AN. Yes finally finally I have an update for this. It's taken me forever, but here is hoping that you would like this chapter. Do review...:)
DISCLAIMER: I had begged and threatened...but all in vain.
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The next time it happens (he has lost count, haven't you noticed?) Derek Venturi blames it on the excess usage of garlic in Nora's cooking.
Edwin is the first one to notice that something is wrong with him.
"You're making your own sandwich?" he yelps as he enters the kitchen.
Derek looks up with annoyance and then continues back to spreading the mayo, "yes"
"You don't want me do it for you?" Edwin asks again, his knuckles turning almost white as he holds onto the island, leaning forward in anticipation.
"No." Derek answers in a monotone.
"I knew it…."
Derek ignores him but Edwin continues none the less ('taking a hint'….that was the topic of their next brother to brother talk)
"I knew it…you haven't bugged Casey in a while (if only he knew...), you have been doing all your homework (okay, so Edwin didn't know that these days the back of Derek's notebooks had replaced Babe Raider for Casey in different fashions for Bikini ware...) and you have been asking Casey not to avoid you (let's just not get into that. Please.)And now this. They all point toward the same thing. You…"
"Point towards what?" Derek asks threateningly, his butter knife drawn dangerously in the direction of his brother.
"No...Nnnthing brother…I was just saying that perhaps you are ill or something…" Edwin explains jerking back automatically.
"Who's ill?" Lizzie enters the kitchen, saving Edwin from what could have been a very tragic end…
"Derek…he's making his own sandwich…"
"What?" her eyes go round and she turns to Edwin, "wasn't that clause No. 2 (vi) on our Anti Derek forum…"
(And they have an entire forum on him. Derek doesn't know whether to be very flattered or very annoyed. Annoyed. Really because this is Edwin and Lizzie)
Lizzie draws her chair close to Derek and places a palm on his forehead, "Na. No fever…" she looks at him closely and scrunches up a face in examination, "Derek do you feel woozy in your stomach." (Excuse me? By woozy do you mean that weird I- have- a- hockey- match- and –no-hockey-stick feeling I get whenever your sister as much as enters the room?)
"Actually Liz, I do" he says grabbing her by the shoulders and she shrinks back, almost scared…
And then.
"Do I have bad breath?" he draws out in a single breath.
"Huh!!" and she shrinks back even further…"I don't know and trust me I don't want to know…"
"No really… Because I need to know…" (Brushed my teeth this morning? Check. Last night. Check. Morning before? Check. Because who wants to miss Princess drooling over with white foam. It's hilarious... And adorable and he is going and shooting himself after he hides every object of dental hygiene in the house)
"You know what? I think I can help you with that." Edwin interrupts. "I am sure I have a few notes on different kinds of bad breath somewhere."
Derek turns around to look at him and realizes almost as an afterthought that he is still holding onto Lizzie and that there is a knife grasped between his teeth. He releases both and shakes himself out from the sudden bewilderment, "Edwin, finish making my sandwich."
And walks out. (Giving his younger siblings enough material to spend another year in the game closet.)
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Kendra is bombarded with it next.
"Derek for the hundredth time, you kiss real well…really really well in fact…" she is getting this dreamy look in her eyes and some of Derek's lost ego starts to climb his way back.
And he spends his math class going over the same old ordeal.
Why had Casey not kissed him back?
Option1. He didn't kiss her properly. (But hadn't Kendra's glazed eyes just proved otherwise to him (and seriously he had always gotten rave reviews on his performance)) (crossed out.)
Option 2. He has bad breath. (Now he doesn't really pride himself on his hygiene or anything but as mentioned before he has incentives for being in the same bathroom with Casey from time to time) and his mind has gone back to Casey land and he needs to come back before he starts to visualize anymore of tiled floors and wet bodies and…oh god make it stop!) (Crossed out immediately because he doesn't know where can he get that cold shower and why is he thinking of showers again in the middle of a class?)
