This is it, friends! The chapter you've all been waiting for. This was a special one for me to write so I hope you all enjoy it. This will probably be one of the last chapters of this story, so if you haven't left a review, I'd love to hear from you. The disclaimers are the same as previous chapters... happy reading.
—-
"i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)"
e.e cummings
—
Chapter 8
Anything that could have gone wrong had gone wrong today and it was starting to feel like some sort of omen; a prophetic warning asking Derek to let this entire thing go and to continue on living his life the way he did for the last twenty six years - in denial.
A series of events led Derek to where he was now, waving a tea towel back and forth in the air, underneath the fire detector in his apartment. He wanted to make Duck a l'Orange (Casey's favourite meal) and he attempted it because YouTube made it look like a piece of cake. Roast the duck, make an orange caramel sauce for the top and cook until golden brown. How hard could it have been? The steps seemed rather simple in theory, but who knew cooking sugar was such a delicate task? Perhaps it wouldn't have turned out so badly if Derek hadn't made a few errors.
His sequence of mistakes began when he stopped stirring the orange caramel sauce for a minute to rewatch the YouTube video, confirming that he was doing everything in the correct order. A minute turned into five and when he returned to the saucepan, he found the caramel sauce so lumpy and burnt, it was practically on fire. One would think at this point, dinner could have been saved, but Derek managed to make things a whole lot worse. While attempting to remake the sauce, he forgot about the duck in the oven entirely, so focussed on what he was doing, he was only reminded later by the smoke that filled his kitchen.
Derek walked over to the balcony and slid the glass door open, hoping some of the smoke would air out before Casey got home. He let out an exasperated sigh, knowing that everything was a complete disaster.
It was supposed to be all planned out: Make her favourite meal, show her you care, tell her how you feel about her.
So much for that. Derek thought. What the fuck am I doing? I'm the opposite of romantic.
But unfortunately for him, the girl he lov-... had feelings for, happened to be a hopeless romantic. Therefore, he needed the moment to be flawless, but just thinking about saying that four letter word, even in the same room as his stepsister, made him so nervous, he'd rather jump off his balcony than go through with it.
Now what to do about the food? Do I get takeout? Do I take her out for dinner instead?
At this point, Derek didn't know what would make Casey happy. Even if he took her out for a nice dinner, it wouldn't compare to the restaurants that James used to take her to. Derek reminded himself that this girl had been wined and dined at Michelin star restaurants for the last few years - thanks to James! And that asshole had unknowingly raised Casey's expectations so high that the next man could never reach them to impress her. If that wasn't nerve-racking enough, there was the whole recent change in Casey's mood that stacked another layer of unpredictability to how she was going to react to his...feelings.
Ever since she spent that night in his room, Casey hadn't been acting like herself. It was almost as if he had offended her with something he did, but he couldn't figure out what exactly he had done. However, it was quite evident that he had said or done something because she was acting colder than usual towards Derek all week. One word answers and simple conversations composed the new normal Derek found himself adjusting to.
With all of this swirling in his head, Derek was still standing in his smoke filled living room, his hands on his hips, brainstorming ideas on how he could fix this situation. That's when he heard the front door unlock.
Dressed in her scrubs, Casey appeared in the hazy apartment, gasping as she came in through the door.
"Oh my god…Derek?!"
Her face displayed a look of alarmed disgust. She kept inhaling and pausing, trying to put a description on the horrid smell inside his apartment.
"Derek, it smells like burnt orange juice in here! What the hell happened?" Casey demanded, her voice unsettled with concern.
She quickly took off her shoes and tossed her bag aside in order to inspect what was going on. She coughed as she neared Derek in the living room, waving her hands to help move the smoke away from the air around her.
"Is the kitchen okay?" She asked, anxious that there was no kitchen left on the other side of the wall.
"I'm fine... thanks for asking." Derek replied.
