Chapter 8: Dinner with Derek

Derek didn't know how he would describe what he was feeling right now. It wasn't quite nervousness, but he wasn't calm. He had never been invited to cook for a woman he liked, let alone by her eleven-year-old daughter. Here he was, standing on the doorstep.

"Just stop Dawsyn!" Meredith's voice was muffled on the other side of the door, before the sound of a small child running up the stairs became muffled as well. She fixed her hair, before quickly opening the door with a nervous giggle following. "Hi...Dr...Shepherd."

"Derek...I'm at your house. You can call me Derek." He laughed.

"Oh well...come in Derek." Meredith replied, looking startled as the sound of the door slamming filled the apartment. "Sorry, Dawsyn...she's in a bad mood."

"Anything I can do?"

"Unless you know the return policy on eleven-year-olds."

"I could ask my sister." Derek laughed.

"She's a really good kid." Meredith said, turning and walking into the apartment, bending to pick up a pink tennis shoe. "She's just...well she's just Dawsyn."

"I hope she'll come down for dinner." Derek replied.

"She will."

"Tacos." He smiled, holding up the grocery bags.

"Oh...right." Meredith giggled, pointing towards the bags. "Um kitchen...right this way."

"Thank you." Derek smiled, following her.

"You really didn't have to do this you know..."

"I know. You keep telling me that."

"Oh...sorry." Meredith blushed.

"And that." Derek smiled.

"Oh."

"Its cute..charming...adorable."

"So um...the pots and pans are under the..."

"Are you going to help me?" He smiled.

"Me?" Meredith frowned.

"Yes."

"I don't think you understand." Meredith swallowed. "My daughter wasn't lying when she said I'm a bad cook."

"That doesn't mean you can't help." Derek laughed, taking the things out of the bag.

"Oh...yeah help."

"I need...bowls."

"Bowls..." Meredith rubbed her hands together. "Above the sink."

"Okay. Do you want to...put the cheese in a bowl?" Derek asked, grabbing some bowls from where she told him.

"Oh um...yeah sure." Meredith breathed, looking at him nervously.

"You can't mess up cheese."

"No...just put it in the bowl, right?" Meredith whispered, taking one of the bowls from his hand.

"Just put it in the bowl."

"Right." Meredith said, opening the bag of cheese and tossing it in.

"Good job." Derek teased.

"I'm not that bad."

"No...You're not." He breathed.

"I make great peanut butter and jelly."

"Dawsyn told me...I love peanut butter and jelly."

"Oh." Meredith giggled.

"I'll have to try yours sometimes."

"Yeah..." Meredith bit her lip.

"Yeah." He smiled.

"So, um..." Meredith watched as he put a pan on the burner before pouring a little bit if oil into hit. She watched as he put his hands on his hip, his eyes staring intently at the pan before he threw in some of the meat.

"Um...What?" Derek chuckled.

"I..."

"Love tacos?"

"Yeah!"

"What were you really going to say?" Derek smiled, as he put the stove on low and turned around to face her.

"I um...you..." Meredith whispered, halfway unsure of what she was trying to say. He kissed her the other night, leaving her awkward and feeling somewhat weightless. Damn those blue eyes. Stupid, Idiotic brain man. 'You kissed me last night."

"Ahh. I was waiting for that." He chuckled.

"Which I understand because I was being all crazy because of the concussion and the pain killers...you probably felt all heroic." Meredith rolled her eyes. "Like a knight in shining whatever, but I understand it was an accident."

"It definitely…wasn't an accident."

"No, it's okay...I understand."

"It wasn't an accident." Derek repeated, stepping towards her.

"I mean I was all...knocked out because that fall and my eleven year old was being well...herself..."

"Mmmhmm..."

"Now, you're making tacos because she asked you to come over when you probably have a wife or...well she said you were single which is good because...well not because you're here. If you were married, your wife might not like you being here." Meredith rambled, her face turning red. "My point is I can cook...well I can heat things up and if Dawsyn helps, I don't actually burn the place down. Not that I've ever burned a house down but..."

Before Meredith could continue speaking, Derek captured her lips, and moved his hand to her waist. "Mmm..."

"Hey..." Meredith pulled her lips off his.

"Sorry...I'm..."

'You kissed me again." Meredith snapped, lightly hitting his chest.

"Yeah. I'll um...I'll leave." Derek whispered.

"No..."

"No. I should...I kissed you and..."

"No…I just wasn't expecting it and I didn't know if you meant to but if you didn't mean it then..."

"I meant it..."

"Oh." A shade of light pink overcame her features as she looked down. "Okay."

"I probably should go..." He sighed.

"You what?"

"I kissed you...and you didn't want me to...so I'm going to go." Derek repeated. "Um...the meat...is almost done so...you can still have the tacos."

"Wait...no..." Meredith shook her head, pushing her blonde hair behind her ears. "You don't need to leave. I was just caught off guard."

"Are you sure..."

"Yeah..."

"I'm sorry...for kissing you..."

"Oh..." Meredith frowned, wishing the handsome doctor in front of her wasn't apologizing.

"I'm not just some creep who goes around kissing people." Derek tried to joke.

