Can't Help Falling in Love

37

"So," he announced, walking out of the bedroom freshly showered and planting a kiss to the top of her head as she sat at the table, lesson plans scattered in front of her. "Where are we going?"

"That," Meredith smiled as she gathered her papers and slid them into a file folder. "Is for me to know and you to find out, old man."

Derek frowned. "I don't think I like that."

She giggled as she stood, her lips meeting his as her fingers laced through his. "You're twenty seven now," she whispered. "You're officially no longer in your mid twenties. You're in your late twenties."

"If I'm old then so are you," he argued.

"I'm only twenty four," she replied. "I haven't even reached the quarter of a century mark yet."

"I don't like you."

"Well, then I guess I'll have to trade you in for a younger model," Meredith shrugged, moving to sit down at the table again.

"You wouldn't dare," Derek breathed, pulling her close again. "I could show you right now how not old I am."

"Later," she promised as she tugged on his hand. "It's time to go."

"Where are we going?" Derek asked.

"Somewhere," Meredith shrugged, leading him out of the apartment.

"Well, I'm glad to know we're not going nowhere," Derek rolled his eyes. "Come on, Mer."

"You'll see when we get there," Meredith said, sitting him down in the passenger side of her car. "I'm going to have to insist that you put this on." She slid a blindfold around his eyes, pressing a kiss to his lips when it was securely tied. "Can I trust that you're not going to take this off?"

"Are you going to do naughty things to me?" Derek asked, and she giggled at the hope lacing his voice.

"Later, Dr. Shepherd," she said. "Just don't take it off."

"Fine," Derek sighed, crossing his arms over his chest as he felt the car begin to move, and a moment later, Meredith's hand took his.

It would be nice to spend a significant amount of time with her. In the month since he'd started his internship, most of the time they'd spent together had been hurried lunches at either the hospital or her classroom or nights spent curled in each other's arms. He'd missed simply being with her and just...being. She allowed him to be who he truly was, and as much as he loved the stolen moments of intimacy in the on call rooms of the hospital, he couldn't wait to simply be with her again.

The drive was long, and he had long since given up trying to figure out the turns she was taking as she drove, instead choosing to push her buttons a little bit. He squeezed her hand tightly before he started asking questions.

"Are going to the airport?"

"Derek."

"A fancy hotel?"

"I'm not giving in."

"Vegas?"

"Yeah right."

"Are you taking me to the middle of nowhere so we can re-enact the car scene from Titanic?"

"I don't even want to know why you saw that movie."

"I'm just saying...if you want to bring me to the middle of nowhere to have your way with me in the backseat, it's totally fine."

"Derek Christopher."

"Are we here?" Derek asked, feeling the car come to a stop. But he still felt as if they were moving somehow.