Title: Floating Up
Chapter 3: Glass
Author: Kora
E-mail: KrazyKora@aol.com or WinterViolet24@aol.com
Rating: R
Disclaimer: The following characters belong to WWE and all the people and companies who deal with all that legal stuff. I am simply using the characters for my own twisted enjoyment. All warnings featured on Part 1.
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Last time I talked to you
You were lonely and out of place
You were looking down on me
Lost out in space
Laid underneath the stars
Strung out and feeling brave
Watch the riddles glow
Watch them float away
You're falling back to me
The star that I can't see
I know you're out there
Somewhere out there
You're falling out of reach
Defying gravity
I know you're out there
Somewhere out there
-Our Lady Peace, 'Somewhere Out There'
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Stephanie's breath came out shaky, as she looked herself over in the mirror, "How do I look?"
Shawn looked at her wistfully, a perpetual frown written all over him. He was leaning against a couch in her room, picking at a tiny gum wrapper in his hand. He tore at it, tossing pieces aside as he replied tightly, "You look great. Perfect."
She ran a hand over her hair. She had curled it. She hadn't done that in a long time. She ran a finger along her bottom lip to wipe away a tiny smudge of lipstick she swore she saw. She wanted to look good. Wanted to make sure everything was in place. It had been so long since she'd worn lipstick this vibrant. Did it make her look trashy? Her lips screwed upwards at this thought as she examined her lips. Eventually she decided they were fine, instead pulling away from the mirror to give herself another once over.
She turned to Shawn, her voice full of anxiety, "Are you sure?"
"What did I just say?" he snapped bitterly.
She pouted, "Shawn, don't be like that..."
"Like what? You asked my opinion, I told you, all right? Can I help it if I'm a little up in arms because you're going on a date with the man I despise? Not to mention you're-you're asking me how you look for him and-"
"Shawn, you were the one who suggested you come over and help me get ready. I told you I didn't think it was such a good idea. I even said..."
"I know, I know!" He scowled and pushed off from the couch, pacing around, "I don't know I just thought-I guess...I don't know."
Stephanie gave him a small smile; "It's just dinner, Shawn. It's not like we're going to get remarried or anything."
"I know that. I am just worried about you is all. I mean considering everything that's been happening lately I don't want Hunter to hurt you."
"I don't think he will, Shawn. And I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself. Not to mention I was married to him so I have a bit more leverage than you when it comes to handling him." Shawn cast her a dark look and she sighed, her smile growing warmer, "Come on, Shawn. Everything's going to go fine. And I know if he gets fresh with me I can give you a call and you'll flog him from here to tomorrow."
Shawn grinned at that, "I suppose so."
She walked over and lightly touched his arm, stopping his pacing as she met her eyes with his, "I know so. I really appreciate how much you care for me. But I'll be fine."
He looked at her, his face so sad that it seemed almost comical. She gave him her sweetest smile, saying softly, "Look, I've even found something for you to do while I'm out with Hunter, to keep you occupied."
"What? Stephanie, I do have a life you know, I don't need you to find activities for me to do. I'm not a six year old."
"I know that but you didn't mention having a date with Linda or some other girl tonight. And not many guys offer to come over and help a girl get ready for a date that's not with them unless he has nothing else to do so I just figured…"
"Okay, okay, I get the picture." Shawn replied sourly, her comments bitingly accurate.
"Look, I've told you a million times over that I'll be fine. Hunter's not going to bother me, I swear. It's just dinner. And I hope you'll have a good time with who've I've set you up with."
"And who might my mystery date be?" Shawn asked dryly when there was a knock on Stephanie's door. She walked over and answered it, Shane standing there.
"Hey sis, who do you have me hanging out with toni-" Shane stopped the moment he saw Shawn. Both men pointed a finger at each other, saying simultaneous, "You?"
Stephanie gave both of them a weak grin, "I just thought it would be a good idea if you two got to know each other. And work out whatever problem it is that you two have with each other."
Shawn scoffed, "He's the one with the problem, not me."
"Good night," Shane muttered and turned on his heel ready to leave when Stephanie snagged his arm, turning him back around.
"Aw come on, you two. I'd really like it if you spent some time together, got to know each other. You two are the most important men in my life and its important to me that you get along. Come on, for my sake would you guys just try and spend an evening together. Please?" Her pleading eyes broke them both. Shawn and Shane looked at each other warily then gave Stephanie a curt nod.
