by Diana Currie
He moaned and replied, “You’re the one teasing me, baby,” as he bucked his hips against me.
I giggled against his neck and decided to do a little more teasing. My head moved south and I whispered “shhh,” against his abdomen. “Relax,” I instructed as my hands passed over each ripple of muscle and continued down his body.
I gave him pleasure in a way I never had before, though I’d fanaticized about doing it often over the years. He made lots of appreciative sounds and I tried to contain my smile. He caught sight of it when he finally peeked through heavy lids still catching his breath.
He opened his arms in invitation and I wasted no time snuggling up to his side. “Are you ready for sleep?” I asked him softly.
Shane only nodded in reply, turning his head towards me and kissing my head. He fell asleep first with his arms wrapped securely around me. I’m sure I followed soon after, thinking how there was nothing in the world as wonderful as his naked body wrapped around mine and the sound of his soft breathing in my ear.
CHAPTER 31: FEBRUARY FUN
It’s hard to believe any girl at sixteen could fall in love with a boy and stay that way for five years, patiently waiting for him to return her love. Most teenagers hop from one crush to the next, each fixation waning after a few weeks or maybe by the end of the semester. Regardless of what my mother said, I always thought my feelings for Shane were real and permanent. The past few weeks have confirmed my conviction that my sixteen year old self had been right all along. I’d known what I felt for Shane since the first time I’d spoken to him was more than just cupcake love. There was never a doubt in my mind it was the real deal.
So if it was love back then, what was it now? There weren’t strong enough words to describe how I felt about Shane since we became a couple. I was falling in love with him in an entirely new way, beyond what I thought was possible. I’d feared that the transition from friend to lover would be awkward; that I already knew too much about him, but I was wrong. Shane the friend had been holding back a large part of himself and I suppose I had been too. There are certain things friends just don’t talk about. Now that we were together there was no subject that crossed a line, nothing was too personal. I felt like I was getting to know him all over again.
“Another soda,” I said letting out a long sigh.
“Excuse me?” Shane asked, his eyebrows scrunching together.
We were lying in my bed, a light sheet covering our nearly naked bodies. Shane had just brought me extreme satisfaction for the second time that morning and we were idly stroking one another and talking about nothing in particular. It was early on a Tuesday and our Renaissance Lit course wasn’t until 10:45.
“I’ve noticed that you sometimes wake up in the middle of the night and drink a soda,” I explained pointing to the empty can on my nightstand.
Shane chuckled and ran his hand through his hair. “Guilty,” he said smiling.
“Why do you do that?” I asked curiously.
He turned over onto his stomach and hugged the pillow with both hands fluffing it up. “I’m not used to having someone sleep next to me. Sometimes your talking wakes me up. So I get a drink and listen to you.”
Shane and I hadn’t spent a night apart since we returned to campus. Occasionally we slept in his dorm room but even though he didn’t have a roommate there still wasn’t much privacy in a dorm. You could always hear people running through the halls and we did have to share Shane’s bathroom with the French exchange student in the connecting room. Pierre was a nice guy but I didn’t like the idea of showering in a room he could enter at any time.
“You listen to me? A lot?” I asked. I tugged the sheet up to my chest and snuggled a little closer to his side.
“Your mind is so interesting to me, Hannah, the way your brain processes everything that happens to you.”
I blushed wondering what I said the night before. I couldn’t remember any specific dreams. Shane leaned in and kissed me sweetly on the lips.
“Aren’t you going to tell me what I said last night?”
He shook his head. “There was something I wanted to say to you but your subconscious beat me to the punch,” he whispered.
“What?” I scoffed.
Shane turned on his side to face me and ran his fingers through my hair. He started to talk but then stopped himself. He tried again and this time he knew what he wanted to say. “Hannah, I need you to know something.” He paused for a moment. “You’ve always been so important to me. A friend; a member of my family. Everything has changed between us now and…” Another longer pause. “Hannah, I wanted to make sure you knew that even though I’ve loved you for years, now I’m in love with you.”
My smile was ear to ear. He had me worried for a moment there. “I’m in love with you too, Shane.” I kissed him passionately; my fingertips pressed against his cheeks.
“I know you are,” he said playfully. “You said so in your sleep.”
“Oh really?” I asked grinning. “Did I also tell you how incredibly sexy you look in my bed? Or how you make me want to never leave it?” I asked wagging my eyebrows.
“No, you didn’t mention that,” he said smirking.
I pushed him back against the bed and hitched my leg over his; partially covering his body with mine. “The way I feel about you has changed so much. I can’t even explain it.”
“I don’t know how I ever lived a day without you, baby,” he said softly nuzzling his face into my neck.
“You don’t have to anymore,” I replied and kissed his temple.
*~*
While Shane took a shower I went downstairs to make us some breakfast. I talked to Rachel for a few minutes before she left for class. When Shane came downstairs he looked amazing. His auburn hair was still wet and hung over his forehead. He was wearing jeans and a tan sweater. I poured some orange juice into two glasses and brought them to the table.
“Thanks,” he said sitting down. “You should let me make breakfast next time.”
“What would you make me?” I asked. I pushed a plate of scrambled eggs and toast towards him and then started in on my own.