Option 3. She doesn't know how to kiss. (Likely option except for that little detail that he has seen her making out with Sam and Max on that fateful couch in their living room. (There is a reason he has a different chair. And you thought that the recliner was to stretch his legs?))
(She freaking even eats her tofu in a sexy way. How can she not know how to kiss?)
(Yeah well, are you slow? Definitely crossed out buddy).
Option4. It really isn't just Yin and Yang but more along the lines of step Yin and step Yang. Whatever. So maybe Casey isn't that comfortable with it yet. Given a little more time, a few more practice session she should be just fine. Because kissing Derek Venturi was the ultimate goal in any girl's life. Really.
And suddenly he is hit by a pen from across the room (Casey?) and his mind is reverted back (for the first time) to the world of integration and differentiation.
(And he needs a bit more of that adding and subtracting and weird signs in the middle in his life.)
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He should learn not to enter her room without knocking.
Because Casey finds just that particular evening to practice her dance moves. And how tough would it have been for her to post a note on her door saying that she had a blue dress on and that she was dancing (which ultimately meant that she had amazing long legs sprawled out at different angles for the world to see) and the fact that she was looking sexy as hell…
Derek stands at the open doorframe with his mouth gaping open and Casey hasn't even heard him come in. he quickly leaves the room, slamming the door shut behind him. (and finally hears it- De-rek)
Note to self: that huge 'KEEP OUT' sign on his door frame needed to be stuck on Casey's door. Just for reminders.
He is waiting downstairs for her and he knows that she would come. He just does.
And she comes down (wearing a tee and jeans. Thank god)
Casey quietly picks up the remote and switches on the TV. Derek quietly takes the remote and lowers the volume.
She doesn't complain. He really isn't that surprised.
"Why did you kiss me?
"Why didn't you kiss me back?"
And they laugh a little. (Still not looking at each other but the unison has at least brought down the tension down a bit. Whatever tension you can bring down between a pair of step siblings who have shared a kiss. Uh…a one sided kiss. Whatever)
"Why didn't you kiss me back?" Derek repeats again.
Casey stares ahead. "I don't know. Why did you kiss me in the first place?"
"I don't know."
Fair enough.
They sit in the middle of that awkward silence for several more minutes, while Casey resumes staring blankly at the TV and Derek continues to drum his fingers on the arm rest.
"Why don't we just ignore it?" She finally says.
"Ignore what?"
"This…this…"
He would. He really would. If he could. But fun fact. This is attached to his various bodily functions. (The south block obviously but he has this gnawing doubt that the north block is actively involved as well.)
"Okay." He agrees.
She turns around to look him up at surprise. (Because he never does agree with her that easily.)
And nothing has changed.
"It isn't my bad breath? Is it?" Derek breaths out into his palm. Checking.
Casey bursts out into a laugh, "what?"
Derek looks at her almost hurt, "no seriously. I need to know. Was it the technique? Was it…"
He stops suddenly because Casey is smiling (a little impishly) and is leaning forward. (And dude, breath.)
She holds out onto his neck bringing his face forward (and his motor nerves have dejected him. Filthy traitors) and stops a nanometer away before her lips would have touched his. She looks up and he looks back at her. Dazed. And she has drawn back and resumed her position on the couch in matter of seconds. Her gaze back on the TV.
"No. you don't have bad breath…"
"As for the technique. I will give that a test later."
Derek opens and closes his mouth a few times before he just continues to stare ahead again.
Several minutes tick by.
"And before we get to that" Casey says, "you may as well give me a bulleted list on why exactly did you kiss me…"
Pause.
"And I would appreciate it if it was color coded..."
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AN. Thanks to Katmac1 whose idea it was of Derek walking onto Casey's room while she is practicing her dance moves...
How was it? And seriously this was supposed to be Derek in control chapter, how exactly did Casey turn into a tease...Poor Derek...The next chapter should probably be the end, because that is all the options I can come up with...I am not exactly ending it in a haste but this really is nearing towards it. My other two stories should have an update soon...do read them...:) thanks...I really really appreciate you guys...