Polar Opposites

Chapter 4: Runaway

Meredith woke up and for a moment it was like nothing had changed. Then reality set in...She slipped out of the bed and gathered her clothes as quickly as possible throwing them on as she picked them up. She grabbed her things and left hastily. When she made it to her apartment she sank into her bed and turned on her tv trying to forget what had just happened. As hard as she tried she couldn't get him out of her head. 'This can't happen again' she kept telling herself. She didn't want to mess with Derek's feelings. The one thing that was set in stone in Meredith's life was that she didn't do long term relationships. Almost every person she had been with didn't last for over 3 months. Meanwhile, Derek had only been in one relationship and it lasted for a few years. She hopped out of bed and ran into the kitchen grabbing a bottle of tequila and a gallon of ice cream. She collapsed back on her bed and clouded her feelings with sugar and alcohol.

Derek rolled over on his bed and stretched his arm out expecting to feel the soft skin of a woman. Instead, he felt cold empty sheets. He sat up and put on his glasses before grabbing his boxers and looking around his dorm. When he couldn't find her anywhere he started to panic. He was mainly afraid that he has scared her off with bad sex. He had enjoyed himself but he didn't know if she had. He grabbed his phone and called her hoping for a response. His nerves got even worse when she didn't answer. Instead of leaving a voicemail he threw his phone down on his bed and turned on his television trying to get his mind off of things.

They both laid on their beds thinking about the same thing. Each other. The scent of her hair still lingered in Derek's nostrils. His smile still shined in Meredith's mind. They both knew that nothing serious could come from a stupid college hookup and they both just wanted to pretend like they hadn't rushed into things because, in reality, they were both hoping that it wouldn't just be a stupid fling. So, Derek picked up his phone to text her. To his surprise, it went off immediately. He had gotten a text from Meredith that read, "Hey sorry for my disappearance. I forgot about a paper that I needed to finish so I excused myself. Can I come over in a bit?" Derek sent a quick reply, "It's okay and sure. Feel free to come over whenever." After all, it wasn't all a lie she did indeed have a paper that needed completing but it wasn't due for a few days. Instead of working on a dumb paper she decided to take a shower to help clear her mind. She stripped off all of her clothes and looked at a few small hickeys that were scattered across her chest. She ran her fingers over them lightly and grinned softly. Then, she shook her head reminding herself that it was wrong. She shouldn't be happy that there are purple marks all over her chest from a random stranger. She refused to fall back into her old habits. She ran a brush through her hair and started the shower. She shampooed her hair, conditioned it, and scrubbed her scrawny body. As a last thought, she shaved before turning off the water and stepping onto the fluffy rug that was placed in front of her shower. She threw on her gray robe and brushed her hair again before slipping into her bedroom. She grabbed a pair of black leggings and a baggy sweater. Without putting on any undergarments she threw them on and placed on her tortoiseshell glasses. She rarely wore her glasses but everything seemed hazy so she thought it felt appropriate and truly she wanted to be able to admire Derek in 20/20.

Hesitantly, she knocked on the dorm door. She fiddled with her long fingers while waiting patiently. Derek opened the door slowly and it took him a second to recognize her. "Hey," He said softly with a smile. She looked up and grinned. "Hey," she echoed. We opened his door wider and she walked in quickly. "You look-" she cut him off. "Like shit," she giggled finishing his sentence. "I was gonna say adorable," he breathed out. "Ha, funny," she said turning around to look at him standing in front of the door still. "Why are you looking at me like that?" She asked furrowing her brows. He was just standing there and observing her. The way her pink hair cascaded down her shoulders. The pink pout of her plump lips. The way her perky ass looked in her black leggings. "Earth to Derek," she said waving her hand. "Oh, sorry," he said shaking his head. "What does this mean?" He asked walking over to her. "What does what mean?" She asked her cheeks heating as he walked over and tucked a pink wave behind her ear. "You know exactly what I mean," he said in a low whisper running his thumb over her jawline. She looked down at the floor and asked herself the exact same question. What does this mean? It ran over and over in her mind.

She finally looked back up to him. His warm minty breath blanketed around her. She closed her eyes lightly and placed a sloppy kiss on his lips. "I don't know," she breathed out onto his lips. "Meredith..." he breathed out as her head dipped back down towards the floor. "This can't...I can't...Derek, I'll ruin you," She said as tears welled in her eyes. "Not possible," he smiled lifting her head. A tear trickled down her cheek and he wiped it away. He moved her hair a placed a kiss to her neck. He softly whispered, "you're perfect." She let a deep breath escape her mouth as another tear made its way down her face. She stepped back and away from him taking her glasses off to wipe her cheek. "You don't understand," she said wiping her cheek and sniffing. "Then make me," He said simply. "I- Derek we would never work. This can't happen. I-" she stumbled over her words. "Shut up," Derek said stepping into her space again. She opened her mouth to speak but nothing escaped her lips. Instead, she ran. She fled the scene like she always did. She could never let anyone in. She wouldn't allow herself to...