3. Symptoms

As Shane walked into the theater he saw Tatiana talking with Hank, the manager, and it didn't look good.

"What going on?" Shane asked Catalina, one of the singers.

"Tatiana is quitting, or that's what I heard," she laughed. "She's your girlfriend, you should have known this."

"She is not my girlfriend," Shane said with no emotion to his voice.

"You finally broke up with her?"

"Finally?" Shane asked, puzzled.

"Everyone knew it was going to happen, we just wonder why it took so long," she laughed.

Tatiana started walking to the door towards him and Catalina. When she walked past them she bumped Shane's arm with her shoulder and walked out of the theater. When he turned to look at Catalina she had one of her eyebrows raised towards the door. She looked at him and laughed, "Scary," she laughed even louder.

Shane rolled his eyes and joined in, laughing almost as loud as her.

"Jess, wake up sweetie, it's time to go," Kimee whispered.

Jess mumbled that she was tired and didn't want to move.

"We're going to see Shane," she added a song note to Shane's name.

"I'm up! I'm— down," Jess fell back on her bed with a groan.

"Are you ok?"

"I'm in so much pain!"

"What hurts?"

"What do you think?" Jess cried out. "Everything hurts!"

"It's probably from you dancing so much last night!" Kimee giggled.

"Yeah, I guess so," Jess groaned. "Help me up, please."

As Kimee grabbed Jess's arm and pulled, Jess jerked her arm back and yelled in agony.

"Jess, are you ok? Are you sure you want to go today? You don't look so good."

"Yes I want to go!"

"Ok, but I'm not picking you up. I hurt you enough for one day."

Finally, Jess got up to take her shower. When she took of her sweat pants, she noticed that she had five bruises on her left leg.

"Jeez! I dance too crazy," she laughed at herself.

When she finished taking a shower and got ready she looked herself over. She saw that she had another bruise on her arm.

"Did I fight with a boxer last night? Jeez!"

When Kimee and she got to the theater they saw Shane waiting for them in the front row of seats.

"Hey! How are you this morning?" Shane asked her.

"Sore," she laughed.

"Tell me about it," Kimee said. "This morning when I tried to help her out of bed she about started crying."

"I'm in pain!"

"I know!" Kimee laughed and poked Jess on the arm.

"Ow!"

"Sorry, couldn't help it," Kimee laughed harder.

Jess and Shane joined in and soon they were all poking each other.

"Ok, ok, enough," Jess laughed. "I'm going to have enough bruises now, and besides I came here to see Shane do his ballet, not get beaten up."

"Ok," Shane said. "I'll be back when I'm done."

"Don't fall!" Kimee joked.

Shane got his dancers ready and the red silk for his performance came down. He started his dance, counting his steps, and then getting ready to be lifted into the air. This is the same performance he had done since he had gotten the part, but today was much more important for him.

Shane looked down at Jess while he was soaring through the air above the seats. She was so beautiful, a face that was not easily forgettable. Small round face, light skin, freckles on her cheeks and nose, and her eyes. The way the ocean blue contrasted with her dark brown curls made her that much more unforgettable. When he finished his routine he went back to stand next to Jess and Kimee.

"Are you going to rehearse today Kimee?" Shane asked her.

"Yeah, I just got to wait for Matt to get here."

"Why?" Jess asked.

"I do the high wire with Matt," Kimee told her. "I stand on his shoulders."

"Are you going to stay to watch them?" Shane asked Jess.

"Yeah, I definitely need to watch this," Jess said.

"You know what, not now," Kimee said.

"You're not going to practice?" Shane asked her.

"No, I'm going to practice, but Jess isn't going to watch," Kimee smiled.

"Why?" Jess whined.

"Because you're going to watch the entire show, tonight," Kimee said with a bigger smile.

"Where is she going to sit?" Shane asked Kimee.

"Front and center, of course," Kimee looked at him like him like he was completely obtuse.

"Ok," Shane smiled. "I like this idea."

"Well, where am I going to go if I can't watch?"

"Home, dumb-dumb," Kimee joked.

"Ok, I'm the dumb-dumb. Who am I going home with? I can't take the car and leave you here."

"Sure you can."

"I can't drive," Jess confessed.

"Shane, can you take Jess home please?"

"Sure, but do I bring the car back?"

"No, you can just hang out for a while. The show starts at six and it's already one. So come back at like four-thirty to buy the ticket," Kimee looked at Jess.

