Love Me or What? (Free/Shane)

[FREE ♥]

Shane's anger flared at her when she sarcastically responded. He wasn't being unreasonable, he had calmly asked her not to do something again. He wasn't aware that that was a crime. He looked away, jaw clenched and blue eyes on fire. Her explanation was a little bit too late. He was tired, and anger helped him forget what he was feeling. It was a bad combination, but at this point he didn't have the emotional capacity to care what he was doing.

He was struggling to try to at least temper his response to her when she got up. Her clipped words didn't help the situation, and he just gave up. "By all means, take my car. Then you can stay as far away from me as you want. Wouldn't want to have to sit in a car so close to me." He was being sarcastic and rude, but he was too far gone to care. "I'll go in and open the garage door. The keys are hanging on a shelf next to the door into the house." And with that, he stalked off. He had tried his best to stay in control. He had tried. But the combination of physical exhaustion, mental exhaustion, and rejection swirled around him like a cloud of poison. It wasn't going to let him escape unharmed. He slammed the door into the house, fighting the urge to cry. He walked around to the door to the garage, making sure not to punch the garage button too hard. He had made the mistake before of slamming the flimsy apparatus and had broken it. He took a deep breath, grabbing a bottle of water and stalking into the living room. He opened it and took a long drink, trying to calm the energy that his anger had stirred up.

[ISSALYN!]

// I'M A WILDFLOWER\\
growin in the sunshine, soakin up the way of life i was raised in

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Jay startled at his response and once again had to fight tears from forming in her blue eyes. He stormed off before she had time to come up with a proper rebuttal, but it was just as well. There was no sense turning this into a battle of wills, and clearly both of them could be pretty hard headed when they wanted. Unfortunately, she wished they hadn't come to this tonight.

She stood by her car, unable to walk, until she heard the garage door open. With a huff, she set off to the garage, but stopped dead in her tracks as the darkness gave way to light. The garage was most certainly empty. She sighed, and glanced around to make sure she hadn't missed anything. No car in the garage, no car in the driveway but her own. Great. Now she had a broken car and Shane apparently had a missing one. She wasn't sure whether to call a mechanic or the police.

Her phone was in her pocket and she almost pulled it out to call her dad, but decided she should probably let Shane know about the car, even if he was being a total jerk. She stormed back to the front of the house, and slammed her palm against the doorbell. Tapping her foot, she waited for Shane to answer the door. If looks could kill, her eyes would have burned a hole right through the door as she waited. How dare he treat her like this? Just because she said she wasn't ready. Whatever happened to taking things one day at a time?

Impatient as always, he wasn't moving fast enough for her, and she pounded on the door with her fists, and then started screaming. "Shane, I don't care what you are doing in there! Come to the door right now! Your car is missing!"

[/b]
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runnin barefoot blooming in a summer shower, ponytail dancing
\\I CAN'T HELP IT, I'M A WILDFLOWER//

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He wasn't sitting down long when the doorbell rang. Jay? A nosy neighbor? His neighbors would really have to try to be nosy, seeing as he and the ranches around him all owned major plots of land, but it wasn't out of the question if one had been patrolling their borders and heard commotion. He got up, making his way to his door, trying to even his emotions out. He was startled to a stop when Jay started screaming. Definitely not a nosy neighbor. He continued to the door, opening it so she would know he had heard. He walked past her in silence, walking over to the garage, looking into the obviously empty space. He glanced at the rack where his keys were kept, and they were gone. Blaine. "Blaine, you..." Shane stopped himself, easily slipping back into his anger. His brother had taken his car. Who knows when he'd be back and where his own car was. He walked back over to Jay, hesitating at the door.

Manners demanded he made something of the situation. Offer to fix her car, let her stay over, something. He hung his head, gritting his teeth. Having a living reminder of his failure in his house wasn't going to sit well, but it was his only choice. He'd end up making the problem worse if he tried to work on her car in this state of mind. "Blaine has taken my car. Knowing him, he won't be back until mid morning tomorrow and may not remember much of the night or the girl's name." He paused, fuming. Here he was trying to make something of his relationship, and his brother was screwing around with girls he'd never see again. Shane would definitely have words with him when he next saw Blaine.

