Disclaimer: I own nothing.
A.N.: Enjoy, people. It's a biggun!
Chapter Fourteen: Jealousy's not attractive - on anyone
"So I was thinking…" Derek said through the phone. "I'd like to take you somewhere nice for dinner."
Casey smiled into the phone. "You don't have to do that…"
Derek broke in. "I want to."
"Derek…"
"Casey, how come you never let me do nice things for you? Do you have something against being treated well?" Derek said only half-joking.
Casey scowled. "Why do you always feel the need to buy me stuff? Can't you just take no for an answer?"
Derek was silent for a moment. He liked Casey…a lot, but her penchant for being easily upset was tiring sometimes. He had a bad day at work, argued with Marti and now he was getting shit from Casey. Derek didn't know why he put up with her sometimes. If it was any other girl she would have been gone by now. Derek shook his head.
"Casey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. Let's just forget I said anything, OK?"
He heard Casey sigh over the line. "I'm sorry too. I've just been a little stressed lately. I was laid off from the restaurant earlier this week and Lizzie's been having problems in school and my roommate's been driving me crazy…" she trailed off realizing she was babbling. Worse, she was letting Derek in on things that she usually didn't tell anybody.
"Casey, you still there?" Derek asked.
"Uh, yeah, sorry. I just realized I was rambling."
"You weren't rambling. I want to know what's going on with you. And I'm sorry you lost your job. Just on principle, I won't eat there anymore," Derek said with a smile in his voice.
Casey grinned. "Well, that makes me feel a little better."
"So, I assume you're looking for another job. Is there anything in particular you're looking for?"
"Yeah, anything that pays ridiculously well," Casey laughed.
"I'll make sure to keep my eyes open," Derek said.
A moment passed before either of them spoke. "So…when can I see you again?" Derek asked in a low voice, causing Casey to shudder involuntarily. She loved when his voice did that.
"Um, I'm not sure. Can I let you know? I got a lot going on right now."
Derek tried not to feel too disappointed. He would take anything he could get when it came to Casey. It amazed him how much he was willing to do for that girl.
"Yeah, that's fine. I guess I'll let you go. I'm going out with a few friends tonight so I have to jump in the shower real quick."
Casey felt a flash of jealousy go through her. She wondered where they were going and if Derek would be around girls. Of course he would be around girls! Casey felt ridiculous for even thinking like that. "Well, that sounds fun. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."
"Well, I don't know what you would or wouldn't do, so that doesn't help me much," Derek laughed.
"Just don't let any skanky girls hit on you," Casey blurted before mentally slapping herself.
There was silence, then, "Don't worry Cassandra, you're the only girl for me."
Two weeks later:
Casey didn't think things could get any worse. Today she went into her morning job only to be told that they would no longer "need her services". Casey did all she could to try and convince them otherwise, but it was no use. That left only the warehouse and that was down to a few nights a week. There was no way that would cover the bills, not to mention help her get a place of their own. Casey sat at the kitchen table and tried not to cry. She never thought she would find herself in this situation at her age. She should be in college, hanging out with friends. Lizzie should be in a nice house, in a good neighborhood, going to a good school where they didn't have drug busts every other week. And most of all, they shouldn't be living with a whore who brings her tricks home every damn night.
Casey took a look at the bills scattered around the table and choked back a sob. What would she do now?
"Are you gonna tell me what his name is?"
Casey looked at Lizzie sharply. "What?"
Lizzie smirked. "You know, the guy you've been trying to pretend doesn't exist. The one you talk to almost everyday?"
Casey felt her skin flush. "His name is Derek."
"Derek, huh? Where did you meet him?"
Casey smiled. "He's my knight in shining armor."
"Your knight in shining armor?" Lizzie looked puzzled for a minute, then, "wait, it's that knight in shining armor? The guy who saved you?"
Casey smiled widely. "Yeah, the same."
"Well shit!" Lizzie exclaimed making Casey frown at her language. "Why didn't you tell me? I want to meet him!"
