Chapter 2

Addison's POV

Have you ever done something you know you shouldn't do? Like sending a Facebook message to a guy in the middle of the night, when you knew you absolutely should not be sending him a message? And doing it sober, no less like me.

I knew I shouldn't send Derek a message. I knew I should wait for him to contact me. That's what all the rules say, right? If a guy is interested, he'll contact you. I knew that, but I was worried that he would think I had something for Mark—his brother. Well, he caught Mark kissing me, but ever since that night, Derek has acted like I'm a leper or invisible. And I don't even like Mark, which he should know, but you know men. They can be weird and stupid and obnoxious and arrogant, and so that was why I sent Derek a Facebook message at 11 p.m.

"Hi Derek, it's me, Addison, obviously as it's from my Facebook page. Just wanted to say Hi. And then I hit send. And then I fell back on my pillow and groaned. Why oh why had I sent a Facebook message to Derek? Ugh. Then I heard a small ding and sat up again. Someone had sent me a message. I quickly looked at my Facebook account.

"Hi, Addison," that was all Derek had said in his reply, but I felt as giddy as a drunk mouse as I stared at the screen. He had replied to me. He didn't hate me! I quickly clicked on my profile to see what photo I had up as my profile photo. I groaned as I saw myself grinning like a fool, my medium-length red hair looking messy. This was not the photo I wanted Derek to be staring at as he typed back to me.

"You're up late," I typed back quickly. I know, I know, I really shouldn't have sent another message. He hadn't exactly been enthusiastic in his response, but I didn't care. The fact that he had responded, period, was good enough for me.

"It's 11 pm. Not exactly the last call," I rolled my eyes at his response.

"I don't go drinking every night, so I wouldn't know," I typed back quickly. Asshole. Just a few times a week? Only when Alex and Chris are available?

Haha. Very Funny. I made a face. Alex and Chris that I had hired to pose as boyfriends for Amelia and me to make Link jealous when things hadn't been going too well for them. It hadn't worked out very well, and Alex and Chris hadn't fooled anyone into believing that they were our boyfriends.

"What are you doing up so late? Looking to get into trouble?" my heart stopped as I read his words. Was he trying to pick me up?

"What kind of trouble?", I typed back quickly.

"You tell me."

"What are you asking me, Derek?"

"Nothing. I was just joking."

"Oh okay. What are you doing?"

"About to hit the sack. I have a big meeting at work tomorrow."

"Oh okay", disappointment filled me. Tonight wasn't going to be the night that Derek Shepherd professed his love for me.

Derek: Sweet Dreams, Addie. Don't do anything I wouldn't do.

Addison: That might be hard.

Derek: I'm well aware of that. :)

Addison: What does that mean?

Derek: What do you think it means?

Addison: I'm not 16 anymore.

Derek: I'm glad to hear it.

Addison: It was an honest mistake. I lied. It hadn't been a mistake at all.

Derek: I know. You told me.

Addison: I got confused about whose bed was whose.

Derek: Sure, you did.

Addison: What does that mean? Sure, you did.

Derek: Addie, sweet dreams.

Addison: We should talk about this,

Derek: I don't want you thinking anything that you shouldn't be thinking. That was a long time ago, Addison. I'm over it.

Addison: Fine. Good night.

I closed my laptop and jumped out of bed, feeling antsy. What did he mean he was over it? Was he still mad at me? Was he angry? Was he trying to tell me that he was over me and letting me know that I had no shot with him? I groaned as I walked to the kitchen and heard Amelia and Link whispering and doing heaven knows what in the living room.

"Get a room, guys!" I shouted into the living room with a snarl, suddenly feeling upset and angry at both of them.

"Addie?" Amelia sounded surprised, and I heard her get up off of the couch and walk into the kitchen. "Everything okay?"

"I'm fine. Just wondering why, you guys think it's okay to make out in our joint living room," I said churlishly as I opened the fridge. "Isn't your boyfriend a millionaire or something? Do you guys have to make out in our living room, like some randy teenagers?"

"We weren't making out," Amelia said simply. "We were watching a movie."
"So why did I hear whispering and kissing?"

"You heard kissing?" Amelia raised an eyebrow at me. "Link asked me to pass him the popcorn, and I told him to get his own," she explained and studied my face. "What's going on, Addie?"

"Nothing." I bit my lower lip, my face hot with shame. "Sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry about." She continued to stand there. "Are you sad about Derek?"

"He's just a jerk," I groaned again as I pulled out the carton of chocolate milk. "I don't know why he gets to me so much."

"Because you like him." She smiled.

"Yeah, I guess so." I poured a tall glass and then looked for some cookies. My stomach was in knots and I needed a sugar high to make me feel better.

"It's fine, Addie," she continued. "He's just being an. He'll come around, and he'll forget that silly little kiss."

"That's not everything," I said softly as I pulled out my purple box of Cadbury Fingers. They were my expensive treat to myself.

"What do you mean, that's not everything?" Amelia stood behind me and as I turned around. "You didn't have sex with Mark, did you?"

"What?" My voice rose and my jaw dropped. "Hell no. Of course, I didn't sleep with Mark. How could you think that?"

