Five – 'Liar'

"You know I could never deny you anything." Meredith was sitting at a table on the outskirts of the busy cafeteria. Cristina was sitting by her side, dissecting a cheeseburger as they discussed Meredith and Derek's previous conversation. "He actually said that Cristina."

"He's a jackass. He's extraordinarily talented and everything, but still a total jackass." She pressed down the burger bun firmly. "Why do they insist on putting pickles on my burger?"

"I know he's a jackass. But why do I keep falling for it?"

"I don't know Mer, maybe you're a jackass too." Cristina laughed. Meredith knew she didn't really mean that, but the border between Cristina being funny and Cristina being cutting was particularly thin. "And anyway, I thought things were cooking up between you and your hunky McVet?" Meredith cringed the very moment that little gem had dropped from her friends mouth. She somehow wished that she'd never had told Cristina about Finn, but at the time, she was venting about Derek, Surprise, and it had just slipped out.

"Cristina, all I said was that he was very, er, attractive." Meredith felt a little blush erupting again on her cheeks. I mean, he was…

"Aha! Gotcha!" A triumphant look resided on Cristina's face. She'd found the stray pickle hiding in a lettuce cocoon. Meredith gave her a baffled expression. Was she even listening? "Sorry, Mer, you were saying he's attractive?"

"Yes. But that does not change the fact that Derek's an ass, and, well, what I'm trying to say is…" Meredith was almost lost for words.

"Oh, come on Mer, spit it out already, this supportive time has it's limits!"

"I think I'm still in love with Derek." Meredith whispered, while trying to hide behind her hands.

"What? I didn't quite catch that one."

"I think I'm still in love with Derek." Meredith hissed for the second time, louder than the first.

"Oh. Oooooh. So that's not good." You don't say Cristina! "Y'know, maybe Izzie would be better at this sort of thing that me? You know what I'm like…"

"No Cristina," Meredith insisted, "You cannot tell Izzie. I don't need her going all Miss High And Mighty on me once again, I can't take it! The whole George situation was bad enough." She sighed, trying to find the words. "I think I'm just gonna have to repress it all."

"Repress it? Hmm, that's a good plan, that's what I'm do." I was afraid of that.

"Yeah, consider it repressed. I'm seeing the vet today anyway, so Derek is going to be completely out of my mind. Absolutely. Gone. Poof." Meredith surprised herself with how forceful she felt.

"Y'know Mer, you have way too many problems. You're like a huge problem attractor and they don't seem to go away. You bring spice to my life!"

"Gee, glad I could be of service." Meredith noticed Izzie approaching their table with a tray in her grasp. "Look, Izzie's coming, not a word."

"Hey guys!" Izzie said cheerfully, placing her tray down on the table. "Whatcha talking about?"

"Nothing!"

"Nothing!" Meredith and Cristina quickly said simultaneously.

Oh, I am such a big, fat, liar…