Summary: Every Time Connect 3 Goes On Tour, There's Always Something Special About Arizona That Shane Can't Resist.
Disclaimer: I don't own Camp Rock. Trust me, if I did, Shane would have made Mitchie's 'Camp Rock' a long time ago ;) haha...
Arizona
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Chapter Six – Let Down Your Guard
Mitchie sat in one of the booths inside of the ice cream shop waiting for Shane to arrive. While Hayley sat across from her waiting quite impatiently for Shane to show up so she could get her ice cream, Mitchie noticed that she had this weird feeling in her stomach. Was it...butterflies? No. It couldn't have been. There was no way she was actually nervous about seeing Shane. She was just nervous about how their little play-date would go, that's all. At least, that's what she was trying to make herself believe. She wouldn't admit it but she had actually felt like a teenager getting ready for this date. She had changed outfits about five times before deciding on a nice, Spring-y floral dress. It wasn't so revealing that she'd be embarrassed to wear it around Hayley but it was cute enough to wear she wanted to wear it around Shane.
"Hey guys," Mitchie turned around and saw Shane walking toward them. He was wearing a charcoal colored hoodie, dark jeans and a colorful pair of sneakers. Even with his messy hair and five-o'clock shadow, he was looking pretty darn good.
"Shane!" Hayley jumped out from behind the booth and ran up to him. She stuck her little arms out to give him a hug. He bent down, wrapping his own arms around her little body. He looked over to Mitchie who was trying her best to hide the smile that was trying to find its way onto her face.
"What's up, kiddo? You ready to dig into some ice cream?" he asked her. She nodded excitedly. Shane smiled at her, grabbing her hand and leading her to the giant glass windows that shielded the various buckets of ice cream.
Hayley looked up at Shane, almost silently asking him to pick her up so she could see the different types of ice creams. He hoisted her up on to his shoulders and turned so she could see the tubs of ice cream.
"What kind do you want?" he asked her as the ice cream guy walked up to the two of them.
"The pink one," she said pointing to the strawberry flavored ice cream.
"Uh, we'll have one small cup of strawberry and..." he paused. "What kind of ice cream does mommy like?"
"I always see her eating the brown one." she informed him.
"And one large cone of chocolate, please." Shane said, finishing off his order. He gently placed Hayley back on the ground so he could pay the man. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet, taking out a twenty. Once he got his change, he handed the small cup of strawberry ice cream and a spoon to Hayley.
"Look mommy," Hayley said to Mitchie as the two of them made their way back toward her. "I got pink ice cream!"
"That's awesome, hun. You wanna go across the street to the park and eat it on the playground?" Mitchie asked the little girl who nodded in agreement.
Shane, who hadn't said a word to Mitchie, followed the two girls out of the ice cream shop and across the street to a small little park. It had swing sets, different types of playgrounds and lots of benches covering the landscape. Once they reached the park, Hayley took off to one of the kiddie benches and sat down to eat her ice cream. Shane and Mitchie picked a bench where they could watch her and sat down.
"Are you gonna eat that?" Mitchie said referring to the dripping cone in Shane's hand.
He looked down at it. "Well, I was gonna let you have the first lick. I thought we could share it?"
Mitchie thought about it for a second. Sharing an ice cream cone with the same guy that two and a half years ago she slept with? Wasn't that cheating on her fiancee? She looked at Shane, then to the ice cream, then back at Shane. It was just ice cream...
"Sure, why not." she said grabbing the cone out of his hand, licking it so it didn't look so melted. She couldn't help but feel Shane's eyes staring at the side of her face. She looked over to him, a goofy smile on her face. "Is there a problem?"
"You know, if we weren't in the presence of our daughter, this would a much more interesting scene." he said wiggling his bushy eyebrows. "I mean, I'm not gonna lie. I'm pretty jealous of that ice cream cone right now."
She playfully hit him in the chest. "Shut up. You know, you shouldn't be saying stuff like that to me. I'm engaged." she reminded him, handing him the ice cream cone.
"Thanks for the reminder," he said, sadly licking the cone. He looked out to Hayley who had finished her ice cream and was now on one of the slides. He saw how much she looked like him. It was still really weird for him to think that he created – he and Mitchie, created her.
