Young Lovers

29.

That evening Meredith is trying to decide what to wear, and she pulls Jenny away from her textbooks. "Help! Do I look okay?" She twists around, looking at the dress in the mirror.

"Hell yes," Jenny replies, whistling. "I've never seen that on you before, have I?"

"No, I bought it in the summer with Cristina, but never had anywhere to wear it before." It's an emerald green halter dress, dipping low in the back with two tiny straps crossing midway. The skirt is just short enough to be sexy, with a slight flare that swings as she twirls. There is a short matching jacket laying on the bed. The soft fabric clings to her provocatively, outlining the cleavage of her breasts. A small silver heart swings from a chain around her neck.

"What's the occasion tonight? I mean, I know it's Friday and all, but..."

"Derek and I have a date," Meredith says, looking at the mirror, applying some lip gloss.

"A date?"

"Mmmhmm. He thinks he has to make up for being jealous over Mark yesterday. And we agreed no sex till after the date." She fluffs her hair, catching Jenny's eye in the mirror with a grin.

Jenny chokes on her laughter. "Girl, the way you look he's not gonna last through dinner!" Meredith laughs with her, and just then there is a loud knock on the door at the apartment. They share a conspiratorial wink, and Meredith heads to the door.

She opens the door, staring into a huge bouquet of roses. "God, Derek, they're gorgeous!" she exclaims as he walks in with them. He sets them down on the coffee table, taking one of from the bouquet, and turns to hand it to her.

"So are you," he says softly, giving her the lush rose. She holds it to her nose and sniffs it, catching his eyes as she does. His eyes are dark with desire as he looks at her, and he takes her hands to tug her closer. The heat simmers between them, as he admires the way the dress clings to her, and she looks more beautiful to him than he can put into words. He just stares at her, his throat dry.

From behind them, Jenny clears her throat. "Hey, I'm still here, guys. Don't you have somewhere to go?"

"Yeah, we do," Derek says finally.

"Let me get my jacket and coat," Meredith says, pulling away from him. He lets her go reluctantly, watching her walk away, the sway of her hips emphasized by the swing of her skirt. He runs a hand through his hair, taking a deep breath to bring his heart rate down.

"You look like you've been hit by a truck, Derek," Jenny teases him, curling up on the sofa with a can of soda, and her textbooks again.

"Wha? Oh, sorry, Jenny...." He grins, dragging his eyes over to her.

She shakes her head in amusement, as Meredith comes back into the room. "Well, you kids have fun tonight. Don't stay out too late!"

"Don't wait up!" Meredith laughs as they head out the door, Derek's arm tight around her shoulders.

"Not that I have any other plans..." Jenny mumbles, glaring at the phone that hasn't rung. Mark left early in the morning, and she hasn't seen him since then. She shrugs, they aren't dating...not really...so why does it bother her that he hasn't called? He's a big boy, he can do what he wants...but she glares at the phone again anyway.

Meanwhile, as Derek and Meredith head out to his car, he kisses her temple, inhaling her sweet scent of lavender. "You really do look amazing tonight, Mer. Are you sure you want to go out....maybe we could just skip the dinner part...."

"Oh no, Derek Shepherd. I'm not all dressed up for nothing!" she protests. "And you look very nice yourself. We're going to dinner..."

"Kidding, Mer, just kidding..." His voice is rough with suppressed desire, though, and he wonders just how he will manage to get through the evening.