Okay, so maybe Shane was a little nervous.
He had never dealt with anything like this – he'd never gotten the chance to. So what was he supposed to do now, completely fazed by his current predicament? Growling, he kicked a pile of mismatched shoes and nearly tripped when they rolled beneath his feet. Letting out a long sigh, Shane moved to the back of his room, where his oversized bed laid, looking more inviting than it had in weeks – and that was considering the tour he and his band had just returned from. He fell on it on his stomach, breathing in the clean sheets for a long while.
There was no way he'd ever be able to pull it off. It was the thought that came to mind whenever he went back in time to the conversation he'd had just a few days before with his girlfriend.
A smile came to his lips at the reminder of his perfect Mitchie.
Everything about her drove him absolutely insane, and he couldn't help the crazy hormones buzzing inside him whenever she was around. It had gotten to the point where he couldn't stand to be away from her for too long or he'd become either withdrawn or irritable – Nate and Jason were still deciding which was more bearable.
Still, when he was with Mitchie, he was like putty in her hands. There wasn't a thing he wouldn't do for her, and it was by far his biggest weakness. Despite the fact that it got on his band-mates' nerves sometimes, Shane couldn't bring himself to try to get over his obsession over Mitchie. She was just too…Mitchie.
Everything from her straight auburn hair to her beautifully amazing voice shone as perfection in his eyes. There was no way to get around it, and though a part of Shane knew that it was relatively unhealthy, he couldn't find any inner strength to get over her – he didn't want to. He couldn't help but want to spoil her, to make sure she had everything that she possibly wanted, and though she was unfalteringly modest, he always insisted.
Nate had made a habit of teasing him about it, whereas Jason thought it was "just too cute."
Never would he ask for different friends.
Except maybe now, since the two aforementioned guys had said they'd be here to help him ten minutes ago! Where could they possibly be? Shane began to go through all the possible reasons his friends were absent, and curiously contemplated the thought of it being those persistent fans again.
Frowning, he lifted himself from the bed and swept to where he kept his phone. He flipped it open and hit speed dial, the phone to his ear in another second. Three rings reached his ear before there was a change in the phone's static – he immediately tensed, ready to be the usual "bad boy" the public had labeled him as.
"Yo, what's up?"
"Where are you?" Shane growled into the phone, feeling his lips curl around his teeth menacingly.
"Dude, chill out," Nate said with a tiny laugh, though Shane could hear the doubt in his voice.
"No," he shot back angrily, and gripped the phone tighter. "You said you'd be here ten minutes ago, and guess what! You're not here!"
"Calm down, man," came the half-amused half-worried tone of his friend's voice. "We'll be there as soon as we can."
"Well, get here sooner," Shane hissed hurriedly, gaze darting about the room as if his life depended on Nate and Jason hurrying up.
"What's the problem anyway?" Nate asked, the disbelief in his voice apparent. Shane felt his jaw drop as he realized just how silly Nate thought he sounded, as if the current situation wasn't important. As if Mitchie wasn't important.
"The problem is going to be somewhere extremely uncomfortable if you don't get here in five minutes!" Shane shouted, and listened intently when Nate said nothing.
Eyes squinting at nothing, he waited, hearing Nate and Jason conversing quickly in the background. Thankfully, they had gotten the message and were probably opting to get over here as fast as possible.
"We'll be there in a little bit," Nate said, and Shane scowled.
"How long is a little?" he questioned, the familiar arrogant look crossing his face.
"I don't know," Nate said, and then laughed in his ear. "Hold your breath."
"Dude, hurry up," Shane said, letting out an exaggerated sigh. Nate laughed out loud again, before quieting, the amusement still clear in his voice.
"You got it."
Shane had to retain his anger just a little more when Nate and Jason finally did show up. Jason was muttering to himself about the wide varieties of possibilities he could come up with, pacing back and forth from his closet and Shane, asking him questions the irritated young man honestly couldn't find himself capable of answering. Nate was in hysterics and hadn't stopped laughing since Shane had told them what his real issue was.
Prom.
