Can't Help Falling in Love

4

"So you honestly thought you could make it big on the rock and roll scene?" Meredith giggled as she cradled a cup of coffee in her hands.

"Yeah," Derek laughed. "I'll never forget the look on my parents' face when I told them I wasn't going to go to college and instead wanted to go on tour with Mark."

"Who's Mark?" she asked.

"The drummer in our band."

"Who else was in the band?" Meredith giggled.

"Well....we were still working on it."

"It was just the two of you?" she asked.

"I wasn't exactly the most popular kid in school," Derek shrugged. "I was trying to make a name for myself. We could have been like the Clash."

Meredith nearly choked on her coffee. "You though you could be like the Clash?" she asked.

Derek shrugged. "I just think it's a good thing that my dad convinced me to go to college," he said.

"And now you're in med school," Meredith nodded.

Derek raised his eyebrows. "And how might you know that?" he asked.

"Meg may have mentioned something," Meredith said coyly as she sipped her coffee.

"Ahhh," Derek nodded, sipping his own coffee. "Miss Grey, I do believe that you've been prying my niece for information about me."

"I have not," Meredith rolled her eyes. "She's quite the talker. And I'm beginning to think she gets it from the Shepherd side of the family."

Derek smiled softly. "She's a good kid," he nodded.

"She is," Meredith nodded.

"So," Derek said, pushing his empty coffee cup aside and leaning towards her, his eyes boring into hers. "Have you wanted to leave yet?"

Meredith smiled as she set her own cup down. "Not once," she said. "I think I'm getting to know the real Derek Shepherd."

"Hmmm," Derek nodded. "And do you like this so called real Derek Shepherd?" he asked.

"Well, that depends," Meredith shrugged.

"On?"

"On whether he's going to take me out on a real date or not."

Derek raised his eyebrows, not having expected her to be so forward. Apparently there was more to Meredith Grey than he'd originally thought. "Well," he said, the image of his girlfriend flashing through his mind. He had to end it with her before he really started things with Meredith. "How about next Friday?"

"Next Friday," Meredith nodded. "What did you have in mind?"

"Dinner," Derek said softly, leaning into her. "Drinks. Maybe something else, depending on what you're comfortable with."

"Hmmm," Meredith smiled, leaning behind her to pull a piece of paper out of her bag. She scribbled on it for a moment before handing it to him. "Call me," she said. "If I'm interested, maybe I'll say yes."

Derek watched in shock as she stood and slung her bag over her shoulder, smiling coyly at him over her shoulder as she walked out of the coffee shop. That had been completely perfect, the entire afternoon had been amazing, and he couldn't wait to take her out on Friday. He hated that he had to wait so long, but he knew he had to end things with Rose. He quickly swallowed the last of his coffee before he stood, grabbing his jacket off the back of his chair as he moved towards the door, knowing what he had to do.

XXXXX

Meredith sighed as she closed the door to her house, leaning against it and closing her eyes as she relived the entire afternoon in her head. It had been completely amazing, and she was sure that she hadn't ever had such a good time just drinking coffee with another person. Derek had been completely amazing, and she briefly wondered if it was pathetic that she was already hoping that the phone would ring.