by Sara Hess
The party had toned down quite a bit in the almost two hours I’d been gone. Landon and Maya were no longer there…probably up in their room consummating. They didn’t leave for their honeymoon, a three week trip traipsing around Europe, until tomorrow. The guys were still here though, talking and drinking, but there was no sign of Shaw.
Noah spotted me first and grinned. “Evan, what the hell are you doing back? You and Shaw nearly ran out of here I thought we wouldn’t be seeing you until tomorrow.” He waggled his brows.
“Shaw probably wasn’t impressed…again. Told her she needed a real man.” Trey mocked from across the table, a girl he’d picked up last night sitting on his lap.
Anger blasted through me. The guy was pushing my last button, and not being able to find Shaw only made it worse. “Shut your fucking mouth, Trey.”
His brows lifted in a clear sign that said ‘make me”, so I headed around the table to do just that.
Nic jumped up, taking care not to dump Carrie on the floor, and stepped in front of me with a frown of concern. “Whoa, he was only messing with you, Evan. He didn’t mean anything by it.”
I jabbed my finger at Trey and snarled. “You need to lay off the comments about her. In fact, you need to just stay the hell away from her.” I’d made that damn clear to the ass this afternoon.
All three brother’s expressions tightened with clear displeasure. Everyone else was looking at me with varying expressions of curiosity and concern.
“Evan, what the hells wrong? This isn’t like you.” Nic exclaimed.
Yeah, I didn’t normally jump into fight mode like that, but not finding Shaw was stretching my nerves. I pulled Nic away from the group. “Did Shaw come down here?”
Nic frowned. “I haven’t seen her since she left with you.”
My frustration rose. Had she been in her room and just not answered? Nic watched me with a silent frown as I pulled out my cell to call her…it went to voicemail. “Shit!” Anger and concern warred inside me. Was she ignoring me or had something happened to her?
“What’s going on? Did you two have a fight or something?” Nic asked.
“We didn’t fight, but she might be upset with me.” I admitted. Taking someone’s virginity roughly without a condom would upset most women, and this was Shaw, so she was probably livid.
His brows rose in perplexity. “Might?”
I waved away his questioning tone. “Can you try calling her? She might be ignoring me.”
Brows still high he did as I asked. “No answer.” He said lowering the phone.
“Fuck!” I snarled. Why the fuck wasn’t she answering? It could be because Nic had tried her right after me alerting her to the fact I’d asked him to, or…something had happened to her and she couldn’t answer.
“What happened, Evan? Why would she be mad at you?” Nic’s tone sharpened.
“Nic, I can’t deal with your dad tone right now, not until I know Shaw’s okay. Ask Carrie to call her; Shaw won’t ignore her.” Carrie was her best friend, like a sister she said; Shaw wouldn’t want her to worry.
Nic sighed hugely. “Just to let you know, bringing Carrie in on this will likely make her mad at you.”
I nodded in understanding, but Carrie was the only one I knew Shaw wouldn’t disregard.
Nic walked over and whispered in Carrie’s ear. She frowned but stood up to follow him back to me. I noted that everyone else at the table was watching what was unfolding with visible curiosity.
Carrie instantly pounced. “What’s going on, Evan? Why do you need me to call Shaw for you? Why isn’t she with you; you two left together?”
My concern outweighed hers at the moment. “I’ll tell you after you call her, Carrie. I need to know if she’s purposely not answering mine and Nic’s calls, or if something happened to her. ”
Her expression instantly turned alarmed. Nic had picked up her purse and he handed it over so she could get her phone. Tapping her foot agitatedly she held the phone to her ear and waited, and waited. The half-seconds felt like hours.
Carrie’s hand dropped and she stared at the both of us in distress. “She’s not answering.”
My stomach bottomed out and my heart contracted.
Carrie’s phone suddenly pinged with a text message. She tapped at the screen promptly to read it while I watched avidly.
“Is that her?” I demanded, holding myself back from snatching the phone from her hand.