"I can see that you're fine." Casey responded, pointing to his exaggerated towel waving. "I'm more worried about your apartment."
She pushed past Derek to assess the damage, but he instinctively put out his arm, blocking her from going any further. If she sees the mess, she'll know what I was trying to make and then I'll have to explain why. Derek couldn't deal with that right now.
"Case, don't go in there." He begged, obstructing her with his body while continuing to wave the smoke towards the open balcony door.
"What?! Why?" She questioned, shoving Derek aside to try and get around him.
"It's a mess and I'll take care of it."
Casey seemed confused and Derek didn't blame her. Since when did he ever tell anyone he'd gladly clean up a mess that he had made himself?
"Derek, at least let me help you clean it up?" She pushed, trying to understand what his hesitation was. Studying Derek and trying to figure out what he was up to, a patch of red skin on his arm caught Casey's attention.
"Oh no! You're not okay!" She placed her hand on the burn to feel it and Derek snatched back his entire limb, covering it with the towel he was holding.
"Derek! Show me your arm!" Casey demanded.
He shook his head, "It's nothing."
"I saw it! It's not nothing!"
Casey tried to snatch the towel from him to uncover his wound but she ended up hurting him instead.
"Ow! Casey!"
Casey shrugged, "So, you're either going to show me your arm… or I'm going to have to wrestle you to see it. And you know I will, so what's your choice Derek Venturi?"
Derek rolled his eyes. There was no point fighting with her. "Fine. But don't make a big deal out of it, okay? It's just a burn."
Extending his arm out, he showed Casey the injury he attained while trying to check on the duck in the oven. He had accidentally hit the outside of his forearm on the inside of the oven while attempting to remove the duck to baste it.
"Derek! This is a second degree burn!"
Grabbing his hand in hers, she pulled him over to the couch and forced him down to sit. Derek could tell she was worried and her concern had cured any pain he was feeling because her caring nature naturally replaced it with joy. This was the closest she had gotten to him all week and boy, had he missed it.
Casey was sitting next to him now, his arm in her lap, bringing her face right up to the wound to see just how bad it was. She touched the burn lightly with her finger tip and he winced.
"I'm sorry! I won't touch it again. This is pretty bad..." She said. And in that instant she was up from the couch.
"Don't you dare move! I will be right back." She informed Derek as she walked through the smoke.
Before Derek could say anything to stop her, she waltzed right into the kitchen, doing exactly what he told her not to do. Derek closed his eyes in embarrassment, knowing she would figure out what he was up to.
— — — — — — — —
Casey stepped into the kitchen and gaped at the state the room was in. How could someone create a mess as big as this? The entire stove top was covered in burnt caramel and the outline of the oven door was black with soot. Casey stepped carefully around the puddles of orange juice on the floor to take a look at what appeared to be a cremated duck sitting on the countertop. The countertops were filled with orange peels, carrots and celery. Tins of spices were knocked over amongst the pieces of vegetables and used paper towels were thrown everywhere.
Casey brought her hand over to her mouth, biting her lip, trying her hardest to fight the smile that was forming on her face. He was trying to make Duck a l'Orange. She beamed at the thought.
All week she had been upset because she had caught Derek outside, consoling his bestfriend's fiancé. She was fuming, feeling ashamed that she let herself develop feelings for a man who had a heart made out of tin. She didn't even go to the movie with Nathan and Sarah like she had promised because she couldn't bear to see Derek in the same room with Sarah again. Although her anger eased a bit after she found out that Nathan and Sarah had reconciled, her and Derek weren't out of the woods yet. She still wanted to know what he said to Sarah out on that balcony and she wanted to know if there was a chance that he had feelings for her.
She wiped the uncertainty from her mind and allowed herself to bask in this brief moment of happiness - Derek, the man who couldn't make himself eggs attempted to make her favourite meal. That meant she had to be special to him, right?
