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Chapter 4 - Proximity
Derek was working at his desk in the living room when suddenly Casey emerged from the hallway. She was putting her earrings on while she walked around Derek's apartment, getting herself ready for the night. Heading towards the full length mirror in the entrance, she inspected her outfit. Casey glanced at Derek while she spun around in front of the mirror wondering if he noticed her walk in the room.
Smelling the scent of her perfume, Derek looked up from his computer screen to see Casey in an emerald green T-shirt dress that ended a few inches above her knees, showing off her toned legs. Her hair was curled and the green of her outfit made her strands appear more chocolate in colour than usual.
"Where are you off to?"
Casey was still adjusting her hair in the mirror, "Some coworkers of mine are going out tonight and they asked me to join them."
Derek looked at his watch. "Now? It's almost 10 o'clock!"
Casey gave Derek a confused look in the mirror, "So? I'm a 26 year old woman. I'm allowed to stay up past my bedtime."
"On a Thursday? Doesn't that violate one of your ridiculous weekday rules?" Derek chuckled, making it evident he was making fun of her systematic lifestyle.
"I have a day off tomorrow, and it's none of your business, Derek." Casey snapped. She looked back at the mirror, wiping lipstick off her Cupid's bow.
Finally satisfied with her appearance, she grabbed her purse from the coat rack.
"How do I look?"
What a question - she looked elegant as usual. There was a gracefulness to Casey that Derek always found enchanting, captivating his attention. Of course he could never say that, so he did what he always did. He insulted her.
"Your feet look like sausages in your heels."
He watched as his words caused Casey to transform her hands into fists. He had hit a nerve - mission accomplished.
"Derek, you jerk! If you have nothing nice to say…" She picked up one of the cushions on the couch and threw it at his head, "don't say anything at all."
Derek caught the cushion, "See you later."
Casey put her coat on, "Don't wait up."
And within the next minute she was out the door, slamming it behind her. Things had stayed tense between them since this afternoon and Derek couldn't help but think back at what happened.
"...are you afraid that you're going to start feeling things for me?"
The sentence alone gave Derek goosebumps. His worst nightmare would be to "feel things" for Casey, and he'd rather die than let her have the satisfaction of knowing he found her attractive. Nope, not going to happen. Casey was keenly observant and whenever Derek would react to her, like any man would, Casey was there to catch him. How did she expect him to behave when she whispered in his ear with that voice of hers. Derek corrected himself, that irritating, voice of hers.
Did she know?
Derek was now pacing around the apartment.
Don't be crazy, there's nothing to know!
He stopped at the full length mirror and scrutinized himself.
"You love Sarah." He said out loud to his reflection, pointing his finger at his image. "Casey is an annoying, goofball who loves to clean and drives you crazy with her schedules and her controlling rules. She can't affect you, got it?" He reminded himself.
What the hell am I doing?
In the span of three days, Casey had thrown his entire life out of equilibrium. He was going insane and he knew it.
Derek's phone vibrated. It was a text message from Nathan.
"Still on for tomorrow?"
Derek let out a frustrated sigh.
Let the shit show begin.
-— — — — — — — — — — —
"Casey McDonald, you will not, and I repeat, you will not feel anything for Derek Venturi." Casey muttered to herself. She stumbled out of the elevator heading onto the corridor that led to Derek's door.
Crap. She may have had one drink too many. Maybe two.
Casey wasn't usually a drinker but, she was still upset that she had to leave James and his stupid Balmain blazers behind. So she drank to make herself forget for a brief moment.
Casey had truly loved James and she put her everything into the relationship, trying desperately to make it work. But the more she tried, the more James became someone she barely recognized. Casey sighed at the memory of her past.
He wasn't all bad and there were things she absolutely loved about him. Like, even though he wasn't in the science field, he always listened to her and asked questions about her research. He was also the funniest man she knew, his energy so big, he was always the charismatic life of the party. Overall, he was pretty great except for two things: One, she was always a secret to his friends and family. Two, as he became more successful, the more self absorbed he became. Perhaps if she hadn't ignored those red flags, she wouldn't have wasted years of her life. But that was impossible and Casey had to accept that with the loss of James she had to grieve the loss of the future she had dreamt with him as well.