Carrie stared at it with a frown. “Yes, she typed: Give me a minute.”
A minute? Why did she need a damn minute? I was extremely relieved that Shaw was okay, but pissed she’d made me rope in Carrie just so I could find out. While we waited I impatiently paced while Carrie and Nic watched me in wary confusion.
Carrie’s phone pinged again and she read it out loud. “I got a call about work and had to leave. Sorry I didn’t tell you before I left. Meant to text you but didn’t think you’d miss me so soon.” Carrie looked up at Nic in confusion. “Work? What the heck…and how is she she’s getting home; we drove her here?”
That was one of several questions I was wondering as well.
Carrie typed it in, asking her, and then read Shaw’s reply when it came. “Rented a car. Didn’t want to interrupt your weekend.” Carrie’s expression was confused and anxious. “I don’t understand; why couldn’t she wait one more day? It’s not like her to spend money arbitrarily like that.”
I scowled. It was because she wanted to get as far away from me as quickly as possible. Was she really that upset about the condom thing? It was enormously terrifying but she should want to ream me for it, not run away. Shaw wasn’t someone who ran; at least not without getting a few verbal hits in first.
“Evan, what did you do?” Carrie growled, breaking me from my thoughts.
I rubbed at the back of my neck wondering what I should divulge. Shaw was a private person and I wasn’t certain what she’d be comfortable with me sharing, even with her best friend. “Carrie, you know I love you, but this is between Shaw and me.”
Carrie didn’t look appeased. “If you hurt Shaw I will kill you, Evan.”
I grimaced, more at the idea that I’d hurt Shaw than Carrie killing me. “If I hurt her I didn’t mean to, and if she would answer my calls I could explain that to her.” I growled in irritation and anxiety.
If she was freaking out about pregnancy, like I was, then we should be doing it together. I didn’t like the idea of her out there dealing with this by herself.
Nic rubbed at Carrie’s back while giving me a glare. “Babe, let’s let them figure it out first, and then if you need to kill him I’ll help you.”
He was such a pal; giving me a fighting chance to fix my fuck-up before kicking my ass. I gave him a nod of understandable gratitude. Carrie sighed, still apparently troubled. If she knew the truth she’d be even more distressed, but that was Shaw’s choice to tell her.
“Okay,” she sighed and narrowed her eye on me. “I can find out tomorrow what this is all about when I get back to the apartment.”
“I’m actually going to head back now.” I relayed. “I want to get things straightened out between us tonight.” There was no way I could hang out, or go to sleep with the thoughts I had going on in my head right now.
Carrie perked up at that and Nic gave me a look of approval, clapping me on the back. “Are you okay to drive?”
The buzz I’d had earlier was completely gone. “Yeah.”
Nic nodded. “I’ll give Landon and Maya your excuses and best wishes. Just make things right with Shaw.”
I gave him a similar smack to the shoulder and strode off. In the elevator I shot off a text to Shaw. I’m heading your way. I need to talk to you.
Seconds later I got a reply. Drop Dead.
Wow. She was exceptionally pissed, but at least she answered. I typed: Forgetting the condom was a mistake. I’m sorry. I want to make sure you’re okay.
A couple minutes later. Like you fucking care. Do you really think I
’d risk getting pregnant by a son of a bitch like you? You’re just another zit on the ass that’s humanity.
Shit! She’d never been this harsh with me. And what did she mean about the risk part? Did that mean she was protected, or was she taking other measures; like Plan B? I don’t know why but that thought disturbed me, even though it was basically like the others…just not exactly the same.
I texted back. We need to talk.
I didn’t get a reply back; not while I packed up, or headed down to my car, or during the entire two and a half hour drive back to Charlottesville. It was almost eleven o’clock when I arrived at her apartment, making it late but not tremendously late to where we couldn’t talk.
I pounded up the stairs to the second floor and banged on her door. No answer. “Shaw, open the door. I want to talk to you.” I yelled, uncaring that I might be waking up other students on the floor. Hell, it was Saturday night; they should be up late or out partying anyway.