Grabbing a bag of frozen peas from Derek's freezer and a fresh towel, she appeared from the kitchen.
"Here," She started, sitting herself back down beside Derek and pulling his arm onto her lap again. "First you have to ice it okay? And then in fifteen minutes or so, I'll put some Polysporin on it and wrap it up with some gauze and medical tape. You don't want it to get infected."
Casey dabbed the frozen peas on the burn, her hands soft against Derek's rough skin. Derek watched Casey as she inspected his arm with apprehension. With her blue eyes focused and her brown silky hair resting on her shoulder, she must have been the only woman who could look this attractive in scrubs. Even though scrubs were meant to be loose fitting, because Casey was so curvy, they hugged the edges of her body, outlining her slim figure and extenuating her shape. As a man, it was difficult not to fantasize about a beautiful woman dressed like a nurse, who was currently caring for him in such close proximity - especially when the smell of her shampoo was so potent.
"Does it feel any better?" Casey asked quietly, looking up at Derek and catching his lingering gaze. Derek looked away, biting the edge of his lip, realizing he was caught.
"A lot better." He replied, his voice deeper than usual. Derek shifted in his seat, closing a bit of the gap between the two of them.
Casey kept her eyes on his wound ensuring she was applying the right amount of pressure. She scooted closer as well, following his small movement.
"So, Duck a l'Orange, huh? Casey probed, pushing Derek to see how far he would go. "What made you attempt such a difficult meal."
Okay Derek. Here is your chance.
"I might have been trying to impress a certain person by making her favourite dish." He said, smiling. Derek was surprised that his voice didn't tremble because he was so nervous, he could barely keep himself from fidgeting.
"And why would you want to do something like that?" Casey asked, mirroring his smile.
"Case, you know why, don't you?" He questioned, his voice gentle and genuine. He then did something unexpected. Derek placed his hand on Casey's. It startled her so much, she dropped the bag of peas onto the couch.
Casey's eyes met Derek's. They were sitting beside each other now and when she lifted her head, Derek's face was so close to hers, it gave her goosebumps. One small movement and she could close the space between them, just like in her dreams.
Casey swallowed the lump forming in her throat, "I might have an idea, but why don't you tell me?"
Her pulse quickened and her eyes glittered as she watched him. Both of them were entranced in the moment, not knowing where this was going to go or who was going to make the first move.
Now was Derek's flawless moment. The tension can be cut with a knife Derek, it's now or never. Just kiss her.
As Derek leaned in slightly, they were interrupted by the buzzer.
For the love of god!
The buzzer was so loud, it startled Derek and Casey, making them jump apart, both staring at one another unable to comprehend what was going on.
The buzzer rang again and Casey snapped out of the moment. "Aren't you going to get that?"
Derek turned his torso around and grabbed the phone from the where it was docked on the side table behind him. His voice cracked as he answered the phone. "Hello?"
He then hung up without saying anything more. Casey was waiting for him to say something, anything... but instead he walked up to the door like a zombie, in complete disbelief that life had to treat him this way. This had to be some sort of Karma.
"Derek, who is it?" Casey asked.
"Oh, you'll see in a moment" Derek said. There was a knock at the door and Derek swung the door open.
"Surprise!"
Standing at the door was George and Nora, smiling at the two of their children.
— —-— —-—- —- —- —
Casey was sitting cross legged on the couch closest to the door. She chose to sit there because it was the furthest seat away from her stepbrother and keeping a physical distance at the moment helped subside some of the looming guilt that was haunting her conscience. How could she forget that her relationship with Derek was so delicate that a small change would affect their entire family dynamic. Taking a deep breath, she shoved that thought out of her mind for now, trying to calm down after the events of today.
She was not only irritated at the situation but she was also slightly agitated that her parents didn't warn her and Derek of their sudden visit.
"Mom, I'm still so confused, why didn't you call in advance and let us know you were coming to Vancouver?" Casey questioned again, trying to make sense of what was going on.