"You are welcome to stay here if you want." He glanced at her grudgingly, attempting to hold onto some anger so that he wouldn't do something stupid. He held the door open, motioning for her to enter if she wanted to stay. If not, he would have no trouble closing the door and then trying to forget her and forget that this night had ever happened.

[ISSALYN!]

// I'M A WILDFLOWER\\
growin in the sunshine, soakin up the way of life i was raised in

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Jay growled under her breath as Shane went off to the garage, as if he didn't believe her. Why would she lie about his car missing? He came back, clearly angry at his brother. Wow, she'd really hate to be Blaine when he got home. Shane would probably have cooled off some by then, but she was sure Blaine would still get an earful.

She could tell Shane really didn't want her around, and stared at him for a minute. It was either sleep in her car, call her dad for a ride home, or stay with Shane. Well, it was too hot out to even consider sleeping in her car, even if it cooled down overnight. She could call her dad, but she knew he'd want to know why she didn't just stay at Shane's. Her dad was also an expert at reading her, and would know right off the bat that she was upset. She didn't feel like explaining the evening to him, which left only one feasible option. Not that she wanted to be around Shane either, but it was probably the easiest option.

"Don't worry, I'll be up and gone first thing in the morning,"

[/b] she said gruffly as she stomped past him and into the house. It's funny how when she got mad she turned into more a female than usual. It was the one time she let her emotions could control her, and she could pout and throw a tantrum as well as any female she knew - when she was provoked enough. Shane was coming close to pushing those buttons, but she tried to relax herself.

She went into the living room, and saw that the TV was on. She didn't really care at the moment, and flopped down onto the couch, kicking her boots onto the floor beside her. She hoped they left clods of dirt laying around for Shane to clean up later. It would serve him right. Jay rolled over and buried her face in the pillows of the couch, so she wouldn't have to look at anything. She could still hear the TV playing in the background, but it was easy enough to ignore as she tried to figure out what Shane was doing.
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runnin barefoot blooming in a summer shower, ponytail dancing
\\I CAN'T HELP IT, I'M A WILDFLOWER//

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COMPLETE

[/b] with 450[/b] words, just for SHANE (FREE)[/b]!
PS - Meet miss Jay![/b]

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[FREE ♥]

He clenched his jaw at her reply to his offer, granting her that he hadn't sounded too friendly. It didn't help. He forced himself to close the door quietly. He watched her retreating form go into the living room, where he had been. Well, that threw out his plan to watch TV and forget about her. He stood at the door for a moment longer, trying to figure out what to do. Should he go to bed? It was probably the best option. He quietly went to his room, changing into a comfortable shirt and shorts to sleep in. He then laid down on his bed, staring at the ceiling.

He didn't know how long he laid there. It felt like hours, but it was probably only ten or fifteen minutes. His mind raced, refusing to shut down as he asked it to. Jay, the object of his love, the cause of his pain, was in the living room. He was lying in his bed staring at the ceiling, wondering what she was doing. Was she happy with herself? Assured now that she had made the right decision in not accepting his ring? The questions and the doubts became too much. He swung his legs over the bed, walking silently to the living room. He peeked inside, relieved to see Jay apparently asleep on the couch. Her head was buried in pillows.

Shane picked up the remote, turning off the TV. He grabbed a blanket, settling it over her legs so that she could pull it up if she got cold. He then sat on the opposite couch and watched her sleep. Tears came to his eyes. He loved her. He wanted her safely tucked away in his bed. Instead, he was in the living room watching her sleep on his couch after their biggest fight ever. He took a deep breath, rolling his eyes upward to try to stop the tears. Even after the anger, their words, he just wanted to gather her in his arms and kiss her. He wanted to plead with her that they would work it out. He rested his elbow on his knee, rubbing his chin with his hand. If she saw him now, she'd seem him vulnerable. She'd see him lost. She'd see him hurting. And that's not who he felt like he was. He was the strong one in the relationship. The one who was confident and knew what he wanted. He had probably ruined it by pushing for what he wanted too soon. He put his other elbow on his knees and put his face in his hands. He had screwed up. And there was no way he could take tonight back.

[ISSALYN!]