I didn’t get any response to my yelling either, at least not from her door. However, the door across from me opened and a young, blonde, very attractive female stepped out looking ready to party in a short skirt and tight top. Surprisingly, my first thought was that Shaw didn’t need to dress like a slut to get attention; her vibrant looks and clever tongue made her a queen bee to us drones.
And shit…where did that thought come from. I should be drooling over this girls’ over-spilling C-cups and long bare legs. Must be the pregnancy scare throwing me off, but then I realized I hadn’t really drooled over a female since meeting Shaw. After sparring with her other girl’s had been dull; in looks and personality.
“If you’re looking for Shaw she’s not home.” The blonde’s eyes tracked me with interest from head to toe as she spoke. “I got home a half an hour ago and she was leaving with a bag and her cat.” She sidled closer. “I was just on my way out to a party though…if you’re interested in having fun. The way that girl dresses she wouldn’t know fun if it stripped naked in front of her.” She grinned suggestively, like she’d do that if I asked.
A scowl carved my face at finding out Shaw had split for what sounded like an extended trip to who-knows-where for who-knows-how-long. Ignoring the blonde I stomped away and pulled out my cell. Don’t think taking some trip is going to stop me from talking to you. You have to come back some time.
I got nothing back from her again. How fucking long was she going to give me the silent treatment? Sure, I’d screwed up but it hadn’t been intentional.
∞ ∞ ∞
I found out that Shaw was damn good at the silent treatment. Three weeks and multiple text messages later and still no word from her. She hadn’t gone back to her apartment either. Since she wasn't speaking to me I had to go through Carrie who was not happy with me and didn’t want to tell me anything. The only information I’d squeezed out of her was that Shaw was staying with a friend who’s name was David.
Who the hell was David? Whoever he was he hadn’t been sleeping with her, but who knows now. He could be fucking consoling her for all I knew…both physically and emotionally. The thought of that had my gut twisting in an unexpected way.
Carrie said that they’d been friends since high school and he was coincidently going through some personal problems that she was helping him with. Neither Carrie nor I believed that excuse, which was why she was mad at me.
That fact that I was fixated on finding Shaw so badly when it was apparent she wanted nothing to do with me had me questioning why. The obvious answer was; I thought we were friends, she was upset, and I wanted to fix it. However, I was way more bent out of shape than I should be. I could barely concentrate at work because I was both pissed and worried about her. I felt like I was missing something, and that was even more maddening. She had just started to share with me that weekend and then it had all gotten messed up.
I’d gone over our night together many times, trying to recall what I might have done wrong besides the obvious absent condom, but all I could remember was that it had been fucking awesome. I’d given her two orgasms, and then I’d experienced one of the best of my life. Yeah, I’d ripped through her virginity like a man possessed, but I don’t recall her screaming in agony, only pleasure.
Damn! I shifted my swollen cock as I marched up the steps to the house. Every time I thought of that night my dick lifted in commemoration. I’d gone months without sex, had Shaw one night, and now I’d been dry these last three weeks. There was fucking irony in there somewhere. The only good thing about the end of these three weeks was that fall courses for UVA were starting in four days.
Shaw wouldn’t be able to hide for much longer.
Walking into the house I found Nic, Carrie, Amanda, and Noah hanging out in the living room watching television. Carrie gave me a muted glare and Nic frowned, but it was more in indecision than true anger. He was caught in the middle and didn’t know what to do. Carrie wasn’t calling for my death, but he didn’t like her upset.
“You worked late tonight.” Noah declared, his gaze flashing back and forth between me and Carrie.
Everyone knew Shaw had disappeared and wasn’t returning my calls, and they also knew Carrie wasn’t happy with me either.
It was a little past eight o’clock at night and I’d had to stay late to sort out some things that if I’d been in my right mind would have been sorted hours ago. “Yeah,” I answered shortly.
“You going to head to the gym or just hang with us? We’re in the middle of The Avenger’s movie.”
