I think I have like 3 readers, but knowing that somebody is reading makes my heart feel good. So thank you very much for your reviews. I wrote this chapter to the Arctic Monkeys song "I wanna be yours". In my mind, that's the song that describes how Casey and Derek feel about each other. Still don't really know how I feel about this chapter...

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Life with Derek. I was also inspired by several foreign dramas, mainly, "Sen Cal Kapimi" and "Afili Ask" any similarities are credited to those amazing shows.

Chapter 5 - Gold Hearts

Casey was fidgeting in her chair, feeling so uncomfortable, she could barely finish the food on her plate. Her stomach kept flopping every time someone asked her a question, fearing she'd say something she wasn't supposed to. At the small dining table, seated next to Derek and in front of Sarah, she couldn't help but embody the tension in the room.

Nathan was chatting away with Derek about the graphics for some game that they were working on and Sarah just rested there, listening intently, almost as if she was silently observing the differences in her former boyfriend. She didn't make small talk or bombard Casey with questions like Casey had expected her to. Instead, Casey was flat out ignored and it was quite obvious that Sarah had no interest in getting to know her. The only thing that Sarah wanted to know was this: Why Derek chose to get engaged to Casey and why he didn't choose Sarah when he had the chance.

So what? Maybe Derek was more compatible with someone else. And why couldn't that someone else be me? Besides, she was engaged to Nathan, why did she care?

Maybe Derek was right and this plan wasn't as bogus as she initially thought. She couldn't prove it yet, but Casey was close to certain that Sarah still had feelings for Derek and this added dimension to an uncomfortable situation. To play the part of a fiance to make someone jealous was one thing, but to play with people's emotions was another - Nathan would be caught in the crossfire - and Nora had raised her better than that.

Casey glanced at Nathan while he chuckled at a joke Derek had made. He was such a genuine, caring guy, she could guess that he assumed everyone else was just as genuine as himself. Nathan deserved someone as sincere as him, not someone who still wasn't over their ex.

"I see you're wearing the earrings?" Nathan stated, taking Casey out of her trance.

Casey put her hands up at her ears, feeling the earrings she had on. They were the gold stud hearts that James had bought her for their first anniversary. It was the only item that she kept after the breakup. How did Nathan know?

"Excuse me?" Casey asked, her expression indicating she needed him to elaborate.

"Derek hasn't told you?"

Casey watched all of the blood drain from Derek's face. Derek kicked Nathan underneath the table causing him to grimace quickly, but Nathan regained his smile almost immediately.

Casey looked briefly at Nathan and then back at Derek, "Hasn't told me what?"

Nathan chuckled and Derek shot him a death glare, mouthing the words 'shut up'.

"I don't know why you're still hiding the story about those earrings, bro. She knows now that you love her."

She needed to catch Nathan alone to ask him about this story.

Sarah seemed intrigued, raising her eyebrows "Now even I'm curious, why don't you tell us the story, Derek?" She propped her head on her hands urging for Derek to continue.

"Yeah, Derek." Casey insisted, smiling. "Tell us."

Derek put his hand on top of Casey's and said "That's a story I'll tell Casey later." He then brought her hand to his lips and gave it a quick kiss causing Casey's smile to stiffen.

Casey's gaze lingered on Derek and he knew exactly what that stiff smile meant. In his adolescence, Derek was used to getting that expression across the dinner table when there was a guest over. It was her I'm going to kill you later look. So he winked back at her, knowing it would add to her irritation.

"Well since we can't hear that story, why don't you tell us how you knew Casey was the one?"

Casey choked on her drink. Sarah just loved to get to the point, didn't she?

"Why don't you tell the story, Der?" Casey asked her fake fiance between coughs, but as the words left her mouth, she could tell from his face that he didn't read her index cards.

Oh, for fuck's sake. You had one job!

What Derek really wanted to say was that he had feelings for Casey at 15 years old, the second she came down the stairs in that Babe Raider outfit. But, that was a secret he would carry with him to his grave. So he conjured up another moment to share with the group.

"I had just broken up with Sarah and I was doing what all guys do after a break up - avoiding my feelings."

Casey rolled her eyes at his sentence. She would never understand the male species since she spent a majority of her time processing her emotions. Sarah caught a glimpse of Casey's face and held back a chuckle, reading exactly what she was thinking.

"George and my mom kept calling because I hadn't checked in for a while but I didn't want to talk to anyone - I knew they would nag me for information on what happened and how I felt. At the time, Casey was travelling with James in Italy-"

"Oh man, did you hate James!" Nathan interrupted. Derek shot him a glare and carried on.