Casey looked down and fiddled with a loose thread on her shirt. "I don't know why I didn't tell you. I guess I didn't want to introduce you to him if…well, I just didn't."
Lizzie cocked her head at her sister. "Is this because of Sam?"
Casey met Lizzie's eyes. "Why would you say that?"
Lizzie shrugged. "Well, I know how much shit you went through with Sam and I also know that it takes you a long time to trust people."
"Well, I wouldn't say it has to do with Sam directly, but I guess you could be right."
"Of course I'm right. I'm always right."
Casey laughed. "So how's school going?"
Lizzie's smile slid from her face. "It sucks, it's horrible. I would rather shave my eyeballs then ever go back, but what are you gonna do? I'm just counting down the days until holiday break when I don't have to look at all the douchebags' faces for awhile."
"Geez, Lizzie, could you at least try to watch your language around me?" Casey said exasperated.
Lizzie shrugged. "Nope." She got a sly look on her face. "So back to Derek…"
"Yes?" Casey said waving her hand in a get-on-with-it motion.
"I think you should invite him over for dinner," Lizzie stated crossing her arms.
"I don't think that's a good idea," Casey said.
"Why not?" Lizzie wasn't going to let it go easily.
"Because."
"Because why?"
"Just because, OK?"
"No, not OK. This guy sounds great, and you're dragging your feet. What gives?" Lizzie pressed.
Casey huffed out a breath and wouldn't meet her sister's eyes. "I don't have time for a relationship right now."
"Oh? Is that why you talk to him everyday? Because you don't have time?"
"Stop being such a smart ass, would ya?" Casey shot back.
"No, it's in my DNA," said Lizzie.
"Look you know I've been spending all my time trying to find a new job, the last thing I need is a guy hanging around," Casey said trying to sound nonchalant.
"So you're leading him on then."
"I am not leading him on!" Casey said stricken.
"Yes you are. If you don't want him around then you shouldn't be talking to him. It'll give him the idea that you want him around. That's not fair to him," Lizzie said in a sure voice.
"Since when do you know so much about men?"
Lizzie pursed her lips. "I know that most guys are assholes. But Derek sounds like a nice guy and I don't think it's fair of you to treat him badly."
"Liz…"
"No, Casey. You deserve to be happy. After all the crap you've been through with dad and Sam, and how hard you work to take care of me, you deserve someone who will treat you the way you want. And Derek sounds like that guy."
"You don't even know him," Casey said surprised at Lizzie's vehemence.
"I know enough. He went out of his way to rescue you from god-knows-what. That's good enough for me. Now call him up and invite him to dinner or I will," Lizzie said with her trademark it's-my-way-or-the-highway look.
Casey rolled her eyes. "You don't have his number."
"Don't underestimate me big sister."
"Oh, I don't," Casey said before reaching for the phone.
A few days later…
"I think I'm gonna throw up."
Lizzie rolled her eyes. "Oh stop. You are not gonna throw up," she said while fluffing the pillow on the couch. Casey had her cleaning every available space in the apartment in preparation of Derek's arrival. Lizzie followed her sister with her eyes. Casey looked ready to have a nervous breakdown. "Why are you so nervous anyway? It's not like you've never had dinner with a man before."
Casey looked up from where she was scrubbing at a spot on the kitchen floor. "I know, it's just…been a long time," she said blowing a tendril of hair out of face.
Lizzie's eyes softened. "You really like him, huh."
Casey's face went pink, but she refused to take Lizzie's bait. "I just want to make a good impression, that's all. I've never invited anyone up here, let alone a guy, and…"
"You care about his opinion, ergo, you care about him," Lizzie stated with certainty. She had never seen Casey act like this for a guy, not even Sam.
"Ergo?" Casey said smirking, "someone's been reading the dictionary again."
Lizzie laughed. "Oh shut up."
