The First Time

13.

Wednesday evening, Derek couldn't get rid of Mark fast enough. He almost pushed him out of the car at the gym and told him to find his own way home. Mark chuckled at the new Derek and wouldn't let up with the teasing. Mark couldn't ever remember seeing Derek in such a funk over a girl before, although he himself wasn't much better. He'd spoken to Izzie at lunch time and she'd volunteered to give him a ride home after his workout and he was already running ideas through his mind of ways to get her to maybe stop off somewhere on the way home. He was sure that if he just persisted with his attentions that she would eventually give in.

Derek hadn't been able to think of anything else since lunch, except the promised dinner with Meredith. Hell, who was he kidding ... ever since last night, when she'd asked him over, he'd been able to think of nothing else but having dinner and spending some 'alone' time with Meredith? If they didn't resolve things soon then he knew that his studies were going to suffer. It seemed that he'd developed a one track mind. She was the last thing that he thought of before he went to sleep and the first thing on his mind in the morning. And she filled in most of the day as well. He smiled to himself, wondering just what she had planned for their evening.

He'd seen her at lunchtime and she'd been making a list to go grocery shopping with; one that she refused to share with him. She had insisted on it all being a surprise. Including what he would wear. She'd informed him that he could wear whatever he liked to her place because he would have to get changed once he arrived. She was buying something especially for him. Derek had no idea what it would be. He wondered if she was cooking Japanese and she would want him to wear a kimono or something. But he really had no idea.

He had told her not to go to so much trouble - that pizza would be fine with him as long as they were spending time together. But she had insisted that she wanted to do this 'right'. He'd then offered her some money towards her purchases (even though he didn't want to be the proud owner of a new kimono) but she had steadfastly refused, informing him that he would get his turn to wine and dine her, but tonight was her night.

As he went to enter her apartment block he was almost run over by a pizza delivery guy on the way out. Derek quickly tried to stand to one side as the guy hastily rushed out the doors. Derek glanced at him wondering what was wrong with him. Surely it wasn't just because he had more deliveries to do? Derek had never seen a delivery guy in such a hurry, certainly none of the guys that ever delivered his pizzas were. But then he noticed the guy's complexion. The guy was bright bright red. Derek could only deduce that he must have fallen asleep on a sun bed to end up that color. If the rest of him was in the same state then he would have been in pain. But then why was he moving so quickly? It would have hurt to even move and the guy was certainly moving ... and fast. Shrugging his shoulders as he watched the pizza delivery car fading into the distance, Derek realized that it would be just another one of life's little mysteries.

Moving to Meredith's door, Derek knocked lightly.

"Who is it?" Meredith asked from inside the room.

"It's me." he answered softly, wondering why she wasn't opening the door. She hadn't bothered to check who it was on Monday night before answering.

"Me who?" Meredith asked again wanting further clarification.

Derek was even more puzzled. "Who were you expecting?" he asked, wondering if she was intentionally teasing him.

"If you're the pizza guy again, I swear that I'll scream." Meredith answered.

Derek's mind was going a thousand miles a minute. What did the pizza guy have to do with all this? And what had he been running from? And what did it have to do with Meredith? "Meredith. It's me, Derek." He answered, now concerned and wanting her to open the door so that he could find out what had happened. At least he figured he knew now what they were having for dinner.