Before Nora could answer, George spoke instead. "There's the annual Canadian Law Conference in Vancouver this week and I didn't think I could make it out to Vancouver with all the work happening right now in the office. But when Nora saw some cheap plane tickets, she made a great suggestion, didn't you honey?" George said to his wife, motioning for her to continue.
"That's right! I told George that it would be worth it to come to Vancouver for the weekend to catch the awards ceremony - since his law firm is nominated for an award and all." Nora gushed, putting her hand on George's knee and squeezing gently to convey how proud she was of her husband. "And in the process, we thought we could surprise you two kids."
"And what a surprise it was. With such great timing!" Derek replied sarcastically. The sarcasm was so slight that only Casey could pick up on it, causing her to smile for the first time since their parents appeared.
George looked around the apartment and inhaled deeply, "Now, can somebody explain what that terrible smell is? I'm surprised the fire department isn't here."
Casey laughed at first but then stopped abruptly, noticing all the colour drain from Derek's face. The poor guy put so much effort into dinner and it ended so tragically. Feeling bad for Derek, she took the fall for the cooking disaster.
"It was all my fault." Casey admitted dramatically, "I guess it's all the shift work I've been doing lately. I put the duck in the oven and somehow fell asleep on the couch. I'm glad Derek came home in time to take the food out of the oven before I burnt the entire place down."
Casey glanced over at Derek and he mouthed a 'thank you' from across the room.
"So, Dad," Derek changed the subject, "since it's a conference, I'm guessing you guys will be staying at a hotel downtown?"
"Correction, I will be staying downtown. Nora thought she'd stay here for tonight so you all could spend some quality time together."
Derek's face fell knowing that Nora staying over meant that he'd have no alone time with Casey until the weekend was over. If only he had the chance to finish what he had started earlier... it took so much of his courage to even get to that point.
"I was hoping you both could take me sight seeing for the afternoon and then we could meet George at the hotel for the awards ceremony. What do you kids think?" Nora gleamed.
"Spend time with the best mother in the world? I think we can do that. Right, Derek?"
"Anything for Nora." he replied, secretly wishing his heart wasn't yearning for it to be Sunday already.
-— — — — —
Gypped was the best word for how Casey had been feeling all afternoon. Last night, Derek was so close to confessing his feelings and her parents had destroyed the moment entirely. Not only did she miss out on what he was going to say but she was almost certain that Derek was leaning in so he could kiss her. But because Casey was a natural overthinker, she had a knack for rethinking things ad nauseum until she distorted reality in her head. Almost twenty four hours later, she wasn't actually sure what happened anymore. Maybe Derek wasn't going to kiss me after all.
Although she enjoyed the day out with her mother, all she wanted to do was to have a moment unattended with Derek. Instead, she was sitting between Nora and George at a Law Conference Awards Ceremony which had to be the most boring event she had ever had to sit through. Unable to focus on the speaker anymore, Casey scanned the environment around her until her eyes landed on Derek. He was sitting further down at the circular table, looking as handsome as ever. He wore a black suit and even though suits were meant to be fancy, with Derek's messy auburn hair, it made him appear oddly humble - a look that James could never pull off. Next to Derek, George was currently a few drinks in and ecstatic because his law firm had won the award they were nominated for. He was in such a good mood, he was trying to make his son laugh as well.
"Dad, relax with the jokes okay? I think you've reached your quota for the day." Derek laughed, patting his dad on the shoulder.
"Am I being prosecuted for refusing a rest?" George burst into laughter, pointing his fingers at his son.
Derek rolled his eyes at his father's silliness and shook his head, hoping that in the years to come, he wouldn't inherit his dad's sense of humour. Suddenly, Derek stopped laughing, noticing Casey's gaze in his direction. He smiled at her.
