Oh dear I couldn't help it. I just had to finish Erica's story. It switches between POV's so I hope itdoesn't get confusing.Sequel to Almost Lover. Enjoy the opening chapter.
Such Great Heights
Chapter ONE- Trade Off
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Erica's POV
There comes a time in a girl's life when she grows up and just like that she becomes a women. Ribbons and frilly dress, teddy bears and pigtails are thrown away when you morph into a teen; lettermen's and glitter, drama and tears are wiped away when you realize there are bigger and better things out there to invest time in. I'm not sure were I'm going with this, honestly. I just guess I'm overwhelmed that things are happening that I've only dreamed of as a girl.
The unusual weight on my left ring finger was my passage to "womanhood". It was a big sign that I was no longer a child. I mean I know I wasn't a kid for sometime, it's just strange entering a new chapter of my life.
A wedded life.
I, Erica, will soon be Mrs. Colton's wife.
It was beyond everything I ever imagined my life would turn out to be and looking into those honey colored eyes, it was certain: I was the luckiest girl in the world.
After the crash and burn of that faithful trip, almost four years ago, I was lucky enough to see Colton again. He was there to pick up my shattered pieces and I'm eternally grateful for him. There was no way I'll let Colton go a second time. NO WAY.
On my last day of school at Brown, Colton took me out to dinner and he proposed and I said yes. I don't know how but I managed to reel in that great catch I let go before.
But here I was, soon to be wedded, to the most caring man I have had the pleasure to know.
Colton Regan and Erica Regan.
--
"Rise and Shine, Erica!"
I felt two arms snake around my limp body, gently shaking me to wake up. I peeled his arms off and reluctantly sat up. I rubbed my eyes as they tried to get used to the unusual brightness of my dorm room. The dorm was empty except for a couple of boxes here and there. It was time to leave yet another year at my home away from home. I finally wrapped up my junior year of college at Brown with flying colors. Yeah, it's crazy.
I would have never discovered the potential I had if it wasn't for this amazing man that I met at the fresh age of 18.
Colton flashed me his Malibu smile as he dragged me out of bed and into my bathroom where he proceeded to baby me through brushing my teeth. He tossed my comfy clothes at me and walked out of the bathroom in order to let me change. I lazily changed into the fresh clothes widely grinning to myself, thinking of the first time I met Colton.
Of course I rather black out the rest of that trip, but at least he planted the 'Brown seed' in me that allowed me to see him a second time. We were friends my first semester and by the second we were inseparable. Two and a half years with Colton couldn't have been better. Now, the rest of my life couldn't look brighter.
"Hurry, if you want to get home on time. It's a 5 hour drive, remember?"
I groaned, "Please don't remind me!"
Colton was nice enough to offer to drive me to New York, New York, the place where my folks relocated a year ago. Colton expressed his vast knowledge of the open road and since I don't do a lot of traveling I accept his offer.
"Grab those boxes, will you?" I pointed out a couple of small boxes in the corner.
Colton just looked at me, "A college graduate shouldn't be lifting boxes!"
"Oh ha ha," I rolled my eyes, "Please?"
Colton was nice enough, again, to stay behind after his big commencement to help me pack up and move.
Sweet guy huh?
I looked around one more time, nostalgic. Three years have passed so fast and here I am, on the verge to finish up my schooling and possibly be married by then. I got chills. Colton took the initiative and grab the remaining boxes.
"Erica, babe, C'mon let's go"
"Alright."
One last look and I was out the door.
--
Shane's POV
I couldn't help the smile on my face with Mitchie under my arm. After that faithful summer at Camp Rock she help me through a rough patch in my life. I'm sure she didn't know what she was doing but she restored me back to the guy I used to be. We have been together for almost three years now, three great years. So seeing her for the first time in six months I couldn't wipe this grin off my face.
I was driving along the deserted roads of…well I don't know exactly where I was but it was somewhere in New England, that's for sure.
"I missed you. A lot." She softly spoke.
And it's things like that, that make me grateful that I have her around.
"I told you, you couldn't live without me." I half-joked.
I felt her sighed underneath me, "I don't know I survived."
Ever since Mitchie left for her European tour I felt strangely fine without her. I did miss her but it wasn't terribly painful. I thought that I couldn't live that long without her but I coped. My brothers were expecting me to go down that spiral again but it was different. When I don't have control over things in my own life I can't help but to rebel. It's like an instinct in me that fires off without notice. My brothers know that very well but I guess I impressed them all by not going crazy.
Even so it was still great to have Mitchie with me again.
"Shane?"
"What's up."
"We need to get some gas, you're almost running on empty."
I glanced down, the little red line was almost sinking past the E. I would of panicked but thankfully we were nearing the beginnings of a junction, where greasy diners and gas stations were plentiful. I swerved right into the lot of a gas station.
