Can't Help Falling in Love

21

"What is she doing?" Lexie asked to Izzie as they stood in the doorway to the living room, watching Meredith as she tried to untangle a long strand of yarn from around her hands.

"I think she's trying to untangle that," Izzie whispered.

"I know that," Lexie rolled her eyes. "But why?"

"It looks like she's trying to knit," Izzie said, looking at the messy, uneven knitted square that Meredith was quickly unraveling.

"Meredith doesn't knit," Lexie frowned.

"Maybe it's some kind of weird break up thing," Izzie suggested.

"It's been a month," Lexie sighed. "And she's still not over Derek."

"She's getting there," Izzie nodded. "I saw her checking out a guy in the grocery store the other day."

"It's so sad," Lexie said. "They were supposed to be together forever."

"Stupid string," Meredith frowned as she finally untangled the knots. She reached for her needles again, smiling as she saw her friends standing in the doorway. "Hey guys. What's going on?"

"Nothing," Izzie said as they stepped into the room. "What are you doing?"

"Knitting," Meredith nodded. "Because I'm celibate."

"Celibate?" Lexie asked.

"Because men are stupid," Meredith said. "I swore after Derek I'd never be with anyone else ever again, but now..."

"Now what?" Izzie asked.

"Now I'm starting to think that other men are attractive again," Meredith sighed.

"Some people would call that moving on," Lexie pointed out.

"Well, I don't want to move on," Meredith shrugged. "So I'm knitting, because this way nothing seems porny in my head."

Izzie frowned. "Meredith," she said softly. "Do you think this has anything to do with Derek?"

"No," Meredith shook her head quickly. "Derek's...he's an ass, just like the rest of them, and I'm not letting him control any more of my life."

"Okay," Lexie said softly. "I um...do you want me to teach you how to knit?"

"You know how to knit?" Meredith asked.

"I learned when I had mono," Lexie giggled as she reached for the needles. "I made my mom a lot of potholders."

"Well, thank God, you know how to do it," Meredith sighed, leaning her head against Izzie's shoulder. "I don't know what I would do without you guys. You've been amazing."

"We're here for you, Mer," Izzie said. "We love you."

Meredith smiled sadly as she reached out to begin rolling the other end of the yarn into a ball. "At least I have you," she sighed.

XXXXX

"Alright everyone, I have a surprise for you," Meredith smiled to her class a couple days later. "Look what I've made for the reading corner."

Her students all looked up at her with eager eyes as she reached behind her desk and pulled out a light blue knitted blanket. "I made this over the weekend," she said. "I know some of you get cold when you're reading, so now when you're on the bean bag chairs, you can have something to keep you warm."

Her class all inhaled sharply, admiring the blanket. "I'm glad you like it," she giggled. "Now, I'm going to put it over there while you're all at recess, but if there's any arguing, it's going to go back to my house, okay?"