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Ever since moving in with Casey and her family, Derek often found himself reminded of his life as a teenager. In this moment, he wondered what his teenage self would think of his current self and some of the decisions he had made in his life.
Of course, 15 year old Derek would have been impressed with his music career, his money and the jet-setting lifestyle he had had before. He could probably even justify his current lifestyle to his fifteen year old self. Sure, he didn't spend so much time on stage nowadays since his band went on hiatus. But he made insane money from writing and selling songs to other artists. Shit that took him all of 30 minutes, on a good day. More than Casey made from her 9 - 5. And - and - this was the key part - the lack of jet-setting meant that he could now focus on his true passion. Lounging on the sofa, watching TV.
His 15 year old self would have been very proud of this argument. He would be standing up and applauding him. What he'd find harder to justify to his teen self would be Casey's presence on the sofa with him. As well as, uhm, the subject matter -
"I take it there is to be no dowry, now that the Sheffields have withdrawn their support", Anthony Bridgerton spoke through the screen .
"You, you care about a dowry? It is because of what you did that the Sheffields withdrew it", replied Kate Sharma.
- yeah, that's definitely not hockey. His fifteen year old self cringed internally .
Derek turned to look at Casey, who he expected to see hunched forward, her hand buried in a bowl of popcorn and the same wide-eyed, obsessive stare that she usually reserved for her nervous breakdowns. The usual way she watched Bridgerton. Instead she just looked kind of... sad.
Derek took the remote and paused the show. "Wait, wait, wait. So, he doesn't like the girl that he's engaged to. He likes her sister?? But his big plan to get close to her is to... become her brother-in-law? Interesting strategy".
"No, Derek, that's not what's going on", Casey sad in a solemn kind of way. "He doesn't want to marry Edwina anymore because, if he marries her, he'll see Kate all the time. And seeing her all the time, knowing they can't be together, it's too much for him".
"- Case, are you okay?" Derek asked concernedly.
She looked down and chewed her lip. So. Nope. She wasn't.
" - You didn't tell me off for not paying attention. Is there something wrong with you?" he pressed.
Casey played with the hands in her lap. "It's just the show - it reminded me of something". She paused, and then looked at him in a way that he presumed was meant to be meaningful but he couldn't think what she meant by it. "It's a situation in our lives that I don't know how to deal with -"
"- Well, the only way to deal with a problem is by confronting the issue and talking about it in an open and honest way", he recited.
"That sounds like something I'd say", Casey replied.
"It is something you have said. Many times".
"Okay...", Casey took a big breath, "... I know I should have said something earlier. But I was waiting for the right time..."
She paused.
She took another breath. "Oh, Derek, I don't know how to say this..."
He raised his eye-brows doubtfully. "You could try doing it through... song", he suggested, helpfully .
She didn't laugh at that or even look annoyed. She just looked... her eyes were brewing with tears.
"Derek -", she began.
"Casey -", he continued.
She looked down. She gulped. "I saw Haley out with someone else. They were on a date. I'm really sorry, I know how much you liked her".
Derek squinted at her. "Was this person you?" he asked.
Casey scrunched up her face. "No! Why - why would you say that?"
Derek gestured at the screen. "You said there were parallels".
"This doesn't bother you?" Casey fussed.
"Was it with the Italian guy or the guy from Edmonton? I cannot stand the dude from Edmonton. He's so boring. He tried talking to me about table tennis. I could not give less of a -"
"- Wait - you two - you're doing ethical non-monogamy".
"Yes", Derek said, with an affirmative nod. "We are doing that thing".
"Okay. Well. Fair enough. It's your life. Your choices. I don't have a problem with it", Casey said, with her eyes directly pointing at the frozen TV frame. She picked up the controller and pressed play.
"It's regrettable to be sure", lamented Anthony Bridgerton.
Derek closed his mouth because he had been gaping at her.
Of course you don't have a problem with it, thought Derek. It's not your relationship. He thought really hard about saying it. Really hard. And then didn't.
Of course the headline news was that Casey didn't want to seem to have a problem with it.
Derek reached out and snatched the remote away from her.
He pressed pause.
"I don't believe you", he stated.
"No, I really don't have a problem with it", Casey said with wide-eyed innocence.
"Really?"
"Really. That's not to say - I don't worry -", she began, "- about what kind of example you're setting for the children".
Derek laughed. "So you do think there's something wrong with it".
"That's not what I said. I just don't want the kids to get the wrong idea -"
"What wrong idea?" Derek replied, with clear amusement, "That it's okay to date more than one person at the same time?"
"Yes!" Casey exclaimed. "I mean, no. I mean - you know what I mean".
"Do I? God, Case, you're such a square".
"I am not! If anything, you're too much of a circle!"
He grinned and pointed his tongue at her from inside his cheek. Then he leant back on the couch. "Just explain to your little angels, if it comes up, that it's totally fine so long as everyone knows the situation. And, y'know, is cool with it".
"I will do that. But I thought you liked this girl".
"I do!" Derek proclaimed.
"I thought guys are only cool with a girl seeing other people when they're not that invested. That's what I heard", Casey asserted, before grabbing at her popcorn.
"Oh, what asshole told you that?"
"You did", Casey replied, with a smile.
"Ah".
"- When I first started seeing Peter. When he and I weren't exclusive".
"Ah, now, to be fair, that does sound like... something I would have said".
Casey shook her head and giggled. "I'd hate to have you as a client... and - and - and as far as I know - the last time you tried non-monogamy was with Allie in university. As I remember, the whole thing ended up being a constant contest of one up-manship as you both tried to score with the most other people. Before you settled on boring old monogamy like the rest of us squares".
"I've grown up since then!" Derek declared.
"Of course you have", Casey responded. "I know that. Unrelatedly, can you take out the trash later tonight?"
"Yes, Casey".
"And there are still some dishes in the sink that need washing -"
"Yes, Casey".
"And I think the oven could use a deep clean, the freezer could use a de-frosting -"
"Don't push it. But seriously, can you try seeing me as something other than the annoying irritant that you were forced to live with as a teen?"
"I do", she asserted. "I really do. But, you know, you're not a completely different person. Honestly, I'm surprised that you're not dating more girls to prove to Haley that you can".
Derek wrinkled his face in disgust. "But, Casey -", he stated, with a voice aiming for flabbergasted, "- if I did that it would take me away from my one true love -"
He paused for effect.
"- or two true loves, rather", he continued.
"The couch and the television?" she inquired.
He winked at her. He pressed play.
They watched as Anthony Bridgerton and Kate Sharma got closer and closer to each other. To the point they could feel the light breeze of the other's breath, hear the pounding of the other's heart... and then they pointedly did not kiss.
Casey was squirming in her seat. Derek pressed pause. "I thought they were going to make out! This is episode five already, why are they moving so slowly ? This season -", he cried, "- is nowhere near as sexy as the last season. Can't we just -"
"No Derek, we can't just skip to the sex scenes", she responded with an exasperated eye-roll.
"Porquoi?"
Casey frowned at him. "Because it's about the build-up, the tension. The anticipation. You can't just skip to the main event. Girls lose something if you just skip to the main event".
"I don't get it", he replied.
Casey started smiling from the corner of her face. She put her head down to hide it.
"What are you thinking about?" he asked.
"Oh, nothing".
Now she was trying to hide a smirk badly. Then she looked him direct in the eye. "I was just thinking - if that's how you are with women, no wonder Haley wants to see other men".
"Ooof".
"Sorry, that was harsh".
"No, Casey, that was a solid burn", he responded, impressed. "Didn't think you had it in ya".