Casey snorted and continued scrubbing the kitchen floor. Lizzie couldn't take it anymore. "Casey please. Derek's supposed to be here in an hour and you still haven't taken a shower yet. I doubt he's going to care if there's dirt on the floor."
"Lizzie, a person's home is a reflection of them. In fact…"
Lizzie cut her off. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, I've heard it all before. Now go get ready. I'll take care of this," she said while leaning down to swipe the cloth out of Casey's hand. "Go!"
Casey exhaled loudly. "Yeah, OK," she said softly before getting off the floor and heading to the bathroom.
Derek was in the middle of changing his shirt – again, when he heard the door slam and heavy boots move up the stairs. "Ed, that you?"
A grunt, and then, "Yeah."
Derek frowned at himself in the mirror. "Come in here a sec, would ya?"
A moment later Derek's younger brother appeared in the doorway. "What?"
Derek met Edwin's eyes in the mirror. "Haven't seen ya lately. Everything going OK?"
Edwin's eyes dropped to the floor. "Fine, why do you ask?"
Derek snorted. "I just told ya. I never see you anymore, ya idjit."
Edwin scowled. "What are you, my dad? Everything's fine I said, I've just been hanging out a lot at Brian's."
Derek pursed his lips in annoyance. "Brian, huh? Isn't he the one…?"
He was cut off by Edwin's voice. "Don't say it, Derek. He's not a bad guy. You just don't know him."
"You're wrong there, little brother. I do know him, that's the problem."
Edwin turned to leave. "Whatever," he said before stomping up to his room.
Derek turned to the mirror once again and stared at himself for a moment before sighing and tearing off his shirt.
An hour later, he was knocking on Casey's door and trying to keep his heart from beating out of his chest. He noticed a guy walking by more than once and stared him down as he passed again. The hair on the back of Derek's neck went up and he tensed until the man disappeared around the corner.
Upon hearing the knock, Lizzie jumped up from the couch and yelled down the hallway. "Casey! I think Derek's here! Are you ready yet?"
"Be out in a minute!" Casey called back.
Lizzie smiled and opened the door to reveal who she assumed was Derek, standing there with a smile and a bouquet of yellow mums in his left hand.
"Hi, I'm Derek," he said with a smile. "You must be Lizzie."
Lizzie smiled even wider and moved aside to let him in. God, this guy was cute! She loved his artfully messy hair and tilted smile. When he passed her to enter the apartment, she couldn't help but check out his backside, which in her opinion was fabulous in those dark blue jeans.
She shut the door and motioned for Derek to take a seat. "Casey will be out in a sec. She's been freaking out all day."
Derek laughed. "OK then," he said but stayed standing.
"Nice flowers," Lizzie commented, still openly checking Derek out.
Derek smiled with half his mouth and Lizzie's stomach flipped. "Thanks. Actually, these are for you," he said moving forward to give them to her.
"For me?" Lizzie couldn't help the blush that stole over her face. "Why me?"
Derek shrugged. "I was always taught to bring a gift when visiting someone's house for the first time. Since I've already gotten flowers for Casey, I thought it would be nice to do the same for you."
Lizzie's eyes narrowed. "You're pretty slick, aren't you?"
Derek's smiled faded a bit. "Hey, I'm sorry if I offended you. I'm just trying to get to know Casey better."
Apparently that wasn't the right thing to say as Lizzie's mouth thinned before she turned around and headed for the kitchen. Derek watched as she reached up and got a vase down from the cupboard before filling it with water and putting in the flowers. "You know, my sister isn't known for having good taste in men," Lizzie said conversationally before turning around to face him.
Derek's brow rose. "OK…" He was at a loss for words. How did things go so bad so fast? This was not going the way he wanted it at all. "Lizzie, what I said about getting to know your sister better…I think…well, it's just what I meant. I want to know more about her is all. I don't have any other ulterior motives."
