Endless Summer Nights

38.

Derek can't help but chuckle as he watches Meredith take a huge bite out of her burger.

"Wha?" she asks with a full mouth as she looks at him.

He shakes his head. "Nothing," he chuckles as he watches the ketchup trail down her chin. "I just...I knew you could fit a lot in your mouth...but I'm still amazed."

Her mouth falls slightly open as a blush begins to creep into her cheeks before she smirks at him. "I really can't fit that much, but then again, it has never really been tested to find its full capacity," she tells him after she swallows the large amount of food in her mouth.

"Nice," he says as he leans back in his chair, reaching out to steal one of Meredith's fries as he does so.

"Hey!" she tells him as she swats at his hand.

"What?" he asks her as he pops the fry in his mouth, "I brought you enough food to last a week, I'm sure you can spare a French fry," he says as his eyes twinkle.

She narrows her eyes at him again. "You don't have to be such an ass," she mutter before dipping a French fry in her shake and taking a bite.

"Did you seriously just eat that?" he asks, disbelief and disgust in his voice.

She glares at him. "I did. You have a problem with that?" she asks in a challenging tone.

He throws his hands up in defeat. "Nope. No problem at all. Nada," he says with a smile.

"Good," she says before belching loudly.

"Wow," he says, somewhat in awe.

"What?" she asks before taking a bite of the nachos.

"I knew that you snored pretty loudly, but that burp...who would have thought that such a big sound could come from such a small person?" he says as he runs his hand over his face, the tiredness beginning to set it again.

She giggles as she shrugs. "I'm just talented like that."

He chuckles. "Apparently," he says as he continues to watch her.

They sit in silence for several minutes as Meredith continues to feast on the food that surrounds her. He can't help but think if this is the best meal she has had in a while, a though that tugs roughly at his heart strings.

"So, I was thinking that maybe my dad and I could go to your apartment tomorrow and get the rest of your things..." he says, breaking the silence.

He notices her stiffen as she turns to look at him. "Tomorrow?" she asks.

He shrugs. "Why not? Might as well get it over with."

"Yeah," she sighs as she rubs her stomach and pushes the empty wrappers away from her.

Derek stands up and picks up her trash, throwing it away for her before turning back to face her. "What's wrong?" he asks as he watches her lift her sweater up, revealing her round abdomen, before she begins to rub it.

"So full and your son is kicking me. I'm pretty sure he is going to play soccer," she says as she smiles up at him.

He takes a step towards her, pausing to ask the permission he seeks with his eyes. "Can I?" he asks as he motions to her stomach.

She smiles at him. "Of course," she responds as she indicates where he should place his hand.

He places his hand on her stomach and can instantly feel the small flutters under her skin. "Wow," he says in awe, "I don't think I will ever get tired of that feeling," he whispers into the night.