Untouchable face

65.

Derek loved the nights they spent alone together. He loved going to the bar with her and her friends, he loved taking Meredith home to his moms and he really loved their date nights. But nothing managed to beat the nights they spent alone at her place. It was perfect. They still hadn't spent a full night at his house, which was just fine, really. Her house was perfect for their nights alone, when they would have sex and then Meredith would pull on his button down and wear that for the rest of the night. He loved the level of intimacy they had at her house.

It almost felt like their place away from the world. He had a toothbrush here, and a few pieces of clothing were starting to be left behind. It was just their place, their place to disappear and just enjoy how natural it felt to be with each other. Everything felt right when they were alone.

They had been together for nearly two months now, and he spent a lot of his time wondering why he had ever thought this was just a phase. He was madly in love with her, and the time they spent together made everything incredible. And he knew she felt the same way. He had honestly been a little worried when they had started dating. He had been desperate to be with her but he knew how big and different this was for her so he had been thinking there'd be a huge adjustment period. But it was like the unsure girl had come alive dating him. They hadn't fought yet, they hadn't been through any rough spots in their new relationship, but so far, she seemed almost one hundred percent sure about this. She always called him to make sure he was coming over, always wrapped her arms tightly around him, and she was yet to miss the end of his appointments with Aaron. She was in this.

And she seemed so happy to be with him. He had always seen a sadness in her and he was starting to understand more and more where it came from, but the longer they were together, the less he sensed it. He had a feeling she was having the same effect on him. The hole that had been in his life before seemed to shrink more and more every day. He felt lighter around her, happier, and he just knew everything had come together the second he had agreed to be with her. And now they were both ready for a night to relax.

She had come off a twenty four hour shift and it hadn't been a great shift. She had slept for a bit, caught up on a bit of sleep and now they wanted to be together and enjoy their evening. She'd probably fall asleep early but he'd be okay with that. He couldn't remember the last night she had been off that he hadn't been with her.

Right now, she was sitting on the counter in one of his button downs, her bare legs swinging against the cabinets as he moved around her kitchen. Now that he was driving short distances, he made sure her kitchen was always well-stocked for the nights like this when going out was too much work. He was not going to drag her out when she was tired and he defintiely didn't want to spend any time with other people. He just wanted Meredith so this was perfect and she always seemed so happy when he cooked for her. She was easy to please. He had discovered his girlfriend had been living on leftover food, mainly grilled cheese and pizza, so anything he made for her was a step up. She loved to eat, would eat almost anything, and he was happy to cook for her. Even if she was damn distracting on the counter.

She was so gorgeous that he found himself constantly wanting her. Which sometimes felt insane and he couldn't help wonder if he was always going to feel this way about her. She made him want her just sitting there and it made cooking hard.

"You're not limping as much today."

"I'm feeling good today," he nodded.

"You look good," she smiled as she sipped at her beer.

"Don't I always?"

"Cocky," she laughed.

"Honest."

"My point was, you look like you're not in pain."

"Oh," he smiled. "I'm not in much, probably about a two."