Lizzie leaned against the counter and crossed her arms over her chest. She seemed to be contemplating Derek's words when Casey appeared, looking a bit harried but incredibly beautiful at the same time. She was dressed in a simple black blouse with a black-and-white patterned skirt. On her feet were simple black pumps. She wore very little make-up and her hair was loose and wavy around her face. Derek suddenly felt like he couldn't breathe. "Wow," he said under his breath.
Casey noticed the look on his face and blushed. "Hi Derek. Thanks for coming. I'm sorry I made you wait," she said nervously brushing her hands over her skirt.
Derek smiled widely. "It's no problem. Lizzie and I were just getting to know each other," he said motioning to her sister who had schooled her features into a neutral mask. Lizzie knew how much Casey liked Derek so she would give him a chance.
Lizzie suddenly moved away from the counter. "Yep. He even brought me flowers," she added gesturing to the bouquet on the counter.
Casey's eyes widened before moving them to Derek. "That was nice. You didn't have to do that."
"I wanted to," Derek said deeply.
Casey ducked her head. She felt like a little schoolgirl on her first date. It was very discomforting. "Well!" she said brightly, "why don't you take a seat and I'll bring everything to the table." "Everything" was a casserole Casey had thrown together earlier and a salad in the fridge that Lizzie had made. Casey hoped Derek liked casseroles, as there wasn't a lot of money to go grocery shopping.
"What would you like to drink, Derek?" Lizzie said as Derek took his seat at the table.
He took his napkin and set it in his lap. "Oh, just water is fine."
Lizzie nodded and went to grab a bottled water and the salad. Derek watched as the girls flitted around the kitchen. He smiled at their easy banter. It was obvious the sisters cared deeply for each other. His eyes moved around the apartment surreptitiously. The place was clean but worn. Derek knew the neighborhood wasn't the best, and he couldn't help but cringe a little at the smell he encountered when he first entered the building. It was a mix of sweat, mold and cat urine, along with a fragrance of cigarette smoke. Derek wondered idly how much Casey had to pay to stay here and shuddered internally. Casey and Lizzie were too good to be staying in a place like this. They deserved better.
Her hands encased in hot pads, Casey set the casserole in the middle of the table. She smiled sheepishly at Derek. "I hope you like chicken and rice."
Derek smiled. "Yep. I'll pretty much eat anything."
Casey laughed. "I believe you, based on all your stories about your dad's cooking."
Lizzie was silent as she watched the two of them interact. She didn't know what to think about Derek yet. Besides the obvious fact that he was gorgeous. It was also pretty apparent there was a big attraction between the two. Lizzie coughed into her hand making the other two stop talking and look at her.
"Eat up, Liz," Casey said dishing out a portion for herself. "Have some salad, Derek. Lizzie made it."
Derek smiled and nodded. He wasn't too crazy about salad, but he would eat it for Casey's sake. "So Liz," he began, "How do you like school?"
Casey's eyes widened a bit at this but she said nothing. She knew Derek was just trying to make conversation.
Lizzie chewed thoughtfully before answering. "It sucks, thanks for asking," she said in a deadpan voice.
Derek nodded solemnly. "I hear ya. I hated high school."
Lizzie said nothing.
Casey added brightly, "Yeah, well, we haven't been in this school district for too long, so Lizzie really hasn't had a chance to make many friends yet."
Lizzie scowled at Casey. She didn't know why she was suddenly so sour on the idea of Derek, but she just was. She couldn't wait until he went home.
There was an uncomfortable silence at the table until Derek tried again. "So, what kind of music do you like?" He already knew a lot about Lizzie from Casey, but he wanted to hear for himself.
"I don't know," Lizzie answered refusing to look up from her plate.
Casey pursed her lips in annoyance. "So Derek, why don't you tell Lizzie about your family? You told me some pretty funny stories about your little brother and sister. And your dad, he sounds great."