If that pain wasn't enough for her, she was back to living her life with Derek.
He loves Sarah, he says - pffft!
What did he love about her anyway? She was a judgemental, jealous, average looking girl. She didn't see anything special about her, at all.
And he doesn't look at her like he looks at me.
Casey's mind flashed back to that moment today,
Derek looked at her lips. "I would never feel anything for you, Casey McDonald." He whispered.
Casey frowned at the memory, offended.
He says that, but the way he kept glancing at my lips said otherwise.
That was Derek's whole personality. His words said one thing and his actions said another. The confusion was there the second the McDonalds moved in with the Venturi's but Derek always found a way to justify his hot and cold actions. Casey learned to ignore Derek's opinions on her relationships and his sudden bursts of niceness realizing she was never going to get a true answer on how he feels about anything. However, over the years she kept hearing people say things like Nathan had said today and it ate at her.
"Casey, huh? I never thought the day would come when you'd finally admit that you had feelings for her. I always knew-"
Knew what? So, Casey decided that the little game she played around Derek had to be amplified. During this whole 'engagement act', she was going to push him until she came to a conclusion, giving her clarity once and for all. Now, the biggest challenge was to do this with a heart of tin. Casey McDonald, wasn't going to feel a thing. Not for Derek Venturi.
Tilting her head to look into her purse, Casey's world began to tilt as well. There was no denying it, Casey was drunk.
Fiddling around in her purse she finally found her keys. She took them out trying to find the one that opened Derek's door.
Now, which one was it? Come on Casey, focus! You can do this.
Suddenly, the keyring slipped out of her hand, hitting the floor. Shit. As Casey bent down to pick it up, she realized that there was no getting back up. She collapsed against the apartment door. Think, Casey, think.
She knocked lightly, "Derek…"
No answer.
She hit the door harder, "... Derek!"
A minute later she was banging on the door.
"Derek!"
The door suddenly swung open and Casey fell against Derek's legs. She looked up at her stepbrother. His chestnut brown hair was a mess, he had a T-shirt and plaid pajama pants on, and it was evident he was woken up by the ruckus Casey was making in the hallway.
Casey giggled and pointed "Your hair looks funny!"
Derek was not impressed. "Casey, it's 3 am!" He said, his voice still groggy from sleeping. He looked up and down the hallway to make sure nobody was around to witness her drunkenness.
In an attempt to stop the scene in the hallway, Derek bent down and took Casey's hands in his, pulling her up. As he did, she fell against his chest and he caught her by the waist. She was lucky he reacted as fast as he did, being half asleep.
"Derek, my head is spinning." Casey mumbled into his T-shirt.
"Ugh, you smell like bad tequila. What did you drink? Hand sanitizer?"
Derek had never seen Casey this intoxicated before. He had witnessed her go out drinking with friends, but she always stayed composed - self control was Casey's super power. Now she was having a giggle fit because of the excess alcohol she had consumed and Derek frowned wondering what might have prompted Casey to let herself go like this. If James had upset her again...
Casey slipped briefly from his grip and he caught her once more. Trying to balance Casey against his chest with his left arm, he used his free hand to close and lock the door. He wished he had turned the lights on before Casey had collapsed into his arms because trying to maneuver her in the dark was going to be difficult.
Here he was, Casey in his arms, standing in his entrance in the dark. Derek let out an exasperated sigh and closed his eyes, thinking about how he got himself in this predicament. All he could think about was how soft her skin was and how even when she reeked of alcohol, the scent of her shampoo was strong enough to overpower his thoughts. Why does life have to test me like this?
He pulled her away from his chest to try and study her face in the darkness. The moonlight was just enough on her skin to illuminate her childlike expression. Derek wanted to be mad at her for waking him up in the middle of the night, but he couldn't possibly yell at someone who was looking back at him with puppy dog eyes.