Casey smiled back and broke eye contact, focusing back down at her plate. She conjured up the courage to make eye contact again, however, when she looked back up at Derek, she noted that he no longer appeared relaxed. Before she realized what was going on, she felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning her head to check behind her, she saw a familiar figure standing at her table.
"James?" Casey exclaimed, "What are you doing here?"
While trying hard to conceal the shock on her face, Casey was aware that James' caramel skin was glowing in his gray double breasted suit. His dark beard was groomed perfectly and as his mouth formed a warm grin, Casey remembered once again why she found him so attractive.
"It is a Law Conference, and I am a lawyer?" He laughed, flashing his white teeth at her.
Nora felt the awkwardness and stood up next to her daughter. "Hi, James. It's been a while, hasn't it." She said, trying to soften the moment.
James shook her hand, "It sure has, Mrs. McDonald-Venturi. A pleasure to see you again. And Mr. Venturi, congrats on the award. I've heard of some of the great things your law firm has done this year. You deserve that award."
"Thank you, James." George replied shortly.
Derek didn't stand nor did he smile. "Hey" was the only word that came out of his mouth. James nodded at Derek noticing the unwelcome vibe thrown in his direction. It was more than evident that neither of them wanted to interact with one another.
Leaning down from where he was standing, James put his arm around his ex girlfriend. "Casey, do you want to come back with me to my table? I was hoping we could talk."
Casey squirmed slightly, feeling uncomfortable with this entire situation. She didn't want to have a conversation, especially after the fit he threw the night she broke up with him. Her uneasiness was written all over her face.
"Sure. Just for a few minutes though, okay?"
James offered his hand and Casey grabbed it. He helped her stand up and then put his arm out so she had something to grab onto while she followed with him in her heels. As Casey walked away with a fake smile on her face, Derek watched her disappear into the crowd in her burgundy silk dress.
"Nora, you just let her go?" Derek questioned over the loud music. "She didn't want to go, couldn't you tell?"
Nora winced at her step son. "I know she didn't, but knowing Casey, she wouldn't have wanted me to get involved. I'll let them have a few minutes alone and then I'll make an excuse and go interrupt them."
"I don't like that guy." Derek stated as if he wasn't bothered, but his leg bouncing up and down under the table indicated otherwise.
"Neither do I. I doubt Casey can be convinced but I hope he doesn't try and sweet talk her into getting back together. That relationship was toxic."
"I'm not going to let that happen." Derek said, standing up from his chair. "I'm going to go get her."
Nora stood, putting her hands on Derek's shoulders. "Derek... I know you care about your stepsister, but don't make a scene okay? For your father's sake, stay calm." She moved her head so Derek would make eye contact with her. "Just go over there and see if she needs you to interject. If she doesn't, then turn around and come back. Okay?"
"Okay." Derek agreed.
Before Nora could say anything else, Derek was out of her sight.
— — — — — — — — —
"Casey, I feel like you gave up on us too quickly and I'm hoping you can give our relationship another chance." James said. There didn't seem to be a lead into the discussion, he just jumped into it, throwing Casey off completely. Instead of getting upset, she nervously began to giggle. Was this a joke?
Casey's eyes widened in disbelief, "James, why are you constantly emphasizing the things that I've done? It takes two to tango. I could ask you why you chose to give up on us? Since when did status and money become more important than our relationship?"
"What are you talking about?" James asked, his eyebrows furrowing.
Casey knew it, there was no getting through to this man. He lived in a world that viewed their relationship in a delusional light. The relationship he saw was a fictional fragment of his imagination.
"That's the thing, James. You'll never understand, because you're not the same man I fell in love with."
"Yes, I am." James tried to persuade her.
"No, you're not. Can't you see? You're no longer the man who surprises me with coffee or says 'I'll make the time' when he's busy. You're no longer the love of my life who makes me laugh or the caring man who reserves an hour out of his day to listen to my day. It's all about you and your success… actually now that I think about it, it was never about me. I'm just a temporary accessory in your life. The second you meet a girl who checks off all your boxes, you'll get rid of me anyway. Isn't it time we call a spade a spade and get past all the bullshit?"