Mitchie quickly ran off to the bathroom, while I entered to pay for a tank full. Well I tried to but the quiet rumble of my stomach made me go off track. Of course I couldn't leave without checking out the snacks that were oh so tempting on display. I quickly dived into the assortments of goodies.
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Erica's POV
"Just admit it." I teased.
Colton looked straight ahead, "No."
I grinned, finally finding a flaw on perfect Colton.
"You're lost, aren't you?"
He shook his head, "I just took a wrong turn. I know where I am."
I crossed my arms, and looked out to the blurred landscape that zoom passed. If it wasn't for his "wrong turn" we should have been in the New York State years ago. I know we've been driving around the same little area for the past hour… wait, I don't remember passing a tiny town. Well that is if your even consider it one. It had around five shack-looking houses and a run down diner and ,thank heaven, they had a gas station.
"Hey stop here." I pointed to a gas station that we were closing approaching.
"Why?"
"I want to ask for directions." I said still hoping he would slow down.
"No."
"Colton!"
He almost slammed on the brakes and parked near the entrance of the tiny station. He looked at me furiously and he gave me a childish sulk. For an second he vaguely reminded me of…never mind.
"C'mon, Colton. I'll buy you some chips."
He persisted to sulk.
"With dip?"
I grinned, "Only if my future hubs says he loves me."
He broke out of his pout and kissed my cheek, "I love ya."
--
Shane's POV
I came out of that aisle with an arm-full of snacks. I couldn't resist. By the time I made my way over the register a rude girl cut in front of me, insisting for directions. Seriously I'm not expecting a rock star treatment, but if you saw a guy with a mountain of snack in his arms, that threatened to fall at any moment, you would let him go first. It's common sense, courtesy, and every reason why I should have gone first.
The nerve of some people.
I couldn't see much since my face was covered by the amount of things in my arms. As I waited, as patiently as I could, all I could hear was the soft murmurs of the girl in front of me. I strained my hearing to eavesdrop on the conversation. Her voice had a string to it. Something about it was pulling my insides and I couldn't figure out why. Then, my stomach rumbled again, it just had to be my extreme starvation.
"Hey Erica, I can't find any dip!",someone yelled out. Something inside me twisted causing me to cringe. Now that's a name I haven't heard in a while.
"Excuse me,… Colton I'll be right there!"
I froze. Those names where too closely related to be coincidence. My insides ached at the thought of Erica.
The thought of what once was.
"Shane!" Mitchie's laugh danced through the air, "What's with all this?"
She took some of the load off and there she was just as I last remembered her.
--
Erica's POV
"So we were going the right way?"
The man at the counter was so confusing, I'm not even sure we were still in America anymore. He shook his head and pointed off some other direction, "Yes that way.""Hey Erica, I can't find any dip!"
Maybe it was a bad idea stopping here, it left me more confused.
"Excuse me," I apologized, "Colton I'll be right there!"
I looked over at the person behind me who had a ridiculously large amount of things in his hands.
What an idiot.
"Do you have a map I can just buy?" I asked, frustratingly.
The man handed me a thick wad of a map, "Free of charge."
I turned around and headed towards Colton, but along the way something caught my ear.
A name I haven't given much thought in sometime."Shane!"
I whipped around watching Mitchie, the "it" girl, walk up to the man with the load and revealed those brown eyes that I didn't want to be reminded off.
He looked straight at me, almost as if he knew I was there.
I might have turned a blind eye away from all the media that covered Connect Three, but I couldn't hide from the fact that the couple in front of me have been dating for sometime. Thanks to Colton I have gotten over Shane gracefully but nothing could ever prepare me to ever face him again.
Even if his hair is longer than what it was before and his face was in need of a shave, the man who was staring right back was Shane, through and through.
"Erica?" Colton called for me again.
I looked away from Shane thinking I was stupid for suggesting to stop for directions. I should have walked, or ran, back to Colton who was several aisle down. I don't know why it felt like my feet were cemented to the bright red tile but it prevented me from moving.
"It really is you?"
His words were so soft causing this agonizing pain in my chest. Things like this only happen in horribly plotted movies.
I weakly smiled, "Well only if you really are Shane."
Mitchie curiously looked at us.
"Wait a minute?" Colton intruded, approaching us with a couple of bags of chips in his hands, "Shane? Hawaii Shane? Gosh it's been almost 4 years! How are you doing, man?"
Shane analyzed Colton and then looked at me. Shane wasn't stupid, it was quiet obvious that he knew we were together. Happily engaged, may I add
"Yeah, it's me." Shane shifted his eyes between Colton and I.
It was definitely a big mistake to come here.
--
Shane's POV
Erica and Colton?
That's the shock of the century.
I knew she didn't like him that much to carry on a relationship. So what is she doing in his arms? How in the heck did they even find each other when I couldn't call her at all?
