Chapter 7

Shane sighed, running his hand through his hair. "It was about a year ago. I met her at a show. Shannon warned me against getting involved with a fan, but I wouldn't listen. Now I wish I had. Anyway, I fell in love with her, and I thought she loved me too. That was until she met Matt. It was about six months ago. She dropped me like a bad habit. At first I didn't know why. I figured I'd screwed up again..." Destiny could hear the hurt in his voice. "That is until Matt called me about two weeks later. He said she had planted herself in Cameron and was hitting on him all the time. He knew how upset I'd been, blaming myself. He told me it wasn't anything I had done. She was just using me to get to him. She even admitted it to him when he confronted her about it." He took another deep breath. "Anyway Amy and Matt are in love. And he wouldn't give her the time of day. So when she figured out that she couldn't have him she wanted me back. I had to change my home number once and my cell number three times! I don't know how in the hell she keeps getting it!" He didn't say anything for a while.

"Shane that's awful! I'm sorry she hurt you..."

"It wouldn't be the first time and it probably won't be the last... I'm not very good at the relationship thing. My job doesn't help. I'm gone 265 days a year. And who wants to watch their boyfriend act like an idiot on National TV and get his ass kicked on almost a nightly basis?" He sighed. He had just bared his soul to her without even realizing it. He looked at her. "I'm sorry I kissed you earlier Destiny. I had no right. I shouldn't have. I really want to be friends with you. Plus I promised you I wouldn't try anything funny with you." Destiny tried to lighten the mood a little

"It's ok Just Shane." She gave a little laugh "I guess I shouldn't have kissed you back." She smiled at him

"We all make mistakes." They sat quietly for a while

"So Destiny, you know about me... it's your turn. What prompted this move cross-country? And why Cameron? What made you pick Cameron North Carolina? I mean three thousand miles is a long way... What about your family, your friends?" Should she tell him the truth? She felt like she could trust him.

"Well let me start with the easy question. Why Cameron? Honestly, when I decided to move I took a map, closed my eyes and pointed. Cameron was it. No big mystery there. As for family, I was an only child, my parents died a couple of years ago in a car wreck. I have an aunt but she lives in Australia. Her husband is in the Air Force. Friends? Well that is in part, part of the other problem... Trace, my ex, wouldn't allow it..." Shane cocked his eyebrow questioningly at that. "Trace was very possessive... I don't know why I let him treat me the way he did. I've never been one to let someone get away with that. I met him a couple of months after my parents died. Maybe it had something to do with that. I don't know. Anyway, it got worse as time went by. Then he started hitting me. At first it was just pushing and shoving... then slapping..." the tears were flowing down her face now. "Then he started using his fists, and his feet. I couldn't take it anymore. I tried getting a restraining order. It didn't help. He beat the hell out of me about three weeks ago. I've only been out of the hospital a week." She turned her back to him and pulled her shirt up. He cringed at the bruises, cuts and scrapes on her back. She let her shirt fall back down. She was sobbing a lot harder now. Shane put his hand on her shoulder,

"Destiny, men like that should be chained to a tree and stoned to death! Honey I am so sorry you had to go through that! Come here." Shane wrapped his arms around her and let her cry into his chest.

As her tears subsided Destiny became very aware of the incredible bare chest of Shane Helms underneath her cheek. She pulled back and looked at him. He just wanted to be friends... She sighed. It figured! She finally met a nice guy and all he wanted was to be friends with her. Just her luck.

Shane looked at Destiny's tear-streaked face. It broke his heart. He pushed her hair back out of her face. She was so pretty... why in the hell had he told her he only wanted to be friends with her? Idiot! He really wasn't any good at this stuff.

"Sorry Shane, I don't know where that came from. I thought I was done crying about this." She said.

"It's ok Destiny." He ran his hand across her cheek.

"Shane?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad I met you. I need all the friends I can get." She hugged him

"Me too Destiny, me too."

They realized it was almost 4 a.m. and decided to get some sleep. They each lay in their own bed face to face.

"Night Destiny."

"Nighty night, Just Shane."