"Would you please shut up?" Shane growled, glaring at his supposed friend. Nate bit his lips before bursting into laughter again, holding up his hands apologetically.
"Please, this isn't the time to be worrying about Nate," Jason scolded, grabbing a hold of Shane's arm and pulling him over to his huge closet – too huge for Shane's standards; Jason's fault. "First thing's first. What are you going to wear?"
"Like I know!" Shane yelled, throwing his hands in the air, an impatient look on his face. "That's why I called you guys! You're supposed to be helping."
The last bit was intentionally thrown over his shoulder at Nate, but the younger boy didn't seem to catch it, only becoming louder as he exerted his amusement. Shane gritted his teeth together, deciding not to kill him just yet – he could come in handy for all he knew.
"It's not funny," he insisted again, glaring at Nate. "Mitchie is a senior now, and she doesn't want to pass up the opportunity. I want it to be perfect for her."
Nate stopped laughing then and turned to sneer at Shane, who caught the familiar look immediately. He shouldn't have said anything.
"You always want everything to be perfect for her," Nate mocked, and Shane lunged at him.
Jason let out a surprised, wordless cry as Shane tackled Nate's smaller body to the ground. It seemed as if Nate was caught off guard, and Shane took advantage of that, pinning him to the ground effectively.
"Dude, get off!" Nate protested, shoving against Shane's chest.
"No," Shane hissed, pressing hard onto Nate's shoulders. "Now shut up and help before I kick you out! It's not my fault I care about Mitchie!"
"Yeah, but you don't have to worship her," Nate muttered, glaring up at him. "You act as if she's the best thing in the world!"
"Maybe that's because, in my eyes, she is," Shane told him, and then scoffed. "You should know that by now. She's everything to me."
"Including Connect 3?" Nate said, his tone making it more of an accusation than a question.
"You know that's not what I meant," Shane sighed, getting up off Nate, helping him up. He held onto Nate's hand, looking his friend straight in the eye as he continued, "This band is my family. You know that. We all know that. I can't help it if Mitchie makes me feel this way. I just…need this, okay? Make it last while it can."
Shane knew that the chances of Mitchie liking him forever were fairly low. The fact that she was never fazed by his presence like all the other girls had always been unnerving, but what would happen when she got bored of him? He didn't want her to toss her aside like any other guy, but he wanted Mitchie to be happy more than anything – he couldn't stand it otherwise.
When he had yelled in her face that day at Camp Rock, it had torn every fiber of his being. It felt as if he were being ripped apart with every word that had shaken his body. Each of her tears were like acid as she tried to explain her reasons for lying, and it hurt even more every time he saw her after that. He couldn't remember a time he had cried like he had that night, let himself fall vulnerably into the arms of his comforting uncle. It was like he was a little kid again, all because she had been able to break down every single one of the walls to his heart – and she had still won him over in the end.
She was just so different and unique. Everything about her radiated a special part in her soul that had captured his heart, making him see everything in such a clearer, brighter light. Life with her was just better and he couldn't explain it beyond that. Put poetically, he supposed Mitchie purified that darker side of him, the cocky jerk, filled up the empty loneliness inside him.
"Okay," Nate finally agreed, and Shane realized he had nearly forgotten where he was. "We'll help."
"Awesome."
They sealed it with the slight squeeze on the other's hand and a similar smirk that graced each of their features. Jason nearly squealed in excitement, diving into the closet with such enthusiasm that both Nate and Shane laughed this time.
"This is definitely going to be a long day," Shane decided with a sigh, and allowed Nate to lead him reluctantly into the chaos Jason was preparing for him.
At least it'd be worth it.
Shane fidgeted nervously, feeling like a complete idiot as he waited in the Torres' living room. He exchanged another tiny nod and smile toward Steve, somebody he hadn't had much interaction with, and turned his anxious gaze back to the carpet.
What would he say to her? How was he supposed to act? Would she want to dance?
He paused, resisting the urge to make sure he didn't have a fever. Since when was he worried about something as simple as dancing? He sighed when he realized the answer: since he'd met Mitchie. It was hard to simply breathe around her, let alone make his two feet cooperate with each other. Oh, God, what was he going to do?