Derek smiled widely at Casey. "Yeah, well we're kind of crazy, us Venturis. There was this one time…" And Derek spent the next hour regaling Casey and Lizzie with the madcap adventures of his family. Most of the stories, though, were from before, when they were happy. When Derek's mom was still... He tried not to think of her and kept the smile plastered on his face. Casey listened raptly while Lizzie tried to remain disinterested, even though he could see a trace of a smile on her lips during some parts of his stories. Derek didn't know exactly why Lizzie was being hostile to him, but he tried not to worry too much about it. He hoped he would have plenty of chances to get to know Lizzie in the future.
Lizzie sat back and watched as Casey rose to get out dessert, which was small individual bowls of chocolate pudding. She sprayed a dollop of whipped cream on each one and brought them to the table. "Pudding," she stated. "It's cheap and yummy."
"I love pudding!" Derek blurted, making Casey giggle.
Lizzie watched Derek under her lashes. She could tell that he really liked Casey by the way he looked at her when he thought she wasn't looking. It was the same way Casey looked at him when she thought he wasn't looking. Lizzie felt a cold fear settle in her stomach.
She stood from the table. "You know what? I'm not hungry for dessert. I'm just gonna go do my homework. Derek, it was nice meeting you," she threw over her shoulder before practically running down the hall to her room.
Casey and Derek sat in silence at the table for a few moments. "I'm sorry for that," Casey said. "I don't know what her problem is."
Derek shook his head. "Hey, don't worry about it. I have a teenage sister, too, remember? They're very emotional."
Casey nodded then cocked her head. "So you're saying that women are more emotional than men, is that it?"
Derek looked panicked. "I uh, well, what I meant was…"
Casey laughed. "I'm just playing with ya. I know what you meant."
Derek fake mopped his forehead with his arm. "Whew! I thought I was really in trouble."
Casey shook her head and they ate their pudding companionably.
In the bedroom, Lizzie pressed her ear to the door but couldn't really hear what was going on. It had been an hour since she had left the table, but she knew that Derek was still there because she occasionally heard laughter erupt from the living room.
Derek and Casey sat on the couch facing each other in mirror positions, one leg tucked underneath, the other dangling off the couch. They had their heads propped up on the back of the couch and their chins were resting in their hand.
"So tell me more about your brother," Casey asked trying not to get lost in the warm brown of Derek's eyes.
Derek smiled but Casey thought it looked a little sad. "Well, he's not around much. He stays with friends a lot."
Casey's eyes widened. "And your dad is OK with that?"
"Yeah, it's complicated…" Derek trailed off. He wasn't sure if he was ready to tell Casey everything about his life. He knew that she had gone through hard times, but he wasn't sure how she'd react.
"It's OK. You don't have to tell me," Casey said softly. "I don't want to be nosy."
"You're not being nosy," Derek rushed to reassure her. "It's no problem."
Derek decided to change the subject. "So how's the job hunt going?"
Casey wrinkled her nose. "Terrible. Absolutely no one is hiring," she said picking at a loose thread on the couch. "I'm not giving up, though. There's gotta be something out there for me. I'm willing to do just about anything at this point."
Derek nodded sympathetically. "Well, I'll keep my eye out for you." He paused before asking. "Have you thought about going to college? If you had good grades in high school, I bet you could get a scholarship or something."
Casey was already shaking her head. "Nah, it's not a good time right now. I need to be around for Lizzie as much as possible. Maybe some time in the future."
Derek didn't want to push. "I understand. It must be hard to be on your own without your parents. Do you see them much?"
Casey suddenly felt a lump in her throat. She still hadn't told Derek about the dynamics of her family, but she felt that she could trust him. "Well," she started slowly, "My mom died when we were young. Lizzie doesn't even remember her."
Derek's face showed shock. "God, Casey, I'm so sorry. That's terrible," he said reaching over to cover her hand with his.
"That's OK. It was a long time ago."
Derek nodded his head slightly. "Yeah, but still…"
"It's OK, Derek, really," Casey reassured him.
