Dusk&Summer

30.

It was starting to get cold, and Meredith was pretty sure she was supposed to be feeling it, but instead, she was cuddled tightly into Derek's body as they walked along the path. She had been terrified things would be weird and awkward after the whole thing that they weren't talking about. But for the past two days, they had woken up and watched the sun rise and just been...them.

Derek had promised her that things weren't going to change. It had sounded impossible at the time. She had no idea how things weren't change after he said the things he said. Change seemed to be the next step. But instead, things were perfect. They were just as perfect as they had been since they had arrived and started spending time together. They still felt like Meredith and Derek.

They spent a lot of time laughing, a lot of time giggling and kissing and just being...them. It was good. Really really good and while she couldn't forget about the thing he had said, she was glad he was letting it just be out there right now. She liked being this happy. She liked walking through the woods with him, cuddled close into his body and just having a good time.

"It's starting to cloud over," Derek sighed, looking at the sky.

"More rain," she groaned.

"We're getting shit luck."

"I guess that's why your parents always came out in July."

"Probably," Derek nodded, squeezing her tightly. "I'll be a little busy by then."

"I know you will," she murmured, leaning her head onto his shoulder. She hated thinking about that. Hated thinking about the summer ending and him being a doctor in New York while she was a student at Dartmouth.

"And...I'll...I'll call you constantly in the middle of a freak out," he laughed softly.

"I'm not very good at the calming down thing," she giggled.

"I'm sure you'll be able to help me," he grinned.

"I don't actually know anything about the whole doctor thing. Well...except....I mean, I know things but not...things."

"I don't expect you to know things just...talk to me."

"Okay," she whispered.

"Mer...we..." he breathed.

"What happens, Derek?" she asked suddenly.

"What?"

"We only have a few more weeks and...what happens when...to us? Or...what happens?"

"Oh..." he whispered. "What...what do you want to happen?"

"I don't...I want you to call me and I want...Sophie and Brian are doing the whole long distance thing and I...I want to call you and see you and..."

"You want to do the long distance thing?" he breathed, stopping walking.

"I think so. Yeah."

"Oh."

"You...you don't?"

"No, it's not...I do, Mer, I do," he smiled widely, grabbing for her hand. "I just wasn't sure if you would."

"I think I do," she nodded. "I mean...you're...I want to." She hadn't been expecting this. She hadn't even planned on bringing this up, but the summer was almost over and Sophie and Brian were so happy and she...she was trying to love Derek. She had moved a lot of her stuff into his room and she was...trying. She was definitely trying. And it was getting easier.

"I want to too."

"You...so what happens?"

"So we do long distance," he nodded slowly. "We...we call each other when we can. You come down for weekends. If I ever get two days off in a row I go and see you."