Casey wished she could take a picture of the shock on James' face. It was obvious that he didn't realize Casey was as perceptive as she was. It was either that or the fact that she was finally blunt enough to lay out the truth.
"Casey, I'm sorry you feel that way."
"Ugh, see?!" Casey started, throwing her hands in the air. "That's a shitty apology! You never take responsibility for your actions! And you know, I can sit here and argue with you about what should have been said and what could have been done… but I've decided to leave it in the past. I don't regret our relationship or the way it ended because the timing has led me to something better." Casey's eyes softened, thinking about what she'd lived with Derek in the last few weeks.
"Now let me apologize James: I'm sorry that there's nothing to save between us. "
Casey's eyes began to fill with tears and she didn't want James to see her cry. Getting up, she turned around quickly and began to leave, heading in the direction of her family's table. Before she got very far, James grabbed her hand forcefully, pulling her back towards him. Casey spun around, ready to attack James with her words but before anything came out of her mouth, she heard Derek's voice speak instead.
"I believe Casey said she was done here. So if I were you, I'd let go of her hand." Derek demanded. There was a harshness to his voice that Casey had never heard before.
James swore under his breath. "You're going to get involved again? We're seriously going to do this Venturi?"
"I'm not doing anything" Derek stated, "I'm just here to make sure Casey's decisions are respected because I listen to her, unlike you." Derek turned his attention to his step sister, "So Casey, do you want to stay here with James or are you ready to go?"
"I think it's best we end this conversation." Casey said apologetically. "I'm sorry, James."
Casey began to turn away but James still didn't let go of his grip on her wrist.
"Let go of her." Derek commanded.
"And what if I don't?" James challenged.
"Oh, you will."
James and Derek locked eyes, silently threatening one another. That's when James finally let go of his grip, causing Casey's hand to go limp. Before Casey could process what was happening, she gave Derek a stern look and motioned for him to follow her.
"I'll call you later, Casey." James called after her while she moved away from where he was standing.
This made Derek's blood boil. "Did you not hear me, James? I think she made herself clear that she was done with you."
James straightened his posture now, puffing up his chest. "And who are you? Her spokesperson?"
Derek closed his eyes and shook his head. He must have heard wrong… was this guy seriously challenging him? "Excuse me?"
Derek's fists were white with anger. Casey was only a few feet away from the table when she glanced back and saw two men and their escalating body language. Running back in her heels, she grabbed Derek's hand to pull him away. She pulled with all of her might but she could barely get him to move with her.
"Derek, just let it go! Let's go outside and take a breath of fresh air, okay?"
Casey dragged Derek with full force as she fast walked in her heels towards the exit sign in the banquet room. Never in her life did she think she could walk this fast in stilettos, but anger and fear fueled her feet to move faster, so she could remove her stepbrother from that ugly scene. Derek continued to stay silent, his face furious, his body still relentlessly resisting Casey's pull.
Exiting the hotel lobby and making it outside into the cold, Casey let go of Derek's hand abruptly. She pushed Derek hard against his chest, angrily distancing herself from him, fighting him while he attempted to approach her.
"What the hell was that, Derek?!" Casey asked, eyes narrowed and arms crossed. "I can fight my own battles, you know? I'm a grown woman, I don't need you to fight them for me!"
Derek had trouble wrapping his head around what was happening. Her jerk of an ex boyfriend was being forceful and she was upset at Derek for saving her?
"I know I seemed harsh but Case, I just can't handle that guy being around you-" Derek's hands became fists again at the thought of James touching Casey.
That was it. Casey had enough of all this confusion. It was coming to an end right now. She was in her thin silk dress, so riled up that she didn't even feel cold as the wind hit her body, throwing her hair out of the updo she had so carefully pinned. "And why?! Why is that Derek?"