// I'M A WILDFLOWER\\
growin in the sunshine, soakin up the way of life i was raised in

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She heard Shane walk into the room and turn the TV off. He laid a blanket over her feet, and her heart momentarily skipped a beat. However, she was not one to forgive that easily, and lay still. She would not dignify him with moving or showing that she was awake.

His presence remained in the room for some time, and she started getting stiff and uncomfortable but still would not let him think she was awake. It took all her effort to pretend to be asleep, which actually started to lessen her anger at him. She gradually grew more relaxed, and actually felt herself drifting into sleep. Going into a slightly dozed state, she finally rolled over onto her side, facing toward the rest of the room. Her eyes were shut and her blonde locks fell softly across her face, giving her a peaceful look.

Finally, sleep overcame her, though it wasn't a restful sleep. She tossed and turned a couple times, and seemed haunted in her dreams by the events of the night. She blinked her eyes open a couple times, but it was dark so she couldn't make out much. Eventually, she pulled the blanket over her and snuggled into it, chasing away the fearful dreams that consumed her. She reached her arm out in her sleep, searching for her dog, but then remembered she was laying on Shane's couch.

At some point, the sun started coming up and dim light began to filter into the room. She fluttered her eyelashes, and then finally squinted around. She was now laying facing the back of the couch, and chose not to move. Instead, she closed her eyes again and let her thoughts take over. Sleep was impossible; too much was going through her mind. She wondered what time it was, or if Shane was up yet, but she didn't feel like finding her phone to check.

runnin barefoot blooming in a summer shower, ponytail dancing
\\I CAN'T HELP IT, I'M A WILDFLOWER//

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COMPLETE

[/b] with 350[/b] words, just for SHANE (FREE)[/b]!
PS - Meet miss Jay![/b]

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Shane couldn't think of facing his room. His attempt at sleeping there had been such a dismal failure that he wasn't about to try again. His ragged breath slowly evened out, the tears drying on his face. Finally he felt like he might be able to sleep. He shifted as little as possible to recline on the sofa, not daring to try to get up and risk sending his mind into overdrive again. He fell into a light sleep, but ended up staying in a half awake, half asleep state. Every time he fell far enough asleep to dream Jay would be there, laughing and smiling. Then she'd see the ring and her face would fall, and she'd start running away. And he couldn't catch her, no matter what he tried.

His body was accustomed to waking up before the sun rose. But today he slept until the sun began to shine in the room. He nearly panicked when he came fully awake, sitting up abruptly. He had missed his typical time to feed the horses. He rubbed his eyes. A couple hours weren't going to hurt them. He stood slowly, pausing to look over at Jay. She had made herself comfortable at some point during the night, and had snuggled into the blanket and pillows. He sighed, drawing a ragged breath before leaving. He put on his shoes, heading out to the barn.

Feeding was something he was used to. It was part of a routine he could throw himself into. For the horses in the barn, he was late. And they made that clear. Willy made him smile with her over exaggerated movements. It was clear she thought the world was falling in on her and that she was slowly dying. Of course, everything was righted again once grain had been poured into her bucket. Once all the horses had been fed, he looked hesitantly up at the house. Brave it? See if she was still there? Ignore her? With the night of sleep he had, he wasn't sure how he would react to her. He walked back to the house, putting the coffee pot to brewing and changing into a work shirt and jeans. There was just enough coffee in the pot for him to have a cup, and he took the mug with him out to her car. The least he could do was fix it, even if she had left with her father or was still sleeping and would want to get away.

[ISSALYN!]

// I'M A WILDFLOWER\\
growin in the sunshine, soakin up the way of life i was raised in

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Jay finally decided it was time to wake up and actually face the day. She sat up on the couch and stretched for a minute, and then stood up. She briefly wondered where the blanket laying on her had come from, but she didn't have to ask to know it had been Shane. Even in his bad mood he had seen to her needs. Knowing that made her feel a little more guilty.

A quick scan around the surroundings told her she was alone in the room, possibly alone in the house since she didn't hear anything. She smelled the aroma of coffee drifting from the kitchen, and made her way there first. No sight of Shane though, and she sighed. Rather than searching him out, she went into the bathroom and tried to make herself look at least halfway decent - which was a challenge given she had no spare clothes, no brush, and not even a hint of makeup. She borrowed a dab of his toothpaste and swished it around her mouth with some water, just for good measure.

