hey everyone!
i'm back from the mountains, sore & ready to write.
i actually went in a canoe this weekend, so i know what they're like from experience.
thank you for all the reviews, they mean a lot. :)
i hope you like this one!
p.s. brown is british.
hahahah. thank you!
Chasing Dreams: Chapter Seven
Shane flipped open his onyx-colored phone, glancing nervously at the time. It was almost twenty minutes after he had called Mitchie down to the canoes, and part of him wondered if Mitchie had bailed out on him and was sleeping again, warm in her bed. Summer nights next to the lake got extremely cold, causing Shane to pull his worn-in brown leather jacket tighter around his shoulders. Shutting his eyes, he took a deep cleansing breath and pushed himself up off the dock. Mitchie wasn't coming, so it seemed.
"Where're you going, Gray?" Mitchie stood atop the small mound of dirt and leaves, 10 feet away from the wooden dock. The lump in Shane's throat became harder to swallow when she appeared in front of him. Quickly, she bounded down the worn-in path; tripping as she hit the bottom. The snag caused Mitchie's petite body to lurch forward – right into Shane's. He caught her instinctively, her arms wrapped around his torso. Silently, Mitchie looked up, the silvery moon causing a dramatic sheen across her auburn eyes. The look was thank-you enough for Shane.
Awkwardly, the two let go of each other and took a hesitant step backwards. "So, uh, what'd you need so urgently?" Mitchie asked, her gaze averted to the ground. Shane noticed that she must've jumped right out of bed – the red flannel pajama pants and pink tank-top were a dead giveaway. Her hands glided gently over her biceps, smoothing down her goosebumps. Her regularly straight hair was wavy – like she had let it dry after a shower – and falling in locks around her delicate face. Just the sight of her right after sleeping made Shane smile helplessly.
"I just needed someone to talk to." he explained, calmly.
Mitchie tilted her head at him, with an expression that read amusement, not frustration or anger like Shane had expected. "Why didn't you talk to Avery? She seems like the type who would be awake right now." her voice hinted at jealousy.
"She is, and I did. After two minutes I was already wishing I had knocked on your door instead."
"It took you that long?" Mitchie teased, stepping past Shane onto the dock. She looked out onto the still water, counting the reflections of stars she saw on the lake. Closing her eyes, Mitchie focused all her senses on what was left; the sounds of crickets chirping happily away, the gentle touch of the breeze caressing her cheek and the fresh smell of earth like it had just rained. Shane crept up quietly behind Mitchie's small body, placing a tentative hand on her shoulder.
"What do you say we untie one of these things and hitch a ride?" he suggested, looking towards the two-person canoes. Mitchie followed his gaze to the boats, then smiled to herself. Shane didn't wait for her verbal answer, he could feel it coursing through her veins. He removed his hand from her bare skin and started towards the canoes.
"If we get caught on one of these so late, I'm fired and you're kicked out." Mitchie warned, suddenly becoming aware of the risks. She bit her lip hesitantly, watching Shane undo the knot that connected the wooden painted boat to the dock. The rope dropped to the bottom of the boat with a muted thud. Shane glanced up at Mitchie, studying her facial features. She was looking over the unsteady boat, her eyes soft and glazed over with fatigue; she always had an odd habit of biting her pillow pink lips whenever she was nervous. The gesture made the testosterone in Shane's body course through twice as fast.
Shane stepped carefully into the boat. Once he was inside, he looked at Mitchie on shore, her hands clutched tightly to her heart like she was his lover bidding him off to sea. "We won't get caught," he held a hand out to her, eyes dancing with pure amazement, "just trust me. I'll be careful." he swayed his hand, suggesting her to take it. Mitchie hesitantly laid her palm face down in his, lending herself to him. Shane knew right away that as soon as Mitchie touched him, she had finally let her guard down. Now was his chance.
With great care, he helped her climb steadily into the boat. Once they were both inside, Shane picked up the oars from the bottom of the canoe and handed one to Mitchie. He then used his own to push off from the edge of the dock, sending the two out on their journey to the middle of the lake. They both finally understood the concept of rowing (which was to stay synchronized, and also maintain the same direction) and reached the still center quickly.
Mitchie set her paddle down on the boat and looked around. She felt as if she was under a magnifying glass, because the black swaying trees formed a circle around them, entrapping the two. The silence was absolutely deafening. She looked at Shane with eyes full of hurt, her throat begging to ask the question on the tip of her tongue. Luckily for her throat, her heart sided with it. "What's wrong with me?"
Shane stared, utterly confused, at her. "What? Nothing's wrong with you."
Mitchie nodded, twisting her hands and wrists into painful positions to calm herself down. "There must be something wrong with me. If there wasn't, maybe you'd-" Mitchie stopped herself, not believing she was about to say what she was.
"Maybe I'd what?" Shane asked desperately. He scooted closer to Mitchie to watch her intently. Her shiny brown eyes seemed slicker than before, and her voice was cracking. "I'd what, Mitchie?"
"Maybe you'd care about me." she forced out.
Shane was stunned. What is she talking about? He, like everyone who surrounds his yearlong, thinks he cares about her too much. "Mitchie, I care about you. Of course I care! What would make you think that I stopped caring for one second?"
Mitchie looked up and pushed a falling wave from her face. "Well, you stopped calling. And you never answered my voicemails or text messages." she reasoned with him. The breaking in her voice caused a breaking in his heart. "I can't help but think: if I was prettier, would you answer me? Or maybe, if I wrote a better song, or I was famous like you, would you answer me? If I was better, would you remember me?" Mitchie's melancholy was getting the better of Shane's snapping heartstrings.
