Disclaimer: As usual, Jeff, Shannon, and Shane belong to the WWE, not me.  I can only wish.  Hey … there's dialogue in this one! Who woulda thunk it?

Chapter three

            There's nothing quite like jumping out of bed in the morning, running around in a blind panic, and then falling down again because you stood up too fast and the blood rushing to your head caused the room to tilt sharply to the right and your vision to fill with stars.  Ah hah.  It's going to be a good day, I can tell.

            I sit on the floor, head resting against the bed, blinking repeatedly.  My arm reaches out to the nightstand to grab my alarm clock, still shrilling like a banshee.  I stare at it dumbly for a moment, then leap up from the floor, throw the clock on the mattress and attempt to smother it with a pillow.

            "Die, you stupid piece of junk, die!" But the dumb thing won't give up.  "I said die!" At this point, I realize I'm awake, and so awake that there's no chance I could fall asleep again.  Resigned, I remove the pillow and turn off the clock normally.

            Yep… it's going to be a good day.  I can tell.

            The phone rings just as I'm stepping out of the shower.  I swipe at the foggy mirror a few times with my hand before wrapping a towel around my waist and opening the door, exiting the bathroom along with clouds of steam.  I answer the phone on the fifth ring.

            "Hello?"

            "Hey Shan, it's me."  It's you.  "You're still coming over to help with my shed later, right?"

            "Yep.  Did you decide on a color yet?"  The water from my hair is dripping onto the floor, forming a puddle around my feet.  I wonder if it's possible to be electrocuted this way?  I step out of the puddle and wander back to the bathroom.

            "Green.  Or brown.  Or blue."

            "A blue shed?"

            "Robin's egg blue, to be exact."

            "Let's paint it plaid."  The mirror has fogged up again, and I use my fingers to swirl designs onto the glass.

            "Plaid."  You chuckle.  "That's going to be pretty fuckin' hard."

            Four spirals in each corner.  I try to draw your shed but I can't get the perspective right.  "It's going to be pretty fuckin' ugly, is what it is.  Green and brown and blue plaid?  Is it light green?"

            "Dark forest green.  And the brown is kind of a dark orange, actually."

            "Even worse."

            "Mornin', sexy."  A voice from the bathroom door causes me to jump and turn around.  But it's only Jeff, leaning against the doorframe, hands in his pockets, an amused expression on his face.

            Sighing at the exaggerated expressions Jeff starts to make to distract me, I tell you we'll be over soon and hang up.  "Your face might freeze that way, you know."

            "Ooh, touchy.  Sorry.  Didn't mean to interrupt your little phone sex thing you had going with Shane."

            "Ha-ha.  Painting a shed.  Sexy."

            "Hey, with you, Mister-I'm-Really-Cut-Off, you never know.  Anything could be sexy."

            "You mean, something like you?" I didn't mean to say that, it just happened.  Jeff raises his eyebrows, but I just sigh again and push past him to get back into the bedroom.

            Jeff's arm goes around my waist, stopping me.  He props his chin on my shoulder, looking up at me through locks of blue and blond hair, but because I'm so much shorter he has to bend over, almost leaning right into me.  The strong arm pressed against the bare skin of my stomach… the warmth radiating off his body… the green eyes rooting me to the spot… god, I can't take this.  I close my eyes.

            "I've forgotten how irritable you are in the morning," Jeff says, and even though he uses a teasing tone of voice, I can tell without looking that he's stony-faced.  That's Jeff for you.  When he gets like this, he's expressionless.  God, it hurts.  Does he know?  I don't think he knows.  "It was funny, actually…" he doesn't laugh.  "I used to watch you in the morning.  You'd look so angelic and peaceful while you were sleeping, but when the sunlight hit your eyes and you woke up, the first thing you'd do is scowl."

            "Hm."

            "It's nice to know you haven't changed after all this time."  I wish he wouldn't stand so close to me.  I can't take this.  The arm around my waist… god, it feels good.  Familiar fingertips running lightly along the edge of the towel… probing… prodding the knot loose.  Or maybe that's just my imagination.

            "That's kind of sad, really."

            "I can think of other things sadder than that."  Jeff turns his head, pressing a soft kiss to my shoulder.  I raise my hand to touch the side of his face, but hesitate… I rub my eyes instead.

            "So can I."  I step away from him.  I miss his warmth.  Does he know?  I change the subject. 

            "I gotta get dressed.  Shane's waiting for us."

            I think he knows.