Derek left his hand over Casey's and gently started rubbing the skin of her fist with his thumb. "What about your dad?" he asked softly. Casey wasn't sure, but she thought he moved a little closer to her on the couch. Her breath sped up a little.
"He's ah, out of the picture," she answered shortly, making Derek even more curious.
"So you don't see him at all?" Derek couldn't help but ask.
"Not for awhile. He's a drunk and a drug addict. He can't take care of himself, let alone me and Lizzie."
Derek's eyes were saucers now. "Wow, that's just…that really sucks."
Casey sighed and squeezed Derek's hand. "Yeah, it's been tough, but Lizzie and I are hanging in there. I just need to find out a way to make it through Lizzie's teenage years. That girl's gonna be the death of me, I swear."
Derek moved a bit closer. "I wish I could snap my fingers and make it all better for you…"
Casey laughed wryly. "That's OK, you've already saved me once, you don't need to do it again."
Derek had a serious look on his face when he said, "What if I want to save you?"
Casey's breath caught in her throat. Only Derek, it seemed, could make her feel like this, lightheaded and unsure of herself. The feeling was both pleasant and terrifying. "It's not your job to save me," she whispered into the air between them.
Derek was leaning toward her now and Casey felt herself moving toward him as well. "I know it's not. I just said I want to."
Casey's eyes flicked from Derek's eyes to his lips. He had just licked them leaving them shiny in the light of the lamp next to them. "You don't know me," Casey whispered again, unable to stop the forward motion of her body.
"I don't? Have I been talking to another beautiful brunette named Cassandra for the last few months?" Derek said softly while raising his other hand to cup her cheek.
Casey huffed out a small laugh. "I don't think so…"
Derek cut her off. "Shhhh, no more talking. I want to kiss you now. Can I kiss you?" he asked against her lips.
Casey paused and swallowed. She could feel Derek's breath against her mouth. Hell, she could practically feel his eyelashes against her cheeks. "Yes, you can ki…" but she didn't have time to complete her answer before Derek's lips descended on hers and she lost whatever thought was in her head.
Lizzie couldn't stand it. It was awfully quiet in the living room and she was climbing the walls trying to find out what was happening. After debating with herself for a while, she opened the door as silently as she could and oh-so-carefully poked her head out. She had to focus her eyes a bit because it was a little dark. Casey must have shut the kitchen lights off, leaving only the small lamp on by the couch. That cheap piece of crap didn't give off a lot of light, but she saw enough to know that Casey and Derek were sitting on the couch. She could see their shapes – correction – shape. They must be sitting awfully close, Lizzie thought.
She didn't hear any talking, just a breathy moan that made Lizzie's hair stand on end. She strained her ears a bit more and heard the telltale sounds of kissing. With a heavy heart, Lizzie moved back into the bedroom and shut the door.
It had been awhile since Casey had made out with anyone, but she couldn't remember it ever feeling like this. The feel of Derek's mouth on hers was pleasant. No, pleasant wasn't quite strong enough a word. Hot, yeah, very hot, thought Casey as she felt Derek's tongue trace the skin of her lips. She sighed into his mouth and opened hers wider, letting her tongue come out to tangle with his. Derek let out a small growl and wrapped his arm around her tighter, bringing her closer to him so that she was almost sitting on his lap. Casey thought muzzily that they shouldn't be doing this here for fear that Steph could walk in on them, but what the hell? It's not like they were having sex or anything; not like Casey hadn't walked in on many things that she wishes she could scrub from her memory concerning her roommate.
"God, Casey, you are just so…" Derek trailed off before kissing her again, making Casey's stomach flip and her legs tremble from the sound of his voice.
"Yeah, you too," Casey said softly into his mouth before gripping her hand around his neck and running her fingers through the hair at his nape.
Derek dragged his lips away from hers and was now placing small kisses on her face, including her cheeks, jaw and forehead. Casey sat there with her eyes closed, her head tipped up to receive his attention. She couldn't help the small smile that graced her lips. She loved the feel of his lips on her skin. She could definitely get used to that.
