You Save Me

1

Derek sighed as he walked into his favorite coffee shop, desperately craving a cup of coffee. Addison had left the house before he'd woken up for an early surgery, and he was trying to ignore the feeling of contentment he'd had getting ready for work without her fluttering around.

He hated the fact that the most exciting part of his day that he was going to be able to get a normal cup of coffee instead of the gourmet coffee grinds that Addison had special ordered and sent directly to their brownstone. It was probably a reflection of his life such as it was right now, but he didn't have the energy to think about anything besides the appealing cup of coffee that he was about to consume.

He and Addison had been married for ten years now. He'd proposed after they'd found out that they had been accepted into the same internship program, and two weeks after they had graduated from med school they had gotten married. They'd been happy, with a two week honeymoon in Hawaii before they'd settled into their internship, into the real world that Addison had quickly become enamored with.

He couldn't pinpoint the exact time that she had changed, but one day he'd woken up that he was completely miserable in the world of private practice and ballets every weekend, married to a woman who couldn't get enough designer clothing or elegant seven course dinners.

Now, he was just trapped. He hated that he felt that way, because ten years ago he had been completely head over heels in love with Addison. His wife was amazing. He knew that. She was a wonderful surgeon, and a strong woman that he knew he would hate to hurt. So now he wasn't sure what to do, how he had ended up getting so excited about a simple cup of coffee before he went to work in the practice that he hated.

"Oh my God!"

Derek was suddenly pulled out of his thoughts when he felt someone crash into him, following quickly by the burn of hot liquid on his skin. "What the hell?" he cried as he jumped back.

"I'm sorry!" a petite, brown haired girl exclaimed, reaching down to pick her now empty coffee cup from the floor. "Are you okay?"

"I...yeah," Derek inhaled deeply, stepping out of line to reach for a pile of napkins. "Are you?"

"Yeah," she said, looking down at her white blouse. "Although there goes looking presentable for my interview today."

"Here," Derek said, thrusting some napkins out to her and trying to ignore the way the blouse now clung to her breasts.

"I'm really sorry," she said, mopping at the stain on her shirt before she gave up and pulled a worn black sweater out of her bag.

"It's okay," he shrugged, looking down at the stain on his shirt. "I never liked this shirt." Addison had bought it for him for Christmas last year.

"Oh," she nodded. "Well...you have to let me buy you a coffee."

"What?" he frowned.

"Coffee," she said, moving to stand in line again. "I spilled on you, so it's only fair that I buy you a new one."

Derek felt a smile tugging at his lips, wondering why he was so captivated by this girl. "Fine," he said. "But only if you let me replace the one you lost."

She giggled, the sound melodic to his ears. "Okay," she said.

He examined her closely as they waited in line, taking in her green eyes, the soft curls of her hair, and the mysterious aura about her. She was beautiful in a way that Addison never could be, her face not covered by make up, completely natural and satisfied with the way she presented herself.

"Regular coffee, milk and sugar," she ordered. Addison drank French pressed lattes.

He shook his head slightly. He couldn't compare this woman he'd known for less than five minutes to his wife. It wasn't fair, and it was completely ridiculous.