Meredith looks in the mirror one more time, fluffing her hair as she does so. This isn't like her experience with the mirror earlier. She doesn't feel the self-hate that she felt. Instead, she feels the butterflies flittering around in her stomach as the anticipation builds for her date with Derek. She has never felt this way before. It is almost as if she opened her mouth wide enough her room would be filled with butterflies in a matter of moments.
She turns around and checks out her ass, wanting to look perfect for him. She is wearing a pair of fitted dark blue jeans that fit her just right and a USA soccer jersey. She figures that since they are going to a soccer game, she shouldn't dress up too much. She knows that she will be yelling and cursing just as much as the next fan and she wants to be comfortable while doing it.
She lightly sprays her lavender body spritz on her neck before quietly opening the door to her bedroom. Derek is sitting on the couch watching the television, his back to her. She has to suppress a giggle as she sees that he is wearing the exact same jersey as her. Talk about a total coincidence.
"Hey," she says as she pushes herself off of the doorframe and makes her way over to the couch.
He turns and faces her and can't help but chuckle as he sees what she is wearing.
"Hey," he responds. "It looks like we think like," he says, motioning to what she is wearing.
She giggles as she sits down next to him.
"It does appear that way," she states with a smile as she turns to face him.
He smiles warmly at her as his eyes drink her in. She looks stunning. Her face is glowing. Her lips are a shiny pink color and her sweet, flowery scent fills his nasal cavity.
"You look beautiful," he says in an awestruck voice. He is relieved that she isn't wearing hills and a dress. She is perfect. She is perfect for him. He notices her blush in embarrassment as she looks down at her hands that are folded nervously in her lap.
She looks up at him from under her lashes. He is smiling warmly at her. She inhales deeply, the scent of his soap and aftershave travels down her trachea, through her bronchi and bronchioles, before filling the many alveoli that reside in her lungs.
"Are you ready?" he asks with a smile as he finds himself drowning in her seas of green.
"Yup," she responds as she rubs her sweaty palms over her jean-clad thighs.
Derek stands up and reaches his hand out to her. She looks up at him before placing her small hand in his. He pulls her to her feet. They stand there for a moment, staring into each other's eyes. Both forgetting that they are about to go on their first date. Both ignoring the thousand of butterflies that are fluttering in each of their stomachs. Both realizing that tonight could be the first night of the rest of their lives.
He runs his thumb in circles in the center of her palm, that simple touch sending chills down her spine. Her lips part slightly and she sighs as she feels what seems like a lifetime of stress melt away.
Derek is tempted to lower his lips down onto her, to insert his tongue between her parted lips and taste her. But he doesn't. He wants to take it slow. He wants to take it slow because Meredith isn't just a fling. He knows that. He knows that she is something more. She is something more in a big way. He is already thinking about forevers when he never he thought about marriage before. He believes they have the possibility of forever to get to know each other, so he wants to take his time and learn each delicate and intricate part deliciously slow.
"We should go." His husky voice cuts through the silence heavy with a growing sexual tension. "The game starts in two hours and I want us to be able to enjoy dinner," he adds, hoping to emphasize his desire to enjoy a long meal with her.
She smiles up at him.
"What did you have in mind for dinner?" she asks while biting down on her bottom lip.
He can't help but chuckle at her innocent look that he finds incredibly sexy.
"I was thinking that we could go to that little American diner that is close to the stadium. It is quaint and personable and they have a variety of foods."
"Sounds perfect," she says as she tugs on his hand, leading him towards the door. She stops and grabs her purse before pulling him out of the front door and towards the elevator, eager to get their first date underway.
Derek chuckles as he is pulled along. They stop in front of the elevators and wait impatiently for it to arrive. He can't take it anymore, he needs for her to be closer to him. He needs to nuzzle his face in her hair. He pulls on her hand so that she is standing in front of him. She gasps at his sudden action, but can't help but smile when he pulls her body back into his and grabs her other hand so that his arms are wrapped around her. She hears him inhale deeply as he buries his face in her neck.
"What are you doing?" she asks with amusement in her voice.
"Breathing you in," he responds simply as he takes another deep breath. "You smell like some kind of flower that I can't put my finger on." His voice is full of wonder and awe.
She giggles as she leans further back into him.
"Maybe if you are good I will reveal my secret to you," she says in a playful voice.
He arches his eyebrow as he releases one of her hands only to move his hand to her hip. His thumb begins to rub circles on her hip bone as he leans his mouth close to her ear.
"What if I'm bad?" His voice is low and husky.
