After dessert was over Derek drove Kendall back to the loft. The car ride was silent. A little too silent. “What are you thinking about Kends?” She looked out the window. “How I don’t want to sleep alone tonight.” He pressed on the break a little too hard as a stop sign came out of nowhere. They jerked back a little and she let out a laugh. “Sorry about that.” He continued on the road, it was hard when his focus was drifting to her comment and the fact that she looked so good in that dress. He pulled into the apartment building and parked. “So I guess...I’ll see you tomorrow for training.” He fumbled with his words. She faced him. “Come up.” His eyes connected with hers, locked. “Kendall I don’t want to go too fast, this is all a bit much. I thought we were going to go slow.”

He didn’t want to ruin anything with getting to comfortable in their relationship again. He didn’t even know what they were. “We don’t have to do anything Derek, I just want to sleep next to you again. I want to smell your stupid Ralph Lauren cologne on the pillows again, the smell faded.” He breathed in. “We’re just sleeping in the same bed. No funny business?” He smirked. She now let out a full on laugh. “Yes Stepan no funny business.” He shut the car off and followed her up to the place they used to call home together.

---

As soon as they walked in it had felt like a time warp all over again. He had memories just sitting at every corner of this place. This was the first place he called home outside of his parent’s houses, and Shattuck. This was the place that he fell in love with Kendall all over again. This was the place where he decided that he couldn’t spend the rest of his life without her. “Do you want anything to drink?” She asked him as he sat down on the couch. Everything was the same. Same furniture, same kitchen island stools, same everything except his stuff wasn’t here. His Xbox didn’t sit next to the TV; his hockey equipment wasn’t airing out on the terrace a long with hers. It was kinda weird for him. “I am good.” He replied. In actuality he couldn’t stop thinking about what she said at Ryan and Kaylee’s. He still had a piece of her heart, which was a great thing if they were going to get back together but it scared him at the same time, he didn’t want them to hurt each other like they did last go around.

She grabbed a beer for herself and sat down next to him. “Now you’re the one spacing out on me. What are you thinking about Steps?” She moved his arm resting on the top of the couch, and wrapped it around her as she laid her head on his lap. “I am thinking about how you still have a piece of my heart and that’s the scary part in all of this.” He whispered hoping she didn’t hear all of it. She looked up at him from his lap, a concentrated look on her face. “We’re like a moth and a flame. We’re always going to be attracted to each other we’re always going to come back together. We’re fucking Kendall and Derek it’s inevitable. But we just need to take this slow, and do it right this time. If we’re upset about something we can’t hold it in, we need to be honest with each other and respect each other more. If we do those things I think we’ll be alright this time Derek, I know it.” In that moment she was right, she was always right. It was he always catching up to her; she was always a step ahead. “Are we doing this Kendall?” He asked her. “Doing what Derek?” She smirked at him. “Are we getting back together?” The question had been lurking since they saw each other for the first time three weeks ago at the rink. Everyone wanted to know, especially him. Were Kendall and Derek really getting back together?

---

She moved positions so that she was now straddling him, her legs wrapped around his waist, her arms wrapped around his neck. “I hated you. All these months I’ve hated you. Every time your name came up on my TV screen during a Rangers game, or someone else playing you I would throw the remote at the TV. My roommate didn’t appreciate that. I ran away from people questioning me about our relationship. I isolated myself from everyone by moving to Boston and only concentrating on hockey. I cried every time you guys won a playoff game. I cried every time you lost. Because I knew you were either elated or upset. I cried thinking every time you won a game you were out with Carl, or Derick, or Mats getting girls numbers or taking girls home from the club. This whole season had been a mix of emotions for me. And when I saw you out of the corner of my eye at the rink the first day of training when I was signing those hats, I wanted to throw a newly sharpened skate in your direction. Because you looked perfect and I couldn’t have you. I had pictured you running after me in my head a thousand times, or you appearing on my doorstep in Boston asking me back. Derek no other guy in the world makes me feel how you make me feel which is an emotional roller coaster. I love you, I hate you, and I hate you for making me love you. But I can’t imagine being with anyone else. You’re my person; you’re the Derek Shepard to my Meredith Grey. So here I am sitting in your lap all these years later from that stupid hallway in the athletic center at Shattuck asking you to pick me, Love me, choose me.” She stared into his eyes looking for assurance that this is what he wants.

