"Meredith! Wait." Meredith sighed as she heard Finn call her, as she was walking to her car in the hospital parking lot. She had been back from the coast with Derek for almost two days and had successfully avoided talking to him.. .until now. She just hadn't felt ready to face him. She knew he was thinking she was still ready to try to take their relationship to the next level, and she just couldn't do it. He was a great guy, perfect really, but she had to admit that she wasn't really heading anywhere with him. Sighing she turned towards him, pasting a smile on her face.

"Meredith," he huffed as he caught up to her, he hugged her close and she patted his back, not sure what to do.

"I tried to reach you all weekend." He told her.

"I was pretty busy this weekend, I went to the coast to do some visiting."

"Family?" he asked her.

"No… umm a friend." She said. He raised an eyebrow, but then smiled at her again.

She shifted nervously from one foot to the other. "So.."

"Are we still on for tonight?" He asked her.

"Tonight?" she echoed. He made a mock sad face, "don't tell me you forgot already."

Meredith wracked her brain trying to figure out what was tonight.

"I made reservations at that French place that just opened… remember?"

"Crap," she thought silently she did remember. She nodded, and smiled weakly.

"I'll pick you up at your house around 7:30. I can't wait." He leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips before jogging off.

She made her way to her car, unlocked it and slid in. Resting her forehead on the steering wheel, she wondered what the hell she had gotten herself into.

She dialed Derek to tell him that she had plans , hoping he wouldn't be too disappointed.

"Hey," she said softly into the phone when he answered.

"Hey yourself, you got to leave early I see."

"Yeah….Uh…About tonight."

"Yes?" he asked her cockily.

"I have previous plans. Actually I didn't remember til I was reminded. So I can't meet you at Joe's tonight. Sorry."

Derek chuckled into the phone. "You're really going to make me ride a white horse and swing from vines aren't you?"

"And jump through hoops," she added, relieved he wasn't angry or upset. "K, I'll see you at work tomorrow."

"Call me after McVet drops you home." He told her.

"I will call you after Finn brings me home, if it isn't too late." She told him.

"I think he has an eleven o'clock curfew." Derek retorted , before telling her goodbye and ringing off.