So i know that I'm trying to make it 10 chapters, but i just keep getting more and more ideas, so maybe i'll extend chapters, or i'll just make them longer and longer, haha. idk.

Enjoy! :)

"So, Derek, I see you around with your roommate a lot more lately. How's the whole bed situation going?" Mark was eating lunch with him a few weeks later.

Derek tried not to visibly cringe. He was literally trying to forget this whole bet took place, being that he was really trying on this relationship thing with Casey. It was going way better than he'd planned it to about a month ago. The formal was coming up, and he hadn't even tried getting Casey in the sack. He was genuinely trying to do this thing with her, and he was enjoying every minute of it. He couldn't let Mark know that, though. He really wasn't up for the teasing.

"She's a tougher nut to crack than most girls on campus, Mark." He shrugged. Mark grinned, and shook his head.

"You're into her, dude. Just admit it. We can totally call the bet off if you're not up for it anymore." He was testing him, and Derek knew it.

"Is this your way of backing down?" Derek challenged his friend. He really shouldn't egg him on. He really shouldn't. Derek didn't need all of this mess getting worse.

"Nah, man, I'm just saying that you're starting to look pretty cozy with her." Mark was still grinning that damned evil grin of his.

"Well, don't get all used to me being around her for too long. After the dance, I'm calling it off." Derek was honestly trying to pretend that it wasn't Casey he was talking about. That it was just a random girl he picked up at a party, because in no way could he even imagine doing something so horrible to her.

"Alright, man, I was just wondering since you spend all your time with her. You rarely even have lunch with us anymore." Mark shrugged.

It was one of those days where Casey had dance practice and wasn't able to have lunch with him. He'd see her tonight, hopefully.

"I have to if she wants to think that I'm into her, is all." He shrugged, trying not to show his friend his complete disgust for himself because of the whole stupid situation.

"I get it. Bet you wished you had someone as easy as mine, huh? Martha gave it up to me the day I met her." He shrugged. "It's not too hard keeping her around considering she likes to come around once in a while to have more. I even asked her to the dance already. She said yes, of course." He shrugged.

All Derek could do is sigh. He hadn't asked Casey yet, but he knew she'd say yes with much enthusiasm. God, he really hoped she'd never find out.

"I don't know how you're doing it, man. If I had her around, I'd be in bed all day." Mark laughed a little. Derek scowled. "I mean, she wouldn't even be able to walk. That's how much I'd have my way with her."

"Alright, man. I don't like you talking that way about her. You need to stop." He glared up at him.

"I'm just saying!" his friend exclaimed.

"I am, too, man. I don't like it." He shrugged and tried to cool off by looking the other way.

Why the fuck did he get himself into this damn situation? He should've begged his parents to let him live in his own dorm. Even he knew that wouldn't work. It would be harder for him to keep the guys away from her. She was too beautiful for her own good, but she didn't even know it.

"Alright, man, I'm sorry…Damn, the sooner this dance comes and goes, the better." Mark blew out a breath. Seeing Derek get angry was unsettling. He was bigger than him; he didn't want to start a fight.

"You said it…" Derek sighed. He didn't think he'd actually dump her, but he felt that after the dance, things just might get better for his conscience.

When he got home from work, there was music playing in the apartment. It was a really long day, and he needed some rest. Work after practice was the worst. He needed a decent meal, a nice hot bath, and a nice long sleep!

He walked into the kitchen, and what he saw made his chest tighten up. Casey was wearing a tight blue cut off shirt that showed her belly and some dark green tights that covered a couple inches past her bottom. Her hair was a slight mess, but he liked it that way. She was cooking and dancing seductively around the stove and counter, humming softly to herself.

He suddenly didn't need to sleep, or use a hot shower. He needed his shower to be nice and cold after this scene. If he were to come home to her like this every day, he wouldn't dream of dumping her when it all was over. Never. She was a dream. She had to be.

"Are you trying to kill me?" he called over the music. She jumped, and quickly pressed pause. Her hand flew to her chest, and she turned the deepest shade of red.