"There was one week where I was a complete mess, and that Friday there was a package delivered to my door. It was a bucket of ice filled with my favourite beer delivered in cellophane wrap - it looked almost like a fruit basket, a Derek version of a fruit basket of course."

Casey shifted in her chair, turning so she was now facing Derek. Her blue irises glistened, recognizing where this story was going. Derek's eyes met hers and he continued.

"There was an envelope taped to the top and inside, there was a gift card for pizza, a turquoise Murano glass bead from Italy, and a note-"

"The note said:" Casey blurted out. But Derek spoke over her, keeping his eyes locked on Casey's as he spoke.

"The note said: Edwin mentioned you've been MIA, and that means you're feeling down. Pizza and beer on me - cheer up buttercup! Ps: This bead is said to bring happiness so keep it close to you (and call George and Nora so they know you're alive)"

Casey was astonished. So much so, it overwhelmed her soul, sending tingles down her spine. She couldn't believe that Derek could recite her note six months after the fact. Her heart was overflowing at the thought of her effort stirring emotion in her step brother and it took every fibre in her being to restrain herself from acting.

Okay Casey, stop feeling like this. It's all an act, remember? He's lying! Get mad not emotional!

"I didn't need to talk. I didn't need to be checked up on. At that moment, that's all I needed. And she knew what I needed even when she was on the other side of the world. It suddenly hit me then. Nobody knows me better than Casey McDonald."

Sarah wrinkled her face, trying to conceal the envy in her eyes while Nathan let out a small "aw".

Noticing Sarah's body language, Derek knew he couldn't stop there. "And I've kept that glass bead with me ever since."

Bullshit. Casey thought. Knowing Derek, who in their right mind would believe that?

Casey couldn't stay silent any longer. "Derek Venturi, you're telling me you kept that bead with you ever since?"

"Yes, Casey McDonald, I did."

Derek knew exactly why Casey reacted this way - because although Casey knew everything there was to know about him, she only knew the portion of him he let people see. And that little glimpse of himself he showed to everyone else presented him as a ruthless, selfish, jerk. So, when he admitted anything emotion based and defined as kind, she always took it as being insincere. And when she doubted his sincerity he became defensive and played the part she expected him to play. It was much easier than showing everyone that he had a soft center that gave importance to sentimentality.

"Then where is it?" Casey challenged.

Derek reached into the denim pocket of his jeans and pulled out the turquoise Murano glass bead. He held it between his index and thumb, showing Casey and the rest of the table.

That was the last detail before Casey's heart overflowed and her self control was out the window.

Before Derek could say anything else, he felt Casey's arms start pulling him into a tight embrace. This was problematic because Casey and Derek rarely hugged thanks to his 'no touching' rule and since Derek didn't have any notice prior to his step sister attacking him with a hug, he innately reacted the way he always did.

"Woah, woah, woah, Casey!?" he exclaimed, his hands flying into the air to avoid her touch but she persisted, chasing him with her hug while he backed up to the very edge of his chair.

And then at once, Derek froze, knowing that Nathan and Sarah were their audience. In that nanosecond Derek knew he needed to compensate for his reaction so he did the only thing he could think of. As Casey had her arms extended, reaching for his neck to give him a hug, he moved his head forward to kiss her on the cheek.

For the two involved reality now was in slow motion.

Casey noticed Derek's face nearing hers while she enclosed her arms around his torso pulling him forward into the embrace. Watching his lips come towards her, she attempted to move her face slightly to avoid them all together. However, in doing so, she caused Derek to adjust his head slightly, causing his lips to land off of his target - on the corner of her lips.

The entire moment was three seconds in reality but it lasted an eternity for the two involved. Casey couldn't help but close her eyes as she felt his lips against the corner of hers. She tightened her grip around his body, as a response, pulling him closer in the hug while she inhaled the scent of his skin.

Derek's touch dragged Casey into a vast sea of emotion, and she was lost in a reverie, unable to get back to the surface. She tried to feel her arms and legs to move away but there was no hope, her body was unresponsive. That was until Derek's arms wrapped around her to reciprocate the hug. This violently pulled her back to reality, causing her to yank her body back, separating herself from Derek without warning, leaving him dumbfounded. She wiped her face on her sleeve and muttered a quiet "ew".

Both Casey and Derek were now silently facing Sarah and Nathan, bewildered.

"You two are the weirdest couple I've ever seen." Sarah said suddenly, not quite comprehending what had just happened.