“I can make One Eyed Monsters,” he boasted taking a bite of his eggs.
I giggled. “What is that?”
“You take a slice of bread and cut a hole in the middle. Then crack the egg into the hole when you’re frying it,” he explained.
“Oh, my dad used to call that a Bulls eye.”
Shane shook his head. “No way, Colin’s name for them is better. Someday when I make them for my kids I’m calling them One Eyed Monsters.”
I looked down at my plate as I took another few bites, imagining Shane in the kitchen making breakfast for our children. It was a beautiful fantasy that I hoped would someday come true. But for now I needed to distract myself before he noticed my silence.
“Rachel asked me if we were going to Sigma Phi tonight. They’re getting some movies and a pizza at 7 if we want to go,” I said.
“Hmm, I’d much rather spend the evening here with you but what do you think? It’s been a while since I’ve shown my face around there.”
“We should go then. We’ll have dinner with your brothers and stay for one movie,” I suggested.
“Okay, just one,” he agreed.
After our class ended at noon Shane and I had to part ways. I had another class at 12:15 and Shane usually got lunch before his 1:45 class began. I probably wouldn’t get to see him again until dinnertime. We kissed goodbye outside the student center doors.
“I’ll pick you up at a quarter to 7 okay?” he asked.
I nodded and reached up on my toes for another kiss. “Okay.”
“I miss you already,” he groaned.
I heard a couple guys who were leaning against the building chuckle at our conversation. I didn’t care if Shane and I were being sickeningly mushy in public. I’d waited a long time for this damn it; I was going to enjoy it. From what I’d heard from Jessa and Andrea, this love sick part
doesn’t last forever.
“I’ll miss you too. Don’t be late tonight,” I replied.
Shane kissed me once more and then turned to go into the student center. He looked over his shoulder at me and winked before entering the double doors.
After my Astronomy class I returned to the house to get something to eat and start my homework. Hopefully, I wouldn’t have time to get anything done after the party... That reminded me I needed to shower and find something in the closet to wear. While I was eating I took the opportunity to check my email. There were the usual messages from my mother, one from Andrea, and one from Elise that had new pictures of Adam. I was saving the pictures to my hard drive when I noticed the inbox still said one new message. It was from Aiden. I hadn’t spoken to him since before Christmas. A knot tightened in my stomach as I worried about what he might have written to me.
Hannah,
It’s been a while so I wanted to see how you are. Did you have a good winter break? Shawnee is great, the mountains are so beautiful. The people are a little different here, everyone is more relaxed and the campus is smaller. I’ve made a few friends. I can’t believe its February already. So how are you? Did you do what I asked you to do?
Aiden
Oh boy. I didn’t know how to respond. Should I even respond? Yes. I had to write him back. His message came February 8th. That was just yesterday. Maybe I could wait a few days to give myself time to think of a good way to tell Aiden about Shane. No, I didn’t want to be thinking about Aiden for days. Better to get it over with now. Then I just won’t check email again for a while.
Aiden,
I’m happy to hear you’re having a good time in Illinois. I never thought about how much different the lifestyle must be out there compared to New Jersey. It’s strange to think how far away you are right now. Have you seen a lot of snow up there yet? The mountains must look beautiful covered in snow! December was a hard month for me. Then I did what you asked me to do, and you were right. You always are. I’m really happy… I hope Shawnee is making you happy too.
Take care of yourself and send me some pictures of those mountains.
Hannah
I sent the message and turned off my computer. I knew Aiden wouldn’t be happy to hear that he’d been right all along. There was no point in telling him I still had feelings for him. It wouldn’t have made Aiden feel any better to know that I could have loved him if it hadn’t been for Shane. Aiden was very important to me; I did a lot of growing up while I was with him. He was my first kiss. He’d always be special to me, but I knew in my heart that Shane was the one.
I sighed and decided to take my shower before attempting to study. Jeans were appropriate for a movie night so I found a clean pair and tugged them on over black lacy panties. I chose a blue long sleeved University of Delaware tee and brushed out my hair. There was a lot of reading I needed to do so I got comfy on my bed and began with Sir Thomas More’s Utopia. I was really getting into the story and before I knew it someone was knocking on the front door. I glanced over at the clock on my nightstand and saw it was 6:30. Shane’s Coke can was still sitting beside the lamp and I smiled to myself thinking about the perfect morning we’d had.
I bounded down the stairs and opened the door. Shane was standing outside, leaning against the siding. He smirked when he saw me and stepped forward to wrap his arms around my waist. He lifted me off the ground and whirled us around making me giggle.
“Are you almost ready?” he asked after planting a searing kiss on my lips.
I blushed and lost all train of thought for a moment. I hoped in fifty years Shane still had that effect on me. I was in so much trouble; already thinking about being with him for the rest of my life! Slow down, Hannah, I chided myself.
“I should just turn off my light and get my phone,” I told him and ran up the stairs.
I quickly brushed my teeth and put on a little makeup. My phone had a text message so I turned off my light and read the message as I was walking down the steps.
Are you busy Fri night? Could you watch Adam so Jack and I can go out?
