Hope had mixed feeling about what she'd just interrupted. This was her son, lying on a bed with his tongue shoved down a girl's throat. She knew how teenagers were and that's where the conflict lay. "Why don't you two come and watch TV in the living room for now? I was coming up to ask if Tabi would be staying for dinner."
"Alright mom, we'll be right down." Shawn said. Hope left, holding in her laughter until she reached the stairs. Shawn turned to Tabi, who was still curled up in a blushing ball. "It's okay."
"I'm so embarrassed! I can never look at your mother again. Why'd you have to kiss me?"
"You don't have to worry about it. My mom's cool. But do you really want to know why I kissed ou today?"
"yeah. But I also want to know why it took so long in the first place."
"OK, let's go downstairs to appease my mom and then we can talk, ok?" Tabi nodded in agreement and they walked downstairs taking seat on the couch. J.T. toddled up and smiled at Tabi with his arms outstretched.
"Hi there cutie." she said, picking him up and kissing his cheek.
"Well...I can't trust you with either of my boys Tabitha!" Hope teased as she walked towards the kitchen. Tabi's face returned to its previous beet-red color.
"She's just teasing you Tabi." Shawn squeezed her hand. "So now to explain. Honestly, i was afraid to kiss you. I'd just met you and yet I was extremely attracted to you Kissing you would make that stronger and I knew that...and it scared me. Belle was the only girl I ever had really strong feeling for and she broke my hart. Then, a week later, I meet you and we end up together and it was all so fast. I didn't want to get hurt again so soon. Then I went ot spy on you today in you theater class and I see you kissing some other guy and I got jealous. I knew then that I was being stupid and all I could about was kissing you. So I did." He leaned over to kiss her again but she pulled back.
"You're mom's right in there." She whispered. "But I do know what you were saying. I'm really sorry about Belle..." She trailed off.
"Yeah but I have you now. Unless I need to worry about that guy."
"That's just James. We were doing a scene. Don't worry, stage kisses mean nothing."
"Do my kisses mean something?" Shawn asked, leaning close and brushing her lips with his. She nodded before allowing herself to surrender to his kiss. J.T. gurgled happily but neither noticed.
"I know." Hope said. "They can't keep off each other."
"Mom, stop picking on Tabi. You know you'd be more worried if I wasn't kissing girls." Shawn laughed, trying to ease Tabi's embarrassment. It didn't work.
"I'm gong to leave now." Tabi said, her face hot.
"No, stay dear." Hope said, feeling bad.
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Belle was lying on her bed, listening to the radio and reading the new issue of Teen People when the phone rang. "Hello?"
"Hey Belle, it's Phil."
"Oh, hi. I'm guessing you're calling to apologize?"
"What would I be apologizing for?"
"Maybe for being an asshole." Belle spat.
"What? What did I do?" Philip asked.
"Where should I start? First the comment about Chloe's chest, then talking about how great everyone else will look at the dance, need I continue?"
"Please do! Because I don't see what's wrong with it. The first was a statement of fact and the second was because I already know you'll look great." Philip defended himself. he really didn't know what the problem was.
"Oh right. That's such a load of bullshit. The real issue here is that I'm not Chloe!" Belle yelled.
"NO, the issue here is that I'M not SHAWN!" Philip wasn't' sure why he said it but he'd been thinking about it for awhile. Belle was silent so he chose to continue. This had to be said and now was as good a time as ever. "Admit it, there are times when YOU wish I was HIM." Belle started to defend herself but Philip cut her off instantly. "Let me finish. Whenever you see him and Tabi you comment to be about how sweet he is to her. I SEE THE JEALOUSY ON YOUR FACE BELLE...and it hurts." He lowered his voice. "So now I'm giving you a chance to get out of this. Belle, I care about you and want to be with you but not if you aren't happy with me and I don't think you are."
"Philip," Belle started but couldn't finish. He was right and she knew it.
"Belle, I understand. I just hope we can still be friends." He hung up the phone and flopped back on his bed. Then he picked up the phone and dialed a number, one he'd never thought he'd call again.
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The Brady family plus Tabitha sat down to eat the meal Hope had cooked when the phone rang. "I'll get that." Bo said. "Hello?....we just sat down to dinner....well...ok...yes...here he is." Bo covered the receiver. "Shawn it's Belle, she says it's an emergency so make it quick." The expression on Shawn's face wasn't unnoticed by Tabi and a harsh realization hit her. Something she'd known all along to be true but had wanted to deny. She kept her feelings hidden however and carried on polite conversation with Bo and Hope after Shawn left the room. After about twenty minutes he came back.
"Tabitha, I'm really sorry but I have to go. Mom, dad, is it okay if I run over to Belle's?"
"Yeah go ahead." Hope said.
Tabi rose from the table and said her goodbyes. Outside Shawn looked at her. "I'm sorry." He said and then turned to leave without so much as a handshake.
Tabi knew the real meaning of the 'I'm sorry'. It wasn't an 'I'm sorry I'm leaving,' it was an 'I'm sorry but I have to go to the one I love.' Tabi knew as well that this was the end. Shawn loved Belle and always would, she couldn't compete with that. But it had been fun while it lasted. She got behind the wheel of her car and drove slowly home. She was sad, she was hurt, but she'd known this was coming all along. She arrived at the door to her house in no time. She really didn't want to face Nancy so she just went straight up to her room. She sat down at her desk and reached inside to find her notebook but her hand brushed something else instead. She gripped the object tightly and pulled it out, staring as memories from the past filtered in. She tried to fight the urge that overtook her but it seemed to be a losing battle.
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Shawn stood in the elevator of the penthouse urging it to move up faster. Finally it reached the floor of the Black's penthouse. Shawn stepped out to find Belle waiting for him. He immediately pulled her into a tight hug. "I'm so sorry Belle."
"I should be. But in the time it took you to get over here I thought. And I realized that I should never have been with Philip in the first place. What Philip said was true. It didn't work because he wasn't you. I still love you Shawn." She looked up into his deep brown eyes. "And I know you still love me."
Shawn looked at her. "Oh god, Belle."