"I didn't think you would be home this early! I guess I lost track of time…" she breathed.

"Is this what you do when I'm not around?" he cocked an eyebrow up, and walked over to her. She grinned, and closed the distance between them, and clutched his shirt in her fists.

"Most of the time." She shrugged, biting her lip. He bent down, and kissed her slowly. "Long day?" she asked lazily.

"Like you wouldn't believe…" he sighed, wrapping his arms around her. She hummed against him.

"I made dinner later so it would be hot for you when you got home." She mumbled. His arms tightened around her.

"You just get more amazing every day." He sighed. It was moments like this that he forgot he was supposed to be faking his feelings for her.

"Yeah, well don't get used to it. One day, I'll come to my senses, and make you do everything for me." She pushed away with a smirk. He liked when she did that. Bring him back to reality, that is. It reminded him that they were still the same people that loved to tease one another.

"When that day comes, remind me where I put my bags so I can pack them." He grinned, and came up behind her to wrap his arms around her waist.

"Oh, gladly." She laughed. She playfully bumped her bottom against his hip to push him away. She really shouldn't do things like that. It was dangerous territory. It really was.

"So what's with this outfit, huh? Are you trying to make a statement like the last time you wore something so seductive?" he pulled on the waste band of her shorts and let it snap back against her skin. This is what he liked about being in a relationship with her. He was allowed to touch her in places no one else was.

"Are you complaining?" she grinned over at him from the onion she was chopping.

"Well, what if a burglar came in? He'd have his way with you faster than you can spell rape." He shrugged, and picked at the food she was still cooking.

"Yeah right! I have a knife! You're lucky I haven't stabbed you yet." She walked past him to get something from the spoon drawer, and she bumped her hip against him, because she needed some kind of contact with him. He put his hands up playfully, and backed up towards the doorway.

"I need to shower anyways, crazy lady. Try not to murder a village when I'm gone, yeah?" he grinned.

"I'll try my best!" she called after him, not looking at his huge smile as he walked out.

Casey walked into Derek's practice the next day. There were a few other people watching, too, so she didn't feel as obsessive as she thought she was being wanting to see him. He'd only had a few games since they'd been together. The team was pretty good, but they didn't win every game. Derek didn't seem to mind the way he did in high school. That surprised her, because she thought that's what Derek wanted to do with his life. It took a while for her to notice that his true passion was in film. He had taken on a film major at university, and as far as she could tell, he loved it. She was glad, too. Hockey was dangerous for him, and although he was much more muscular than he was in high school, she could see that he wasn't really up for it anymore. She guessed he stayed in it because that was what his scholarship was riding on. She needed to sit and talk to him about loans and other scholarships.

She took a seat where she knew he'd see her. Eventually, he did, and he flicked his wrist as a hello to her. She only bit her lip, and nodded at him. She snuggled in her cardigan, and took a sip of her tea. Practice was nearing an end, and she'd come late, but she wanted to see him on the ice for a while.

Out of nowhere, a girl came up and sat next to her. She was a bit shorter than she and had bleached blonde hair and about four pounds of makeup on.

"You must be Casey." She held out her hand. Casey took it in her own and shook. She was a bit confused that the girl knew her name.

"I'm sorry; I don't know who you are…"

"You wouldn't." The girl shrugged, but there was something about her voice that Casey didn't like. "My name's Elaine. I'm George's girlfriend. He's number 23." She pointed to a guy that was a bit larger than Derek.

"Oh yeah? Mine's Derek. 18." She pointed him out with a smile.

"Oh, I know he's yours. All the girls do." She shrugged. What did this girl want from her?

"I'm sorry…was there something I can help you with?" She tried to hide her catty voice. She hid it quite well!

"I was just wondering what you did to keep him around." She laughed. "He's slept with a good portion of half the girls on campus. You must have like the best techniques in bed." Her smile was the evilest Casey had ever seen.

"I really don't think that's anyone's business but ours…" Casey said quietly.