“Ally wants me to babysit Friday night,” I said as I met Shane in the kitchen.
Shane smiled and held up his phone. “I got the same message.”
I laughed. “Valentine’s Day is Sunday. They must be trying to celebrate early knowing they won’t be able to find a sitter on the 14th.”
“Should I tell her we’ll do it?” he asked.
I nodded. “It’ll be fun. Adam’s a great baby.” It’ll be good practice, I added in my head.
Shane took a minute to call Ally and set up a time with her and I quickly washed the dishes from my lunch. We drove to the fraternity house and arrived just before 7 o’clock. Rachel’s car was parked outside next to a number of others. It looked like there’d be a large group of people for pizza and movie night.
Shane opened the car door for me and took my hand as we walked up the driveway and the porch steps. The ground was a little icy and Shane was always afraid I’d fall. I made a face at him and he tried to suppress a smile. I almost lost my footing as I reached the first step and Shane chuckled.
“I keep telling her to get some cleats but she ignores me,” Ethan called out from the front door. I shot him a dirty look and both boys laughed.
The living room was filled with familiar faces. Rachel was there with Ethan’s roommate, Max. I also recognized Riley and a few of the other brothers. There was another girl I’d never seen before. Max introduced her as his girlfriend, Amy. I sat across from Rachel and chatted with Amy while the guys argued over what pizza shop to order from. Shane came over a few minutes later and sat next to me. I took his hand in mine and squeezed.
“Sal’s Pizza it is,” Riley announced walking back into the room.
I could see another boy in the dining room on his cell ordering the food. Ethan walked in holding three DVD cases in his hands, flipping them over to look at the back covers. He sat on the arm of the sofa next to Rachel and handed her one of the DVD’s.
“I think we should start with this one,” he said.
“Troll 2?” Rachel read on the cover. She made a disgusted face and then held it up for the rest of us to see.
“It’s the best bad movie by far. There’s a huge cult following online,” Ethan said proudly.
“What do you mean, bad movie, E?” I asked hesitantly. I wasn’t sure I really wanted to know what Shane and I had gotten ourselves into.
“Is it a horror movie?” Amy asked.
“Ethan laughed. “Oh yes, it’s horror all right. The acting is horror, the plot is horror…”
“And the special effects,” Riley chimed in. The boys laughed together and I looked at Shane hoping he understood.
“Don’t look at me,” he chuckled shaking his head. “I take no responsibility for this.”
Riley took the disk from Rachel and inserted it into the DVD player under the flat screen. Then he turned off the lights and sat in the empty seat beside me. We all watched the movie and after about twenty minutes I finally understood what all the fuss was about. This movie was hilarious. Ethan was right about the ridiculous story line and terrible acting. When the food arrived Rachel told Ethan to pause it so no one missed any funny parts. He looked at her with such pride it made me laugh. Max offered us beer with the pizza and we drank and made fun of the movie the whole way through.
“You don’t piss on hospitality, I won’t allow it!” Ethan quoted as the credits were rolling.
Amy rubbed her eyes with her palms. “That was so painful, guys. How do you stand it?”
“That’s the point, babe. When it’s so bad you want to die you know you’ve found a good one!” Max explained.
Riley put his hand on my knee and asked, “What did you think, Hannah?”
His shoulder had been touching mine for the last thirty minutes but I hadn’t thought anything of it. The couch wasn’t that big and I just assumed it was cramped here with him, me, and Shane. I looked down at
me knee and blushed.
“Um, it was bad in a good way. I don’t know if I can handle watching another one,” I said jokingly.
Riley’s hand tightened on my knee and Shane cleared his throat. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and hugged me close to his side. Riley pulled his hand back and looked at me and then Shane, obviously confused.
“Are you two…?”
“Yes,” Shane said curtly. His fingers were digging into my skin a little too tightly. I had no idea Shane could be so possessive. It was making me want him.
Riley chuckled nervously and inched away from me on the sofa. “Sorry, dude. I had no idea you finally came to your senses about beautiful Hannah here.”
Rachel looked at us in amusement and I felt the pink in my cheeks deepen. I took Shane’s free hand in mine and rubbed my thumb back and forth. “We both came to our senses,” I said looking into Shane’s eyes and smiling.
*~*
On Valentine’s Day Shane showed up at the house in a suit with a dozen roses in his hand. I was eternally grateful Ally offered to come over and help me get ready for our dinner date. There was no way I could have made myself look good enough to stand next to this perfect male specimen. Rachel was playing with Adam in the living room when I came down the stairs to greet Shane. Ally followed me down and laughed when she saw him with the flowers in his hands.
“You look so cheesy, big brother,” she giggled.
“What Ally? Doesn’t Jack ever dress up for you?” he teased.
“He does, just not in a suit and tie,” she said winking.
Shane’s smile faded into a scowl and Ally laughed. I playfully tapped his cheeks with my fingers to snap him out of the mental image Ally had given us. Rachel and I would definitely have to ask her about that later.
“Guys! Look, look!” Rachel called from the living room.
We all turned to see what she was talking about and saw Adam standing next to the coffee table gripping it in both hands.
“He pulled himself up?” Ally asked.