"Alright Case, let's get you to your bed, okay?"
She held Derek's gaze for a few seconds and then wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning her entire weight against his body. Her face was so close to his, he could feel the warmth from her lips. Her eyelids lowered while she kept her eyes locked on Derek, her lips parted as she breathed.
"...Emily was right. You are handsome."
Derek immediately dropped his arms to his sides like a soldier, limiting the amount of contact his body was making with hers.
Derek leaned back as she got even closer, "Too handsome for Sarah." Casey slurred, scrunching up her face in disgust.
If Derek had leaned back any further to try and create distance, they were both going to topple over.
Well this was getting both of them nowhere. He had to get her off of him ASAP.
"Casey, can you walk to the den?"
Casey broke the embrace she had around Derek's neck, trying to stand herself up. She staggered and attempting to stabilize herself, she grabbed onto Derek's arms, holding her weight up.
"Derek,"
"What now?"
"You have nice muscles." She said, smirking. She let out a small laugh as she squeezed his biceps.
Alright, that was enough out of her.
With a quick maneuver, Derek picked Casey up. He could hear her giggle in the dark as he felt his way down the hallway.
Walking into the den, Derek hit the lightswitch with his shoulder and let go of Casey above her mattress. He exhaled abruptly, letting go of the weight. She was heavier than he thought.
He unwrapped her purse from around her and placed it on the chair at the foot of the bed.
She still had her coat on…
Derek slowly took one arm out of her coat. He paused for a second, trying to decipher her mumbling, and then lifted her torso up to take her other arm out. She didn't look too good. Casey turned her head towards Derek, her blue eyes blinking in slow motion.
"Derek, I feel nauseous."
"I can tell."
He laid her back down and left the room. Reappearing with a glass of water, he took a seat beside Casey on the bed.
"Here, drink this. You'll feel better."
Derek held the glass to her mouth and Casey took a few sips.
"Derek,"
Derek sighed. "What, Casey?"
"What if I die?"
Derek laughed. Now he was positive Casey had never had this much to drink. "You're going to be just fine. Now, put your head on your pillow and go to sleep. I have to wake up in three hours."
Casey sat herself up on her bed, her hands on her head. She winced.
"Derek, my head is spinning."
Derek put his hand on his forehead and let out a frustrated grunt. He didn't want to babysit Casey, this was a dangerous territory. All he wanted was to go back to sleep and to have his sanity back.
Casey reached out and pulled his arm toward her, "Don't leave me."
Putting her entire weight on his arm, the force pulled Derek down so he was resting on the bed next to her. She leaned her head against Derek's chest and closed her eyes.
No. This was not happening. Derek Venturi, get yourself out of this.
He wiggled back and forth, "Casey… get up..."
There was no movement.
He used his hand to nudge her shoulder, but this only caused more of her weight to shift onto Derek.
She fell asleep?! You've got to be freaking kidding me.
Derek glanced down at Casey sleeping against him. He moved his body, laying himself down, dragging her body weight to the top of bed with him.
Now Derek, tuck her in and then quietly escape.
He slowly tried to shift her body off of him but his movement caused her to stir. Casey made herself comfortable, tucking her body into the space between Derek's arm and torso, moving her head to the middle of his chest. It was evident that he wasn't going anywhere tonight.
Derek looked up at the ceiling, eyes wide open, his body swaying to the pounding of his heart. He wondered how this was going to play out when Casey woke up tomorrow. But before he could think about it too deeply, he drifted to sleep, letting his arms wrap themselves around her just this once.
-— -— -— -— -— -— -— -— -— -— -—
Casey heard her phone vibrating. Where did I put that thing? I need to stop that sound before my head explodes.
She began to move in her bed, unaware that she fell asleep on another body. Feeling her head move to the breathing of another, she suddenly remembered.
Ohhhh nooooo. Please let it be a bad dream...
Opening her eyes, Casey lifted her head up to see Derek smirking at her.
"Well, good morning, Casey."
