I don't own any of these characters… It seems that someone else owns them… And I'm not quite sure of whom it exactly is… But, at any rate, they own the beautiful Shy (and all the other characters…)…
-Sighs and grumbles about how life's unfair…-
A/N: All right. So, I really haven't gotten the chance to see this film yet, though I very desperately want (-cough cough- need) to see it… So if I get some details wrong, then, it's really not my fault, since this is only playing in Toronto right now. All right, and I must warn you that there will be some plot spoilers so if you don't want to know some of the plot (since I don't know the details and am going to have to go make them up for the moment…), then I would suggest you not read this. Otherwise, have a great time, relax, settle in for the ride, and review… Thanks! :)
A/N #2: Back-story!! Just to let you guys know a little bit more about the characters and whatnot.
Characters:
-Shy (Orlando Bloom)- A nice guy, from the wrong side of the tracks, hopelessly in love with Andrea.
-Andrea (Zoe Saldana)- A pretty girl, comes from a wealthy family and is desperately in love with Shy.
-Kemo- A friend of Shy's.
-Sterling (I just like to call him by his surname, cuz it sounds cooler and more evil… Lol)- Andrea's father, he hates Shy and would do anything to keep Andrea and Shy apart.
-Hammer- Andrea's brother, he hates Shy even more and does do whatever he can to keep Andrea and Shy apart.
A/N #3: Just to let you guys know, the --- thing represents going from the present time to memories/flashbacks back to the present time. Also, this is a one-shot, but if need be, there'll be a follow up/epilogue/big author's note after this chapter, so check back and see…
A/N #4: (Last one, sorry!!!) I want you to know for sure (since this is the 2nd time I've said this…), that this story is based off of things that I've read in reviews and message boards galore, so if some of the story is wrong, I'd a) like to know what happened and b) like to say sorry about that, I haven't seen the movie and therefore don't quite know what happened at every scene.
Shy let out a breathless sigh as he ran a finger over his cheek. His chocolate brown eyes blankly stared ahead into the aquamarine water. The rock he was leaning against dug sharply into him, but he ignored the numb sensation that was beginning to spread all along his back. His face was expressionless and weary, scars running down his left cheek, marring the once perfect skin. Fury flickered across his features before returning once again to the placid appearance that had been plastered on his face for weeks.
Thoughts were racing through his head; memories of the not too distant past… Memories of love, of loss, of pain, of anger… He took a deep, yet shaky, breath, disturbing the silence surrounding him. His hand fell limply to his side; landing in the sand… Shy let his eyes wander down to the café au lait tinted grains of sand enveloping his fingers. Café au lait… the color of her skin…
His breath hitched at the thought of her and he tried to shake her from the blur that his mind was becoming. Her image, forever draped on the backs of his eyelids; always there when he needed her, always there when he didn't. He gave in to her, leaning his head against the rock and closing his eyes.
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Shy knocked on the door nervously, praying to God that her father didn't come to the door… or worse yet, Hammer. Sweat was pooling together in small on the back of his neck, and it wasn't just the weather. Tonight, the air was sticky; it was as if the oxygen had turned solid and one wasn't breathing air… they were breathing little droplets of fairy's dew hanging in the air. The feeling coated Shy's entire body and he felt his breathing slowly becoming more ragged as he waited for an answer at the door. He parted his lips to let his tongue wash over them and in doing so, he let the sticky air coat the inside of his mouth, making it feel like damp cotton was crammed inside. Shy looked over towards the window beside the door for a sign of life within the house. The sun-faded mauve curtains were drawn though, and revealed nothing. Blinking a couple of times, Shy lifted his arm once more to try knocking again. His hand paused in the air, hovering inches away from the forest-green door. Hesitantly, Shy knocked on the door again, still praying that she would come to the door. He sniffed and muttered under his breath resentfully, "I should've called…" Then again, calling had its disadvantages too, but then at least he wouldn't be all the way at her house…
Another moment passed he felt his feet automatically shuffling backwards, trying to be mindful of the step that he had tripped off of, time and time again. The sharp click of locks being turned rang in his ears and he stopped moving… he stopped breathing… He waited for the door to open, and it did, the light spilling out onto him, standing in the walkway.
A warm, familiar smile greeted him from the threshold of the doorway. She leaned on the jamb casually, looking out at Shy, who had that deer in the headlights look she loved so much. Her ebony hair cascaded down around her shoulders onto her shirt. "Are you just going to stand there?" she asked, her voice containing a hint of sarcasm as she kept smiling at him.