Derek knew exactly what Casey was implying but he chose to ignore her underlying question. "He wasn't listening to what you were saying- he's an asshole!"
"That may be true, but you don't get to go around scaring my boyfriends or my ex boyfriends anymore Derek. You're not allowed to be possessive over me."
"I'm just trying to protect you!" Derek reasoned.
"Why?!" Casey screamed. This moment now broke her, her face trying to fight back tears once again tonight.
Derek angrily stomped away from where Casey was standing, turning his back toward her. This was the moment where everything exploded and Derek knew it. There was nowhere he could hide anymore, no excuse to use as a cover up - this was it. He kept standing in his place, unable to continue. Not knowing where to start or where his feelings end.
When Derek didn't say anything, Casey continued. "Why are you always mean to me one minute and caring the next? Why do your eyes linger over me when I get close to you? Why did you attempt to make a dish you hate because it was my favourite? Why am I standing here confused, thinking you care for me, when in actuality, you're heartless?"
That's when Derek turned around. Her words stung him and he couldn't take her accusations anymore. She thought she knew him, but in reality she knew nothing. "Is that what you think? That I don't feel a damn thing?" He shouted back at her. "Well this might surprise you, but I don't have a heart made out of stone, Casey." His tone suddenly changed from harsh to soft, letting his words drift over to Casey in the wind. "I feel so much that sometimes I think my emotions are going to be the death of me."
They were both standing on the street outside of the hotel, making a scene. Luckily, it was late enough that there was nobody around, just the two of them and the sound of the waves crashing onto the rocks at the waterfront.
Derek walked back to where Casey was standing. His eyes were different now, they were dark and sincere, reflecting an emotion she had never seen before.
"Open up your hand." He asked gently.
He reached into his pocket and grabbed something, bringing his hand back out to hers. He dropped the light item into her hand - It was the photostrip he had stolen and kept hidden in his nightstand.
Casey felt frozen, her mind unable to process what was happening. Everything she ever felt for Derek since she was sixteen rushed back to her all at once, overwhelming her senses.
"Maybe if I had the guts to give this to you after I had stolen it in Disneyland, we would have been in a different place today. But I'm a coward, Casey."
Derek brushed the hair out of Casey's face, tucking the loose strands behind her ears.
"Maybe then you wouldn't have dated James. I wouldn't have moved away to try and forget you. We could have been travelling the world together."
Casey's hand was still out, looking at the photo in her hand in disbelief. He cupped his hands around hers, "This photo represents my heart. It's always been yours Casey McDonald. You drive me crazy and I've spent every day since I've met you trying to run away from those blue eyes. I can't run anymore, Case..."
Casey was unable to move, tears still rolling down her face.
"And I understand if you don't feel the same way. If you think I'm a fool for thinking this could work, I don't blame you. It's a pretty messy situation. So if you walk away now and forget I said anything, I'll understand. I won't be upset because at least I said it." Derek shrugged.
Casey bit her lip, still looking up at Derek. She tilted her head at the man looking at her, the man who was waiting for her to say something.
"Is that what you think?" Casey asked through her tears, "That I'm going to let you go?"
Casey cupped Derek's face gently with both of her hands, lost in his brown eyes.
"Derek Venturi, can't you see? I'm in love with you."
That's all Derek needed to hear before his heart melted in his chest. Casey brought his face to hers and she kissed him, just like she always imagined she would. Her lips moved slowly at first as they gently caressed him but then she was helpless in his arms as he deepened the kiss, passionately showing her how much he actually did care. The increasing intensity caused Casey to cling onto Derek's shirt as his arms wrapped around her body, his touch making her head spin. Derek broke the kiss and brought his head down to her neck while he held her in his arms, brushing his lips against her skin.
"I love you, Casey McDonald." He whispered into the night, wishing this moment would never end.