"Did you ever think of me?" Mitchie's voice snapped Shane out of his thoughts. He turned his head to face her, her eyes meeting his.
"Yeah," he looked down at the ground remembering the countless dreams he had about her and the numerous songs he wrote. "A lot actually. I felt silly because I didn't even really know you. I still don't, actually. But even with that I still remembered your name, the way you smelled, what you were wearing...everything. Nate said I was crazy but I just think I felt guilty. I always promised myself I'd never be the kind of rockstar who sleeps with a girl in every city but there was just something about you...I felt bad that I just left you there in the hotel that morning."
Mitchie nodded slowly, trying to comprehend everything he had just said. She knew he had thought about her before, he had told her, but she never knew how often. In some odd way, it was nice knowing that she wasn't just a random hookup, that she actually meant something to him.
"What about you?"
"Huh?" Mitchie's thought were interrupted by Shane's question.
"You ever think about me?" he asked.
Only every minute since I woke up in the hotel that morning and you weren't there, she thought. "Yeah, sometimes." she said, shrugging her shoulders.
Shane smiled and laughed. "You're so lying. After I rocked your world, there's no way you didn't think about me every day."
"Do you ever think before you speak?" she asked him, giving him a playful shove.
Before Shane could tell her that he was joking, they both heard a scream and snapped their heads toward the playground. Once Shane saw Hayley on the ground, clutching her knee to her chest, he ran over as fast as he could and knelt down beside her.
"Hayley, are you okay? Did you fall?" he asked her, concerned laced in his voice. Mitchie was standing over the two, letting Shane handle the situation.
"I fell and hurt my knee. It hurts really bad Shane." Hayley told him. She looked at him with her big brown eyes, one's she obviously got from Mitchie, and his heart melted. He scooped her up in his arms and sat her on a nearby bench.
"When I was little, I always hurt myself. I was kind of clumsy. So, my dad always used to bring his friend around whenever I got hurt. In fact," Shane paused, looking around and leaning in closer to the little girl. "I think he's here right now."
"Really?" Hayley said, looking around herself. "Who is he?"
"His name is..." Shane scooped her up once again and started tickling her. "The Tickle Monster! Rawr!"
Mitchie couldn't contain her laughter. Seeing Shane run around the playground, Hayley in his arms giggling like crazy, making monster noises was just too adorable for her. Shane circled the playground a couple of times before putting Hayley down on the ground.
"Feel better?" he asked her. She nodded, a huge smile on her face. Shane glanced up at Mitchie, a devilish smile on his face. "Hayley, do you know who I think needs a visit from The Tickle Monster?"
Mitchie shook her head, catching on to what Shane was about to do. He started taking slow steps toward her, which she counteracted by taking steps away from him. She wagged her finger at him.
"Shane, don't you dare! I am wearing a dress and I refuse to be-" Before she could finish her sentence, Shane ran up to her, tickling her just as he did Hayley. "Shane! Seriously, stop!"
"What? Sorry, I can't hear you. You're laughing too loud!" he said, chasing her around the playground, still tickling.
He took a second to look over to Hayley who was giggling at the sight of her mother seemingly being tickled to death. When Shane tried to give her a thumbs up, he accidentally tripped over a rock, sending he and Mitchie to the ground. He laid on top of her, waiting for her to yell at him to get off but all she did was laugh.
"Oh my gosh Shane, why would you do that? I'm like, extremely ticklish." she informed him through her own giggling.
"Sorry, I didn't know that about you." he said, laughing himself.
"Well now you do," she said, calming down after her giggle fit. She stared up at Shane, who was still on top of her. He smiled down at her and reached up to move a lock of her hair out of her face.
"Mitchie Torres is that you?" The two of them turned their heads to see a woman dressed in business attire, holding on to a little boy who looked to be about Hayley's age, staring at them.
"Oh, Caroline, hi." Mitchie greeted the woman. "What are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same thing," she said, her eyes squinting at Shane. He looked back at the woman and then down at Mitchie.
"I should probably get off of you..." his words trailed off as he stood up, helping Mitchie stand as well. The two of them brushed themselves off as Caroline walked up to them.