Relief swept over him and he let out the air that had been stuck in his lungs only moments before. A smile swept over his features, his eyes lighting up, "Andrea," he said softly in greeting.
Andrea's smile broadened and she waved for him to come inside the house; again, as when he was knocking upon the door, he hesitated to move. His smile faded slowly and he asked quietly, "Are… are you sure?" His eyebrows were pulled up as if by invisible strings and he looked to her for the answer. She nodded, blinking as she did so, her jet-black eyelashes batting together inadvertently flirtatious way, "Yeah, hun, they're not home now… They shouldn't be home for hours…"
Shy swallowed hard before picking up his feet and coming towards the house to meet her. A cheery smile on his face reappeared again as they reunited in a huge hug. He inhaled deeply; catching the faint smell of raspberries coming form Andrea's hair as he planted a small kiss upon her neck. They parted for a moment and Andrea closed the door, relocking it with care. She reached out and grabbed his hand within in her own and pulled him through the cozy sitting room into a hallway adorned with of Andrea and her brother, Hammer. It was eerie for Shy, to see all the faces smiling fakely at him, but he said nothing. He followed her silently, his eyes flicking every which way, taking in all the fancy things inside the house. She stopped at the end of the hall at a white door. Andrea squeezed his hand and said, "Come on."
Shy was only too happy to comply, having never been in her house and wanting to see more. He walked into the room and Andrea closed the door behind him. "Well, here it is… my bedroom," she announced nonchalantly, waving her arm around. Shy paused for a moment and took his time to look around at all the delicate trinkets decorating the shelves and the ornate lamp on her antique desk. She walked over and turned it on, creating a soft, golden glow around the room. Her bed was in the center of the room, neatly made with a little stuffed rabbit lunging on one of the pillows. Shy blinked and came to sit on the bed after Andrea had already gone over and then beckoned him to follow. He sat gingerly down on the bed and kept looking around the room like it was a rare museum exhibit.
After a few minutes of comfortable silence, he asked curiously, like he always was, "What's it like?"
"What's what like?" she replied, confused about his question.
"The whole…" he paused for a moment, trying to find words, "Well, having all this…"
She raised an eyebrow and shrugged somewhat awkwardly, for she was lying on her side. "I don't know… I guess I just feel lucky to have it, but I don't really notice or think about it… Why?"
Shy shrugged as well, turning around to face her and answered, "Just curious." He smiled innocently and she could have sworn she saw one of his teeth sparkle in the lamplight, but shook the thought away and patted the bed lightly with the palm of her hand. He slowly reclined until his head found a pillow, and something else…
"What's this?" he asked, chuckling softly as he pulled the rabbit from behind his head and held it gently in his hands, smiling at it. The rabbit was sun-faded, once a light baby blue, it was now more of a washed out gray. The stitched button eyes were loose as was the stringy smile on its face. The light pink nose, previously coated with a fuzzy sheen of velvet was shiny pink plastic now, having all been rubbed off, the only signs of velvet around the edges. He ran a thumb affectionately over one of its arms, the patchy fuzz bristling against his fingertip.
Andrea smiled a little and looked away sheepishly, "Oh… um… that's Hendrix…" A faint blush was seeping through her café au lait skin.
Shy's smile grew as he turned to Andrea, glimpsing the coffee-colored pinkness in her cheeks. He bit the inside of his cheek softly, marveling at her beauty. He caught the gaze of her eyes and they stared at each other for a moment, their eyes locked. She eventually broke her gaze and smiled lightly, "Give him back to me," she reached out for the bunny, but Shy held it up just out of her reach, smiling slyly.
"Nope, don't think so… I think it's just too cute for you to sleep with a fuzzless little bunny named Hendrix every night… I think I'm going to have to talk to him and have him share his secrets on how he does it…" He said playfully in his lilting British accent.
Andrea rolled her eyes and tried to get up to get her rabbit, but Shy leapt off of the bed and went over towards a corner of the room, pretending to whisper deep secrets to the little animal and listen to some in return. She giggled a little before jumping off the bed as well and following Shy to the corner. She hit him jokingly on the arm, trying to get him to let go of Hendrix, but Shy wouldn't let up.
Shy's eyes looked down onto the shelf he was standing by and found a tiny guitar, "What's this?" he asked, a grin on his face.
"It's Hendrix's guitar," Andrea replied matter-of-factly, her hands upon her hips.