Then, deciding that was as good as it was going to get, she put on her big girl pants and went off to find Shane. No use hiding from him forever. Her search results showed that he wasn't in his room, nor any other place in the house she dared to look. That left one likely option - the barn. She walked out the back door and glanced toward the barn, but heard and saw no one. Hmm, Blaine must not be back yet either. She surely would have heard Shane going off on Blaine if he'd dared to show his face yet. The thought made her chuckle, knowing Shane loved Blaine despite constantly having problems with him.

Rather than search the barn, she went back through the house and headed out the front door. Maybe Blaine had come home and Shane had left with his car for something. She opened the front door and was surprised to find Shane bending over the engine compartment of her car. She quietly closed the door behind her and then walked behind him, trying not to draw attention to herself. "Do you really think you're going to have any luck?",

[/b] she teased, knowing full and well that with a fresh mind and daylight she would be much more adept at fixing the car than he. She walked up beside him and touched his arm softly with her fingers, trying to ease the tension of the previous night. "Thanks for the blanket Shane. You always think of everything."[/b]
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runnin barefoot blooming in a summer shower, ponytail dancing
\\I CAN'T HELP IT, I'M A WILDFLOWER//

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COMPLETE

[/b] with 450[/b] words, just for SHANE (FREE)[/b]!
PS - Meet miss Jay![/b]

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He knew his way around cars like most guys, but he didn't have a lot of experience fixing them. He had tinkered around and checked the most obvious places for problems, but hadn't found anything. He had just taken a sip of coffee when Jay spoke, nearly right behind him. He flinched, not prepared to have anyone near him. "I can't handle that right now, Jay." Anger had flared up at her teasing comment, and his words were soft, but had that little edge that told her he hadn't recovered. This was why he wanted them to have space. He needed time to forgive her for what she'd done. And time to deal with their fight.

He turned to her, attempting a smile as she approached. Her light touch made the smile genuine. They were both trying to make up for what they had said when they were tired and off balance. "I love you, Jay. Even when we... disagree, I still care." His pause and search for the right word was done with a smile and a raised eyebrow, enough of one that she knew he was downplaying things. It might not be the teasing they usually used, but it was a step in the right direction.

He backed away from the car. "All yours." It was hard for Shane to admit he wasn't the best at something. Especially here on the ranch, on his turf. Some things he had accepted that he wouldn't ever be able to do well, such as gardening or baseball or things like those. But cars? Supposedly a man's domain? But he had to let go. One thing about dating Jay was that she knew more about cars than he did. He either accepted that or he got hurt every time she knew something he didn't. He crossed his arms with his coffee cup in hand, impassively staring at the engine. She would easily be able to see his trouble, especially if she'd been paying attention when Blaine had occasionally hung around and showed Shane up on his knowledge of cattle. Shane knew he didn't know everything, but it was still hard to accept.

[ISSALYN!]

// I'M A WILDFLOWER\\
growin in the sunshine, soakin up the way of life i was raised in

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Shane gave her a smile that almost melted her heart, but not quite. She still had some crumbs of his actions left over from the night before and wasn't entirely ready to forgive and forget. "I still love you too Shane. I hope you understand that."

[/b] She offered him a smile and debated hugging him, but decided better on it. She wasn't sure just how far she could push him yet, and didn't want to send him flying off the handle again.

She turned to look at the car and shrugged, putting down the hood. "Actually, I'll just have my dad come tow it home."[/b] It wasn't like she had any of the necessary tools and equipment handy. Plus, at the moment, she would be more likely to get angry and break something. No, best to leave it to her dad, who would hopefully get it fixed up in no time. "I'll just give him a call and should be outta here in no time."[/b] As if encouraging her to hurry, her stomach started growling. She quickly turned away and started walking back to the house, hoping he hadn't noticed. The last thing she needed was him feeling like he had to feed her too.
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runnin barefoot blooming in a summer shower, ponytail dancing
\\I CAN'T HELP IT, I'M A WILDFLOWER//

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COMPLETE

[/b] with 250[/b] words, just for SHANE (FREE)[/b]!
PS - Meet miss Jay![/b]

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The easy peace between them had shattered, and Shane wished he could get it back. He smiled at her, knowing, in her way, she did love him. He just had to get his perspective back and heal the wound on his heart. He might be ready to consider marriage, but she wasn't. And she had made that clear. He watched her retreat back into the house, and slowly followed. He settled down on the swinging bench on the porch, wishing he could just sit and enjoy the morning with Jay. He had unfortunately made that impossible for the moment.

