You're Like Coming Home

55.

"I'm just saying, maybe it's a good thing we don't have any classes together," Meredith sighed from her perch on the kitchen counter.

"How is that a good thing?" Derek asked from the stove, stirring the pasta as it boiled softly.

"Med school's competitive," Meredith replied as she held up both of their class schedules, which had come in the mail earlier that day. "We're taking the same classes, just with different professors. And this way we can both be the top of all our classes without having to compete for it."

"Good point," Derek laughed. "I can't believe we start med school in two weeks."

"I know," Meredith sighed, reaching out to wrap her arms around his neck. "But remember we have to make time for each other once it starts."

"We will," Derek nodded. "Every Friday."

Meredith giggled. "I still can't believe that you set up a date night every week," she said.

"Only because you asked me to," Derek replied.

"I know," Meredith smiled, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "And I love you for it."

"You better," Derek laughed.

"Do you think we'll be able to do it?" Meredith asked. "Be med school students and have time for each other? Because as much as I love the date night idea, I want to see you more than once a week."

"I know we can," Derek said, kissing her firmly. "We'll just have to coordinate schedules, and make the time. But we can do it, because we want to."

"Good," Meredith nodded, leaning forward to kiss him again before pushing him towards the stove. "Now make me some food."

Derek muttered something under his breath, and as he continued to stir the alfredo sauce on the stove the doorbell rang. "Did anyone buzz up?" he asked Meredith.

"Nope," she said, hopping off the counter. "Maybe it's a neighbor."

Derek smiled, hoping for Meredith's sake that it was. He knew that she loved him and that she loved being married, but he also knew she was missing Addison and her female companionship quite a lot. He checked the sauce and the pasta one more time before he walked out of the kitchen curiously.

"Oh, Derek," Meredith smiled reaching out to him. "This is Beth. She and her husband Nathan live down the hall."

"Hi Beth," Derek smiled, reaching out to shake her hand.

"Hi," she replied. "I'm sorry to interrupt your evening, but I was just wondering if you had the phone number for any local pizza places. We just moved in today and we're starving, but the last thing we feel like doing is cooking after unpacking all those boxes."

"Believe me, we know how you feel," Meredith said with a smile. "We just moved in a couple weeks ago."

"Why don't you and your husband come over here for dinner?" Derek suggested. "We have plenty of pasta."

"Oh, I don't want to interrupt..." Beth started.

"It's okay," Meredith shook her head. "We were just saying how we should get to know more people around here anyways."

"Well...thanks," Beth said with a smile. "I'll get Nathan and we'll be back in a few minutes."

"Wonderful," Derek nodded. When Beth closed the door behind her, Meredith turned to him and smiled.

"We're making friends," she giggled.

Derek laughed as he walked back into the kitchen to check on dinner. "We are," he nodded.