Shy snorted and started to laugh, "Hendrix's guitar… now that's just too cute…" He leaned in towards her, still grinning. His lips parted slightly and he pressed them against Andrea's. Shy ran his tongue tenderly across her lips and pulled away, still smiling.
Andrea had a smile on her lips as well until she heard a loud whistle from outside her window. They both looked out to see Kemo, Shy's friend, standing by a tree, clutching at his stomach and pretending to vomit. Andrea shook her head and flashed him her middle finger, laughing as she pulled the blinds shut on the window.
"What was that?" Shy asked, still trying to peek out of the window from between the blind's slats.
"Well… I wanted to give you a present… Kemo's just there for security…" she told him, her voice just above a whisper. The faint blush that had been on her cheeks a few minutes before was there again and to Shy she glowed like an angel in the lamplight.
Shy cocked an eyebrow before saying, "You don't need to do anything… It's your birthday… I've got you something by the way…" He reached into the pocket of his jeans and searched for the small box that was poking painfully at his leg. He pulled it out and took one of Andrea's hands into his own, placing the box gently into her palm.
Andrea's mouth opened a little and she watched his movements. She stood there with the box in her hand, just staring at it, her brow furrowing slightly, confused. "You can open it you know… I didn't just get you a box…" Shy teased. She slowly raised her other hand and pulled the tiny lid off of the box, revealing a gold ring with a black pearl set into the middle and two tiny diamonds on either side of the pearl. Andrea stopped breathing for a moment and her eyes looked at it as if it weren't real. "Shy… oh my god…" She was speechless, and she could barely speak, for the words just tumbled around inside her mouth.
Shy let his breath go, and he looked into her amber-brown eyes, "Can I put it on you? Do you like it? If you don't I can… I can get you something else. I thought that this w-" he couldn't finish what he was saying, as Andrea had pulled him towards her and locked her lips onto his.
His breath was taken and he automatically opened his mouth, letting her tongue graze over his, before he started to kiss back. Their tongues mingled and their eyes closed. The passion between them was lit again and they didn't part until they were both out of breath.
Panting, she looked up at Shy and smiled, her eyes sparkling, "I love it, darling. It's beautiful… the best present I've ever gotten."
Shy's body began to fill with warmth and relief and he bit his lip a little. "I—I'm glad you like it," was all he could think of to reply.
Andrea's smile faded a little and she looked away before looking back into his eyes. "Shy, are—are you sure that you can," she paused for a second, biting her lip, "afford it? Not to say that you can't… but it's just…" She felt so embarrassed and horrible, asking him, but she knew she had to. She didn't want him to be buying her something so extravagant when he couldn't have the money for it.
Shy's eyes found the ground quickly and he shook his head, "It's fine Andrea. This is your gift. I mean, if you don't like it, I can take it back, but I'm not going to take it back just because… because of something like that. I love you… I saved up for a long time, but it's fine. I'm not that poor." His voice was dejected and hurt, like a kicked puppy and he didn't look up to meet Andrea's gaze again.
She sighed audibly and reached out to cup Shy's cheek in her hand, "No… I know… but, if you need the money, don't spend it on me. Use it for what you need."
"I bought it for you. It's yours now and I'm not taking it back," his voice was getting harsher.
"I didn't mean it like that. Listen, I'm only saying… Now, don't be so defensive…"
He snapped back at her "No. You're implying that I can't go out and buy you something nice for your birthday because I'm poor."
"I was only saying that if you need it for you and your mum, then you should take it. I don't want to intrude, but I mean it."
"So you're implying that I don't know how to take care of myself or my mum? Fine," he stepped around her and started for the door. "I'm going to go out now, happy birthday, Andrea. The ring is yours." He couldn't look at her; the ring had been too much, but for her… he couldn't resist.
Andrea followed him, the ring still in her hand, "Damn it Shy! Come back here. I don't want you to be all pissed at me for fuck's sake. I was only saying…"
Shy stopped and turned around and his eyes found hers in a split second. He had hurt her; he could see it on the glassy rims of her eyes. He sighed exasperatedly, "I'm sorry hun. I just…" He ran a hand through his dark curls and hung it around the back of his neck. "I don't know. I'm sorry."
Andrea shook her head dolefully, "No, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought that up. I really do love the ring… Thank you." She held out her hand, "Come on."
