You Are In Love

chapter 4

Derek shifted uncomfortably in his seat as they drove. For the first time since they met, their silence was uncomfortable. He knew it was stupid to be this nervous but he couldn't help it, he cared what she thought of him. For most people, he could care less what they thought. People tended to think he was creepy or cold or soulless. Derek knew why he came across that way, and usually he reveled in it. It meant that people would avoid him, be scared of him, and not make him talk. 

But right now, he was terrified. If he brought Meredith to his trailer and she gave him that look, the look of unease, he didn't know how he would deal. She was his favorite person on this earth and he couldn't lose her. More over, he needed her to get him. Since they met, she had always understood what he was and what he meant. When he wanted to be quiet, she didn't make him speak, she never forced or pressured him to 'come out of his shell,' like everyone else did. 

"You live far out." Meredith said looking out the window at the forest surrounding the road.

"Yes." He nodded with his eyes glued to the road in front of him.

"Derek- are you okay?" She asked as she glanced at him with a worried look.

"Fine." He replied.

"Okay." She sighed and shook her head.

After a few more minutes of uncomfortable driving, they pulled onto his land. His beautiful forty acres that he had bought when he moved. It was probably a stupid investment for an intern, but he had all the money his father left him when he died just sitting in an bank account. Derek didn't particularly live an expensive lifestyle. He usually caught his own meals when he was home and he never went anywhere besides the hospital or the trailer.

"You live in a trailer?" Meredith asked.

"Yes." He said as he got out of the car. He refused to look at her face, all Derek wanted was to prolong the time where Meredith had always understood him.

"That makes sense." Meredith said with a light laugh.

He turned to look at the woman standing in front of the trailer. Her head was tilted up, looking at the sky and the tops of the trees. "It does?"

"Yea, it's quiet, private, and peaceful, just like you." She said.

Derek smiled at her and shook his head, "Do you like fish?" 

"Sure." She responded, sitting down on his deck.

"I caught one this morning." He said, pulling a dead, scaled, fish out of a cooler.

"You fish?" She asked.

"Yes." He nodded without any further explanation. He opened his grill and placed the fish on it. Derek grabbed two beers and handed one to Meredith.

"The land is gorgeous." She said after a few minutes.

"It is." Derek replied, flipping the fish. After the fish was fully cooked, he prepared, plated, and handed the meal to Meredith. They ate together in silence, their usually comfortable silence. After a few hours of enjoying the quiet outdoors, Meredith got up from her chair, walked inside the trailer, and crawled into his empty bed. Derek soon followed her, after getting her bag from the car which had a spare set of clothes in it. He set her toiletries by the sink and put her clothes at the foot of the bed. 

In the morning, he woke to a very unpleasant smell and a cold bed. He quickly sat up to see Meredith shaking her hand and saying, "shit, shit, shit." He got out of bed and glanced around the section of his trailer that could be considered a kitchen. He noticed a charred piece of bread that was in his now unplugged toaster.

"What happened?" He said glancing at her burnt finger. He gently grabbed her hand and brought it to the sink and ran it under cool water.

"I- whenever you stay at my house you always make me some fancy breakfast, and clean my room, and whatever so I woke up this morning and thought that I would try to make you breakfast, but I don't make breakfast. I eat whatever is in my fridge or have you make me breakfast. But I was going to try so I put the bread in the stupid toaster because everyone can make toast, right? right? wrong. I apparently can't work a stupid fucking toaster and burnt the stupid fucking bread to a crisp, and when I noticed it was burnt to a fucking crisp I tried to grab it. With my bare hand. Which lead to me burning my fingers, which might be the end of my surgical career." She ranted angrily.

He pulled her hand out of the water and examined the burns, "Your surgical career is going to be just fine." Derek looked up at her still fuming expression. 

"How can people expect me to be able to cut into them if I can't work a fucking toaster?!" She shouted. Derek shook his head and wrapped his arms around her very tense body.

"Thanks for making me breakfast." He whispered gently.

"I failed at making the breakfast." She grumbled.

"It's the effort that counts." He responded, rubbing her back until she finally relaxed into his arms. "How about I do the cooking."

"You always cook and clean and drive." Meredith sighed.

"Because I like doing those things." Derek said moving a piece of her hair behind her ear.

"Fine. You can do the cooking and cleaning." Meredith said, chewing her lip.

"Thank you." Derek smiled. "French toast okay?"

"It's great." She responded as she went to grab her clothes and get changed. "Shit."

"What?" He asked while whisking.

She held up her shirt which had a large tear over the midsection.

"Borrow one of mine." He said nonchalantly.

"Thanks." She pulled a blue button down out of his closet and put it on, tucking the bottom into her high waisted black pants.

"Looks better on you anyways." Derek smiled, putting a plate in front of her.

"Liar." She smirked at him.

(Hi! Votes-wise this story has been doing pretty well but I've gotten very few comments, just wanted to know how you guys are liking it so far. So feedback would be great.)