I could see that Noah was trying to break the sudden tension that had erupted with my arrival. I sighed. “I’m too tired to work out. I think I’ll just sit here and veg till I’m ready to pass out.”
I noticed Carrie’s lip purse faintly but was too irritated to leave the room so she’d feel better. It wasn’t like this was a walk in the park for me.
“Evan, how’s your mom doing?” Amanda asked, probably trying to do her part and hit Carrie’s sympathy nerve. Although, I’m sure it was because she cared too.
I frowned. “She’s doing well. The asshole doesn’t have a leg to stand on since he’s been cheating on her for years. It voids the pre-nup he had her sign.”
This was another thing that was confusing me about Shaw. Three days after Landon’s wedding Dan had received some papers from the Hotel. They’d said the documents had been left in one of the rooms and that they’d looked important so they hadn’t wanted to toss them out. When Dan had opened them he’d said they all pertained to my stepdad.
That had thrown me for a loop, and after examining them I’d been even more astounded. It had been pages of printed credit card receipts and phone records documenting Kyle’s years of cheating on my mother.
Shaw had told me she knew someone who could find dirt on my stepfather, and she’d done it within a day. She hadn’t given them to me because of whatever problem was going on between us, but the fact that she’d gone to the trouble of doing it for me, for my mother, and done it so quickly was incredible. Not incredible that she’d been able to do it, but because she’d cared enough to do it.
It was making me even more confused and frustrated about everything.
“I don’t know how anyone could cheat on your mom?” Amanda frowned. “She’s beautiful, and so sweet.”
Carrie sighed. “Some people only care about themselves.”
For some reason I felt like she was shoving me in that category. I leaned forward in aggravation. “Carrie, I wish you would try to see this from my point of view. I have no fucking idea what I did wrong, and Shaw won’t talk to me to tell me, or let me apologize for whatever I did.”
Nic frowned at my tone and I thought he was going to tell me to watch my mouth, but Carrie beat him to the punch. “Did you have sex with Shaw that night and then treat her like a one-night stand?”
Nic, Noah, and Amanda grimaced and I wasn’t certain if it was because they thought they knew the answer or they were just sympathetic at my having to spill my sexcapades with
her friend.
“Is that what Shaw told you?” Is that why she was mad? She was the one who’d taken off and wasn’t returning my calls. I should be the one to feel like a one night stand.
“No, she just calls you an asshole and ends any further conversation about you.” Her expression turned gloomy. “She sounds sad though.”
I rubbed at the discomfort in my chest. “What happened between Shaw and me is between Shaw and me, but I will tell you I would never treat her like a one-night stand. I really like Shaw and respect her.”
Carrie’s lip twisted and her ice-blue eyes stared at me forlornly. “You two were getting on so well together, I thought you more than liked her?”
Nic’s brow’s rose like he couldn’t wait to hear what I said to that. All I could do was shift in the chair restlessly. I did not feel at ease revealing my jumble of emotions out loud.
I expelled a deep sigh. “I really like her, and think of her as a friend.” That was all I could divulge comfortably.
Carrie gave me an apologetic look. “I’m sorry if I’ve been behaving like a witch. I know that you normally don’t do anything too serious and I thought you might not have warned Shaw about that. Is that why she’s mad? Did she think you guys were headed toward something serious but you told her differently?”
Carrie’s question alerted me to the fact that I’d never warned Shaw about my predilection for short affairs. Before sleeping with a woman I always cautioned them that my attention was normally brief, lasting for only about four weeks. I hadn’t done that with Shaw.
She was disrupting all my normal behavior.
I shifted in discomfort again, not knowing how to answer Carrie’s question, but thankfully my phone began to bing. Pulling it out of my pocket I saw that it was Seth.
“Hey, what’s up?” I answered.
“Do you still want to talk to Shaw?”
I shot straight up in the chair. “Yes! Why?”
“I’m with Nadia at one of her poker games and Shaw’s here.”
With a quick wave to the two baffled couples I dashed out of the house to my car. “Where are you?”