He reached out and took her hand reluctantly as she pulled him over to the bed and they both sat down on it. "Would you put it on me please, Shy?" she whispered. He smiled a little and shook his head at her, reaching his hand out to take the box from her. Carefully, he took the ring out of its velvety cushion. He grasped her right hand and slid the slim band onto her ring finger, "It's just a… a…" he wasn't quite sure what to call it, "Kind of like a promise ring…" He lifted her hand to his lips and pressed them upon her hand in a kiss. Her cheeks flushed again, as did his, as she watched him kiss her so tenderly… so lovingly. She almost couldn't contain herself, "I love you so much Shy…" she murmured.
"I love you too, babe," he replied as he set the box down near the foot of the bed where he was sitting. He then crawled up to her and kissed her on the lips, "Happy birthday," he whispered. Andrea leaned back onto the pillows again and he looked down at her in adoration. "God, you're so…" he paused, not knowing how to finish it, and he almost wished he hadn't said it.
"So what?" she asked, smiling up at him.
He couldn't deny anything she asked of him… "So… amazing… wonderful… beautiful… brilliant… You're like an angel." He hoped that sufficed, but he wasn't quite sure how to pour out his feelings to her through words; nothing seemed like it gave her justice… Shy leaned down and they kissed again, this time, their passion was let loose, and they didn't hold back.
They explored each other's mouths, places they had both visited thousands of times, yet never got tired of. He ran his tongue over her's, her teeth, her lips. He loved how she tasted; there was nothing that compared to her. She caressed his tongue and lips softly with her own, not quite as rough as he was, but she carried the same burning desire that he did.
Slowly, she slid her hands up the back of his t-shirt, stroking it lightly, tickling him; he smiled a little and kept the kiss alive. She ran her nails along the back of his neck, sending visible shivers down his spine, making her smile this time as a soft moan came from the back of Shy's throat. Andrea dragged her nails down his back and to the bottom of his shirt, pulling up his back this time. She broke the kiss as it came up to his underarms and wouldn't go any further. "Off," was all she could say.
Shy pulled away and let her pull off his shirt, revealing his sun-kissed chest. Andrea giggled a little, tracing her fingers on the front of his chest and down his stomach. He could feel his muscles tensing a little and his breathing becoming faster. She was about to come to the button on his jeans before he stopped her, "Andrea, are you sure you want to do this? Your family… if they find out…" his face grew slightly pale at the thought.
"I want to, Shy. And it's fine… Kemo is outside to warn us if anything happens… He'll let us know," she assured him.
Shy nodded before smiling and sitting back on his heels. He reached forward and slid his hands slowly along her thighs, pushing the violet dress up her legs to reveal her green panties, "My favorite color," he commented unashamedly, smirking.
"I know…" she muttered demurely.
The tone of her voice made Shy laugh a little and a smile appeared on his face again as he kept pushing the dress up. Past her thighs, her hips, her stomach, her chest… She lifted her arms up and he slipped it off of her setting it beside the box at the foot of the bed. Shy bent down and nuzzled her navel, then, he tickled her with a trail of tiny kisses that led up her stomach all the way to her neck, where he nuzzled her again, breathing deep the scent of raspberries that was radiating from her.
Andrea let her eyes flutter shut as she tilted her head away from him, allowing him more room. She inhaled deeply and let her arms drape over his back, finding their way to his jeans button. She fumbled with it for a few moments, earning a muffled chuckle from Shy, who was still kissing her neck, before opening it and unzipping the fly, mindful of anything in the way… Andrea pulled them down as far as she could and Shy went and pulled them off the rest of the way, dropping them onto the floor beside the bed. She looked down at his storm-blue boxers and said jokingly, "My favorite color…"
Shy broke away from her neck and glanced down at his boxers, before looking back at Andrea again, replying craftily with a cocked eyebrow, "I know."
Shy woke up to the faint glow of the dawn's rays streaming in between the blinds. Andrea had fallen asleep in his arms and had her head nestled comfortably on his chest. He could feel the gentle rise and fall of her chest upon his stomach and he realized with some amusement that his breathing had the same rhythm. He stroked the top of her head lightly, trying not to wake her; it was so soft… like silk. A smile crept onto his lips and he traced his hand down her neck and onto her back, resting it there on her warm, coffee-colored skin.
A few minutes later, Andrea awoke to the slight tickling sensation of Shy's fingers rubbing tiny squiggles on her back. She smiled, her eyes still closed, and kissed the middle of Shy's chest, murmuring a good morning to him. Shy replied softly and sat up slightly to kiss the top of her head. "Last night was nice…" she said nonchalantly.
"Yeah, we ought to do it again sometime," Shy said, smiling down at her. He yawned and stretched his arms, taking a deep breath, with Andrea still laying on him.