"I would hope not."

"Just the pretty girls."

"You kissed me twice." Meredith blurted out.

"I'm um..."

"Sorry."

"Right."

"I mean you know you did..."

"Yeah..."

"You kissed me twice and...okay." Meredith giggled.

"You're not mad?" Derek asked.

"No...no." Meredith shook her head.

"Okay. Well now that we've...worked this out. I apologize and I'll um...I won't do it again." Derek whispered.

"Uh huh..."

"Right."

"Yeah." Meredith bit her lip.

"So...Tacos." Derek smiled.

"Tacos." Meredith breathed, watching as he turned to the counter. He was hot, there was no denying that. She was surprised by how much this was affecting her. Suddenly, she felt embarrassed by the bandage on her forehead that she kept messing with and the room was getting very hot.

"It's almost ready if you want to get Dawsyn..."

"Yeah...um before I get her, I should warn you."

"Warn me?" Derek smirked.

"Yeah."

"About what?"

"She's not in the best mood." Meredith warned. "She's cranky and not exactly happy with me."

"What did you do?"

"She's grounded from yesterday...no concert."

"Oooh..." Derek winced.

"And just a few other minor things but the concert is apparently the worse thing ever."

"There'll be other concerts...Other Johnson Brothers..."

"It's the Jonas...Brothers."

"Right. Jonas."

"Anyway, I was just warning you...in case she goes on the attack."

"I'm prepared."

"Okay." Meredith breathed.

"Ready." Derek smiled.

"I'll just go get her..." Meredith pointed towards the stairs." I'll be right back."

"Okay." Derek nodded, watching as she left the room, his mind still on the kiss they had just shared. Except she had pushed him away, giving him the idea that she didn't want him, except she had asked him to stay. That's all he could think about.

"Hi Derek." A young girl walked into the kitchen, keeping her distance from her mother.

"Hey Daws." Derek smiled, winking at her.

"Dawsyn, why don't you grab the plates." Meredith suggested, her eyes meeting Derek's blue ones.

"Fine." Dawsyn groaned.

"It'd really help me, Dawsyn." Derek added.

"Thanks." Meredith mouthed.

"No problem." Derek mouthed back.

"Did you operate today?" Dawsyn asked, walking over with three plates and some napkins.

"Nope. No surgeries today."

"That's boring,"

"Dawsyn..." Meredith groaned.

"Stop it, mom." Dawsyn groaned, walking to the kitchen table.

"Dawsyn, why don't you help me bring everything to the table while we let your mom get washed up." Derek suggested.

"Okay." Dawsyn grinned.

"I'll leave you two alone…" Meredith breathed, turning and leaving the kitchen.

"Thanks for helping." Derek smiled.

"You're welcome."

"How was school today?"

"Boring."

"What's your favorite class?"

"Science...or history." Dawsyn explained.

"I loved history." Derek replied, bringing some of the food to the table.

"My class is taking an old-fashioned camping trip." Dawsyn added, as she passed out napkins. "But it's really expensive."

"That sounds like a lot of fun."

"Yeah, but I probably can't go."

"Why not?" Derek frowned.

"Because it costs too much money." Dawsyn sighed.

"I'm sorry."

"I doubt my mom would let me go either way." Dawsyn shrugged, "She grounded me from the Jonas Brother's."

"She's being so unfair Derek."

"I know how you feel kiddo." Derek chuckled.

"You have to get her to let me go Derek...please."

"Did you tell her that your sorry for running off?"

"Yes."

"Did you really?" Derek laughed.

"Yes!"

"Okay...I'll try to talk to her, but I'm not making any promises."

"Good...she likes you so maybe she'll listen."

"She likes me?" Derek smiled, looking up at Dawsyn.

"I think she does."

"You think so?"

"Yeah." Dawsyn looked at him strangely.

"Can I tell you a secret?"

"I'm really good at secrets." Dawsyn giggled.

"Okay. You can't tell anyone." Derek laughed.

"I won't."

"I like your Mom."

"You do?" Dawsyn's face lit up.

"Yup." Derek said, a smile spreading across his face.

"I think she likes you a lot too." Dawsyn breathed, walking back behind the counter. "You want to know why?"

"Why?" Derek smiled.

"Because she rambles, and her face turns red." Dawsyn explained. "Then, she gets all stupid and..."

"Dawsyn." Meredith groaned as she walked into the kitchen. "I understand that you're mad at me for whatever reason but could you not knock everything over and then not pick it up?"

"Like I said she's stupid." Dawsyn rolled her eyes.

"Ignore her." Meredith breathed.

"Why don't we eat." Derek suggested.

"Food sounds great." Meredith smiled.

"Ready for tacos, Dawsyn?" Derek asked, as they sat down.

"Yeah."

"Let's eat."

"They actually look like tacos Mom." Dawsyn exclaimed.

"Thank You for pointing that out, Dawsyn." Meredith smiled weakly, avoiding any eye contact with anyone at the table. Derek kissed her again. The first guy she felt had looked at her in forever kissed her. Not to mention, her grounded and firecracker of a daughter was set on making a fool of her.