This one is for you

CHAPTER 41

Meredith's POV.

As I worked through the night, the customers continuing to stream in, I'll glance at Derek every once in a while. He always return a quiet and encouraging smile. I feel like I was abandoning my favorite puppy on the street curb because I was too lazy and tired to take care of it, but the puppy was okay with it. And the puppy was actually smiling back at me. Everytime he smiled at me, it got harder and harder to stay mad at him.

When the customers finally died down a little, I signaled to Izzie that I was going on a break and fixed a scotch and a tequila and walked towards his corner.

"Hey...getting a break?" He asked kindly, his eyes darting, taking in my tired face.

"Yeah...thought I should come here." I said.

"Well, what can I say...I'm great company." He said proudly, opening his arms a little.

"Derek..." I began. I needed to say this, or I'm gonna feel guilty forever.

"No, it's okay. I was out of line." He stopped me quickly, putting a finger on my lips.

I cocked my eyebrow and stuck my tongue out a little and licked his finger. I smirked at his shocked expression.

"Wow...I didn't know we were gonna play that game...I'm gonna have to start bringing in the chocolate sauces." He said.

"No, Derek..." I said again, more seriously. I need to stop flirting with him, or I'll never get anything done.

He looked at me, waiting for me to continue. "I know that you are trying to be the protective guy, and I really appreciate that...but I like to handle things on my own...and can you do that for me, please?"

"Sure." He said sincerely, his eyes shining with emotions and respect.

"Thank you." I said happily, kissing the hand that I held in mine.

"Do you know what says thank you like nothing else?" He asked me in a whispered tone. I grinned back at him, shaking my head a little.

"Sex." He mouthed to me, exaggerating it like he was going to bite me.

"I'm leaving now!" I said, giggling as I took the glasses and skipped back to the bar.


A few days later, Derek came extra early than usual. I thought he was going to do something weird again. But when I saw him, he was slumped face down on the counter. His dark curls catching the light, making it more silky and warm than usual.

"Hey..." I whispered, softly combing my fingers through his hair. He didn't look too upbeat to me, and I used to stroke his hair like that. It seems to calm him down.

He looked up at me from the nest he made on the table with his arms. His eyes looked like an empty blue and red-rimmed like he hadn't slept for a while.

"What's the matter?" I asked him quietly, worried about the depressed look on his face.

"Company meeting." He grumbled.

"Why?"

"They want a CD out right now, and said I need to have more cheerful, romantic feel-good songs, instead of just sad ballads....something about too much drama."

"So...on a scale of 1 to 10, how bad was it?" I asked him, crouching down to his eye level.

"8." He said, looking back at me with red-rimmed eyes like he hadn't slept for a while.

Something took over me, and I didn't know what. It just felt right at the moment. I leaned in and quickly gave him a kiss. It was soft and heated, but I pulled away a few seconds later.

"How about now?" I asked again with a smile.

He looked at me, a bit surprised at the kiss. It was the first one we shared since the Christmas concert. But he quickly recovered.

"Shut up." He mumbled against my lips as he cupped my face and restarted the heated kiss again. We broke apart quickly as I lifted myself onto the counter and swiveled over so that my legs were hanging on either side of him.

He immediately came back and wrapped his arm around me tighter and kissed me softly on the lips, biting on my lower lip a little.

"Now?" I whispered, feeling warm and safe in his arms again. I'm such a sucker. But I love it.

"6." He said, before he continued to kiss me again, holding me tighter against him. He grabbed on my legs a little, and I automatically wrapped them around his waist.

He placed light kisses on my eyes, nose and began to give me wet kisses along the jawline and down my neck. I moaned into his shoulder and licked his neck a little, causing him to groan.

"5........4........3........2......." He breathed huskily against me as he kissed and licked along my collar bone.

"Meredith! Why the hell are you still here?" Christina yelled across from the room, completely ignoring the fact that I was quite tangled up around Derek's body.

"Ummm...." I mumbled, my mind going blank from the heated make out session I just had.

"You have a night off and you're still here. What are ya, nuts? Shoo!" She yelled, waving me off.

"And if you're gonna have sex with a customer, at least do it in the storage room, or the boys gonna get jealous!" Izzie yelled from her place somewhere in the bar.

"Boys?" Derek asked, looking at me inquisitely.

"College frat boys." I replied, smiling at me.

"Should I be aware of them?"

"Nah...they're too young...and they don't have good hair." I said, making a disgusted face.

Derek laughed at my expression and said, "So...you have the night off?"

"Yeah..."

"Then why were you in the bar?"

"Umm...what if I say that I was kinda waiting for my stalker?" I replied, smiling up at him.

"Well...would you allow your stalker to take you out for some romantic dinner downtown then?" He asked, as he helped me off the counter and guided me towards the door.

"Wait! I'm..." I said, gesturing to my bar clothes. I had a feeling that Derek was going to take me to those fancy restaurants again, and I'll probably get kicked out with the clothes I'm wearing.

"You look good enough to eat. Now come. Let's get some food in you." He said, leading me out into the parking lot, toward the Ferrari.

"Oooh...the Ferrari!" I squealed, remembering the fun we had picking it out at the shop. I never really get to have a ride in it, and I was excited.

"Yeah...I always wanted to take you out on a proper ride in it...but we never had the chance." He said quietly, looking guiltily at me.

"Dere...." I started, walking towards him. "Umm...slow. I want slow."

"We'll be slow, I promise. You're calling all the shots." He said, wrapping his arms around me and kissed my head.

"Okay..." I whispered, looking up into his eyes and saw nothing but love and truth. "Now let's go eat! I'm hungry!" I said excitedly, poking his chest.

"Yes m'lady." He said, laughing with me and held the door. I am not a golddigger, but gosh I love it when I live with him!