Right when Casey was fantasizing about what Derek would look like without his shirt, the door suddenly opened and light streamed in from hallway, making Derek and Casey jump apart.
"Well, well, well," drawled Steph, leaning against the door jamb and twirling her keys around her finger. "What's going on here, kids?"
Casey could tell by the sound of her roommate's voice that she was high, drunk or both. "Hey Steph," she said resigned as she moved further away from Derek and smoothed down her skirt.
Steph entered and slammed the door behind her, her eyes roving over Derek like a starving man at a buffet. "So are you going to introduce me to your friend?"
That was the last thing that Casey wanted to do, but she didn't want to appear rude. "Sure. Derek, this is Steph, my roommate. Steph, this is Derek."
"Hello Derek," Steph said, openly flirting now, while moving forward to take his hand.
"Hello," Derek said as formally as he could with red, swollen lips and mussed hair. He shook her hand quickly before dropping it. His eyes were drawn to her outfit, which consisted of holey spandex pants, a hot pink tube top, and stiletto heels. Derek thought she was a walking cliché for prostitution if he ever saw one.
"Did I interrupt anything?" Steph asked, her eyes moving between Casey and Derek.
"Uh, no. I was actually just getting ready to leave," Derek said while throwing an apologetic look at Casey. "I'm sorry," he said under his breath. "It is getting late, and I have to work early in the morning."
Casey nodded. She understood. "I'll walk you out," she said before rising from the couch.
Derek said goodbye to a smirking Steph and they headed out toward the elevator. He pushed the 'down' button and said, "You don't have to go all the way down if you don't want to."
"I want to," Casey said softly before grabbing Derek's hand and pulling him to her. Smiling, he went willingly and wrapped his arms around her.
"I had a great time tonight. Thank you for inviting me over," he said against her neck.
Casey smiled into his shoulder. "Hopefully my cooking doesn't give you heartburn."
Derek laughed into Casey's skin causing a pleasant tingle to go through her body. "I'm not too worried about it. The casserole was delicious."
"You're not just saying that, are you?" Casey asked as she moved back to see Derek's face. Never in her life had she cared so much what someone thought of her.
"No, I'm not just saying that," Derek replied as he stroked Casey's cheek with his thumb. The elevator dinged and the doors opened. Stepping in and pulling Casey with him, he said, "You know what I've always wanted to do?"
Casey smiled at Derek's sly expression. "What?"
"Make out in an elevator," he said before closing the distance between them and kissing her.
Casey watched as Derek walked down the sidewalk to his car. She waved when he pulled out and headed down the road. Smiling, she turned and went back inside, unable to keep the smile off her face. Unfortunately, her good mood didn't last long.
"So, is that your boyfriend?" Bob's greasy voice made Casey nauseous.
She turned and faced him. "That's none of your business," she said sharply before continuing on her way to the elevators.
Bob came up and stood beside her. "I'm going up myself, so we can share, yeah?"
Casey rolled her eyes but said nothing.
Bob clucked under his breath. "So how long've you been seeing him? He kinda looks like a pretty boy to me, you deserve a real man who can…"
Casey put a hand up to stop him. "I don't care what you think I deserve. It's none of your goddamn business, get it? Now leave me alone!" Casey gritted out before heading toward the stairs, leaving Bob glaring behind her.
She had to knock to get back in the apartment, making her mood plummet further. Casey ignored Steph's loaded questions and headed straight for the bedroom. She and Lizzie had some issues to discuss.
Casey found Lizzie sitting on her bed, earbuds stuck in her ears. Casey stood in front of her little sister until she had her attention, then motioned for Lizzie to take her earbuds out.
"OK, spill. What the hell was your problem tonight?" Casey asked, tapping her foot on the ground.
Lizzie rolled her eyes. "What are you talking about? I was nice."
