Chapter 5 - Drive me crazy
"Hey, Joe" a bunch of voices saluted him as the five interns walked inside his bar.
"Hey, doctors!" Joe greeted them with a big grin. "What can I bring you?" he asked them as they sat down at the bar.
"Just beer, for all of us" Christina ordered.
"What? No tequila for Dr. Grey?" Joe asked looking incredulously at Meredith as he saw her sulk face.
"No, tequila for Dr. Grey tonight." Cristina patted Meredith's back, holding a crooked smile on her lips. "She needs to keep her mind clear and gives us some gossip."
Meredith scowled at Christina and took a sip from the bottle that Joe had just opened and placed it in front of her.
"It must be a really good gossip if Christina Yang is willing to hear it." Alex chuckled.
"It is indeed, Evil Spawn." Christina smirked at him.
"A gossip session! Yay!!" Izzie clapped her hands squealing cheerfully. "Let's go to a table first so that we can sit more comfortable." She suggested.
Everyone stood up in the same time besides Meredith. She wasn't in the mood to share her intimate thoughts about Mark with anybody. Christina grabbed her by her elbow and pulled her down from the barstool, dragging her along the bar to the table that their friends had chosen; a private table in the nearest corner from the entrance.
"Ok, who goes first?" Izzie asked as she rubbed her palm anxiously.
"Meredith" Christina answered smiling at Meredith.
"No." Meredith refused shaking her head.
"Come on Grey, if Yang wants to hear it, it means it's a good one, so…spit it out." Alex urged her, also anxious.
"Yes, tell us Meredith!" Izzie was ready to cry out because of the excitement.
"Come on guys, leave her alone." George interrupted, defending Meredith. "If she doesn't want to tell you, then don't force her."
"Shut up, Bambi! Nobody asked you if you want to hear it or not!" Christina snapped at him.
"George! My name is George!" George snapped back, frustrated while the others laughed as Christina shrunk in her seat caught off guard by George's outburst.
Having him at her right, Meredith patted George's shoulder. "Come on, leave George alone. I'll tell you." She agreed halfheartedly.
"The guy you saw today, Christina," Meredith looked at her friend as she spoke. "He was my boyfriend…from high school."
"What guy?" Izzie questioned and suddenly became panicked. "What did I miss?" She asked looking back and forth at Meredith and Christina.
"That's not interesting, Christina!" Alex groaned, unpleased with the beginning. "If her ex is in town, so what?"
Christina smiled at Meredith and then grinned knowingly at Alex. "And what if I tell you that her ex boyfriend has something in common with her and Shepherd the husband?"
Alex raised his eyebrows and nodded once, now interested again. "I'm intrigued. Do tell!" Alex urged Meredith.
Christina looked at Meredith and smiled "Will you tell them or I will?"
Meredith stared at her beer and let out the words to come out of her mouth "They have… or had Shepherd, the wife…in common."
Izzie and George looked at each other confused "I don't get it!"
"Me neither," George his head, dumbfounded.
"Well that would have been something unique, if Blondie and Bambi had understood!" Alex laughed sarcastically, earning some evil glares from those two.
"If you are so smart, then you tell us!" Izzie smacked his arm.
"He must be the guy that Satan cheated on Shepherd with," Alex said. "Am I right?" looking at Christina and Meredith. Both of them nodded.
"Wow!" Izzie exclaimed shocked.
"Wow!" was all George could say too.
"Wait!" Izzie said, realizing something, "This must be the guy that McDreamy punched! Is he Meredith?" and Meredith nodded. "What is he doing in Seattle?"
Meredith laughed sarcastically, "Not to see me, that's for sure."
The door's bell jingled and Izzie, who was sitting at the table facing the entrance, glanced up and her eyes remained pinned on a spot. "Maybe, but now I am sure that he is here to see you," she said as she saw Mark giving a look around and going to the bar.
Everyone turned around and followed Izzie's gaze. Christina and Meredith saw Mark ordering a beer from bar and then scanning the place again.
Meredith looked away from, hoping to pass unnoticed.
Mark didn't see her from the first time, but he recognized Christina and soon he noticed Meredith too; he took his beer and headed towards them.
When Christina saw him coming, she shifted on the next seat, pushing George further, so that Mark could come and sit beside Meredith.
"Meredith," he said smiling, not breaking his gaze on Meredith. He sat down on the place that Christina had generously offered to him and put his beer on table. "I hope you don't mind if I join you?" he asked, just glancing at Meredith's friends, not really interested if his presence there bothered any of them.
"No, not at all," Everyone one muttered, checking for Meredith's reaction.
He looked at Meredith and put his arm around her shoulders. "Thanks for coming Mer!" making the others to chuckle while Meredith to put a fake smile on her face and took his arm off her shoulders. "Don't make me regret it Mark." She scowled.
"Sorry." Mark grinned innocently and he took a sip from his beer.
Christina looked curious at them "Oh… you two are having a date? I guess we should go then!" and she stood up to leave.
Mark wanted to say something, but Meredith cut in. "No, no…we are not having a date," She grabbed her elbow and pulled her back down. Then she looked glaring at Mark.
"That's right," Mark said, smiling at her. "We just want to catch up with the things that happened to us in these past 14 years."
"So you don't have to leave," Meredith grumbled, glaring at Christina.
Meredith and Mark chattered a little about their jobs, about the hospital and things related to hospital, until Izzie couldn't longer resist and cut in. "So, what brings you to Seattle?"
Meredith scowled at her and shook her head disapprovingly.
"Businesses." It was Mark's simple answer.
"And how long are you planning to stay here?" Izzie continued with the interrogation.
