8th World Wonder

30.

Her legs hurt, they were kind of burning and that could be for a million reasons. It coud have been the shower sex with Derek, the wall sex or the fact that she had been shopping all day with Lexie and Addison. "I'm hungry."

"Should we go to the food court?" Addison asked.

"Yes." Meredith groaned.

"I'm starving." Lexie agreed.

"Food court it is." Addison nodded, as they started to walk in the other direction.

"I swear....If we go anywhere else...I might kill someone."

"We're supposed to be getting you a birthday present but you haven't picked anything out." Addison said.

"A nap." Meredith groaned, standing in line at the sandwich shop. "And a beer."

"You can have a beer tomorrow when we all go out." Lexie grinned. "I'm so excited."

"Who's coming besides Lexie, me, Cristina and Izzie?" Addison asked as they moved up in line.

"Alex and George are working...Derek is coming...Mark is too right?" Meredith bit her lip, opening her purse.

"Derek's coming?" Addison smirked.

"Yeah...." Merredith replied, quickly turning to Lexie. "Was Molly able to get a baby sitter?"

"No. She wishes she could come but...It was too short notice." Lexie answered.

"I figured that, besides it's just a bar trip. Nothing big." Meredith sighed.

"I don't know if Mark is working or not. I'll ask him tonight." Addison added, stepping aside as she ordered her food.

"Oh okay."

"She doesn't care as long as Derek is there." Lexie grinned.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You'd be pouty the whole time if he wasn't there."

"No....I would not." Meredith shook her head.

"You would." Addison laughed, agreeing with Lexie.

"Derek and I....it's not anything to pout over."

"But there is a you guys?" Addison asked.

"We're just friends."

"Friends who have sex." Lexie muttered, as the cashier gave her back her change.

"What?"

"Friends who have sex...constantly."

"We're two consenting adults."

"Who have been screwing like rabbits." Addison laughed.

"We have not." Meredith replied, lifting her tray and following them to the tables.

"Yes you do." Lexie nodded.

"We...so what if we have sex?" Meredith replied, sliding her tray on the table.

"All the time." Addison sat down.

"I don't see the big deal." Meredith replied, opening her ice tea.

"He's at our house almost every night." Lexie said to Addison, taking a bite of her sandwich.

"Seriously?" Addison grinned, looking back to Meredith.

"Okay...you guys know I kinda like him....we have sex...we enjoy sex....that's all." Meredith replied.

"But you're not in a relationship." Addison rolled her eyes.

"Nope."

"Do you guys talk about that?" Lexie asked.

"He tries sometimes." Meredith replied, pulling a piece of tomato off of her sandwich.

"And..."

"He knows I don't want anything more."

"You do know he's not going to be okay with that much longer right?" Addison said.

"Well...." Meredith took a deep breath, placing her sandwich on the plate before wiping her hands. "He knows....it's never going to be anything more...just a little bit of fun. He can walk away when he wants."

"And what if he does...what about you?"

"What about me Addison?"

"Would you be okay, honestly okay, if he walked away right now?"

"Addison...."

"What? You're my friend and I care about you and I don't want to see you get hurt. I can tell you're attached to him."

"I'm not attached." Meredith took a bite of her chips.

"You are." Lexie added. "I know you don't want to be...but you are."

"Then let him walk away...I'd be just fine."

"He's not going to walk away." Addison sighed.

"He will when he wants more."

"And then you'll both be miserable." Lexie said.

"I'll be just fine."

"Why don't you want a relationship with him? He makes you happy."

"I don't need Derek to make me happy." Meredith insisted.

"You're happier than you've been in a long time when you're with him, Mer." Lexie pointed out.

"The only change in me is the fact that I'm getting sex."

"Which I'm sure he's great at...but, I don't think thats it."

"I agree with Lexie." Addison nodded.

"Of course you do."

"We just don't want you get hurt, no matter how much you say it's not going to happen."

"Well Derek needs to walk away if he wants more from me and he knows that." Meredith replied, leaning back in her chair. "I told him this wasn't anything."

"He cares about you too much to do that." Addison said, crumpling up her trash.

"Because he gets it."

"I don't think this is doing any good Addie." Lexie sighed, looking across the table.

"Then what do I need to do? Tell him to buzz off now? I can do that."

"Don't do that."

"Then what is this conversation about?" Meredith snapped.

"Being realistic about you and him." Addison said calmly.

"Okay, let me make it real...we're not dating, we're not a happy couple...it's nothing...sex is as far as it goes."

"Fine." Lexie said. "Maybe we should just keep shopping and drop it."

"I don't want to shop anymore."

"What about your birthday present?"

"Surprise me." Meredith stood, picking up her purse and tray. "Have fun."

"Bye." Addison groaned, shaking her head at Lexie as Meredith walked away.

"So much for that." Lexie replied.

"One or both of them is going to get hurt."

"Both...." Lexie breathed. "She fell already..."

"Do you really think so?" Addison looked up.

"She wouldn't have left just now...if she didn't love him."

"Derek...she's the one for him."

"I know." Lexie breathed, leaning back in her chair. "He's going to have to be one strong man."

"Yeah. God knows she's not going to give in easily." Addison sighed.