Secret smile

21

Meredith smiled as she looked out the window and saw the black car pull up in front of her house. He was here. And she was pretty sure the smile was more of a nervous smile than a happy smile because she had no idea hw exactly they had gone from avoiding each other to house hunting but somehow they had managed it. And she was happy. She was happy and he was here.

He had called her a few times over the last couple of days, laughing gently into the phone when she dropped it or when she stubbed her toe from pacing her room. They were friends. She was happy they were friends, she had missed him. She had completely and totally missed him. Except she still wasn't sure she wanted to be just friends. She didn't have a choice though. They had to be friends. She still liked him, she still liked him in a very weird way that she had never liked a guy before in but he couldn't be the person that stayed, he couldn't be her boyfriend or whatever. And she got it. He was in pain and he was still mourning his family and there was a very good chance he'd never be ready to move on. She got it. But it didn't mean she stopped liking him.

But it didn't matter. They were friends and today she was going to help him find a new house. He wanted to move out badly, and she wasn't completely sure he was ready for that, not when he was so scared to go to bed. The night before, he had kept her on the phone until almost two until she had finally gotten him to admit he was scared to go to bed. But as he walked up to the house, he looked happy and calm or something.

The doorbell rand and she opened the door, smiling at his smile. "Hey," he grinned.

"Hey," she smiled widely.

"Ready for house hunting?"

"I guess," she shrugged, opening the door slightly. "I was actually about to pour some coffee in a thermos and...do you want one?"

"That sounds good," he nodded.

"Come in."

"Thanks," he smiled, stepping slowly inside. "You have...Soph said you have roommates."

"I do," she nodded and then frowned. "You know them."

"I do?"

"Alex, George, and Izzie."

"Oh..." he frowned. "Are they here?"

"Izzie's at the market, Alex is working, and I think George spent the night at his girlfriend's house."

"He's the...short one, right?"

"Yeah. George O'Malley," Meredith sighed. "You don't know their names, do you?"

"I'm honestly trying," he sighed, looking down.

"They don't think you are."

"I am. My head is just a mess."

"George, Izzie, and Alex. And Cristina. And you have to know Cristina's name. Not only do you have to know her name, you can't tell her she's a bad surgeon. She's actually amazing and...it pisses her off. And my sister's name is Lexie Grey."

"George, Izzie, Alex, Cristina," Derek nodded slowly. "And Lexie, I should at least be able to get Lexie."

"You should, she's dating your brother."

"Are they actually dating?"

"I don't...Mark took Lexie out for drinks and dinner last night. And then she spent the night for the fourth night in a row."

"Mark doesn't date."

"Okay," she shrugged, handing him a thermos of coffee.

"Thanks," he sighed. "It's just weird. Good but weird."