"Shane?"
Brown eyes wide, he spun around, mouth opened to say…he couldn't remember. Every bit of his soul fell apart at her feet the second he saw her, speechless and awed.
She was absolutely beautiful.
Mitchie stood before him, hair cascading over her shoulders in beautiful wavy brown currents. It was a different look, especially when put with her fair skin and make-up – definitely a new feature. The dress that clung to her form fit perfectly and was made of black silk, falling down straight to floor, sleek and gorgeous. Lines of silver surrounded her hip like a tight belt, spreading away from her both up and down in streaks, reaching her neck, where the dress wrapped around her throat in two thick, flat threads. It took him another moment to notice she was almost as tall as he was – she was wearing four-inch stilettos, similar to the dress: black with silver lining.
It was an understatement to say he was stunned. His lack of reaction made her face fall, but he immediately opened his mouth again, gaze focusing intently on her large, long-lashed dark eyes.
"Mitchie, you…" His breath caught in his throat at the flicker of hope within her eyes. He knew she wanted praise, for him to tell her everything he was thinking, but he couldn't. Words just wouldn't be right.
Giving her an apologetic smile, he swept over to her in two graceful steps and gathered her in his arms. Leaning forward, he pressed his lips to hers in explanation, and his heart thrilled at the feel of her melting against him. When he pulled away, she almost chased his lips, giving him an embarrassed smile when he smirked at her. He granted her a pass, and merely brushed the lightened color of her cheeks with his knuckles lightly, remaining just inches from her.
"You look beautiful," he finally whispered, and she flushed even brighter at the words she had wanted to hear.
"You don't look too bad yourself, Mister Cookie-Cutter Pop-star," she teased, and he had to chuckle at the small joke. A thought entered his head and he let go of her, hand remained on her hip out of habit.
"Here," he murmured and presented the rose he had forgotten all about, a bud about to bloom. He had had it in his hands the entire time, and was pleased when he realized she hadn't noticed, the surprised excitement within her eyes apparent when her lips parted in a small 'o.'
"Shane," she whispered, and took the rose in her hands delicately. She stared at the blood red flower for a long time before she looked up at him, eyes watering – his own orbs widened. She wasn't going to cry, was she? "Thank you."
With that, she flung her arms around his neck and leaned into him, almost clinging. But Shane could only smile and wrap his arms protectively around her once again, breathing in the scent of her hair and skin.
"To prom?" he suggested, pulling away for a second. She agreed with a tiny nod, but neither of them could say anything.
"Oh no, not yet."
Shane turned to face the living room and blinked when they were both confronted by an amused Connie and Steve…and a camera.
It was far simpler than he had feared.
Despite the way a lot of over-excited girls rushed to his side at the start of the night, it was mostly peaceful. The press wasn't allowed inside the building, much to both his and Mitchie's delight, and they were left alone.
Dancing turned out to not be such a big problem, both of them moving completely in sync with the other, not worried about the curious stares, envious remarks or whispers. It was just the two of them, and more than once they found themselves lost within the music, in each other's eyes.
They now swayed gently to the beautiful sounds of a ballad. It was more perfect than Shane had imagined, just being able to have Mitchie in his arms, a night all to themselves. He smirked when he realized they were one of the only pairs not clinging to each other – he would have pulled her closer, but he didn't want to stop staring into her eyes.
It was something they did often, repeatedly at Camp Rock and afterward, not to mention all the times they had hung out in her room or gone on a walk, or whenever they sang together. Moments like this were perfect, when he could just look inside her and see everything that made her the girl of his dreams.
"Are you happy?" he asked spontaneously, and she blinked in surprise. They'd hardly exchanged a word tonight, only smiles and giggles and fleeting touches, light and innocent.
"What?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. He smiled and repeated his question, only to receive a more confused look from her brown eyes. "Shane, what do mean 'am I happy?' Of course I am."
"Really?" he asked, and she nodded slowly.
"What's wrong?" she demanded to know, lacing her fingers through his hair as if she'd be able to keep him there – Shane knew it'd probably work, the feeling of being held there by her will empowering him.
