He knew tomorrow everything would be back to normal with her, so he enjoyed her nearness, and seeing her so relaxed for the first time in months made him happy. He had a frightening feeling everything was about to change. He clung on to the moment of peace like a lifelong, because he had to prepare the oncoming storm. A Misty storm.