Anti-Romantics

Jousha Riley

"Hi, I'm Addison Shepherd." She shook Merediths hand. Meredith couldn't hide her look of disbelief.

"Sorry, do I have the wrong address?"

"No, he's here.." She trailed off.

"Am I interrupting something?"

She heard his footsteps approach behind her. "I'm his roommate Addison, I wouldn't even think about it." She assured her causing Dereks heart to break.

"Addison, what are you doing here?"

"Why'd you kick Mark out? You two are like brothers for godsake?"

Meredith snuck out the front door and got in her car to go to Joe's. The door slammed behind the two of them causing even more fury in the home.

"Look at what you did." He shook his head and pressed on his temples. "You happy now?"

"Sorry I upset your twelve year old girlfriend but the adults need to talk."

"You aren't acting like one and she's not my girlfriend."

"Good then I can come back here and me you can pick up where we left off." She placed a hand on his face.

He moved it off and seethed. "Where we left off was you screwing my best friend. I would rather not pick up off that part."

"So we're going to act like you don't have a thing for that blonde? I'm not stupid, Mark has informed me of your wrong doings."

"She's not a wrong doing. She's actually amazing, and kind. Unlike some people I know. So why are you really here Addison? To torture me?"

"I want us to have a fighting chance, what do you say we try couples therapy."

His breath hitched. "Couples therapy?"

"Yeah Derek, please." Her voice shaking. He thought about it for a second.

"I need to check on Meredith. I can't discuss this anymore, just leave."

He walked outside the door leaving the redhead alone in the house. He quickly drove over to where he presumed he'd find her, Joe's. He walked inside of the bar to find her taking shots of tequila. He needed to apologize, he needed her back. She was what water would be to a dying man, she was a breath of life. He went to approach her when a man sat by her.

"Come here often?" He smiled.

She turned her head. "No, not particularly. Shit few days."

"I hear you. What do you say, I buy you a couple drinks, fool around, maybe dance?"

"I like dancing." 

He grabbed her hand and pulled her up from her chair. "May I have this dance?"

"It'd be my honor."

He grabbed her hands and swayed their bodies together. She was smiling so hard her teeth hurt. Derek watched as he pulled the hair out of her face to kiss her. To which she embraced happily. She felt wanted like everything had finally fallen in place as Derek felt his heart shatter. He walked out of the bar as Meredith caught him out of the corner of her eye. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly. She felt a stab of pain in her chest as he walked throughout those doors. The man asked "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, sorry."

The two finished their drunken dance. "I never got your name."

"Meredith. Meredith Grey. You?"

"Joshua Riley. Let me drive you home or you can come over to my place and we can order takeout. You like Chinese?"

"Hate it, but the rest sounds amazing. Your place?"

The two walked out hand in hand to his car. She felt adventurous and relieved. Yet in the back of her mind a part of her wished she was with Derek. The two of them walked into the apartment. They shared a few laughs and drank, nothing too memorable. Yet for whatever reason she fell asleep at his apartment. She awoke to the sound of her phone blowing up, Derek. Shit. She quickly walked out of the bedroom and to the kitchen to call him back.

"Derek, is everything okay? Are you okay?"

He spoke indignantly. "You didn't come home last night?"

"Yeah, sorry I was out. I didn't mean to scare you."

"I didn't get sleep, I didn't get sleep and I have an important surgery today. I didn't get sleep because you didn't call, I thought something.. I thought.. I thought something happened to you!"

"Jeez! I'm sorry, what do you want me to say? I forgot to text."

"See you at eight." He hung up the phone on her practically seething. He didn't mean to come off as harsh as he did. She just had an effect on him, not one that Addison had. He couldn't stop thinking about her. All night he stayed awake thinking of all the ways he could've hurt her. He felt entirely helpless. He walked into the hospital feeling rather upset.

Richard approached him. "Long night?"

"Yeah, you could say that."

"Well get ready, new interns are coming next week. You're going to need all the rest you can get."

He chuckled hollowly. "Yeah." It had slipped his mind. This wasn't him. He didn't forget things like this. He didn't forget things like this but Meredith infected him with a vicious disease that he wasn't sure he wanted to get rid of.