Ch. 19.
Slowly, Chris Benoit made his way over to Shannon, glad that she was no longer sitting next to Billy and, as if his mind had no connection with his body, he found himself asking her to dance in a low voice. Wide, unsure eyes looked up at him and she hesitated as they flickered towards her boyfriend. As they both heard him laugh drunkenly at the coarse joke of one of his friends, Chris saw a look in her eyes which he couldn't quite read, but it didn't matter as she stood up and took his hand. Together, they weaved their way through the mass of people to a space on the dancefloor, only for the track which had been playing to be abruptly swapped for a slow, romantic song as soon as they got there. Chris stopped dead and looked towards the DJ, spotting Chris Irvine standing suspiciously close. What was more suspicious, however, was the innocent smile on his face.
"I'll kill him." thought Chris, before turning back to Shannon. "We don't have to if you don't want to."
Shannon glanced at Billy and it seemed likely to her that he had forgotten she even existed. "I don't mind if you don't." she said.
Tentatively, she placed her hands on his shoulders and felt the gentle pressure of his hands at her waist as they swayed in time to the music. At first, she could only worry that Billy would lose his temper and create a scene, but after a little while, she couldn't help relaxing. The music flowed over her and, in spite of the day's earlier events, that familiar comfortable feeling she always had when she was with Chris returned.
"I got your message." she said suddenly, not knowing why she had mentionned it. "How did you get my number?"
"I called the newspaper." Chris answered hesitantly, wondering if she was angry with him; after all, she hadn't returned the call.
"Really? They're not supposed to give out stuff like that." she said, sounding only surprised.
"Well, that's where I got it. From a girl called ..... um, Paige, I think. I'm sorry, but I was worried. I just wanted to check you were okay."
"It's fine. I guess I'm just surprised you went to that trouble, it's been a while since anyone worried about me - well, 'cept maybe Paige." she confessed. "She's a friend of mine, which would explain why she gave you the number. She knows that we ..... know each other. I'm sorry I didn't call you - I was going to, but then ....."
"What?" he asked, looking down at her as she sighed.
"Billy called and talked me into coming out tonight. I didn't really want to, but ..... Anyway, I still had loads to do for work and I thought if I was coming I might as well make an effort, so it took me ages to get ready ....."
"Don't worry about it - I can see for myself that you're okay. I just hope Billy appreciated your effort." he smiled, before noticing the look on her face and heaving his own sigh. "Let me guess - he didn't notice?"
She shook her head slightly and looked down at the ground forlornly.
"Well, for what it's worth, I think you look beautiful ....." he stated simply.
Shannon looked up at him and a smile played across her lips, "Thank you, Chris."
" ..... and if he wasn't such an asshole, he realise that." Chris continued.
"Chris, don't." she warned quietly.
"What?"
"Don't spoil it. Lets just have a nice time and not get into this now." she said anxiously.
Not wanting to upset her again, Chris nodded and they fell silent. Mere moments pushed the episode to the backs of their minds and any awkwardness was once again dispelled. Little by little, they moved closer together until his arms were wrapped around her waist and her head was resting on his shoulder.
*****
Across the dancefloor, Chris Irvine was dancing with Nora again, occassionally glancing across at Chris and Shannon.
"Okay, d'ya wanna spill the beans, Chris? What's going on?" Nora asked finally.
"What do you mean?" he asked, feigning ignorance even though he could see what she was getting at.
"It's use use acting all innocent with me." she smiled, "I'm talking about Shannon. She turns up and the other Chris goes all quiet - even for him! And now you've been watching them like a hawk. There's something going on an' I think y'all know what it is. Now - spill!"
Chris knew when he was caught and decided he might as well come clean. Although he thought it was unlikely that he would be overheard due to the music, Chris pulled her closer and spoke right into her ear. As quickly as he could, he explained the situation to Nora. As he spoke in a low, rushed voice, her brown eyes softened and she looked around at Shannon and Chris Benoit.
"Awww! That's so romantic!" she sighed, "Imagine meeting up after all this time. But poor Shannon!"
"Poor Shannon!" echoed Chris in surprise, before biting his lip and lowering his voice. "Poor Shannon? Don't you mean, poor Chris? Shannon's found herself someone else ....."
"That doesn't mean she's happy." explained Nora, "And how could she be when it's obvious she's still in love with Chris?"
"WHAT!?!" gaped Chris, "And how exactly can you be so sure of that? You've only just met the girl - don't tell me Little Miss Molly is psychic?"
Nora laughed good-naturedly at his teasing but stuck to her point. "Oh, c'mon, silly! Ya got eyes, don'cha? - Use 'em! Look at the two of them, it's obvious!"
Once again, Chris looked across the dancefloor and now that it had been pointed out, he felt like an idiot for not realising sooner - Nora was right. He already knew how Chris felt - he would have had to be not only blind, but deaf and stupid to have missed that - but Shannon was a different matter. He didn't know her, although from what he had been told about that morning, he had suspected that she still had at least some feelings for his friend. However, having first met her boyfriend and taken an instant dislike to him, coupled with now seeing Shannon happier than she had looked all night, he knew she was still in love with Chris.
"Now d'ya see why I feel sorriest for her?" asked Nora softly, "Chris is a free agent, she isn't. Even if she ditches this Billy, it won't be that simple - he isn't gonna like it. He doesn't seem the understanding type, y'know?"
"I know." said Chris, sneaking a look at Billy which made his heart sink. "Understanding? - No. Insightful? - Probably too much. I'd say a certain possessive boyfriend has just put two and two together and come up with double figures."
*****
Meanwhile, Shannon and Chris had become oblivious to all those around them, therefore not noticing the gazes of Chris Irvine and Nora.
"I've missed you." Chris whispered in her ear, unwittingly causing tears to prick Shannon's eyelids for the second time that night.
She struggled to keep her tone light as she answered him, "I've missed you too."
She looked up at him again with the idea that she should say something else, but she didn't know where to start. As she tried to gather her thoughts, he leaned down and in front of everyone, in front of Billy, he kissed her deeply. Her head swimming and vaguely aware that she should stop him, Shannon found herself kissing him back as he held her tightly, running a hand through her hair. "Billy's going to kill me." was the only coherent thought which formed in her mind before she gave up even trying to find any.
"Shannon?" came a concerned voice, "Are you okay? You look a bit dazed."
Shannon blinked in confusion and saw that Chris was looking oddly at her. As soon as she saw this, she also realised that she had been daydreaming and put a shaky hand to her head, stammering a reply. "I ..... I'm okay. I just need ..... some fresh air."
"I suppose it is kinda stuffy in here." he said, still sounding worried, "Do you want me to come with you?"
"NO!" she said hastily, "I mean ..... no thanks, I'll be fine. Just give me a minute."
Before Chris could say another word, she was already heading for the door.
*****
*Author's note* : Hiya! Just wanna say a big thank you for the reviews so far, I'm glad there are people enjoying this 'cos I'm loving writing it! Hey, some call it a power trip - I prefer the term "creativity" :-) Anyway, thanks for reading, all I ask is that you review when you're done. Good, bad or indifferent - I really appreciate the feedback. More chapters to come v. soon - delays are thanks to large amounts of work to be done for scarily close dates, so I'm off to panic now! Bye!