"Good." Stephanie said with a breath of relief when there was another knock at the door. She opened it again but this time to reveal Hunter standing there. He was wearing an extremely nice black suit and held a bouquet of flowers. He gave her a cocky grin, "For the lady."
"Oh! Wow! Thanks!" Stephanie breathed and turned a soft pink. Both Shawn and Shane fumed silently. Stephanie took the flowers and handed them to Shane, "Could you please put these in water for me?"
Shane nodded, snatching them away. She gave both of the men in the room a dazzling smile, "I won't be long, you two have fun and don't stay up too late!"
She turned and left on Hunter's arm. He looked down at her quizzically, "What are they, your kids?"
She shrugged, "No. They're my friends."
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Shawn and Shane eyed each other again, their glares sharp with accusation. Shane didn't say a word but instead walked over to the closest trash can, promptly dumping Hunter's flowers in. Shawn couldn't help but snort at that.
"What's so funny?" Shane asked.
"Nothing. Just seems that you and I do have one thing in common. We're both not fond of Hunter one bit."
"Hmm," Shane mummered non-committally, "Well how could I be? He kept tearing my sister apart. Some days he'd make her off the planet happy and other days she'd be this broken shell of a thing and it was all because of him. She fell for him too hard. When they first broke up it nearly killed her. It took a lot for me to piece her back together again, make her strong.
"When she returned to Smackdown to become the new GM she was all grown up, around him she becomes a kid again and I don't like it. Especially considering all that has happened to her recently. I don't think it's a good idea for her to go running around with him. He could do more damage than good. I don't want him messing with her emotions again, it was hard enough the first time but after what happened to her-if he tossed her out again I don't know what she'd do."
Shawn nodded, "I actually said something like that to her."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean I told her I didn't think it was a good idea. Considering everything that happened and has been happening of late."
"Yeah, not to mention I still finger Hunter as the prime suspect."
"Come on now, I'm not a big fan of Hunter anymore but I'd say rape is still out of his league."
"What about that crap he was pulling with Kane? It was close in the ballpark." Shane countered.
Shawn rubbed his chin, "True, true. But Hunter-I don't know. I know he's changed, hell, that's why I hate his guts so much, 'cause he's changed to the point where he turned on me, but I don't think Hunter's turned to the point where he'd take a woman against her will. I don't know, it seems to me he'd find that insulting, especially when it comes to Stephanie, I mean he has slept with her before and its not like he has to work hard to get women into his bed."
"Sound familiar?" Shane remarked, casting an eye to Shawn who merely shrugged at the allegation, "What can I say? Women adore me, I didn't get the moniker Heart Break Kid for nothing."
"Yeah, I guess." Shane muttered.
Shawn gave him something of a grin, "You up for a drink?"
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Stephanie looked at the restaurant in awe, "'Conifers'?"
"Yeah, so?" Hunter asked.
"Nothing, it's just-" she let out a puff of breath, waving a hand at the door in surprise, "I've always wanted to eat here."
"I know, I remembered." Hunter said softly.
Stephanie turned pink again, "Oh yeah. I mentioned that when we were married didn't I?"
"I seem to recall a certain someone hinting she'd want to go here every anniversary and birthday that came up."
"And we never did get the chance to go, did we? Something always came up and then…but it's nice to go now, I mean. I remember you didn't want to go here because it was too fancy."
"It's not too fancy now." Hunter assured her and led her inside. He put away her coat and had the waiter lead them to their table for two. He pulled out her chair, leaving her completely dizzy. Once he was sitting across from her she gave him a breathtaking look of happiness, "I can't believe this! Eating at Conifers, you putting away my jacket and pulling out my chair it's like who are you and where's the Hunter I've been hearing about recently?"
He looked a bit abashed, "You hear about the stuff I do on RAW, huh?"
"I have my little spies. You pretending to be Kane and humping a mannequin, you and two girls in a shower..."
"I wondered when that'd come up." Hunter muttered, running a hand over his hair.
She merely shook her head, "It was shocking to say the least but-hey, what do I know? I'm your ex-wife, remember? We did break up for a reason. 'Irreconcilable differences' I believe was what it said on the divorce papers, right?"
Hunter frowned, "Aw come on, Steph. Let's not talk about that stuff, all right?"
She took a sip of her water, "You're right. I'm sorry. It still smarts though. I mean it wasn't long ago we signed those papers and then all this stuff happened."
"I know, Stephanie, and it's because that 'stuff' happened that I'm taking you out tonight. Look, let's just forget the past, all right? Let's just...pretend that everything was as it was."
