Love's Crazy Twists (11 page)

              When she finally pulled herself out of his arms she allowed him to lead her to the couch where they both sat down.  Her head was again pounding and she found herself once more in the land of flowing tears.

              “Julie, do you want me to leave you alone?”  Shane asked.

              “No.”  She looked to her friend through red eyes that were pleading him to stay.  “Don’t go.  Let’s watch some TV. or something, OK?”  She finished.

              “Sure.  I’ll stay as long as you’d like me to.”  He said taking hold of her hand.

              She grabbed the remote off the end stand and turned the TV on.  She started flipping through the channels when she noticed her stomach growling and suddenly remembered that she still hadn’t eaten anything.

              “Shane, are you hungry?”  She asked.  “I forgot to get my lunch when you came.”  She laughed.

              “Yeah, I’m sorry you forgot to eat because of me.”  He smiled.

              Julie got up and went into the kitchen to make a few sandwiches.  Shane followed.

              “Do you need any help?”  He asked her.

              “Want to grab the bread for me?  It’s still in the grocery bag on the table.”  She told him. He was happy to help.

              They got their sandwiches and chips and headed back to the living room to “veg”.

              Julie sat down and realized that she forgot her soda.  When she went to get up Shane already had it and handed it to her.

              They ate as they watched some movie full of aliens and robots.  Julie was glad it wasn’t something that could be related to her life at this particular time.  After she ate, she fell asleep on the couch.

PART 3
 

JULIE & SHANE

              When Julie woke up she was surprised to see a vase full of red roses sitting on top of her television.  She sat up and looked around.  That’s when she  noticed Shane.  He was sitting in the dining room just off of the living room and he was looking at something on the table.

              Julie got up and walked out to the table.  “What are you doing?”  she whispered.

              “I was trying not to wake you.”  He said.

              “Thank you for the roses.”  She said looking toward the TV.

              Shane reached up and took her by the hand, “You’re welcome.  Are you feeling any better now?”

              “Uh, maybe a little.  At least I have a good friend to keep me company and to make me smile.”  She smiled.

              He looked at her, “I’m doing my best.”

              “So what are you looking at?”  She asked.

              “Oh, I was trying to figure out where I should take you for dinner later.  That is, if you are interested.”  He said.

              “Shane, I don’t know if I should.  I’m still a mess.”

              “Jules, you need to get on with your life, and this isn’t a big commitment, it’s just dinner and maybe a drink afterwards.”

              “I know.  It’s just that I know how you fell about me and I don’t want you to make it out to be more than it is.  I’d love to go to dinner, I’ve been moping around the house for the past three days, I need to get out.”  She looked at him.  “So, it’s just a friendly dinner?”

              “Absolutely.  I wouldn’t ask for anything more of you.  I love being your friend and I know that you are bummed out by Matt and everything that has happened during the past week and I want to try to take your mind off of it.  If it is only for one evening.”  He assured her.

              “OK.”  She walked over to Shane and hugged him.  “Thank you.”

              “You’re welcome.  So I’ll pick you up at six?”  He asked.

              “I’ll be ready.”  She paused, “or at least I’ll try to be ready.”  She laughed.  They both knew that she was always late for everything.

              Shane walked to the door and on his way out he said, “I’ll see you at six.”

              Julie had no idea where they were going, so she didn’t know how to dress.  Should she wear something dressy and elegant or something casual and laid back?  She knew that she would have to re-do her hair and make-up anyway, so she went to get started.

              While she was in the bathroom applying her make-up the phone rang.  It was Matt.  “Matt?  Why are you calling?  I thought that we agreed to not see each other for a while.”  She said.

              “I know that.  I just wanted to see if you wanted to talk for a bit.”  He said.

              “No, I can’t talk right now. I’m getting ready to go to dinner.”

              “What?  We just broke up yesterday and you’re already going out?  With who?”  he demanded.

              “It doesn’t really matter now does it?”  she started.  “It’s not a date, I’m just  going to dinner with a friend.”

              “Oh, let me guess.  It’s Shane.”  He said rather pissy.

              “As a matter of fact, yes, I am going with Shane.  He is my friend.”  She replied.

              Matt was getting madder by the second.  “You going to sleep with him?”

              “What?  That is not even an option.”  She lied.  “And if I were going to sleep with him, I certainly wouldn’t tell you!”

              “You know what?  I’m glad I broke up with you, you are nothing but a little slut!”  Matt yelled.

              “Matt, I think you’d better try to remember correctly, because I am the one who broke up with you.”

              “Yeah, whatever.  Go have fun screwing your
friend
!”  He said and then hung up on her.

              Julie put down the receiver and sighed.  “What’s wrong with him?  He always has to act like that whenever he doesn’t get his way.”  She thought aloud.  “Well, I’ll show him!  I don’t need him to tell me how to live!”  She fumed.  “And I’m going to go out and have a good time tonight.”  She went back to the bathroom to finish applying her make-up.  Just then, as she blotted her lipstick for the umpteenth time, the phone rang again.

              Shit.  It’s probably Matt, again.  She picked up the phone, “What?”

              “Jules?  What’s going on?”  the voice asked.

              “Oh, good.  Shane, it’s you.  I thought it was Matt again.”  She explained.

              “he causing grief again?”

              “Well, a little.  But let’s not talk about it now, OK?”  she asked.

              “Sure.  I was calling to see if you were about ready to go.”

              “Yeah, I’m just about done.  But I have no idea where we are going so I don’t know how to dress.”  She confessed.

