what i'm here for

Chapter 38: McBlackmail

"So," said the platinum blonde as she forked a single piece of lettuce into her mouth. She chewed and swallowed. "Mark tells me you two practically grew up together?"

Derek nodded to Michelle as she lifted another single piece of lettuce from her large, vinaigrette dressed, salad. It was all she had eaten the entire evening; having declined even a single bite of an appetizer; and coupled with the salad and sparkling water, Meredith was pretty sure she wouldn't be up for dessert. "Yeah, Mark and I were like brothers growing up. I have four sisters, so I needed some back up."

Michelle laughed. Derek cringed. Meredith laughed inwardly at his reaction. They had only met Michelle a few times, in the hospital and at Joe's, and none of them for any length of time, but there had immediately been something about her that Derek just didn't appreciate. It wasn't that he didn't like his best friend's new girlfriend. She was rather nice. And polite. And calm. And a host of other positive things. But there was just something about her that rubbed him the wrong way. But not Mark. The plastic surgeon was smitten. Meredith could practically see his pupils turn into hearts every time he looked at her. "That must have been tough. I have two older brothers, so I can commiserate. Tell me you weren't the youngest?"

Derek smiled. "Second youngest. Though it didn't really make a difference. They still ganged up on me."

"They were a tightly knit group when they chose to be," Mark agreed. He looked at Michelle and their eyes locked, seemingly lost to the outside world.

Derek choked back a laugh as he glanced to Meredith, who was seated beside him at the rectangular restaurant table. She offered him a small smile and rolled her eyes in good nature. He smiled back and leaned over to place a quick kiss on the side of her head. When Mark had originally suggested the double date, Meredith had been apprehensive at the idea of a novel couple-y thing. She and Derek barley got a chance to go just the two of them; they had definitely never gone out with another couple. But they all seemed to be surviving it well.

Mark and Michelle had yet to come up from their lovey-dovey staring, so Derek wrapped an arm around Meredith's shoulders and leaned his mouth to her ear. "I don't think I'll ever lecture you about eating salad ever again after this."

Meredith laughed before she could help herself and rushed her hand up to cover her mouth. It obviously hadn't escaped Derek's notice of Michelle's leaf by leaf consumption of the especially boring salad. And it wasn't like the woman was remotely fat. She obviously took very good care of herself. She was thin, and curvy in all the right places. Meredith didn't get it. She glanced down at her large plate of pasta and shrugged. Eating was supposed to be fun. Leaning into Derek's embrace, she sighed. "Glad to see you're coming over to my side," she whispered.

He snorted and released her with a quick kiss on the forehead.

"So," Michelle said, having finally pulled herself away from the quick round of eye sex she had been having. "How long have you two been together?" She was smiling at Meredith.

"Uh..." Meredith hesitated. She glanced at Derek, who seemed equally taken aback. No one had ever asked them that before, and she didn't have a good answer. "I'm not really sure what to say..."

Michelle raised an eyebrow. "Surely you haven't forgotten."

"No, it's not that, just kind of a loaded question. We met, what, close to a year and a half ago?" She glanced expectantly at Derek, who nodded. "But we haven't been together the whole time. About two months the first time and seven this time, or eight depending on where you count from."

"Why did you break up in between?" The question was innocent, but it caused the other three occupants of the table to tense at the same moment. Neither Meredith, nor Derek, knew whether Mark had told Michelle of his entire past with Derek, and one glance at the plastic surgeon's face said he hadn't. So, letting Michelle know that Derek had left her for his estranged wife who had slept with his best friend... probably not the best dinner conversation.