He was staring into space when a car turned into his drive. He watched it, and his anger grew as it got closer. He got up, stalking over to Blaine, who had by now gotten the car into the garage. Shane was there when Blaine opened the door. "Where were you last night?" Blaine was surprised at being affronted by his brother, and didn't stand up from his seat in the car. "Jay was stuck here all night because her car wasn't working and my car had mysteriously vanished." "I would imagine you would have liked that." Blaine replied, the slow smile clearly making his point.

"Shut up!" If Shane had been mad before, he was furious now. "You know we aren't like that. I happen to be trying to make something of my relationship." Blaine by now was frowning, anger sparking in his eyes. "Do you even know where your car is?" Shane asked, and Blaine's face blanked. Quite honestly, he wasn't sure which house he had left it out, but he had allowed himself to chicken out and just take Shane's car. Apparently that wasn't a good idea. "Shane, cool down. It's not that big of a deal." "It is, Blaine! I can only count on you to stay gone all night, and if you make it a habit of taking my car, you are leaving me without a way to help Jay or myself." "Marry her, Shane, and then you won't have to worry about getting her home!" Shane stared at him. Inadvertently, his brother had managed to step directly on Shane's bleeding wound. Shane clenched his fists, stalking off to the barn. If he didn't do something constructive, he'd end up leaving Blaine bleeding and regret it later.

He started putting a couple horses out, and furiously attacked their stalls. Blaine had insulted him and Jay, not apologized at all for taking the car, and ground Jay's rejection in farther. It wasn't sitting well. Blaine sat in stunned silence in the car, wondering what was up with Shane. One, Shane didn't blow up like that. Two, he had left mid argument, which was also not typical. Blaine shut the car and ambled into the house. He didn't see Jay at first glance, and plopped down on the sofa to watch a little TV. He wasn't feeling too great, and he didn't need Shane to catch him doing something that made it all too clear he wasn't feeling well.

[ISSALYN!]

// I'M A WILDFLOWER\\
growin in the sunshine, soakin up the way of life i was raised in

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Jay had made it into the house and was getting ready to dial her dad's number when she heard a car pull into the drive. It was only moments later that Shane started screaming. She couldn't help herself. She knew it wasn't her business, but she went over to the window and cracked it a couple inches so she could hear everything going on. It looked like Blaine had finally arrived home with the mysterious missing car. Boy was Shane mad. She felt sorry for both of them, knowing that she had largely played a part in this mess.

Finally Shane stormed off, presumably to the barn. That was where he always went when he needed to let off steam. She didn't dare approach him in the mood he was in, knowing that right now there was nothing she could do to make matters any better. Instead, she quietly called her dad while she heard Blaine slip into the house and flip the TV on. He didn't seem too bothered by anything. He must either be used to Shane's outbursts at him, or just plain and simple didn't care. Considering what she knew of him, she was going to assume the latter.

Debating on whether to try to sneak out and wait for her dad out front, she accidentally dropped her keys on the floor with a loud clatter. She bent down to pick them up, and knew Blaine had probably heard. "Sorry!",

[/b] she called to him, and made her way to the living room. No sense trying to get away now. She cleared her throat to be sure she really had his attention, and decided to make the most of it. "Look Blaine, Shane had a rough night. I'm sure he's not as mad at you as he seems, just give it some time."[/b] She offered him a weak smile and debated on what to do. Walking out would be rude, but she didn't know him that well still and felt odd sitting down on the couch next to him. Instead, she went with a safe medium, choosing to sit in the recliner where she wasn't running off, but not being too buddy buddy either.
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runnin barefoot blooming in a summer shower, ponytail dancing
\\I CAN'T HELP IT, I'M A WILDFLOWER//

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COMPLETE

[/b] with 425[/b] words, just for SHANE (FREE)[/b]!
PS - Meet miss Jay![/b]

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Jay hadn't decided to make an appearance, which either meant she was still sleeping or she didn't want to mess with dealing with both him and Shane. Whatever had messed with Shane was sure to have affected her as well. Shane might think he was good at controlling his emotions, but they tended to bleed through his hold on them. The crash of the keys made him wince as his head enthusiastically took up pounding. Today just wasn't a very good morning. Jay called her apologies, and then she came into the living room. He still wasn't sure if she had been sleeping, but she didn't seem surprised to see him, which probably meant she knew he had gotten home.