"Is that ok?" Shane asked Jess.

"Sure."

"Ok. Let's go."

When they reached the car Shane opened the door for Jess.

"Thanks," she blushed.

"Your welcome," he smiled at her.

In the car on the way to her apartment they didn't talk much, except for the occasional question.

"So," Jess started. "How old are you?"

"Old," Shane answered her, smiling.

"You can't be that old," she rolled her eyes, but smiled.

"I am twenty three years old," he laughed,

"More like twenty three years young."

"Ok, how old are you? Since you know so much about getting old," he smiled.

"I am eighteen. Yesterday was my birthday," she confessed.

"Wow, you're such a baby still."

"I'm not a baby! I am a legal adult."

"Ok, what ever you say. You're so old that I see some crow's feet. Right there," he touched the side of her face."

Jess blushed to a deep red when his fingers stroked next to her eye and down to her cheek. She looked at him and he felt a deep connection when their eyes locked.

"If you don't watch the road we're going to get into a crash," Jess told him, still looking into his eyes.

"If we get into a crash, at least I am with you," Shane whispered, unwilling to look away.

Jess looked away and he noticed that she was blushing again.

"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable," he looked at the road, scared to see her reaction.

"You didn't," she told him.

When they were getting closer to Jess's apartment Shane looked over at Jess. She was looking paler than her normal fair skin color.

"Are you ok?" He asked her.

"Yeah," she told him. "Just a little tired."

"Well, were almost at the apartment, just tell me what floor."

"It's the second floor, first building, and room fifty six."

"Ok."

When Jess reached her door she tried to get the key in the key hole, but she was struggling so Shane finally helped her get the door open.

"Thanks," she said.

"Just lay down for a while. You're probably just tired from lack of sleep."

"Yeah, I think that's what it is."

Jess plopped herself down on the bed and instantly fell asleep. Shane felt like a stalker watching her sleep, but he couldn't help himself. Her beauty astounded him.

Jess opened her eyes to see Shane was no longer in the room. How long have I been asleep? She thought to herself.

"Shane?" She called out.

"Yeah, I'm in here."

When she walked out if the room she saw him spread across the couch watching the TV.

"Comfy?" She asked him.

He looked around at the room and then back at her. "Very," he smiled his sweet smile that made her insides melt. "Well, I got to go home really quick to change," Shane told her. "Will you be ok in the mean time?"

"I'm a big girl," she joked. "I think I can manage."

He laughed and then looked right at her. They stood there for a good minute until she finally said, "Yeah, I got to shower and get ready anyways. So just take your time."

"Ok," he said looking down. "I'll be here at four to pick you up.

"What time is it now?"

"It is three-twenty."

"Oh, I didn't know I'd been asleep for that long."

"It wasn't that long," he looked down.

She looked at him with a confused expression.

"Time goes faster when I'm with you," he confessed.

She felt the blush rise to her cheeks and looked away quickly. When she looked back at him she saw that he was smiling.

"So, I better get going if I am going to be back in time to pick you up."

"Ok."

When Shane left Jess hurried to get into the shower and get dressed. She laid out some clothes to choose from.

She picked out a brown and beige spotted shirt that tied in the back and V-necked in the front and a pair of beige classy cargo shorts with flip flops. She wore her hair up in a pony tail and put on a little bit of light make up.

When she saw the car pull up in a parking space she got her purse with her money and locked the front door going down the stairs to meet Shane at the car. She saw Shane wearing his costume of white pants that are loose from his thighs down to his feet and a white tank top, which did an awesome job of showing off his muscular figure.

"Hey, my eyes are up here," he teased.

"Sorry," she blushed.

"It's ok," he laughed. "I would stare too if I was staring at a body like this," he joked, moving his hands around his upper body.

"Oh, please. Don't get too big headed. I was just admiring your costume," she lied.

"Yeah, sure," he smiled, looking at her arm. "How did you get those bruises?"

Jess looked down to see that she had at least three more bruises on her arms.

"I don't know, to tell you the truth. I have them on my legs also," she said pulling up her cargo shorts to her thigh.

"Wow," he said, shocked. "You bruise easily. I just hope that I didn't do that when we were dancing."

"I doubt it," she told him. "I guess I'm just not used to being over exerted," she laughed at her terminology.

"What ever you say," he smiled. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah, let's go."