"What? You mean like when we were married? I don't know if I can do that, Hunter," She whispered softly, "I don't know if I can ever do that again. It was too difficult the first time."
Hunter's hand crept across the table and took hers, giving it a nice squeeze, "Stephanie, just try to have a good time with me tonight, okay, please? It-it means a lot to me that you have a good time. I'm trying to give you that, if you'll just let me."
She looked at their joined hands and flushed again, a smile picking at the corner of her mouth, "I know, Hunter. And it is nice to have you pulling out my chairs and putting away my coat again. It feels good to be...fawned over."
"Then allow me to shower you in it, sweetheart. I promise to be sickeningly, over-the-top sweet to you."
Her eyes met his and she felt a warm rush run through her veins, she nodded but added, "That's fine but all you really have to be is yourself."
He squeezed her hand again and she let the smile that had been picking at her face to come in full bloom.
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"Go, go, go, GO!" Shawn shouted at the screen then cheered with the audience on the television, "TOUCHDOWN! Yeah! That's fifteen for Dallas, baby! Read it and weep!"
"Fuck," Shane muttered and rubbed a hand over his eyes, "I'm going to owe you fifty bucks at this rate."
"That's your mistake for betting against the Cowboys, partner."
"Don't call me that." Shane scowled.
"Okay, would you prefer 'kid'?" Shawn teased. Shane just continued to look pissed, Shawn sighed, "Hey, you only bet on the other team to contradict me, Shane. It's your fault, not mine. I had you come here with me to Rooney's to have a drink and watch some ball, not to get all confrontational with you."
"This coming from the man who just bragged about his team scoring a touchdown and rubbing it in my face."
"That was just some fun, Shane. No reason to get bent out of shape." Shawn assured and resumed his seat. He blew at the foam on top of his beer glass, watching with amusement as it moved, then turned to Shane, "So what's up? You've been this way all night."
"What do you mean?"
"Shane, you look like someone ran over your cat." Shawn said flatly.
Shane sighed and ran a hand through his hair; "I'm worried about Stephanie."
"And so am I, but you don't see me showing it. I'm trying to have a good time. The least you could do is pretend you're having one too."
Shane crossed his arms and looked away, "No thank you."
Shawn let out a puff of air, "Well, you're a fun date."
"I'm sorry I'm not as amusing as Sean, Scott, Kevin, and all those other Clique/DX bozos you used to hang out with."
"The Clique and DX, ah, those were good times," Shawn sighed in memory. Long ago they would all be gathered at a bar like this. Drinking, betting on the game, draped in women-well all of them except Chyna. It had been perfect. But now it was over. Still, there were some advantages to now. After all, he had become good friends with Stephanie. Shawn sighed and turned his direction to Shane, "Look, Stephanie wants us to be able to at least tolerate each other for her sake so let's do that."
Shane looked at him, a frown creasing his forehead, "What do you mean?"
"Well obviously this all starts with you."
"Me?"
"Yeah, you're the one who had the problem from the beginning. I never had a beef with you, you just started biting my head off. Every time I'm around her you go ballistic. It's not some kind of Greg-Marsha Brady thing, is it? Cause I actually sat through the 'Very Brady Sequel' film and..."
"No, no, it isn't that!" Shane snapped, his face full of disgust. Shawn held up his hands in a form of apology. Shane's jaw worked silently for a few moments before he said, "All right, you really want to know what my problem with you is?"
"By all means."
Shane let out a thick breath, rubbing a hand along the back of his neck, "This isn't easy..."
Shawn waited patiently until Shane was ready to talk, "Look, I'm pissed at you because...because well...you were there for her when I couldn't be. Does that make sense?"
Shawn shook his head and Shane elaborated, "You found her, Shawn. You picked her up that awful night and helped her through all of that. I wasn't there, I couldn't protect her I couldn't...couldn't give her what you've given her. Do you know you're the only one who can touch her without her flinching?"
He shook his head again and Shane sighed, "Well you are. Remember the hospital? When she had that nightmare? I touched her and she firggin' slapped me. You, she just falls into your arms like it's child's play. She and I used to be like that. I used to be the one to comfort her and give her strength but I'm not anymore. You are. It all transferred to you after the...incident and I guess I'm kind of jealous. I love being my baby sister's keeper. I wish I could have been there to help her that night and I wasn't."
Shawn looked down, drinking in everything Shane had just said. Then he patted the man's arm, "Look Shane, you can't hold that much weight on your shoulders. It's not your fault you weren't there. No one can see into the future. You had no idea what was going to happen to her. And as I've told her, and now I'm telling you, I was just as terrified and lost that night as she was.