Before Derek or Casey could say anything Nathan interjected. "Hate has been their love language from the beginning. They've spent years tormenting each other to get in each other's faces.

Casey cleared her throat and made an excuse to get up. She couldn't sit here any longer "I'm just going to go grab the dessert and some plates!"

Derek got up right after her, "I'll go help."

Casey practically flew into the kitchen and grabbed a wine glass, filling it with the red wine she served at dinner. She took a swig and began gargling it over the sink, spitting it out after a few seconds.

"What the hell are you doing?" Derek half whispered at Casey standing in front of the sink.

Casey took another huge swig of her wine but this time she didn't gargle, she swallowed. "Disinfecting my mouth! The real question is, what the hell were you doing out there?!"

"First of all, be quiet. They're going to hear us, we're in a small space. Second of all, I got nervous."

Casey put down the wine glass and frowned, "You kiss people when you're nervous?!"

"Oh boo hoo! You know how many girls would die to kiss me?"

A look of disgust appeared on Casey's face and Derek smirked, pursing his lips, blowing pretend kisses into the air.

"Ew, you pig!"

"And for your information, Casey," Derek continued, "I was supposed to kiss your cheek, you're the one who moved. And it was only a tad bit of your lips okay, relax. If I had known it was going to piss you off so much, I would have given you a proper kiss so your head could explode at dinner."

"Der-ek! I am going to-"

"Ehem."

Derek and Casey turned to see Nathan standing at the doorway of the kitchen. "Can I help with dessert?"

Casey opened up a cupboard taking out four plates, "That would be lovely. I would love a helper other than Derek."

Derek rolled his eyes and Casey stuck her tongue out at him.

"Alright, enough you two. Derek, go keep Sarah company and I'll help Casey with dessert."

Casey put on a pair of red silicone mitts and opened the oven, bringing out an apple pie.

Nathan laid the plates out on the kitchen island and positioned the trivet so Casey could easily put down the pie.

"Thank you, Nathan." Casey started, "You're a lot more help than Derek."

"You know you love him." Nathan joked and Casey couldn't help but laugh. She didn't know how she felt at this moment.

Casey took the vanilla ice cream out of the freezer and grabbed a scoop. Nathan spread out the plates so Casey could easily serve the pie.

"So, what's up with these earrings?" Casey asked, focussed on serving the pie on the plates in front of her.

Nathan began scooping the ice cream. "Well… let's just say, Derek cared about you more than he led on. Even when I first met him."

—-

"Oh, oh, oh" Derek yelled, pressing the buttons violently on his Xbox 360 controller, "aaaaaand, I win again!"

Nathan threw his controller on the coffee table in frustration. "Alright man, that's enough."

Just before Derek could talk Nathan into another game, the doorbell rang. Derek grunted, throwing his controller on his recliner as he got up to open the door.

"Ugh, it's you. Casey's still getting ready."

James walked in through the entrance of the house and Casey yelled down the stairs. "James, I'll be right there! And Derek, be nice!"

"Yeah, yeah." Derek muttered underneath his breath.

Nathan nodded hello at James, watching him sit down on the other end of the couch.

"So James, what's up?" Nathan asked.

"Nothing much, just been focusing on midterms. Casey and I have been super busy applying for graduate school."

"Cool." Nathan responded. Derek said nothing, he just stayed silent, pretending to watch TV. It was best if he didn't interact with James at all.

"Oh hey, I was going to have a Christmas party at my place next Saturday. You guys are invited if you want to drop by."

Derek finally said something. "This Saturday?"

"Yeah."

"Isn't this Saturday your guys' one year anniversery? Casey won't shut up about it."

"Yeah, but it's the only Saturday I can have my Christmas party. It's important for me to network for my law career."

Derek sat up straight in his chair, frowning. "So let me get this straight, you're not going to celebrate your anniversary? And Casey's okay with that?"

"I haven't told her yet. But she'll understand - she usually does."

Derek scoffed, "Yeah, she usually does. She puts up with too much of your bullshit, James."

"That's not true." James defended.

"Last month, you left the country and didn't tell her! She only found out because she asked you about concert tickets you had bought together- little did she know you couldn't make it because you left for Mexico without saying anything!"

Nathan put his hand on Derek's shoulder reminding him to calm down.

"My family booked a spontaneous trip. That wasn't my fault."

Derek stood up from his seat, "You couldn't have mentioned that to your girlfriend? I guess you don't care if you break her heart, since you don't have to watch her cry and mope around the house for days. But guess who does… me."

James stood up as well, "What's your problem, Derek? You want to say how you feel about me? Say it, I'm right here."

