The night was getting shorter, the sky turning from light blue to navy to black and they sat on that dock for hours just talking. “This reminds me of our first date for some reason.” Kendall laughed at the thought. “Oh god.” He laughed alongside her. “Best fist date I’ve ever had.” She hadn’t called him Dere since they were together. “We were adorable that’s for sure.”

---

“Dude stop hyperventilating.” Emerson was trying to keep Derek calm as he paced back and forth in their room. “I can’t.” Derek had been on dates before, sure he was almost 18 but this date wasn’t like those. This date was with Kendall Brooks. His best friend turned girlfriend of a couple days ago. And now it was their first Friday night together which meant their first date. He was taking her to one of the nice restaurants in the town of Faribault, which housed Shattuck. “Dude I am going to throw up.” Emerson wanted to shoot a slapper in his direction at the moment. “Derek Kenneth Stepan get your fucking shit together. This is Kends, your Kends, formerly Dave’s Kends but your Kends nonetheless. The girl you met when you were seven. The girl who’s been the only constant in your life. Who was there through your parent’s divorce, and signing with Wisco. Calm down. breathe and go on a fucking date with her.” He could do this. He could go on a date with Kendall. “Ok. I am going!” He looked at himself in the tiny mirror planted to Emerson’s wardrobe. He looked pretty good in Khaki pants, dress shoes, and a nice lightweight grey sweater. He grabbed the keys to his Suburban, he thanked god that seniors could have cars on campus, his phone and his wallet. “Have everything?” Emerson asked as he looked at him. “Yeah. I can do this right?” He smirked. “You got this bro.” He walked out into the brisk October weather over to Kendall’s dorm and texted her that he was downstairs.

He sat on the front steps of Branford waiting for her when he heard the door open, and someone tap him on his shoulder. He turned around and smiled when he saw Kendall standing above him. She quickly sat down next to him on the step. She looked gorgeous white lace number with her old cowboy boots. “Who are you Taylor swift?” She must have been freezing in that dress. “Maybe.” She smirked as she kissed him on the cheek. “You look handsome tonight Dere.” He smiled, he couldn’t stop smiling when he was with her. “You look beautiful Kends.” She got up off the step, pulling him up with him. She intertwined her hand with his. They took the walk from Branford to the senior parking lot never unlocking hands. “Thanks for taking me out Derek.” He smiled. “No problem Kends.”

Two hours later they were finishing off the chicken parm they split and laughing about the time Ryan pushed Derek into the Lake by their houses and Derek got a concussion from hitting the post of the dock coming up. “We thought you were dead when you knocked yourself out.” Kendall wouldn’t stop laughing. “Shut up it was an accident, I came up and the dock just kinda ran into me...” She laughed even harder. “No you ran into the dock.” He was going to kill Mac for giving Kendall another story for her to laugh at.

“Hey Derek look!” She kicked his leg as he followed her eyes, Torino’s the coziest Italian place in town had on the Minnesota Wild/New York Ranger game on. It must have just started. He bit his lip as he saw Brandon Dubinsky line up for a face off with Benoit Pouliot. “Wouldn’t it be amazing if you could play for the Wild.” He bit his lip again. “Yeah it would be. It would also be amazing to play for the Rangers.” They had drafted his dad. “Bright lights, big city.” He laughed. “Can we not talk about this.” She looked at him. “Why not?” It was his draft year and scouts had already been pouring into see the new batch of the Shattuck boys, and his signing with Wisconsin brought more unwanted attention. “Just not until May at least.” He was worried and anxious to not get drafted. She rolled her eyes. “Fine we won’t talk about the draft until May.” He smiled. “Thank you.” He leaned over and kissed her. He could do that now, now that she was his. “Can we get out of here?” He nodded asking for the check.

Before they got back to Shattuck he bought her ice cream after she begged him and kissed her ice-creamed lips a thousand times.

“I don’t want to go back to school.” She whispered into his ear, as he held onto her hand walking back to the car. “Why not?” He asked once they stopped at the suburban. “Because I don’t want this night to end.” She murmured. He smirked. “Don’t worry I got more plans up my sleeve.” She smiled. “Oh really Stepan?” He nodded. He drove them back to campus, through the guards and into the senior lot. “So where are we going?” He took her hand in his. “Somewhere we’re not supposed to be.”

Once they got their footing she let out a laugh. “This is the path to Howell you’re taking me to your dorm. Soooo troublemaker material over here.” He rolled his eyes. “Shut up we’re not done yet.” He let them in with his swipe card, and he led her up the stairwell, until the last floor, the fifth floor. “Why are we in the fifth floor? Your room is on the fourth floor.” She noted. “Come on troublemaker.” He brought her up another flight of stairs you weren’t supposed to go up and pushed opened the door. Revealing they were on the roof. “Holy shit trouble maker.” She saw that he had planted a blanket and pillows.

“I come up here to think sometimes.” He kept the door open with a brick and led her out to the blankets and pillows. “You can see the whole campus from here.” It was beautiful, like they were towering over everyone. She cuddled up with him in the blanket. “I think you already have my heart Derek.” He smiled at her. “I think you already have mine Kendall.” She smiled before kissing him. “That’s what I am worried about.” She whispered. He caught it.

---

“I miss those days.” Kendall smiled as she took a sip of her wine. “The puppy dog love days?” He missed those too. “The days when all we worried about was getting our calc homework done, hockey practice and each other.” Those days were simpler then now. “You were right that first night Kends. When you said to me...” She finished his sentence for him. “I think you already have my heart.” She closed her eyes and opened them again staring right into his. “Yeah you had it alright.” He finished off his beer. “You still have it. That’s the scary part Derek.”

Notes

Sorry that this was on the shorter side! But we got to witness Derek and Kendall's first date and them acknowledging that their love story isn't over yet. And it leads into a bigger next chapter (: There's hope for D and K!