"Stephanie has this…impression that I did everything right, that I had all the answers and that…that I was her hero. And I'm flattered, I really am but I sure as hell don't deserve it. I took lucky guesses and did what I thought sounded good but honestly, I was a mess. I don't think I did anything any one else would have done."
Shane shook his head, "That's where you're wrong. There are a lot of people who would have seen Steph that night and kept walking or there are some who would have found her and freaked out and done something stupid. No, when it came down to it, you kept your head and thought about her and her needs. It's like that stuff you said to me at the hospital that night when I came to see her. You said I needed to let her make her own choices, not force her because she'd been forced enough and you were right. I was seeing too much red then to think clearly but you-you were right as rain.
"If someone else had found her, I don't think it would have turned out as well. Yeah, maybe you did make some lucky guesses but not on everything. Somehow, innately, you knew what to do. You knew how to…to save her, I guess. If it wasn't for you…I don't know what would have happened to her, how she would have turned out. So I owe you for that, and I hate owing people, and I'm jealous of you for that and I hate being jealous of people but…well, shit, at least now you know."
"Yeah, now I know," Shawn muttered and took a swig of his beer, his thoughts dark. He couldn't stop reflecting over certain things Shane had said. What particularly stuck out in his mind were his comments that he innately knew what to do for Stephanie as well as how he 'saved' her. These were things he had thought of before, things he wasn't necessarily comfortable with. And then he found himself lingering over earlier comments. Was it true he was the only one who could touch her without her flinching? It made him question, how exactly did she view him?
He was downing his beer and thinking of getting another when he noticed a shapely blonde sitting at the bar. She was wearing a sexy little black number and had legs that looked to have been hand sculpted by the man himself, her hazel eyes were locked on Shane's back and were roaming up and down it with an almost abnormal amount of interest. Shawn smirked then found himself chuckling. Shane frowned, his eyebrows drawing together, "What's so funny?"
Shawn looked at Shane and shook his head, "Nothing. Listen, you and me, we got some stuff out in the open and now, I think we have no choice but to celebrate. Let's get another round of drinks, some hot wings, and try to finally have a good time."
Shane's frown remained fixed in place, "I don't know…"
"Look, I know what your beef with me is now, and me, well, I never really had much of a problem with you save you had a problem with me. And let me tell you this, Stephanie and I may be close, but I'm no replacement for you. You're her brother and she loves you to pieces. When we hang out, she talks about you a whole lot."
Shane gave a tiny grin, "Really?"
"Oh yeah, she's always saying stuff like, 'I wish Shane was here' or 'let's invite Shane to come with us next time'. The only reason she never has is cause you seemed to have such a problem with me. But if you and I come to at least reasonable, friendly terms, then the three of us can be a little trio. Not to mention that I love to make Stephanie happy, as I am sure you do and if we got along she'd be ecstatic, so what do you say? Truce?"
Shawn held out a hand and Shane eyed it warily before extending his own to give a firm handshake, "Truce."
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Hunter and Stephanie walked along the waterfront outside of the restaurant. Hunter had said he was going to do his best to be romantic and Stephanie had to admit; he was doing a spectacular job of it. He'd had a violinist come over during their dinner and play music as well as had the headwaiter come over and recite a poem to her in Italian and give her a rose before they left. She couldn't believe he had gone through the trouble of arranging so many things for her ahead of time. It was almost as if he had gone out to impress her.
When she thought of that she couldn't help but smile. Hunter had never had to do much to get her to fall all over him. She had been crazy about him their entire marriage. That was why she had gone through so many elaborate schemes to hold on to him. And now here they were strolling along the waterside, watching the sun set.
They found themselves bring up the most amusing of memories. Each one made Stephanie smile and think back to a happier time when she was married to Hunter and life was simple. Hunter was in the middle of laughing, his eyes watering as he tried to finish his sentence, "And…and he had NO idea it was me and you who…who got that guy to fill his beer with piss. He thought it was the Rock."
"Yeah, that whole thing didn't go over with the Rattlesnake too well. I'm surprised he never brought it up in front of the camera." Stephanie said, shaking her head.
"He sure as hell cursed about it enough back stage. That old southern hick drawl, 'WHAT? What's in my beer! WHAT?'" Hunter laughed some more then when he got control of himself he brought up another memorable incident, "What about the tricks we used to pull on Trish?"
