It was a deal. Ok, not quite a deal. An agreement, more like it, that the both of them are to go for marriage counselling. It was the same marriage counsellor that Adele and Richard Webber went to for a period of time. "To make things work, you need a non-bias third party to listen to the problems you have." Adele had said.
Their appointment was at 8am this morning. Richard had excused the both of them to report to work a little later, completely aware of their situation. Addison applied one last coat of red to her lips and started out of her hotel room. Today was definitely not going to be a good morning. Marriage counselling was something she definitely wanted, but not Derek. It was only under Adele's and Richard's persuation that Derek agreed to do this whole couples' theraphy thing to try to make things work. She hailed a cab and allow the yellow vehicle to take her to the building she dreaded. Why can't we have it in the afternoon? she thought, already hating the idea of starting her morning with a quarrel with her husband. A quarrel, an argument, words firing at one another with neither of them willing to back down. It was something that's completely inevitable.
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Derek slipped on a pair of jeans, his black shoes and a neat enough top. He didn't care if he looked weird wearing those. He knows Addison always told him it was bad fashion style if he were to wear polished black shoes, jeans and an appropriate looking shirt with a leather coat over it. And he was going to wear just that to piss her off. What is a better way to start a morning than to piss her off? He had chose not to sign the papers, because he knows he wasn't ready to let go of Addison. But what he was still unsure of is whether he still love her the way he did back before everything happened. Addison wanted counselling, and he knows it very well even when she didn't bring it up. Derek could see her eyes lit up with hope when Adele brought up the idea of counselling again when the Webbers were informed that Addison and him are not getting a divorce.
Adele and Richard were like Derek's and Addison's second parents, they invite them over for Sunday dinners, they give them advices, and they certainly will make sure that Derek and Addison do the right thing.And because of that,Derekdefinitely didn't want to imagine how things would be with them if he had signed the divorce papers and continue his relationsihp with Meredith.
After a few minutes' drive, Derek parked his jeep at the parking lot, getting off and heading towards the tall building across the street. And there, right in front of the building, a yellow cab pulled over. Derek didn't need to see who was inside to know that in the next few seconds, Addison would be getting out of that vehicle. And he was right.
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Addison stood in the lobby, her eyes drifting up to the numbers now and then, waiting for one of the lifts to decend down. She checked her watch once again to make sure she was just on time. She didn't want to seem too eager to have arrived extra early, but at the same time, she don't want to give off the impression that she didn't want this marriage to work out by arriving late.
The sliding doors to the building's entrance opened, sending in a gust of warm air. Addison felt her muscles stiffened. Derek. she thought, already sensing his presence without turning around to look. Footsteps neared her, the whiff of his cologne travelled to her nose, the scent familiar to her. Derek stood there, a clear distance away from Addison, his eyes wandering around in pretendance that he did not see her.
"Good morning." she greeted, without turning to face him. Derek cleared his throat. "Uhm.. Morning." he said, almost half-sincere. The lift in front of them opened.
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There was the expected, inevitable argument. However, their marriage counsellor had been calm, nodding, taking in their anger and frustration towards each other. And when they start to interupt one another, he held out his hands. "Ok." he said, calmly at first. But the couple continued to argue amongst themselves. "Ok!" he tried, louder this time.
Then, Addison and Derek quietened down. The counsellor gestured to Derek first. "What do you want her to do?" he asked. Derek's eyes flickered to his wife for a moment then turned back to the counsellor. "I want her to move to Seattle." he said firmly. Addison let out a laugh of disbelief. "Oh that is--" she started, then stopped when the counsellor held his hand out. "What do you want him to do?" he asked. Addison looked firmly to the counsellor, thought for a moment then said. "I want him to stop talking to Meredith."
"Alright. Your session for today ends here. Good progress." the counsellor said, scribbling some notes down on the open file in his hands.
With a sigh, Addison and Derek stood up, thanked him briefly and headed out. Their ride in the elevator was silent with the exception of the soft, classical music that filled up the small space. They headed out, walking side by side towards the exit without a word to each other, not even a brief glance to the other. Then Addison stopped by the sidewalk, watching as Derek crossed the road towards the parking lot. She tried not to stare at him, her eyes flickering back and forthfrom the passing vehicles and her husband's back view. He's not going to drive me there. she had assumed.
Derek stopped at the opposite side of the road, his head bowed down with a sigh. Then, he turned around, watching as the beatiful redhead that he once called the love of his life trying to flag down a cab. And just when she was about to lift up her arm to wave, he shouted across the street.
"Addison!" She looked up, allowing the yellow vehicle to pass her without stopping.
"C'mon!" he said, waving an arm in a beckoning motion. "I'll drive you to the hospital."
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Richard was serious. He wanted Addison on his team, because she's definitely the best. Having four titles does count. And Addison had told him she would think about it. She had her marriage back, Derek and herself are working on it, but she definitely wasn't planning on staying in the hotel forever, or buying an apartment. Seattle wasn't her place, Manhattan was. That city life was her style, not pubs with flashing neolights and sticky floors.
Today was yet another day it where they start off their morning with the marriage counsellor. "I want her to move to Seattle." he had requested. She knew he would like it here. Back then, it was because of her that they moved to New York. Derek wanted to stay in Boston but she had hated the pace of life there.
This time, she didn't meet Derek at the lift lobby. In fact, he was slightly late. She sat there, swinging her legs lightly as she waited with the counsellor in silence. Then, the door behind her creak open.
"Sorry, I'm late."
It was Derek. Addison simply nodded, briefly, not turning back to look at him. As Derek settled down onto the armchair beside her, the counsellor flipped open the file, their file. "Alright, who's going to start first?" he asked, leaning back in his own chair. Addison propped her body up immediately, signalling that she wanted to go first. A smile hung on her face.
"I've decided to move to Seattle." she said cheerfully.
What! Derek thought, turning to Addison in shock. He had expected her to make a fuss, throw a tantrum about how city life is so much better and how it is impossible for them to live in a place like Seattle. Addison could feel his eyes on her, the vibes of surprise and shock emitting from his body. But she simply smiled. The counsellor turned expectantly to Derek, expecting him to say something, or come up with a compromise. Addison had agreed to his wants, now it's his turn.
"Meredith wouldn't be a problem anymore." he simply said. The counsellor slapped their file shut and crossed his legs. "Well, that's a big progress for you two. Good job!" he congratulated them. Addison turned to Derek with a smile. "Well, that's what marriage is about. Compromises." she said, holding a hand out to him.
Derek looked down at her hand, unsure on whether to take it or not. Then before he could make a decision, Addison pulled it away, awkward. They both flash the counsellor a smile to cover the moment. Then Derek held out his hand towards his wife. Her fingers twirled around one another awkwardly, her eyes flickered towards his outstretch hand but did not take it.
It was just the beginning of a long road to recovery.