Andrea furrowed her brow, "Wait a sec… did you hear that?"
"Hear what?" Shy replied groggily.
In the distance, the faint click of locks being unlocked became all too loud for their ears. Andrea bolted upright, as did Shy and they looked at each other, terrified, both their faces blanched. "Shit… Kemo… Oh my god, he forgot… Shit…" Andrea whispered frantically under her breath, "Hurry Shy, get dressed…"
Shy was on his way to doing so, kneeling on the floor, looking for his boxers under Andrea's bed skirt. "I can't find my goddamn boxers… Fuck! What the hell…" he muttered in a frenzied way. He had barely found them when he heard Sterling's voice outside the door, "Darling? Are you still sleeping? It's nine o'clock…" Shy's hands started to shake as he tried to put on his boxers, making the least noise possible.
"Yes daddy, I'm just getting up," Andrea replied, trying to keep her voice steady, as well as her breathing.
Just then, Shy inadvertently hit his elbow on the nightstand by Andrea's bed and he swore loudly.
Hearing Shy's voice, Sterling burst through the door to see his naked daughter helping a half-naked Shy. He was furious.
After seeing Sterling storm towards them, Shy's memory was blurred… maybe it was because of the blow that Sterling gave him before he turned on his daughter and told her to put something decent on… Maybe it was the beating that Hammer bestowed upon him once he got inside the bedroom… Maybe it was the cops roughing him up and taking him down to the station… Maybe it was sitting in that dim room, only a light bulb suspended from the ceiling, some man interrogating him… Or maybe it was having his mum come bail him out of jail… Either way, Shy didn't remember much of the rest of that day… Only that it was the beginning of the end of life as he knew it.
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Shy felt streams of tears meandering down his cheeks. So much had happened since that night… that day… He bit his bottom lip, hard, trying to choke down a sob. He didn't know what to do… He had killed a man and now he had to run. That was all he could do, but he didn't know to whom or where he could go.
His breathing had become rapid and he brought his hand back into his lap, a fine trail of sand leading from the beach onto his leg. He reached for the gun that sat there, growing heavier and heavier by the minute. He opened his eyes to the blinding rays of the sun reflecting off of the now mercury colored water. Shy quickly shut them again and brought his knees up to rest his head on. It seemed like everything in the world was against him, even the sun, and there wasn't anything he could do to fix it.
Shy lingered there for a moment, completely still, before standing up wearily, grabbing onto the rock behind him for support. He had been sitting there for almost an entire day, contemplating what he had to do. He had made up his mind.
He steadied his shaking knees and walked slowly towards the boat at the edge of the water. He clamored in and plopped down onto the metal bar that was at the stern of the boat. Shy put the gun down carefully into the bottom of the boat, making sure it wouldn't go off, and he started the boat with some difficulty. After a few minutes the motor on the boat was running, he was out to sea, and a fine sheen of sweat was covering Shy's forehead.
After a few hours, Shy abruptly stopped the motor. There was no one for miles. No one to hear anything, to know anything, to see anything. Shy picked up the gun again into his sandy hands and weighed it there. It seemed a lot heavier than when he had first picked it up… Before he had killed Hammer… But that was then, and this was now. For a moment, Shy thought about cocking the gun and putting the cold, hard barrel to his temple, but thought against it. No, he wanted to live… he just didn't want to live here anymore. He sighed loudly and took the hem of his shirt to wipe the gun free of his fingerprints. Shy leaned over the side of the boat, somewhat awkwardly, and dropped the gun in, watching it spiral downwards, into the unknown depths… Just like his life.
The EndA/N: Okay guys, this is the part where you tell me how you liked it what I should do to improve next time, if you want me to write more, etc. (Btw… the black pearl ring was of my own creation… so yeah…) And I would like to announce this as my return to writing, but unfortunately, I can't… For the sake of maybe being wrong (since I'm an idiot…) and then disappointing you guys again…. So, at any rate… I got to write this story and if I think it gets a sufficient amount of feedback, then maybe I'll be motivated enough to get another couple chapters out of my other stories! But I'm still working on them… I just got über excited about Haven after reading some reviews, piecing what I could of it together… So yeah… if you have the chance to go see it at the Toronto International Film Festival… GO. And then tell email me and tell me every detail… Lol… All right…. Well, hopefully I'll be writing to you guys again soon… And if need be, I'll post an Author's Note after this chapter just to follow up…. Thanks a mil!!
Cheers!
Tati Bloom aka Elf Girl 4