"Most of those were my idea." Stephanie chuckled, her head tipping to one side.
"True, true, have to give credit where it's due. Most of that was you. You and me, we have similar ideas of how to deal with people."
"You mean under handed, behind the scenes dirty tricks?" she asked with a twinkle in her eye.
"You bet," Hunter said with a smirk, "And how about when your Dad found out about our alliance? Man, did it just knock him off his high horse. We used to kiss just to drive him nuts. Remember when we used to go out to the ring together. It didn't matter if I was in a match or you were in match, we'd go out together and we'd…if there was a victory we'd kiss and it'd be…the perfect ending to the whole thing."
"I remember," Stephanie answered, as a silence rose up between them. Suddenly the conversation hit too close to some place Stephanie wasn't ready to go yet and considering Hunter had shut up, she imagined he wasn't ready to go their either. Instead they continued their walk in silence, both looking over at the water and the descending sun now and then.
Stephanie shivered and Hunter noted this, swiftly removing his coat jacket to delicately drape it around her shoulders. She gave him a warm look and a soft 'thank you' as she tugged it closer around herself, sneaking a quick whiff at the collar. The smell of his cologne filled her sense.
She sighed, "Acqua Di Gio."
"What?" Hunter asked.
"Acqua Di Gio, the cologne. You still wear it."
Hunter looked at her quizzically, then understanding dawned, he gave her a wicked smile that made her insides quiver, "You can smell it on my jacket, huh?"
"Yeah, you always did put a good amount on. You were always good at that. Not too much, not too little. Always the right amount. This smell…I used to wake up to it, used to fall asleep to it at night," The last part faded to a whisper as Stephanie felt herself giving away too much. She looked over at the water and away from Hunter; her cheeks hot with the memory.
Hunter wouldn't let the moment fade away this time though as he pressed, "You used to fall asleep in my arms. That's why the smell was…"
"Don't," Stephanie gasped brokenly, "Please."
She would have kept walking but Hunter reached out a gentle hand and took her elbow, stopping her so she'd turn and look into his eyes. His hand reached out to cup her cheek. Stephanie jerked away from it for a second and Hunter looked at her with a surprising amount of hurt in his eyes, asking in a soft breath, "Why won't you let me touch you?"
Stephanie bit her lip, tears welling in her eyes. Hunter spoke for her, "God honey, what you must have gone through…at that monster's hands…but it's over now, sweetheart."
"I know," she whispered and closed her eyes. Hunter reached out again and this time did cup her cheek. She let out a shaky sigh and opened her glazed eyes again, looking up at him. The feeling of his hand on her skin. So callused and yet so warm and just…perfect. His eyes too, the most amazing color.
"Stephanie," he said hoarsely.
"Hunter, we can't…please don't make me…" She managed to get out around the lump forming in her throat.
"Stephanie," he repeated, "I don't want to make you...I'd never make you. I promised a nice, free romantic evening but…Jesus, sweetheart, when I'm around you…I remember…"
Stephanie pulled out of his grip, shaking her head. It was too much. When he touched her she felt so fragile and vulnerable. Like glass. She spoke, "You remember memories. I do too. But we can't live on them. Time comes and goes and past is past. You and me, we had our time and it's…over now. We both moved on to…better things."
"Did we?" Hunter asked bitterly, "'Cause when I think about it…my life isn't much better."
"You got the belt you…"
"The belt," Hunter gave a dry laugh, "Yeah, I got it and I deserve it and I love it but a belt…a title…it doesn't replace a good woman," He looked at her with serious sincerity in his eyes, "It doesn't replace you."
Stephanie rolled her eyes, "I wouldn't call myself a 'good woman', Hunter. I mean, I practically cheated on you with Angle and what about Jericho? And that whole baby mess?"
"That was then, Stephanie. You were immature, a kid even. Heck, I was still a bit immature too, still getting out of Shawn's shadow. But now we've both grown. Especially you. I've…seen you, Steph. On Smackdown and even here you're…you're different. You're still the girl I fell in love with but even better," he drew close to her again, "now you're a woman I think I could be in love with."
Stephanie swallowed, it had suddenly become a task to try and breathe, "For how long?"
Hunter's face, the way he looked at her at that moment was more gorgeous than anything she'd ever seen, "How does forever sound?"
He was edging in, so close. His mouth could easily settle down on hers and she knew it'd be good. It'd feel right and like old times. There were some things they'd never had problems with, and kissing was definitely one of them. She could practically feel his lips on hers, could all ready feel herself melting but as she looked at his hazel eyes again she pulled back, "No, I-I can't. I'm not ready."