"Well, you're acting funny," she said with a frown. "What else don't I know, Addison?"

"Ahem." Link walked into the kitchen and cleared his throat. "I've put the movie on hold, but I'm wondering if I should just leave?" He looked at me and then at Amelia. "It seems like you guys need to talk?"

"Thanks." I nodded and smiled at him weakly.

"No." Amelia frowned and then gave me a look. "You don't have to leave."

"Are you sure?" He stood there with a smug smile on his face. "I don't mind, and it seems like Alice needs to talk." He looked at me again, and I stood there with my heart in my throat. I couldn't look at Amelia. I was scared she was going to tell Link; he could stay. Which would mean that she was officially choosing him over me. Which would not be cool. I was her best friend. I had first dibs on her time. If she told him he could stay, I was going to feel very, very sad.

"If you don't mind," Amelia said and walked over and kissed him on the cheek. "I'll make it up to you." My shoulders relaxed at her words. She wasn't choosing Link over me. Yet.

"I'll hold you to that," he said in a silky-smooth voice, and I looked away as he pulled her mouth to his and kissed her firmly. Oh, how I wished Derek would grab me like that and kiss me possessively.

"Feel better, Addie."

"Thanks." I nodded and chugged my chocolate milk.

"Addie, I'm going to walk Link to the door then I'll be back." Amelia looked at me. "Pour us two glasses of Merlot. I think tonight's going to be a long night."

"Okay." I nodded and smiled. I wasn't sure how I'd gotten so lucky as to get Amelia as a best friend, but I vowed to myself that I would never take her for granted. I looked in the cupboard for some wine glasses and a bottle of wine. A couple of minutes later Amelia walked back into the kitchen, and I tensed slightly. I was worried that she was going to be mad at me for making her send Link home.

"Yummy, I got chocolate as well" She sidled up next to me and grinned.

"Yay."

"It's dark, so it's good for us." She pulled out her bar of chocolate from the fridge.

"I'm sorry I made you send Link home." I made a face as I turned the slices of French bread over so that they could be toasted on both sides.

"It's fine." She rubbed my shoulder. "I'm not going to just let you suffer; besides, he knows us both well enough to know that I couldn't just sit there while you were upset. He knows you're my best friend and—love it or hate it—he has to deal with it."

"He hates me?" I opened the fridge and pulled the butter out.

"No." She shook her head and laughed. "I think he hates— well, not hates, more like dislikes the fact that when we're together we can be a bit immature."

"Immature?" My jaw dropped. "He thinks I'm immature?"

"He thinks we're both a bit childish." She giggled. "I told him he was wrong, but you have to admit we do tend to act like teenagers sometimes."

"I take offense to that." I laughed and then shook my head. "And it's not all the time, it's just sometimes."

"That's what I told him. Everyone is entitled to act young when they want."

"Exactly, and we're only twenty-two." I placed the bread on a plate with the cheese. "I'll take the food and you can bring the wine and the glasses."

"Okay." She nodded in agreement and followed me into the living room. I have to admit I felt bad when I saw the lit candles on the coffee table, with Amelia's favorite cream faux angora wool blanket thrown on the couch. There was also a single red rose on the table next to the candle.

"Oh, man." I looked back at her with an apologetic look. "I ruined a romantic night."

"It's fine." She smiled at me.

"He gave you a red rose?" My heart had a sudden ache. "That's so sweet."

"He said that he's never given a woman a red rose before," she said, nodding. "He said that he vowed never to give a woman red rose until he met the woman he loved."

"Oh my God, that is so sweet." I sighed. "Argh, why does he have to be so perfect?"

"He told me that he couldn't believe that he was so lucky," she squeaked out with a huge grin. "He told me that I made him a believer and that he doesn't want to spend a day or night without me."

"Wow, thanks for making me feel even worse," I groaned. "How sweet is he?" I sighed. "I shouldn't have made him leave. Call him and tell him to come back. We can talk tomorrow."

"No, we will talk tonight." She sat down on the couch and opened the bottle of wine. "I want to know what's going on, Alice."

"It's not important. Call Link and tell him to come back so that you can have hot sex and tell him you don't want to spend a night without him either."

"Addie." She giggled. "He can go without sex for one night. Might make him miss me even more."

"You're silly." I giggled. "Though, what's that saying? 'Treat them mean, keep them keen'?"

"'Make them wait, get the hate'?" she said with a laugh. "Or 'Give them blue balls, get eaten by Jaws,'" I said.

"No, no, I've got it!" She laughed. "'Make them jack off, make them cough.'"

"Cough? Eh?" I started laughing harder. "That makes no sense."

"Make them cough up a big diamond ring." She laughed and I watched as her head fell back and her eyes watered up in tears.

"That's stupid!" I continued laughing and sipped at my wine. "But thanks for making me laugh."

"Of course." She grinned and then looked me directly in the eyes. "Now tell me, what haven't you told me?"

I took another sip of wine, swallowed, and took a deep breath. "I lost my virginity to Derek," I said softly, and I watched as Amelia spat her wine onto her lap in shock.