Mitchie cleared her throat, a habit she does when she wants things to be explained.
"Oh Mitch, this is Erica and… Colton. They're some friends I met back in Hawaii." Friends was too light of a word to use on Erica.
Mitchie brightened up, "Oh! It's very nice to meet you both!"
Colton extended his arm to shake Mitchie's hand. When Erica reached out for Mitchie's hand, a glint of light capture my attention.
It was a ring.
I might not be a scholar but I know an engagement ring when I see one. In fact, I asked one of Mitchie's best friends to help me choose a ring out for her but every time I come close to getting one I chicken out. Well, that is until, Caitlyn advised me to quit playing around.
"So where are you two headed?" Mitchie asked, being the charismatic girl she is.
Colton looked into Erica's eyes and grinned, "Up to New York, to meet up with Erica's family. What about you?"
The fact is, we were mindlessly traveling the country wasting time. I had 6 whole weeks with Mitchie for myself before she goes back to finish up her tour. A road trip seemed like a good idea.
Me and Mitch, out on the open road with nothing but the clothes on our back.
Ok the clothes part is a lie. We have plenty of clothes tucked away in the trunk.
At this point, where ever the wind blows us is where we go, and right now the wind is a pushing to one place.
"New York as well." I said, gripping on to Mitchie's shoulders.
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Erica's POV
I cocked my head at Shane, who I just knew was lying.
Ok, I didn't know, but seriously, that's too much of a coincidence to be true. Mitchie's wide smile disappeared as Shane dropped him arm from around her.
"Really?" I finally said, narrowing my eyes at Shane.
Instinctively, he did the same, "Really really."
I grinned up at Colton before I shot my glance at Shane, "Well can you tell us how to get there?" I pointed at the map I was given, "We're no good at maps."
Colton groaned, "Erica…"
"Well I'm really bad at explaining things." Shane said.
"How could I forget." I added, unwillingly remembering Hawaii.
Shane glowered at me.
"Oh!" Mitchie clapped her hands together, "I have a great idea! They can follow us."
Shane shook his head, "It's fine, she could find her own way."
"That sounds great!" Colton exclaimed, "Not that we were lost or anything…"
I sighed, as much as I didn't want to, at least Shane was crawling in his skin. The jerk deserves it.
--
For the next two hundred miles, we were following a black range rover that contained Shane and Mitchie. This has to be a horrible twist of fate to see Shane again. For those three long hours in the car, I hadn't said a word and I didn't even realized it. I leaned my head onto the window glass, furiously stared at nothing in particular.
"Erica, I have to tell you something."
I whipped around looking at the anxious expression on his face. I sat up from my former position and studied him.
"What?"
He drummed his fingers on the wheel, impatiently.
"I'm leaving to Greece in three days."
There was no surprise there, really.
"Yeah you mentioned that at the dinner. You'll be back in a week or two…"
"I didn't get to tell you everything."
Now that caught my attention.
"What do you mean?"
Colton didn't take his eye's off the road, "I'm going to be introduced with the Ambassador's Son, who is running an internship that can literally change my life, our life."
I should have been happy but a sinking feeling hit me. I was speechless.
"But I was looking at the requirements I have to go through and it caused me to rush somethings."
"What requirements?" I asked, finding the voice inside me.
"After meeting up with him, I get a week off and I'm off to Africa for a year."
I twisted the ring around my finger, not knowing exactly what to say.
"Well that's great…" I said very unenthusiastic.
"Which is why I want to get married when I come back from Greece. I can't leave for a year knowing that you're not my wife."
Overwhelming, to say the least. I don't know why but tears found themselves trailing down my cheek as I processed the information.
"My family knows and I have half of the guest list done and the hall I looked into is-"
"In three weeks?" I choked out.
He slowly nodded, "Only if you want to."
I looked back at the range rover we were following. The out line of the smoggy city was coming into a clearer view. We were finally reaching our place of destination. Shane popped back into mind, somewhere he wasn't welcomed.
He was a stupid girl crush, that amounted to nothing. We were nothing. We didn't do anything that could identify us as a couple. So what if we shared one sleepless night? It was just one out of my dozen and we didn't do anything.
Not even a kiss.
We were over before we had the chance to even begin. The months following that trip, I questioned how forgettable I was. Shane coped well with out me so why should I be the big mess? I dusted myself off and Colton came back into the picture.
Things are certainly different that what they were back then. Shane is happily taken, I'm taken, what is this fate trying to do now?
My thoughts tracked back to Colton's question, and I answered.
"I do."
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Heh, it's not what you expected, huh? I just had to bring Colton back into the picture. He's defiantly a big part of the plot so I couldn't erase him forever! Well I beg you to review and to bare with the slow updates since I don't want to fully abandon my Jason fic.