Do you take thee...?

A Familiar Voice

'Hi, honey. I'm going out into town for dinner, do you want to join me? We could go over some details on the new house.' 

New house! Are you kidding me? They are moving on together and in together. I couldn't believe his guts. Mei was stood holding his hand in the elevator and I just happened to look at them. He wasn't looking forward. He wasn't looking at her. He was staring directly in my eyes once I had turned my head. I can't say our expression were the same since I was certain I displayed a look of disgust as well as disappointment. His eyes however portrayed the appearance of someone who is contemplating their choices. Someone who clearly wasn't in the right mindset about making decision that determined the rest of their life. 

'Erm... N-No. I think I'll grab dinner downstairs. I have to check up on a post-op brain aneurysm.'

Every single word that came out of his mouth and was intended for Jennifer Mei, was said all whilst continuing to get lost in my eyes. The crap that came out of his mouth was an excuse since I had seen the OR board that morning and there wasn't one scheduled Brain Aneurysm surgery and it wasn't an emergency surgery either because he had been in a conference all day. So now his nickname could have been McLiar. Even though I was so enraged by his every move lately, I couldn't help but stare straight back at him. His eyes were dreamy like they'd always been. His lips so soft just from sight as a result of never actually experiencing them on mine. I found myself in a transfix, not being able to escape until the elevator reached the third floor. Mei pitched on to her tiptoes to give him a kiss. She was so oblivious to everything that had just happened or everything that had ever happened and he had never told her about us apparently. He bowed his head to return the kiss except his eyes still didn't move from mine. Thankfully Mei's phone rang as she was about to leave the elevator so she dismissed my presence and didn't bother to say bye. She would've seen the single tear rolling down my porcelain cheek that had once received the sense of his lips and a slight prickle because of his stubble that I found so attractive. The elevator stayed silent with our eyes now in different points. I couldn't bare to look at him. And now it wasn't from disgust or disappointment but more from the sadness that another con had been added to the mental list I was making as to reasons not to be in a relationship. As the elevator was about to reach ground floor, he moved closer to me enough so that I could feel his warm breathe cover the entirety of my neck. A tear once again rolling it's way down my face. 

'I can't' I subtly said, hoping he would get the message that I needed him to back away. 

As soon as the doors opened I walked out removing myself the situation, feeling helpless and still having my eyes welled up. Derek hadn't followed because he knew that it would only make matters worse if he did. He was moving on. I had made my way out and down the hallway, trying to compose myself as I walked out of the hospital. Just after getting outside ready to go to my car, a familiar voice bellowed behind me.

'Dr Grey!!'

He ran up to catch up with me as I continued to walk on to my little blue pick-up truck that had been through a war it looked like, the voice again could be heard.

'Listen, I'm sorry that you were put in that position in the OR, I really didn't mean for it to turn out that way. I have a surgery tomorrow and you are more than welcome to scrub in on it. It's only a Rhinoplasty but it's a great learning experience.'

'Awe thankyou. That would be great.' I said whilst sniffling up trying to hide my emotion for the hundredth time it felt. 

'Hey, whatsup?' Forbes asked me in such a caring, calmly tone that sent me into a different place. He already made me feel so much better. I felt cared for and not just dismissed. 

'Why are you crying?'

'No-no I'm not. It's the wind. My eyes water so much went it's windy'' I replied laughing slightly  trying to hide the fact I had actually been crying previously. He didn't need to know about Derek and I. There was nothing to know. We were done.

'I've finished my shift now and I'm not on call, do you wanna catch a drink at Joe's? Only if you're free that is.'

'Yeah sure. I think a shot of tequila is exactly what I need right now.'

'We can just go in my car if you want so that you don't have to get a cab home. I don't trust those things. I'll just have a soda. I can drive you home then and I'm at work early tomorrow anyways. I'd prefer not to have a hangover  and then have to perform a surgery.' He kindly offered and I accepted. 

We were in the bar about 2 hours later, me starting off with the good stuff and him with a soda like he mentioned. We were getting on so well. The conversations were flowing exactly like they should do. The vibe inside the bar was perfect. There wasn't any of those sad drinkers that come to drown their sorrows but there also wasn't any idiots that made a fool of themselves from getting themselves to the point of needing their stomach pumped. It was exactly what I needed and not once did my mind drift off into a world with Derek in it. Marcus made me feel some type of way that I hadn't in a long time. He brought me back to reality and I was so grateful. 

'I guess this is kind of like a date then, wouldn't you say? The conversation is well, we have drinks, you're laughing. I'd say we are in a situation where we could call this a date.'

He was right. 'I guess you could say that.' I answered back still with enough sense in my brain to make a reasonable response. 'But we better be going for dinner next time.'

'Well this must be going very well. There's gonna be a second one?'

I just giggled and picked up my drink, bringing the red plastic straw to my lips. I turned my head back to his, who was now moving his eyesight down to my lips. I found myself doing the same. He edged forward. My eyes shut  and my lips became pressed against him. They felt nothing like what I felt on cheek when Derek had kissed me and weirdly but not surprisingly, that was the first time he came into my thoughts in the whole night. The kiss was soft, gentle and quick. It was respectful. As we were both pulling away, the bell on Joe's door sound. Having the nosey trait that I have, I whipped my head around to see him stood there. Glaring at me with nothing but sadness and regret from what I could tell. He was stood with Jennifer, who guided him by his hand over to an empty table. I turned my head away not giving him any idea of what I was thinking, purely because I didn't know myself. I asked Marcus to take me home and he agreed since he had to be at the hospital early. I was done.