Ambivalence

9

"What did he want?" Derek questioned inquisitively as Meredith shut the door with a dorkish grin on her face.

"He said Hughes gave him my address and the apartment code," she answered while purposely leaving out the sole reason he came to visit her.

"Wow, you've downgraded," Derek teased. "From hot neuro God to psycho stalker. I gotta say, I'm a little disappointed in you."

Meredith glared with her back rested against the door. "He isn't a stalker," she stated. "He came by to ask me out on a date," Meredith blushed.

"A date?" Derek restated. "Who asks people out on dates these days? Very odd behavior. I say drop him before it's too late," he pleaded.

"I bet you do," she rolled her eyes. "He said he had a great time during the five minutes we got to eat lunch together before you crashed it."

"Five minutes in and he's already showing up to your house? Seriously Meredith, that isn't normal," Derek exaggerated with his arms crossed.

"Right," she shook her head. "Because you're one to talk about normal." Meredith patted his shoulder teasingly before heading into her room to get dressed for the spontaneous date that started in a few hours. Derek watched as she closed and locked her bedroom door as his phone vibrated in his pocket. The name that lit up on the screen belonged to one of the few Derek considered a friend.

"Cristina," he boasted when she answered. "Did you miss me already?"

***

Two hours passed that Meredith spent showering, picking out an outfit, and preparing herself mentally for the first second date she'd had in longer than she cared to admit. She stuck her wallet into her purse and spun in the mirror a final time before stepping out into the hall where Derek sat at the kitchen table with his laptop open and a slice of cheese in hand.

"Derek, you know in twenty minutes you're gonna be on the toilet complaining," she chastised.

Her presence made him look up from his screen to see her standing fully dressed in a simple pair of jeans, a tan coat and a dark brown scarf that suit her perfectly. Her tamed curls bounced against her shoulders and draped down her back and Derek couldn't look away.

"How do I look?" she asked him honestly.

Derek's mouth fell wider the longer he gawked until he heard her ask him the question again. "You look terrible," he lied. "Seriously Mer, do you get dressed in the dark?"

Meredith ignored his opinionated comments and pulled her phone out of her pocket to see a message from Chris. "Damn it," she cursed.

"What? Christian realized he was making a mistake and called it off?" Derek implied.

"No," Meredith scolded. "He's already at the bowling alley and I must've misread the messages. I thought he was gonna pick me up and this morning my car wouldn't start," she explained.

"Well it looks like the universe is against this mess of a relationship and it's shutting it down before it even starts," Derek gloated. "You should be relieved." He put an end to his taunting when he saw how defeated she was by the news. Sure she could take a cab, but it would probably drop her off an hour late and he didn't want to hear her complaint about it later. "Get in the car," he groaned and walked to the front door to grab his keys.

"Did you not hear a word I said?" she asked him. "My car isn't working."

"Then it's a good thing we're not taking your car," he stated. Meredith's previous smile returned and excitement clouded her judgement when she ran up to Derek and wrapped her arms around his neck in a grateful embrace. "Hurry up before I change my mind," he downplayed the feelings that concocted while her body was pressed against his and held the door for her to exit.

With his little knowledge of the city, Derek relied on his GPS to give him directions to the bowling alley. Meredith reclined in the passenger seat with one leg up and her hands rested in her lap.

"I still don't get how you could agree to go on a date to the bowling alley," Derek judged.

"Bowling is fun," she argued. Meredith reached over and grabbed Derek's phone when it continuously buzzed in his lap. Numerous messages from a single
contact appeared when she tapped the screen. "Who's Cristina?" she asked him defensively. Meredith didn't have a right nor want to care, but she couldn't ignore the pit of jealousy churning her stomach.

Derek peeked away from the road to see the look on her face that he knew all too well; usually stemming from her doubts about his infidelity. "What are you, jealous?" he prodded.

"Why would I be jealous?" Meredith snapped. "Keep your eyes on the road," she avoided the situation completely and set his phone back down on the dashboard.

***

The shiny floors of the alley leading to the enclosed arcade area were less than full of guests. Usually on a Saturday night, any type of entertainment center would be crowded. It didn't take long for Meredith to spot the man dressed in a button down shirt and dark pants. His light curls appeared shorter since she'd seen him that morning and Meredith grinned when he flashed her a smile from across the room.

"You look.. amazing." Christopher admired her from head to toe and reached around her waist to pull her in for a longing hug. It took the lean man a few moments to take his gaze away from Meredith and notice Derek standing on the left of her. "What was your name again?" he stuck out his hand and greeted him, sizing Derek up as he reluctantly accepted the shake.

"He's leaving," Meredith interfered and hinted that Derek should be on his way. It wasn't necessary that he even walk her into the bowling alley, but he insisted.

"Alright well, Christian," Derek butchered his name. "I should get going."

"Well why don't you stay?" Christopher asked bluntly, not letting Derek's clear at tamely to get under his skin affect him. "From the looks of it the two of you are pretty close, and if I'm ever gonna get far with this one I should get to know you," he admitted. Meredith shook her head and cheesed nervously.

"I don't know," Derek was hesitant at the thought of spending quality time with a man he already didn't seem to like. "I'm supposed to be meeting someone soon and..."

"Don't stress it," Christopher falsely assured him. "She'll be in great hands." He winked and wrapped his arm around Meredith's shoulders, pulling her into his frame, as they both turned around and headed to the stand to pay for bowling shoes.

It made Derek feel physically nauseous seeing them together, his arm around her as if he was her property. It wasn't his place to have an opinion on her life, but he couldn't stand by and watch some douche make a fool of himself trying to win her over. "You know what," he called out to them. "I'll order a pitcher!"