"Today I signed a contract with Seattle Grace Hospital, so… I'll stay here for a while I guess," Mark didn't seem bothered by Izzie's curiosity and answered right away.
"That's great!" Alex exclaimed excitedly. "I have a special interest for Plastics, so maybe you will help me."
"Maybe," Mark replied
Now Christina was the one who was waiting for the right moment to place a question. "Meredith told us you two dated in High School?"
Mark smiled and looked over to Meredith, who was avoiding his curious stare and his glumly smile. "Yes, we did for a year and an half, right, Mer?" Meredith just nodded, still not looking at them. "We stayed together until my family moved from Boston to New York and in the meantime we lost the contact with each other… until today"
Mark noticed that Meredith was feeling uncomfortable to speak about them, so he dropped the subject and continued with a few banal questions about Seattle and about the hospital, until they fell into an awkward silence. Meredith's friends saw that Mark and Meredith couldn't talk too much about them, so they excused themselves and left, giving them privacy.
Left alone, Mark moved on the other side of the table so that he could have Meredith in front of him. "I guess that they already know who am I and why I am here."
"This type of gossip travels fast around our hospital," Meredith smiled.
"But they know what kind of relationship we had in the past?"
"No. I think you already figured it out that I don't like to expose my entire private life; besides, we were kids when that happened, I was 14, you were 15, it wasn't that serious."
"Do you mean you don't find our moment important anymore?"
"Mark, what I mean is … the first time is always special and definitely something unforgettable, but the things are different now, we are different."
"Yeah, like how we both fell for an inappropriate person."
That took Meredith by surprise. She knew he was referring at him and Addison, but why did he say 'we'? What did he know?
Mark read all those questions in her eyes, so he smiled and rubbed her cheek gently with his thumb "About you and Derek? Addison told me." Meredith looked down at her hands, embarrassed. "Who would have thought that Meredith and Mark would become some … dirty mistresses." Mark said jokingly.
"Maybe you still are a … dirty mistress Mark, but I stopped when I found out about his wife so this makes me … an ex dirty mistress." Mark laughed and took the last sip from his beer. Her smooth forehead puckered and her face became serious. "Why did you do it, Mark? Why did you sleep with your best friend's wife?"
Mark sighed and looked at his now empty beer bottle. "I met Derek and Addison when I started my internship in New York. Derek was my resident in the first year and we became really close friends; I was Derek's best man at their wedding; but in this last years Derek started to change; he was always very busy with work and he became very absent to me and Addison; it wasn't easy to see happening this, especially for Addison. And … this the way it started; Addison needed someone and …I was there"
"And did you really believe that Derek will forgive you for that?"
"No, I knew that he wouldn't forgive me, but …" Mark let out a sigh. "I don't want to believe that I ruined our friendship for nothing."
"Mark, are you in love with Addison?"
"Those two months, while we lived together made me believe that there is something more between us then friendship and sex." Mark admitted, thoughtful.
"Wait, wait! Do you mean that you and Addison continued your affair even after Derek found out about you two?"
Mark leaned back and nodded; his cheerful face expression disappeared and now he was looking seriously into Meredith's eyes. Mark has always been a person with a smile on his face; rarely were there moments that Meredith saw him angry or sad; he always used to have a smile for each mood.
"Derek better not find out this too." Meredith mumbled.
"I hope so," he sighed and leaned over the table. He took Meredith's hand and smiled at her. "Do you remember our first date Meredith?"
Meredith chuckled and pulled her hand back running it through her hair.
"Are you serious Mer? Mark asked you to go out with him?"
"Yes Natalie! Now stop asking me this over and over again and help to find an outfit"
"Take the blue dress that you bought from Europe; it is casual and fancy in the same time"
"You're right; gosh… I am so nervous!"
"I am nervous too! My best friend is going out for a date with no one other but Mark Sloan"
………………………
"Wow Mer! You look deadly in that dress! You are going to drive him crazy!"
"Hehe! I know! Thank God my mom is not home tonight!"
--
"Hi Mer! Wow… you look… wow!"
"Thanks! Let's go!"
"Is your mom home?"
"Of course not!"
"Bring her home before midnight Mark!"
"Oh… actually she is!"
"Hehe! What a young mom you have! Bye Natalie!"
"I still can't believe that you convinced me to do karaoke." Meredith giggled, now her cheeks flushed as that night came back in her mind. "I can't believe you actually sang that song." Meredith laughed, hiding her face in her palms.
Mark laughed along with her as he remembered that. "I know! But it was the perfect song for you. Let me see if I remember it right…"
"Oh no, please don't, Mark!" Meredith begged him laughing, visibly embarrassed.
"Oh, I think I remember it
"You know baby when you're in my arms
I can feel your magic touch
You drive me crazy
You drive me crazy
And when I'm looking in those big blue eyes
I start flowing down in paradise
You drive me crazy
You drive me crazy"
"Please Mark stop it!" Meredith laughed, jumping to cover his mouth with both hands as the other customers were already looking at them amused.
"Heaven must have sent you down
Down for me to give me a thrill
Everytime you touch me, everytime you hold me
My heart starts beating like a train on a track
I love you baby and it's plain to see
I love you honey it was made to be
You drive me crazy"
Mark continued unabashed, taking her hand away from his mouth and holding them in his, into a strong grip. He stopped, still holding her hands in his and looked into her eyes contemplating; they were so young and their love was so pure and innocent.
Meredith broke their gaze when she stood up "I have to go, it's getting late." Meredith shook her head when she felt dazed by Mark's intense gaze and jumped up on her feet. "Bye Mark." She flashed him a shyly smile, grabbing her jacket and left in a hurry.
"Bye Mer!" Mark muttered, with his thoughts still re-watching those times.