Her apology for Shane had an easy grin on his face. Yep, she'd probably heard the whole argument. Which meant he had made it clear to her how he thought her relationship with Shane should be going. "You don't have to make apologies for him; I've known him all my life." he replied, massaging his temples. "We know how to push each other's buttons, but it appears his have already been pressed." Blaine looked curiously at Jay, silently inviting her to spill on what had happened. Based on his reaction, it could be a bunch of things. Or it could just be that Blaine had ruined Shane's plan for a romantic dinner or something, and then Jay was forced to stay here. Why Shane didn't take advantage of that was beyond Blaine, but he wasn't going to hold it against his brother.

[ISSALYN!]

// I'M A WILDFLOWER\\
growin in the sunshine, soakin up the way of life i was raised in

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Jayden could tell Blaine was waiting for an explanation. She knew it wasn't really his business what was going on. If Shane wanted him to know, he'd tell him about it in his own time. But still, she felt like she owned Blaine some sort of clarification. Maybe if he understood why Shane was so upset he'd do a better job of staying out of trouble for awhile. Fat chance, she thought, but still decided she had to offer him some sort of confession.

"We sort of had a...dispute, sort of. I'm not sure what you'd call it really, but it's hit him pretty hard I guess."

[/b] She shrugged, frowning as she talked. It really was not in her intentions to hurt Shane, and she wished she knew how to make it better. "He can give you the rest of the details if he wants.."[/b] Jay trailed off and gave him a quick gesture with her hand to show that there really wasn't much more she could say. She hoped he'd leave well enough alone and not try to pry into her business. If he did, well, it might unleash all the emotions she was trying to keep in check. She didn't want to make another outburst this morning, especially not with her dad arriving soon.

She sighed, and turned her attention to the TV, trying to pretend Blaine wasn't there. Jay felt awkward, left alone with Blaine, and wished Shane would come back in the house before she left. Some sort of goodbye would be nice, even if it wasn't a one hundred percent civil one. When would she see him again? Should she call him later, or wait for him to decide he wanted to talk to her again? There were so many thoughts going through her head, it was easier to drown out Blaine's presence than she had expected.
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\\I CAN'T HELP IT, I'M A WILDFLOWER//

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COMPLETE

[/b] with 375[/b] words, just for SHANE (FREE)[/b]!
PS - Meet miss Jay![/b]

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Blaine rolled his eyes. "Like he'll tell me anything relating remotely to you. I'm pretty sure he wants to make sure I stay the heck away from you." Blaine couldn't blame him due to his record with women. Jay was nice, and beautiful enough Blaine would definitely have tried to flirt if Shane hadn't told him in no uncertain terms that Shane would break his face if he tried anything. They had never seen eye to eye on women, but they had grown to accept each other. Blaine wondered with the tiff between Shane and Jay whether the "break-your-face" rule still applied. However, he wasn't going to risk it until she showed interest. Like she would, after all of the horror stories Shane had probably filled her head with.

She had fallen silent, and he looked over at her. She was watching the TV, a small frown on her face. He doubted she realized she was frowning, but it probably meant that she had been pretty affected by the tiff as well. "Sweetheart, if there's one thing I know about Shane, it's that he loves you. He's been walking around here on cloud nine for about a year." Shane opened the door, walking slowly down to his room. "Besides, if he doesn't want you, you still have me around to keep you in the family." Blaine's grin let her know exactly what he thought of her, and Shane stiffened, having only heard that last part. He walked quickly into his room, clenching his jaw and debating punching his wall. It was bad enough that Blaine had stayed away all night, worse that he was hitting on Jay. Because he didn't want Jay to see him hurt Blaine, he had kept walking. Later, Shane would make sure Blaine knew what "break your face" meant.