Derek didn’t know how to react to her proclamation of f feelings. He had wanted this the last ten months but now it was standing in front of him. Does he go with his heart? That’s screaming at him to kiss her and be with her and that this was right. But his head was telling him that this was all happening fast and rushed and they haven’t fixed any of their problems, that they were still in the same position the were ten months ago. But he saw the way she looked at him. Like he was the only guy in the whole world. “I am in Kends. I am all in.” She broke into a grin and kissed him, like the kiss in the hallway that afternoon, fireworks. He broke away to take a breather and smiled at her. “So we’re doing this, we’re back together?” She nodded. “Let’s just start back to point A. Boyfriend and Girlfriend. And maybe at some point we can get back to being engaged and marrying each other but I think we just need to be together without any lifelong commitments hanging around.”

She was right. He agreed. “So now that you’re my girlfriend again are you updating your relationship on Facebook or are we not doing that?...” He smirked at her. She laughed and grabbed his phone from his pocket, already knowing the passcode. 2121 so predictable just like the house code. She went into the Facebook App and updating his relationship status, and confirmed it on her phone. “Done. Now everyone can see we’re back together.” He smiled. This was their last shot, he didn’t think there was going to be a third try after this one. “Oh fuck you updated that?” He asked as he gently nudged her off of him and shot up from the couch. “Yes. Why? Do you actually have a secret girlfriend? Because the other morning I was joking!” He rubbed his face.

“Ryan. He’s going to be pissed at me if he finds out before I tell him.” Before he could even grab his phone off the couch, Flo Rida blasted through the loft. “Well it looks like he found out. It’s him.” She looked at the phone and handed it to him. He pressed the green button and breathed in. “Put it on speaker.” She mouthed. He clicked the speakerphone button. “YOU’RE OFFICIAL. YOU’RE OFFICIALLY BACK TOGETHER. AND I HAD TO FIND OUT FROM STU BICKEL THROUGH FACEBOOK. STU HASN’T EVEN PLAYED WITH US FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS. BUT HE FOUND OUT BEFORE ME AND TEXTED ME. KAYLEE IS UPSET. YOU UPSETTED THE WIFE. WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?”

They both laughed. Which made Ryan even madder. “Alright calm down Captain. Literally not even five minutes ago Kendall updated the status’s and it’s not my fault Stu is always on the book. We were going to tell you guys just now.” Kendall couldn’t stop laughing and he had a smirk plastered on his face. “Whatever. This isn’t funny. I am just happy the two of you came to your senses. This is better for me now, you don’t have to third wheel and I don’t have to feel sorry for you.” Derek didn’t know if that was a compliment or not. “Well thanks bud. It’s late. We’re going to bed. We’ll see you at training tomorrow.” Ryan hemmed and hawed about how he should have been the first to know but calmed down. “Fine I’ll see you tomorrow. And by bed do you really mean bed...” The two of them broke into laughter all over again. “Goodnight Mac.” The two of them said in unison as he hung up, throwing the phone on the leather couch.

---

“By bed do you actually need bed?” She asked as she took off her heels, throwing them by the couch. “Because I am not really feeling tired anymore.” She smirked at him. He watched her undo the zipper of her dress, watched it fall onto the floor and watched her smirking at him. “Upstairs now.” He replied as walked over to her and picked her up, carrying her over his shoulder up to the bedroom they once shared. Once he safely opened the door without hurting her, he slammed it shut with his foot and threw her onto the bed.

“You totally knew how this night was going to end.” He said hovering over her. “Why do you say that?” She laughed. “Because you only wear your good lingerie when you want me to undress you. I usually get nike shorts, and one of my t-shirts as nighttime apparel. And you usually change in the closet. So I don’t even get to see this.” He pulled at the navy lacy thong she was wearing and matching bra. “Maybe it was wishful thinking to have my boyfriend back in bed with me.” She whispered. “You know how much I hate sleeping alone.” It was true even in High School she would break the rules and sneak into his room just to sleep next to him. When they were in college anytime he wasn’t playing an away game, she was in his bed cuddled up next to him. And when she wasn’t visiting him in New York City, they would fall asleep every night Skyping so she could fall asleep next to him. “Well don’t worry. I am not going anywhere this time. I am staying right here.” She kissed him, really kissed him, whole-heartedly kissed him. “Never leave me again Derek.” They had sex, the second time in a week after going months without feeling their bodies up against each other. And it was probably the best sex he had ever had. They spent the rest of the night wrapped up in each other. In silence. Not saying a word, just happy with breathing next to each other. The ten month split, the ten months of not talking, the ten month silence, the ten month dark period was over. They were seeing the light again.

Notes

Ah Derek and Kendall are back together! The story is far from over (: The next couple chapters are going to be good!