"Oh, I'm just saying. The guy is great in bed. I mean, I would know." It was actually possible for her grin to get more devious.

Casey's mouth just dropped open. What was she supposed to say, after all? What did this girl want her to do, brag about NOT sleeping with Derek yet?

"Oh, don't make that face. This is a safe place." She nudged her.

"I think this conversation is wildly inappropriate. I don't want to talk about my boyfriend's conquests with other women. I'm above that." Casey tilted her chin up and purposely turned slightly away from the girl.

"Don't tell me…" she gasped and giggled at once. "You haven't shacked up with him yet?!" she exclaimed. Casey cringed. Is this what girls her age were supposed to talk about?

"Elaine, I think this conversation is over." Casey said as calmly as she could. Breathe, Casey, just breathe.

Elaine only laughed louder. "God, I wonder what's got into Venturi if he is actually staying with you. You seem like the biggest prude on campus." She was purposely trying to push Casey's buttons.

"What is your problem? I don't even know you!" she whispered to her.

"You don't have to know me. Maybe I just got a taste of something I liked and I wanted to know how you kept him around. He probably won't stay for long, though, considering…" her eyes skimmed up and down Casey's body.

Because she didn't want to cause a scene, Casey grabbed her bag and quickly headed out the door. She didn't need this. She spent a lot of her time trying not to think of the fact that she probably wasn't satisfying Derek enough in the relationship. She didn't need some strange girl that she didn't even know rubbing it in her face that she'd already been in bed with Derek before her along with every other girl on campus.

She started walking to the apartment. It wasn't five minutes before she heard the familiar sound of an old vehicle drive up beside her and honk. She jumped slightly, and rolled her eyes. She opened the door, and got in without a word. She quickly buckled her seatbelt with a huff, crossing her arms. She looked out the window angrily. When the car didn't take off, she looked over to Derek.

"Well, what the hell?" was all he could say. He was a bit baffled by her behavior. She seemed happy when she walked in, and she was gone by the time he came out of the rink.

"Can we talk about it at home?" was all she said before turning back to the window. He stared at her for a couple more seconds, and shook his head as he started to pull away from the curb.

It was a short awkward drive. She was still silent as they walked into the apartment, and grabbed a water bottle from the refrigerator.

"Am I in trouble or something?" he asked uneasily. She just shrugged and looked down at the bottle in her hands. What could she really say? She knew of his past before she agreed to be his girlfriend. It was the girl's words that made her angry and very uneasy. Was she really enough for Derek?

"No…no you're not…" she sighed. Derek walked up to her, and took away the water bottle out of her smaller hands and replaced it with his own.

"Tell me, Casey…" he whispered. He couldn't stand seeing that helpless look in her eyes. What the hell happened?

"Elaine spoke to me…" she whispered, looking down at their hands.

Obviously, Derek didn't understand what that meant because his face twisted into his obvious confusion.

"One of your previous flings…" she shrugged. Derek made a face as if he was thinking for a while, trying to remember her. "Please don't tell me you forgot her, because that doesn't make me feel any better at all…" she was on the verge of tears, and she pushed away from him, so that she was facing the counter.

"Okay, so I slept with her…what do you want from me?" he begged. He didn't want to fight about this. He really didn't. "That was before us, Case…"

"I know…It's just…" she shook her head, and placed it in her hands. She was NOT going to cry over this. She refused it.

"Please look at me…tell me what you're thinking…" he gently tugged on her elbow. He prayed she wasn't about to start the water works. She turned around and looked up at him with those giant blue eyes. She was holding back, and he could tell.

"I'm just afraid I'm not enough for you, Derek…" she shook her head. His stomach dropped.

"What?" he pulled her into his arms. "Why would you think that?" he felt her arms snake around his waist.

"She told me—"

"Please don't listen to anything these girls say, Casey…" he held her upper arms so he could look directly into her eyes. "That was then, and this is now. I don't want anything to do with them…"

"But you could do so much better than me and get what you want out of the relationship… and I look nothing like those girls, Der...I don't dress like them or wear the makeup..." she choked on a sob, and pushed her face into his chest so he wouldn't see the tears.