"To answer your question Mitchie, I decided to take the day off to take Tony to the park." she looked Shane up and down, a look of disgust on her face. "And who is the guy that was mounting you?"
"This is Shane. He's a friend of mine." Mitchie said introducing him. Caroline nodded with this fake, 'I-Don't-Believe-You' look on her face. Now that he was closer, Shane could see that she was considerably older than Mitchie, maybe in her mid 30's?
"Friend, huh? Interesting..." she trailed off, still eyeing Shane. "Well I can see that you and your friend were busy so I'll see you later. It was nice meeting you Sean."
"Its Shane!" he yelled out as she and the small boy left the playground. When she was out of earshot, Shane turned to Mitchie. "Okay who is she and why is she such a frigid bitch?"
Mitchie laughed. "That's Caroline. She works with Ken. And she's a frigid bitch because her husband is sleeping with her younger sister. At least, that's what I've been told."
Shane shook his head. "Can't say I blame the guy. Who would want to sleep with that?"
While the two of them walked back to the bench, Mitchie messed around with the ends of her dress, thinking about what she was about to say. When they sat down, she turned to him and opened her mouth but nothing came out. He was too busy looking at Hayley to notice, though. She tried to speak to him again, and once again, nothing came out. Why was this so hard for her?
"I have this friend, Caitlyn," she started speaking causing him to look away from Hayley and at her. "I know she'd be willing to watch Hayley if you maybe wanted to hang out some more? You know, just the two of us?"
Shane looked at her, shocked. Damn, she thought.
"You know what, you're probably busy. I shouldn't have asked-"
"No, no," Shane stopped her, a smirk on his lips. "I do want to hang out, trust me. I was just shocked you asked. We could go grab a bite to eat, yeah?"
Mitchie smiled and nodded. That wasn't so hard, she thought to herself. Now she and Shane would get a chance to talk more about Hayley...and maybe about them.
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Shane and Mitchie stood at the maitre'd post, waiting for the hostess. They had dropped Hayley off at Caitlyn's place and headed to an Applebees that was near Shane's loft. The car ride had been awkwardly silent. Usually there would be some kind of small talk but Shane was getting this...nervous vibe from Mitchie. It was almost like she was about to tell him another secret or something. God, please don't let there be another kid, he had thought to himself during the car ride. He loved Hayley, but he wasn't sure if he was mentally ready for another child.
"Hi, welcome to Applebees!" the hostess greeted the two of them. "Table for two?"
"Yes, please." Shane replied with a friendly smile.
"Alright, follow me." The two of them followed the hostess through the crowded restaurant. Mitchie noticed as they walked through the crowd, she felt Shane's hand on the small of her back, guiding her. She smiled to herself. It was a cute, gentlemen-like gesture Ken never did to her. It was a nice change.
"Someone will be right around to take your orders!" The hostess said handing them two menus. They both smiled at her before she walked away. Shane opened his menu and looked at it quizzically. He already knew what he wanted but he didn't want to sit there and stare at Mitchie stare at her menu.
After a few minutes, he set his menu on the table and looked over to Mitchie who was still looking at her. She saw him looking and peaked over her menu, sending him a smile which he returned. After a couple of more minutes, he gently tugged the menu down so he could see her entire face.
"Know what you want?" he asked. She smiled sheepishly and set the menu down on the table. "What's up with you? You've been acting kind of weird."
"Its just, at the park," she paused trying to find the right words. "When you were on top of me, that was nice."
Shane's eyes widen and he coughed, choking on his own spit. Her face went red and she shook her head.
"No, I didn't mean like that. I meant..." she trailed off. She didn't even know what she meant.
"No, I understand what you're trying to say. That was nice for me too. Playing around with you felt good. No offense but since I've been here, you've kinda been a little standoffish. Like you don't want me around." he said sadly.
"I'm sorry that it seems that way because it isn't. Truth is, I do want you around. I mean, you're a great guy to be around its just..."
"Ken?" Shane attempted to finished her sentence. She shook her head.