More so than how he had claimed before, he was hers more than the other way around.
"I just wanted to know if this is how you saw things," he told her, and glancing away for a mere second before looking back – he couldn't stand looking away.
"Shane, this is absolutely perfect," she insisted, giving him that look of enthusiasm he had seen so many times. "This is even better than how I thought things would be. I never even thought I'd be able to go to prom. And now I'm here with you. I couldn't ask for anything more."
"Not just tonight," Shane murmured, and when her brow furrowed slightly, he sighed. "I just want to make sure everything is how you want it to be."
"It is, Shane," she said, and placed a hand on his cheek lovingly. "I promise you. This is how I want things."
"Are you sure?" he said, and she nodded three times. He debated over his decision a second longer before grinning at her and pulling away from her, tugging at the hand he caught. "Come with me."
"What?" she asked again, seeming even more bewildered by her boyfriend's weird behavior – Shane didn't blame her.
"Just come on," he urged, tugging lightly again. He watched her take in a deep breath, before giggling and following.
Apparently, his playful mood was contagious, because she walked just as hurriedly as he did, pure curiousity and beauty radiating from her as she stared at him. The stares, he knew, made her feel awkward, but she didn't hesitate or have any falter in her step as she followed him.
They rushed from the gym, hurriedly stepping into the halls of her high school. Shane took the time to glance around quickly despite his anxiety – this was where Mitchie went to school, had been for the last four years. Smiling lightly at the thought, he tugged a little more insistently and shot for the stairs. A worried look crossed her face for a moment before she continued to follow him reluctantly.
"Shane, we're not supposed to be out here," she whispered, looking over her shoulder as the first floor vanished from their view. "And we're definitely not supposed to be going up here."
"I think they'll make an exception," he said with a grin, and tried to ignore the tiny frown tugging at her lips – she hated it when he used his title to do anything normally forbidden, especially when it involved her. "Don't worry. We'll be fine."
"Are you sure?" she asked, biting her lip softly as she always did when worried.
"Of course, Mitchie," he murmured, and pulled her closer to him when they reached the second floor. He leaned down to kiss her gently, brushing their noses when he pulled away. She giggled and blushed, a smile touching her lips. "It's okay."
"All right," she whispered, excitement taking place of the concern in her eyes.
"Now let's go," he muttered, and led her further down the hall, to where another staircase sat.
The building was actually only two stories tall, but Shane had the perfect idea. He almost skipped up the stairs two at a time, but resisted when another confused look crossed Mitchie's face – they were going to the roof.
It was completely flat, made of pitch-black concrete that stretched around them like a dark abyss, swallowing them completely. The blanket of stairs above them lit up the darkness, making Mitchie's skin glow beneath the eerily enchanting light. Her lips parted in awe when she came up, seeing the night from so high up, at a different view. Shane smiled, staring only at Mitchie, her wandering eyes as they gazed at the stars above them.
"Shane…" she whispered, and brought her gaze back to his eyes. She was still confused.
He took a deep breath, and then folded both of his hands around hers, squeezing lightly and giving her the sweetest smile he could fathom. There wasn't anything really special about what he was going to do, but he didn't want Mitchie to overreact at first – she was the type of girl who you could typically expect to do just that.
"I want you to listen to what I have to say before you do anything, okay, Mitchie?" he requested, and she tilted her head slightly, nodding a couple times curiously. Her eyes were sparkling wide with wonderment, and he sucked in a deep breath.
"Are you okay?" she asked, and he nodded, the smile growing on his face.
"Of course," he murmured, and then kneeled, placing one knee on the concrete.
She blinked once before her eyes grew three times their normal size, and he gave her a look that told her to be patient. She nodded, though Shane noticed she wasn't breathing anymore. Her hands were still in his, so he squeezed them once more before speaking.