Before Meredith can turn around the elevator arrives. They step onto the empty elevator, maintaining their close contact. He reaches past her, giving her another whiff of his pure masculine scent, to punch in their destination.
"Well?" he asks as he waits for her answer.
Meredith giggles. "I guess I will just have to punish you then," she states in a quiet voice. She isn't used to this kind of banter. It is light and playful and perfect.
"Ooohh," Derek chuckles, amusement evident in his voice.
They settle into a comfortable silence as the elevator descends to the lobby. They don't need words. Words couldn't express the amount of comfort that each finds in the presence of the other. They separate when the doors open, both instantly feeling cold. Derek reaches out and grabs Meredith's hand, hoping to restore at least some of the previous warmth found from her proximity. Derek leads Meredith through the lobby and towards the restaurant, where he cannot wait to engage in conversation all the while getting lost in her amazing green eyes.
Derek places his hand on the small of Meredith's back as he opens the door to the restaurant for her and waits for her to cross the threshold before following. The restaurant is quiet and surprisingly sparsely populated, mainly due to the fact that few know of its existence.
Derek smiles at the waitress as she walks towards them.
"Dos?" she asks in Spanish.
Derek simply nods and they follow the waitress to a booth that is situated in the far corner of the room. Meredith slides into the seat first and Derek opts to slide in next to her instead of sitting across from her. He doesn't want to miss out on enjoying the warmth that only her body can provide him. Meredith looks up at him and smiles as his hip comes to rest next to hers, almost touching, the distance between them seeming like a thousand miles.
The waitress hands them their menus and takes their drink orders before disappearing, leaving them alone. Derek looks down at Meredith who is studying the menu intently.
"Do you know what you want?" Derek asks as he can't help but note how adorable Meredith looks when she is concentrating. Her nose is scrunched up slightly and she is biting down on her bottom lip, something which he has realized she does often.
"Hrmm…I'm thinking that cheese fries sound good," she says as she continues to peruse the menu.
"Cheese fries?" he asks her with arched brow. Every other girl he has taken out has ordered lettuce and water. He knows that she is different, but this seems too good to be true.
"And a bacon cheeseburger," she says as she closes the menu and sits it down on the table. She looks up at him expectantly.
"What about you?" she asks as she leans back, their knees touching momentarily and electricity traveling through both of their bodies at the simple, brief contact.
Derek feels his breath hitch as he tries to regain his composure from the brief encounter of their knees. He has no idea how he is going to keep from ravishing her on the table, let alone on the date.
He clears his throat as he straightens up in his seat. "That sounds good," he responds in a strained voice.
She arches her eyebrow. "Are you okay?" she asks while watching him closely, a look of worry and confusion on her face.
He turns to her and smiles warmly. "I'm great," he responds. "Couldn't be better. Perfect, you might say."
Meredith's giggles filter through the air.
"You're rambling," she states. It is not an accusation, but something that she is finding completely adorable at the moment. Actually, she would probably find anything that Derek says or does adorable.
Derek blushes slightly, which only causes Meredith to giggle more.
"It's just…that's my thing. The rambling," Meredith says with a smirk.
Derek tilts his head back and chuckles heartily as he watches her out of the corner of his eye. He leans his body into hers and nudges her slightly with his own.
"So, do you plan on copyrighting rambling? You know, since it is your thing and all," Derek remarks with a laugh in his voice.
Meredith giggles as she elbows him in the ribs.
"Ow," he says as he feigns injury and begins to rub the place where her elbow jabbed him, the tingling not from pain, but from the strong attraction that is felt between the forces that are Meredith and Derek.
"Smartass," Meredith mumbles as she scoots away from him.
He reaches out his arm and pulls her body into his, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. His scent as well as his body envelops her and drowns her in essence of Derek.
"Where do you think you are going?" Derek asks in a feigned hurt voice.
"To the other end of the seat. I'm afraid that your smartassedness will rub off on me," Meredith says in a playful tone.
"Really, now?" Derek asks as he arches his eyebrow.
Before Meredith can respond, Derek pulls her onto his lap, her knees hit the table as he does so. He wraps both of his large arms around her tiny frame and pulls her plush against him.
"What are you doing?" she asks as she is still trying to recover from the shock of his sudden action.
"Trying to rub off on you as much as possible," he respond with a smirk.
Just as Meredith opens her mouth, the waitress returns to take their orders. She wiggles off of his lap and reclaims her spot next to him as he places their orders. She can't help but feel a pang of jealousy as she notices the waitress flipping her hair flirtatiously as she clearly undresses Derek with her eyes.