Nathan jumped up to stand in the middle of the two men. "Boys, let's keep it down, Casey is going to hear you."

Derek pointed his finger at James, "Listen to me, bougie Jamesie. Casey has been running around all week, fantasizing about your anniversary, trying her best to find you the perfect gift. She has this idea that you're going to surprise her, because for some reason, she thinks you're going to make up for all of the crap you've pulled this year. She still has hope for you because she loves you."

James shook his head, "This is unbelievable."

Derek took one step closer to James,"You are going to cancel this party and take Casey someplace high end that will make her happy - if you break her heart, I swear to god-"

"Okay Derek, relax." Nathan reminded, pulling his friend back to where he was initially standing. Derek brushed off Nathan's grip.

"No, I'm not going to relax. And you're going to give her a nice gift and work on being a better."

James was getting defensive. He crossed his arms, listening to Derek, waiting to prove his case after Derek was finished.

"I already bought her a gift."

"And what is it?"

"A Michael Kors purse. My sister picked it out so she's guaranteed to like it."

Derek wiped his hands across his face in frustration. Casey was a sentimental girl, not a materialistic one. Derek pictured her face falling, opening her gift to find some generic expensive gift. He then walked to the McDonald-Venturi Christmas tree. He shuffled a few gifts around and then returned with a small box.

"Listen up James, you're going to give this to her and you're going to pretend it's from you. She'll like it way better than some designer purse."

James opened his mouth to say something but Derek stopped him.

"Ahhh ahh ahh! You are going to find a way to move your Christmas party to another Saturday and you're going to take your girlfriend out on the best date she's ever been on, you hear me? Break her heart, and you'll have me to answer to."

—-

"Casey? Say something, the ice cream is melting." Nathan said.

"Case, are you milking a cow to make fresh ice cream or something?!" Derek yelled from the dining room.

"I'll be there in a second!" Casey yelled back.

Handing Nathan two plates, Casey grabbed two plates herself. "It looks like, there's a lot more to know about Derek Venturi than I thought."

Casey led the way to the dining table and placed the plates down on the placemats. She frowned, noticing Sarah was the happiest she was all night, expressing a story to Derek while they were alone. And he too seemed like he was enjoying himself, making jokes specifically to put a smile on her face. Casey was feeling so much emotion at the moment that she was numb and distracted.

Was the story that Derek told, preplanned? Or was he actually affected by the gift she had sent? But then, Nathan's story...

Casey sat back down next to Derek and Sarah put a spoonful of pie into her mouth. "Casey, this apple pie is amazing."

Casey kept her gaze on the pie as she cut it up with her fork, "It's Derek's favourite so it's a recipe I've mastered over the years."

"How did I not know this? It seems like we see a new version of Derek Venturi everyday since you showed up."

Casey wanted to throw her ice cream at Sarah's face. Not only was she jealous as hell, but she was upsetting Nathan. Casey could tell Nathan was starting to get irritated at her comments but he kept himself cool, changing the subject.

"Hey Derek, Sarah and I are going to an outdoor movie screening in Stanley Park. You guys should come with us! I think they're playing "When Harry Met Sally". So basically it's going to be a hundred women who dragged their partners to watch a romance in the park. It would be nice to have another guy there."

Sarah slapped Nathan's arm, "You promised me you'd watch it!"

"Uhhh, I don't think that's a good idea-" Casey started.

"Casey loveeessss movies!" Derek blurted, putting his arm around Casey and pulling her closer to him.

No I do not. He's doing this to piss me off now after our conversation in the kitchen, isn't he...

"In fact, did you know that we had our first kiss at a movie?"

There we go.

Casey squirmed in Derek's embrace but he held her so tight, she couldn't move.

"Derbear, what's gotten into you?" Casey said through her smile. She stomped on his foot under the table and he let go of his grip. "Ow!"

"And there it is. Sometimes Derek gets so tired from work, he doesn't get a lot of oxygen to his brain." Casey patted him on the head.

Derek put both hands over his heart, emphasizing the noise he just made. "I just felt so much emotion from the memory of our first kiss that it hurt." Derek nudged Casey, making it very evident he was laughing about Casey's reaction to their awkward moment earlier.

He thinks I can't handle this.

"You know what Nathan, let's go to that movie."

"Alright, next Friday it is."

This was going to be a long night and Casey couldn't wait until it was over.

— — —-— — — -— - —-— -—

"Secrets I have held in my heart, are harder to hide than I thought. Maybe I just want to be yours."

-Arctic Monkeys.