"No, I just can't let myself let you in, you know? Last time I did you left me in an empty hotel room. I knew you were a musician so I didn't let myself think you'd want to see me after that night but I thought you'd at least be there when I woke up." she confessed. It felt so good to finally get that off her chest.
Shane stood up from his side of the booth they were seated in and went to sit beside her. He sat his hands on the table, folding them over one another.
"I can't tell you how sorry I am for doing that. I know I hurt you, I get that." he turned to her, draping his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. "But you have to let down your guard. Believe me when I say I will never hurt you again. I mean, I left a world tour for you-"
"You left for Hayley," she corrected him.
"I left for you. Hayley is just a bonus." he said with a smile. "Mitchie, can I..."
"Go ahead," she said already knowing what he was about to ask. Shane hesitated before leaning in, gently pressing his lips against hers. What started as a innocent kiss turned into a full on make-out prompting a guy seated in front of them to yell for them to get a room.
"Uhh, sir?" Shane pulled away from Mitchie and looked at the waiter who was awkwardly standing in front of them. "Are you ready to order?"
Shane looked at Mitchie who shook her head. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ten dollar bill. He slapped it in the waiter's hand and exited the booth, pulling Mitchie behind him.
"What's this for?" the waiter asked watching the two of them leave the restaurant.
"For your time!" Shane called out behind him.
As he and Mitchie walked to his car, they kept laughing, giving each other quick kisses. When they got to his car, Shane walked her to the passenger side and before opening the door, gave her one last long kiss. He ran over to the driver's side, hopped in and started to drive away.
He took his eyes off the road to look at Mitchie who had a huge smile plastered on her face. When he reached a red light, he looked over to her.
"So am I taking you back to Caitlyn's or back to my place?"
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Fifteen minutes later, Shane and Mitchie were in his loft, in his bedroom, on his bed, making out. Mitchie had decided to join him back at his place. She had already caused a spectacle at the park and at Applebees, she might as well continue her behavior.
"So...what does...this mean?" Shane, who was wearing just his jeans, managed to ask between kisses. Mitchie, who was lying underneath him in nothing but her underwear, stopped kissing him and looked at him, furrowing her eyebrows.
"I'm not sure." she answered honestly. She really did know. She took a moment to think about where she was at. In a guy's bed, half naked, without her daughter who she had dropped off at a friend's house for an impromptu sleepover and not to mention the guy she was with wasn't her fiancee. She pushed Shane off of her and rolled over and sat on the edge of his bed.
"Wait, what are you doing?" he asked frantically. He crawled over to her, placing kisses on the back of her neck. She shooed him away, reaching down for her dress that was on the floor.
"I can't do this. I can't be here right now. I have a daughter and a fiancee and-"
"Not to sound like the devil on your shoulder but, you've been a damn good mom for two years. You deserve a little break." Shane said.
"But what about Ken?" she asked, looking at him from over her shoulder.
"What he doesn't know won't hurt him." he said. She dropped her dress back on the floor and found her way underneath Shane's bedsheets. A smile crept on his face as he slid out of his jeans and hopped back on top of her. Before he could kiss her, she stuck out her hand, stopping his lips.
"This can't be just a hookup. If we're gonna do this, we're gonna have to agree on some kind of relationship or something." she informed him.
"Hey, I'm not the one with the fiancee." he shrugged.
"Well I'm not gonna leave him if all we're gonna do is have sex. I have to know it gonna be more than that." Shane sighed and fell to the side of her.
"Mitchie," he said softly, running his hand over the side of her face. "I've learned my lesson. I don't just want to sleep with you. I want a relationship, a legit relationship. I wanna walk down the street holding hands. I want to be able to call my brothers and tell them about my new girlfriend. I wanna keep making out in restaurants and have old people tell us to get a room."
Mitchie smiled at him. She sighed. I can't believe I'm really about to do this, she thought to herself. She gave Shane a flirtatious smile, prompting him to hop back on top of her. She really hoped she was making the right decision. This time, if things didn't work out, she wouldn't be the only one getting her heart broken. Hayley would be too.
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Oh. Em. Gee. Haha. How'd you like this chapter? Yay? Nay? I wont know unless you leave me a review! So leave me one and I'll try to update before the New Year! :)
Thanks for reading!