After the waitress walks away, Derek turns his attention back to Meredith, but he notices that her demeanor has changed. She seems less confident. A worried expression causes his brow to furrow as he looks at her.
"What's wrong?" he asks, confusion and worry in his tone.
"Nothing," Meredith responds shrugging.
She doesn't want him to know that she felt jealousy. She doesn't even have a right to be jealous, does she? It is just their first date. They aren't dating, per say. They aren't together. They aren't exclusive. What the hell are they doing?
Derek turns his body towards her as he reaches down and grabs her hand. She immediately feels vulnerable. He makes her want to open up, but that allows for her to get hurt. She can't take getting hurt anymore. She just can't. He begins to caress her palm with his thumb as he searches her eyes.
She blushes brightly as she feels his eyes delving into her soul. She sighs, her shoulders slumping slightly with her exhalation.
"It's just…" Derek watches her expectantly. "You know what? It's stupid. It's nothing. Really. Don't worry about it," she trails off as she stares at the condensation that has begun to form on her coke.
Derek places his thumb under her chin, forcing her to look at him. His eyes are full of sincerity and concern.
"Meredith," her name on his tongue is so soft and seems so natural that it causes her heart to flutter, "it's not nothing or it wouldn't bother you. Just tell me what it is so that I can make it go away." He finishes the sentence with a smile while cocking his head to the side.
"You just have to be perfect, don't you?!" she says in slight frustration before crossing her arms over her chest in a somewhat childish reaction that causes Derek to chuckle.
"I try," he responds with a slight shrug.
He watches her for a moment. She stares at the wall.
"She was undressing you with her eyes and flirting shamelessly with you. It was like I wasn't even here. She didn't look at me. She didn't speak to me. I was infreakingvisible. And I know I shouldn't care. I know it shouldn't bother me. But it does. Okay?! It bothers me and I know it shouldn't but I can't help it. So, shut up and stop acting so smug or whatever, because even though I'm not looking at you, I can see the smirk plastered across your damn face…you…you…asshole!"
She finishes with a huff, somewhat out of breath. Derek can't hide the shocked expression on his face or the small smirk that is causing the left corner of his lip to turn upwards.
"Did you even breathe during that little rant?" he asks in a voice full of wonder with a hint of laughter.
She continues to stare at the wall, a scowl plastered on her face, clearly not finding the same amusement in her rant as he does. She can feel the table bend slightly under his weight as he leans forward on his elbow in an attempt to see her face. In response, she twists her body further away from him.
"So, you're jealous," he says in a voice full of amusement. It isn't a question, but rather a statement.
When she still fails to respond, Derek places his hand on her shoulder and turns her to face him. She refuses to look him in the eye.
"Meredith," he says softly, "look at me."
His voice is pleading and Meredith cannot deny him. She looks up into his blue orbs, the blush in her cheeks increasing slightly, but this time from sexual excitement. He runs his thumb over her jaw line as he stares at her, amazed at her vulnerability that only enhances her unique beauty.
"I didn't notice that she was flirting with me," he says in a soft voice.
Meredith tries to look away, but he stops her by cupping her cheek in his palm. She can't help but lean into his touch.
"I didn't notice that she was flirting with me because you are the only one that I see," he says in a sincere voice and she believes him.
Silence falls between them as they stare into each other's eyes, all else fading away as they truly only see the other. He slowly moves his face closer to hers, their hot breath mixing in the space that exists between them before hitting the other in the face. Derek continues to caress Meredith's jaw with his thumb as his eyes travel down to her lips that still hold their pouty stance. They are begging for him to kiss them. They are begging for him to taste them.
They are now only millimeters apart, the tension so thick and heavy that a bead of sweat forms on Derek's brow. He watches her tongue travel slowly over the course of her lips as she wets them in anticipation.
"Here is your food," a slightly irritated voice states as the waitress throws the plates down on the table with a loud clatter, causing Meredith and Derek to jump quickly apart as the awareness of their surroundings once again takes hold.
Derek clears his throat before smiling at the waitress and thanking her. He glances at Meredith who is smothering her cheese fries in ranch and he can't help but smile. As they progress through their meal making small talk, Derek can't help but think about how he can't wait to make their almost kiss into the perfect kiss with the perfect woman.
I know this took forever...school is kicking my ass...seriously...and yeah...it is my priority...and then my birthday...but yeah...the second part of the date will be the next update and I have no idea when I will get that...but I will write it as soon as I can...hope you all enjoyed it..
-Marci