Derek had a wide grin on his face, because he knew Casey's actions last night had proved what he said in his office yesterday. The words flooded back into Casey's mind.
"Any opportunity you had, you took, to put your hands all over me!"
Casey's cheeks immediately became crimson. She forcefully pushed Derek, "Get out of my bed, Derek Venturi!"
Derek let out a snickering laugh, "You sure, Case? You don't want me to stay so I can flex my biceps for you?"
Casey's jaw dropped. She was so embarrassed, she wished she could bury herself in her covers and hide until the year was over.
"GET OUT!" She took her pillow and began hitting Derek until he rolled out of the bed putting his hands up, showing her he had surrendered.
"No more jokes, but you really do owe me a thank you for carrying your drunk ass to bed. Now, I'll just walk my handsome self out of your room and get ready for work." He winked in the doorway.
Casey screamed, "DER-EK!"
As Derek closed the door behind him, she could still hear his laughter from the living room.
-— -— -— -— -— -— -— -— -— -— -—
Where was he?
Casey peeked at the digital clock displayed on the oven. It was almost four o'clock and Derek was still nowhere to be found. They had so much work left to do before Sarah and Nathan showed up for dinner.
Casey was leaning on the kitchen island and coloured pens and index cards were everywhere. If they had to make this believable, they had to get ready for any question that could be thrown their way. If they didn't have the same answer, it could mean trouble.
Casey heard the door of the apartment unlock. She quickly scurried into the living room, sliding towards Derek with her socks, stopping right in front of him.
"Derek, where have you been?!"
"Hello to you too, Casey." Derek said, untying his shoes.
Casey's nostrils flared with anger. "I just put the chicken cacciatore in the oven, I've been writing index cards filled with information and we haven't even studied yet! There's no time to study let alone get ready before they show up! Oh god," Casey put her hands through her oily hair, "I need to get ready."
Derek reached his arms out and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Case, just be yourself. You got this! Now stop stressing and relax. Go get ready if it'll make you feel better."
Casey brushed his hands off of her, diverting her gaze as she remembered their interaction this morning "Go into the kitchen and look at those index cards, Derek Venturi!"
As she finished her sentence, she turned to storm into the den when Derek called her name.
"Hey, Casey?"
Casey spun around, giving him a questioning look.
Derek had his hands in his pockets and he kept his focus on the ground as he spoke. "You know how we're supposed to be engaged and all." He rolled his eyes at the sentence, "I thought just for tonight, you could wear this?"
In Derek's grip was a small ring box that he extended towards Casey. Casey didn't know what to say, this had to be the most awkward moment she had ever lived.
He didn't open the box, he just tossed it at her, downplaying the sentiment the tiny item held. "It's my grandmother's ring - just wear it during dinner so nobody asks any questions?"
Casey caught the box in her hands and opened it up.
"Derek, it's gorgeous!" She beamed.
The ring was vintage, Art Deco style. It had a round, Old European Cut Diamond lined by sapphires on either side.
"If only I had given it to her." Derek said regretfully. It was so soft that if you didn't listen carefully, you would have missed it.
Casey examined his face and she could see that the Sarah and Nathan situation was causing him pain but he would never admit to what extent. In that instant, there was a tightness in Casey's chest because she was reminded of something she knew all along. That despite whatever was unclear between them, one thing was crystal clear. Derek was in love with Sarah and she was the owner of Derek's heart.
"You'll give it to the right person someday." Casey breathed as she closed the box. She fiddled around with it as she spoke, unable to make eye contact, "I'll make sure I take good care of it tonight."
She then forced herself to flash Derek a smile. "And Derek?"
He moved his attention from the ring she was holding to Casey herself.
"Thank you for taking care of me last night."
"Well, even though I like to torment you, I wasn't going to let you "die". Derek said, reminding Casey of what she had said the night before.
She turned around in embarrassment and on her way down the hallway she yelled "You're a good guy Derek, Venturi! Stop trying to hide it!"
Derek continued watching her as she disappeared down the hall, doubting her words. Would a good guy be thinking about how his step sister felt in his arms?