Hunter frowned but pulled back, nodding, "I understand. It's okay. I could see how it's…too soon. But…do you think…I mean, can I see you again?"
Stephanie looked at this man. This man she had once loved more than life itself and felt herself nodding before she even responded, "Yes, I'd like that."
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They were laughing so loud people were staring at them in bemusement, wondering what could be so funny. Shawn and Shane both tried to stifle their laughter and were failing miserably. Eventually they got a hold of themselves and Shane wiped at the tears of laughter in his eyes, cursing, "You know, Michaels. I didn't want to have a good time with you but I'll be damned if I am."
"You're not too bad yourself, partner. I'm having a blast myself. Didn't think I could without one of the guys present…or, you know, your sister."
A lazy grin took Shane and he looked at Shawn knowingly, "What exactly is going on between you and my sister."
Shawn looked at him with the utmost innocence, "What do you mean?"
"Oh come one. The way you two pal around. When you say her name you practically fawn over it, taking your time, drawing it out in that laid back southern drawl, 'Stef-a-nee'" Shane chuckled at his own attempt at Shawn's accent.
Shawn merely rolled his eyes, "Nothing."
"Nothing?" Shane asked with one raised eyebrow.
Shawn responded with his own eyebrows narrowed, "Nothing. We're friends, nothing more. Nothing less."
Shane let out a little breath, "Yeah, sure. If that's what you tell yourself to get to sleep at night."
Shawn considered popping him one but suddenly noted that the shapely blonde was still at the bar and still staring at Shane, Shawn edged closer to the younger man, whispering softly, "So when are you going to do something about her?"
"About who?"
"Oh come on, you're telling me you haven't noticed the blonde eating you up with her eyes all night?"
Shane looked puzzled and Shawn scoffed, "Right behind you, boy, I think you got a girlfriend."
Shane casually tossed his head over his shoulder and caught a glimpse of the supermodel behind them. She could see Shane looking in her direction and shyly ducked her head, a blush rising in her cheeks at having been caught staring. Shane himself now blushed and turned back to Shawn, a hand rubbing at the back of his neck, "Her? Nah. Never in a million years. She wasn't looking at me. It was probably you she was eyeing."
"I don't think so, partner. It was you she blushed for and you she's been looking at all night. Trust me, I've seen her catching peeks over here. Now the question is, what are you going to do about it?"
"Nothing. I mean, I'm not…you know…very suave when it comes to women."
Shawn threw his hands open, "Well isn't this your lucky night then? You happen to be sitting with a regular ladies man, or don't you know who I am?"
"The Heartbreak Kid?" Shane muttered, his own eyes rolling now.
"You're damn right," Shawn said and edged closer, "Now, you just listen to me and you'll have that girl in the bag. Now what you got to say is, you say," Shawn whispered a few choice words to Shane, some which made the younger man blush even more. Once he drew away, Shane began shaking his head vehemently, "No way, uh-uh. Not gonna happen."
"Oh come on."
"I can't say that stuff! Much less the latter half! She'll smack me!"
"No, she won't. Trust me." Shawn rose to his feet and practically yanked Shane out of his seat, shoving the protesting youth in the blonde's direction, "Go get 'em, tiger!"
Shane was jolted forward and found himself inches away from the blonde goddess. He cleared his throat and approached her anxiously. Shawn returned to their table and watched with amusement as Shane seemed to stumble about. Just as he thought, the blonde ate every little bit of it up. It helped that Shane's nervousness made him look vulnerable as well as adorable. Some women loved that sort of thing and this girl was obviously one of those.
Soon enough she was batting her eyelashes and pitching in quick touches. Shane too, seemed happy and flirty and in time wandered over to Shawn, "Hey man, thanks for the advice."
"No problem," Shawn said knowingly, his feet thrown up on the table before him, beer in hand.
"Listen, Isabel and I…"
"Want to go, get a bite to eat. Go ahead, partner. I'll be fine," Shawn said, finishing Shane's sentence for him. Shane looked greatly relieved as he reached out and patted Shawn's shoulder, "I owe you one, 'partner'."
Shawn chuckled and watched the couple leave then sighed, his thoughts returning back to their earlier dark thoughts. Stephanie. Jesus….
He ran a hand over his face and wondered how the date with Hunter had gone. But at the same token, he found himself not wanting to know. Because deep inside, he felt he all ready knew the answer.