Casey barked out a laugh. "No, you weren't. Need I remind you that you were the one who strong-armed me into inviting Derek over? 'You're leading him on', you said. 'Derek sounds like a great guy', you said. What's changed?"
Lizzie dropped her eyes. "I don't know."
Casey sat down on the bed next to her sister. "Come on, Liz, tell me. What did Derek do to piss you off? Because from where I was sitting, he was nothing but a gentleman; asking you about yourself and bringing you flowers. Yeah, what a douchebag," Casey said sarcastically.
Lizzie snorted. "The guy was just too slick. I just don't like him."
Casey shook her head. "Now you sound like me."
"Yeah, well, maybe you're right to be so leery of men. They're nothing but trouble," Lizzie said sulkily.
Casey put her hand under Lizzie's chin and gently lifted her head to look into her eyes. "Not good enough, Lizzie. I want to know the truth. Because honestly, Derek's the nicest guy I've met in a long time and I'm not willing to just throw that away because you're having some hissy fit."
Lizzie's eyes filled with tears. "I'm sorry, OK?" she said before throwing herself into Casey's arms.
"I accept your apology," Casey said while rubbing Lizzie's back. "Now why don't you tell me what's really going on."
Lizzie sat back and wiped her eyes. "I was jealous, OK?" she said, looking beyond Casey's shoulder at the wall.
Casey's mouth dropped open. "Jealous…of what?"
"Of Derek, what do you think I meant?" Lizzie snapped rubbing her arm across her nose.
Casey continued to stare at her little sister. "Why in the world would you possibly be jealous?"
Lizzie said nothing for a moment and Casey could tell she was trying to think of the right thing to say. "It sounds stupid, I know, but I don't want anyone to take you away from me," she said in a small voice.
"Oh, Lizzie, there's no one on the face of this Earth that could do that. It's you and me against the world, right?" Casey said, rubbing Lizzie's leg.
Lizzie sniffled and tried not to start crying again. "I saw the way you were together and I know he really likes you, and you like him, and then you'll get married and live happily ever after and where does that leave me, huh? I'll be all by myself with no where to go…" she trailed off and started sobbing again, causing Casey to start crying herself.
"Liz," Casey said in between tears, "where do you come up with this stuff? I would never do that to you! You're my whole world! Even if I did get married someday – which I'm not saying I'll do – I would bring you with me. We're a packaged set, you and me." Casey paused before adding, "you are forgetting an important detail, though."
"What's that?" Lizzie asked curious.
"What about college? A job? Meeting a guy of your own and getting married? All that can happen for you too."
Lizzie laughed through her tears. "Yeah, right," she scoffed.
"Why are you so down on yourself?" Casey asked exasperated as she wiped her fingers under her eyes.
"Why are you?" Lizzie shot back.
Casey was stumped by that. "I, I don't know," Casey said softly. "I guess I need to work on that, huh?"
Lizzie nodded. "Yeah, you do," she paused before adding, "but I do too. Why don't we work on it together?"
Casey smiled at her sister. Lizzie was the closest person to her in the world. Casey loved her more than anything. But Lizzie also had the ability to anger Casey more than anyone. She could get under Casey's skin like no one else, except maybe Bob, or Steph at the moment.
Casey nodded at Lizzie when she realized that her little sister was waiting for an answer.
"You have to do one thing for me, though, OK? Casey said to Lizzie.
"What's that?"
"You have to apologize to Derek for being a little shit during dinner."
Lizzie groaned. "Do I have to?"
Casey adopted a stern look on her face. "Do you really not like him?"
Lizzie hemmed and hawed for a bit, then spoke. "It wasn't personal. He seems like a good guy. Cute too," she added slyly, making Casey flush with embarrassment. Lizzie thought it hysterical that she could make her older sister blush. She decided to have some fun with Casey. "So, I bet he's a fantastic kisser, yeah?"
She ducked when Casey threw a pillow at her, but laughed even harder when she noticed how red Casey's face was.
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