"Mitchie," Shane found his own voice cracking now too, "I can't believe that you thought I forgot about you. I'm an idiot. A jerky idiot. I wanted to call and text on my terms so I guess you became a 'whenever T got around to it' deal." Shane watched as the saddened look in Mitchie's eyes deepened. "But when you stopped answering my calls and texts, I realized how much of a mistake I had made. I just couldn't fix it this time. I'm sorry Mitchie, I really am sorry. I don't believe I had the heart to do that to you and now I understand. It didn't have anything to do with you, it was my huge ego that had a problem. I can only hope one day you'll forgive me."
Mitchie brushed away her tears like she had been doing for two years. Shane was running his hands through his hair; his forehead in his hands. Suddenly, Mitchie found herself cracking a small smile and even emitting a tiny chuckle. "I think we need a little more syrup."
Shane lifted his head. "Huh?"
"This reunion needs to be a little sappier."
It was right then and there that Shane knew he and Mitchie would be alright. Exhaling pure relief, the smile on Shane's face began to stretch out. "You're amazing, Mitchie Torres."
Even Mitchie began to smile a little more. She noticed that the tension between the two had finally been lifted, and she felt like the carefree girl she was two summers ago when she met Shane Gray, international popstar. Even though she wouldn't be seeing a lot of Shane Gray anymore, she knew it would be alright – she'd be seeing a whole lot of Shane. To Mitchie, that's what counted. "It's freezing," the sixteen-year-old declared, again moving her hands to her arms.
Without saying a word, Shane remembered what every guy should do for a girl when their cold. He pulled the beaten leather jacket off of his shoulders and draped it gently over Mitchie's narrow shoulders. He could feel the power of her smile as the back of his hand softly brushed against her cheek. It sent tiny jolts of electricity through his veins, and now he knew: there was no more denial. He was in entirely in love with Mitchie.
When she looked back at him after he sat back down across from her, her hands were pulling the jacket closer to her center. "What about you, aren't you going to be cold?" she nodded towards his short-sleeve shirt. Her eyes ran over the well-developed muscles rippling under the thin white shirt. "On second thought, I like seeing those arms of yours." she grinned teasingly.
Shane laughed and pushed up the sleeve of his shirt, flexing his biceps. "Yeah, three hours at a gym, three times a week can do this to a guy." he lifted the other sleeve and flexed both arms at the same time. "I've got hot written all over me."
Mitchie only rolled her eyes.
"What, you don't believe me? I'll prove it to you." Shane stood up, unbuttoning his pants. Mitchie squealed like the fangirl she was inside, shielding her eyes like it was the sun she was looking at.
"Shane, what are you doing?"
"Relax," Shane spoke flatly; this was the general reaction he received from people, "I'm just showing you my stomach. It's safe to open your eyes without sunglasses." his voice dripped with sarcasm and was brushed with arrogance. Mitchie giggled and opened her tired eyes, focusing on the right side of his very-low stomach. There was a tattoo pressed into his skin that read 'Contents May Be Hot.' in very small print. Mitchie burst out laughing, but instantly slapped a hand over her mouth to prevent the two from getting in trouble.
"Are you kidding me?" she laughed in a whisper. "Just when I thought you couldn't get any cockier. Why do you have it in such an unnoticeable place?"
"Well, one so I can freak girls out like I just did to you when I show them," Shane grinned, "and two so that my rep stays clean. I'm not in ACDC, so Hollywood expects me to stay PG rated. Cookie cutter pop junk, you know?" as Shane started to zip his gray jeans back up, Mitchie laid a hand over his.
"Wait a minute," she stopped him, "my dad tells me once you have one tattoo you always want more. Where's your 'more'?" she wiggled her finger in a 'come hither' sort of motion. Shane's expression morphed into one of embarrassment and anxiety.
"Uh, its bad. You don't want to see it."
"Yes I do. Show me."
"Mitchie-"
"Shane!"
"Well, alright," Shane finally breathed out, figuring there was no way around her pleas. He unzipped his jeans again and this time lowered the hem of his boxer shorts on the left side. Just catching a glimpse of his boxers this close up made Mitchie's neck prickle with nervous heat. The tattoo was imprinted with a heart that mysteriously featured the capital letter M in the center of it. Beside the heart were three words. The lettering on the left side was a lot harder to read, and took Mitchie a moment to focus her eyes. But once she did, she was shocked at what it read:
I found her.
Mitchie stumbled into her cabin, not bothering to flip on a light switch. She was tired and ready to fall deep into her dreams. As her body felt the comfort of her bed encompassing her, she shut her eyes and smiled inwardly, rewinding the night's events for the basis of her dreams. Her nose filled with a familiar fiery scent that wouldn't leave her mind for days afterward.
Within moments, Mitchie was asleep in Shane's leather jacket.
ooh, fluff. :)
so where does this put their relationship? you'd think they'd be together.
WELL GUESS WHAT.
mitchie's feelings for chase / shane's feelings for avery?
they're still there ;)
next chapter sneak peek:
"Do you know where Shane is?" Mitchie held the swinging brown jacket in her hand, looking around the cabin quickly. It had a certain familiarity that stuck in the back of her mind. The boy looked quizzically at her and took a bite into his apple.
"He's in class – why?"
"I just need to give him his jacket back. Can I leave it here with you, uh,"
"Name's Cam." the boy smiled. "Yeah, leave it here. Who should I tell him stopped by?"
"Just tell him Mitchie stopped by." she smiled. Cam's eyes widening in surprise as he studied every inch of this Mitchie girl.
"You're Mitchie?" he sounded astonished. Mitchie smiled and nodded. "Well in that case – why don't you stay and talk? Shane will be back soon."
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