"You're everything to me, Mitchie. I've never met anyone else who makes me feel the way you do. Whenever I see you, my stomach goes crazy and I can hardly breath. Every time I sleep, I dream of you there with me, forever. I can't stop thinking about you and whenever I see you with another guy, I get so jealous it scares me. All I want is to be able to always hold you, kiss you, be with you until forever ends. I never stop thinking about you, and I just want you to be happy. Mitchie, I love you, more than I'll ever be able to love anyone else every again. I love you."
She was completely frozen, lips parted and eyes wide in pure shock as he knelt before her, confessing everything he could possibly put into words. Taking a deep breath, he then took one of his hands back and slid it into the depths of his pocket. He glanced up at her just in time to see – and hear – her inhale sharply, a look of both horror and delight mixing on her face. He only smiled and brought out the small box, made of black velvet, just tiny enough to fit in the square of his palm perfectly. He held it out to her, and shrugged, hoping to make her more comfortable by the casual gesture.
"Like I said," he murmured, and smirked a little, "This isn't what you think it is. But…" He then flipped the lid of the box open, revealing the ring hidden beneath it. "I want you to have this, just to show you how much I love you. That we'll never be apart as long as you say so… This is my promise to you, Mitchie. If you don't feel the same way, you don't have to take it…"
She could only stare at it, and he was beginning to worry. He waited for what he swore was a full two minutes before she even shifted, tilting her head as her expression changed from wide-eyed to curious, thinking…considering. Then, her gaze flickered to him, and it seemed she realized he was as serious as he could ever be.
"Shane?" she breathed, and he offered a tiny smile.
"I love you," he told her again, and added, "And I want you to know that. I just want to know what you feel about our relationship. I need to know."
"Shane, please stand up," she pleaded, and he hesitated. So, she smiled and continued, still looking down at him, "I had no idea. I…"
Her voice caught, choking lightly. He looked a little closer as her shoulders shook and noticed the tears running down her cheeks. His eyes widened and he darted upward, thumbs brushed the tears away lightly, leaning down to kiss them away.
"I'm sorry," he murmured. "I didn't mean to upset you. Please don't cry. I hate it when you do that."
"I'm not upset," she said, a laugh mixing with the shakiness of her voice. A smile broke through the tears and he sucked in a deep breath. Did this mean…? "Shane, I never thought you'd ever feel that way. I was scared you'd forget about me."
"I wouldn't be able to," he admitted, and she laughed lightly before wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him.
"I love you, too," she murmured. "I always have. This is my dream, my wish. Thank you, Shane."
"In that case," he said with a smirk, and pulled away so there was just enough space between them for him to bring up her hand. He delicately plucked the ring from the box and slid it onto her finger, where it shone beautifully.
Two bands of silver intertwined together, spiraling to the point where a small diamond lay. The brilliant jewel had been carved into the shape of a billowing rose, illuminant against her skin.
"You didn't have to get me this," she told him, but he had known that was coming – she was still uncomfortable with the fact that he liked spending money on her.
"I know," he said with a tiny shrug. "But I wanted something to be there when I can't that will always remind you that I'm coming back. I always will, Mitchie. No matter what. Whether it's a tour or some other stupid band thing…I'll never forget you."
Without a word, she put her head against his chest, closing her eyes. He embraced her then, holding her closer silently, never wanting to escape the moment they had fallen into. It was absolutely perfect, and Shane couldn't think of any other way he'd rather spend his life: with Mitchie.
Maybe, one day, he'd be able to get her a real ring.
So, I wrote this because A) I love Camp Rock and the pairing Mitchie and Shane, B) Nearly all of my reviews asked me to, and C) Once the idea came to me, I couldn't help but write it. That being said, I do hope that this didn't ruin the first one-shot, but if it did, I'm sorry. I try.
Please understand that Shane didn't propose to Mitchie. What he gave her was merely a "Promise Ring" which was his way of showing her that he would stay devoted to her until they finally did make the final decision. They're way too young. Oh, and the movie never says anything about Mitchie's age, so I kinda just figured, Demi looks about sixteen or seventeen, so I just kinda guessed she would be a senior after Camp Rock took place. Just a "guestimate."
Tell me what you think, please. I like it, at least, but I need a little more criticisim than my own. Thanks.
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