              “That is another reason I am calling you, I wanted to tell you to dress up a little.  Nothing to fancy, just nice.”

              “OK.  Care to tell me where you are taking me?”  she inquired.

              “It’s a surprise.”  He teased.  “I’ll be there in a bit.  Bye.”

              “Bye.”  She said as she hung up the phone.

              Dress up a little but not too fancy.  ‘Where could he be taking me?’She wondered as she looked through her closet.  She had party dresses, cocktail dresses, old prom dresses and suit dresses and she still had no idea what to wear.  She wanted to look good, after all it was her first time out since being with Matt, and she wanted to fit in.

She stood looking in her closet for what seemed like hours and then she looked at the clock, it was a quarter to six!  Shane would  be here any time.  She fretted about what outfit would be appropriate, she didn’t want to send Shane any of the wrong signals.  She reached into the closet and just as she was grabbing a little red dress there was a knock at the door.  It was Shane.

              She opened the door to see Shane standing there with a bouquet of wild flowers for her.  He was wearing a blue denim button up shirt and jeans that hugged him in all the right places.  His blue eyes sparkled as he handed her the flowers.

              “Thank you.”  She said as she took them from him.  “come in.”

              “you’re welcome, I knew you’d like them since there are lots of daisies in it.”  He said smiling, for he knew that she really loved daisies.  “I thought that you’d be dressed up a little more than that.”  He teased seeing her in the same sweats as she had on earlier.

              “Really?  You don’t like?”  she teased back and laughed.  “I was just getting ready to get dressed when you knocked at the door.”  She said.  “Give me a few minutes, OK?”

              “yep.  I’m not going anywhere without you.”  He told her.

              Julie went back into her room to get dressed.  She grabbed the little red sundress that she had flung on the bed as she ran to get the door.  She held it up to her and looked in the mirror.  ‘Yeah, that should be good.’  She thought.  It had spaghetti straps, a low v-neck collar and a lit up either side.  Comfy and dressy, who would have thought you could have both in one dress?  She slid it down over her head and adjusted it to her satisfaction.  She got into the dresser and found a pair of nylons, then decided against them as she thought about shoes.  She got her good sandals out from the closet and put them on.  She thought she looked pretty good.

              She stepped out of her room to find Shane sitting on the couch waiting for her.  Immediately, he stood as he heard her come out.  She was more beautiful than he had remembered.  He thought about taking her into his arms and kissing her, but he knew that she wasn’t interested in that.  He held his breath for a minute before saying a word.  He wanted to take in her beauty.  The low cut neckline showed off her elegant neck and collarbone, the spaghetti straps showed her sexy shoulders, and the length of the dress showed off her killer legs.  She was definitely a vision from Heaven.

              “Julie, you look beautiful.”  He said in awe.

              “Thanks.”  She blushed.  He was the only person she knew that still told her she was beautiful, and she was a little embarrassed by the compliment.  She didn’t get them very often, especially from Matt.

              “Are you ready for a fun evening?”  Shane asked her.

              “I’m ready and willing.”  She said.  “Let’s go.”

              They got in the car and were on their way, “So, where are you taking me?”  Julie asked him.  “Can I know yet?”

              “Well, if you have to know, I thought about going to that little place up on the mountain.  You know, the one that overlooks the waterfall at the mouth of Eagle River.”  He looked at her, trying to judge her facial expressions to see if he could tell if she liked the idea or not.  “Well, what do you think of that?”

              “That sounds splendid.  I’ve never been there.  However, I’ve heard that it is really nice.”

              They drove for a little while and Julie kept hearing Shane’s words to Matt echo in her head over and over again.
If Julie were my girlfriend, I would worship her.  I would do any and every thing for her.
Then she remembered the night they spent together, a night of passion that could never be forgotten.  She remembered the way his hands felt on her soft skin, and the way his lips felt when they kissed the very first time.  She remembered how they had both reached climax together, and how they fell asleep in each others arms.  Then she couldn’t help but to think, what if?  What if her and Shane would get together and be a couple.  Would it be so bad?

              They pulled off onto a dirt road and drove up to the restaurant.  There was a big wooden sign that read
The Overlook
.  There weren’t any cars in the parking lot and there weren’t any lights on.

              “I think they are closed, Shane.”  Julie said.

              “I think you’re right.  What now?”  he asked.

              “We could head back home and stop for take-out.”  She suggested.

              “No, I have another idea.”  He looked at her slyly.  “I know this place that isn’t too far from here and I guarantee it’s open.”

              “What are you talking about?”  she asked.

              “You’ll see.”  He grinned.

              They drove up to a little cottage on the woods and stopped.  “Here we are.”  He announced as he stepped out of the car.

              “”Where exactly is here?”  Julie asked.

              “This is my cabin.  I own it.”  He said.

              “It’s
your
cabin?”  she asked.

              “OK, actually, it’s my parents’, but I am allowed to use it anytime.  Besides, they keep the kitchen stocked so I’ll be able to make dinner for you.”  He said.

              “Well then, let’s go.”  She said enthusiastically and they headed for the door.

              Shane unlocked the door and they went in.  It was a beautiful cottage with a rustic interior that just shouted “cozy”.  There was a fireplace on the far wall underneath a beautiful mantle made of stone.  The kitchen had hard wood floors and a long wooden table with wooden benches.  Julie couldn’t believe her eyes, it was simply something wonderful.  Nothing like she’d ever seen before.