Derek closed his eyes tightly. She is the last person he wanted to see cry right now. Whatever that bitch said to her didn't matter, and Casey needed to see that.

"Casey…you're more than enough. Believe me." he sighed. "And believe me when i say that you are so beautiful. Probably the most beautiful girl on campus." He pulled her by the upper arms again so he can look into her eyes again. "Do you think I'd still be with you if I wasn't enjoying every minute with you?"

Her gaze shifted down to her hands and she sniffled. She only shrugged.

"Princess, please don't cry…" he wiped her tears out of her eyes. She sniffled. "Please." He whispered.

"I'm sorry…" she shook her head, and cleaned her eyes herself. "I'm being stupid…I just thought that you wanted more…I feel like I'm not good enough for you."

"Case, if anything, I'm not good enough for you. So please…just…stop it." He sighed, not sure how he felt about his confession. He meant it, though.

"Just be patient, please? I'll come around…I just want to be enough—"

"Casey, believe me, you're enough…" he cut her off, and kissed her gently.

She nodded and tried to smile. "I just didn't like her reminding me of all the girls you were with before, Der." She shrugged.

"I know, and I'm sorry that happened. Just please don't listen to them. It's us now, and they're just jealous that I finally found someone that was all I needed…" his genuine words caught him off guard himself. He never knew how true his words could be until he said them. She was all he needed. Not Mark or his damn bet. Not these worthless girls who easily threw themselves at him. He needed this girl in front of him that was usually so much stronger than all of this.

"Thanks, Derek…Sorry I freaked out." She hugged him tightly. His arms wound around her and he pressed a palm to the back of her head and his lips grazed her forehead.

"Just talk to me next time."

"I will, Der." She leaned up and kissed him gently.

Later that night, they were cuddled together on the couch watching late night television. He lay across the couch with her between his legs, their fingers tangled together under her chest. A commercial came on and she was humming softly. It sent vibrations against his chest, and he oddly enjoyed the feeling. He brought one hand to brush through her hair.

"Mmm…" she hummed, enjoying the feeling of his fingers against her scalp.

"Hey, Casey?" he whispered softly. He figured he had to ask her now.

"Yes, Der?" she said lazily. He loved her like this. She was so calm and relaxed.

"You wanna go to Winter's Eve Dance with me?" he asked her just as softly. He closed his eyes; this could go one of two ways. She could just easily say yes, and they could move on; or she could get overly girly and ecstatically bouncy. She went for the latter.

She quickly turned over so they were chest to chest, knocking some air out of him. "Really?!" she beamed down at him. She had that damn starry look in her eyes.

"Well, I wouldn't ask if I didn't—" he was cut off by her lips against his. She pressed a hundred kisses against his lips.

"Of course I'll go with you, you jerk!" she said against his lips. "I've been waiting for you to ask me since we started dating!" and they were kissing again.

"I should ask you to dances more often…" he mumbled against her lips. She giggled, and got up; pulling his hand so he could get up.

"We should really get to sleep, Der."

"Together?" his eyebrows rose. She rolled her eyes, and pushed him back on the couch. He laughed, and crossed his arms behind his head.

"No! We have class in the morning, you dork. It's nearly midnight, and I'm dead tired." She bent over him on the couch and pressed her lips to his. "Goodnight, Der." She whispered against his lips, and pressed hers to them once more, and left.

Seriously, though, she needed to stop doing that.

He sighed. He wasn't really sure what to think right now. He knew these feelings were more than real for Casey, but he didn't know what he would do after the dance. It wouldn't be easy for either one of them if he broke it off. He didn't think they would be able to go back to the way they were. He didn't want anything less than what they had right now, to be honest. He only prayed that Mark would just drop it and that Casey would never find out about that bet. He could only hope.

Okay, so i guess next chapter will be the whole "deed" thing and the dance all in one chapter. Not sure yet.

PLEASE REVIEW, i'm not getting any of those :(.