The Movies Make It Look Easy

Chapter 80

Shannon’s P.O.V:

I was sad to say goodbye to Adrian and Katie, but it was mainly bittersweet because I knew that it really wouldn’t be too long before I saw them again. I stood outside for a good ten minutes after the taxi pulled away from the curb and drove out the gates. Nick stood patiently beside me, waiting until I was ready to go back inside. Finally, when I could no longer pretend to see a glimpse of them in the distance, I turned with a sigh and a slight smile for Nick and headed back towards the apartment.

After a few steps, Nick let my hand drop as he fell back behind me. When the distance continued to grow, I finally came to a stop, whirling to face him. His eyes were hidden by dark glasses but the cheeky grin gave him away. My shorts suddenly seemed to feel twice as small and I self-consciously tugged at the end of my tank as I glanced around to make sure no one else was staring. We were alone. Nick’s grin widened and I was sure it was because my cheeks had taken on a definite reddish tint.
“Nothing I haven’t seen before, Sweetheart” he said breezily.
I only glared harder. “Yes, but we’re in public” I spoke through gritted teeth.
He just shrugged like he hadn’t a care in the world and I sighed once more, knowing that nothing I said would matter.
Chuckling, Nick strode to me, slinging a nonchalant arm around my shoulders. We began to walk again and it only took a step or two for me to relax into him. Really, there wasn’t much point in making a big deal about it, especially when I didn’t really mind. In truth, all I felt were the fluttering of butterflies in my stomach as he pulled me close. And that wasn’t really something to complain about, after all.

The apartment seemed chilly compared to the heat outside and I rubbed my arms in an attempt to warm up as Nick collapsed onto the couch, not bothering to remove his sunglasses. I didn’t move to sit next to, or on, him, feeling a strange restlessness, like the room was suddenly too small. I wanted to be outside – unusual enough as that was for me.
Even hidden by dark lenses, I could feel his eyes on me, watching me, waiting for me to speak. I knew he could pick up on how unsettled I was, but he probably just assumed it was connected with my brother leaving. I looked around the room as if searching for inspiration.
“I need to do something” I directed at Nick. “I can’t just sit around the apartment all day.”
“I thought we agreed we were going to lock ourselves inside once your brother left” he said mildly.
I stepped over to lean against the back of the couch. “How about we postpone that for a few hours? I need to be outside.”
Nick shrugged, reaching down to slip his phone from his pocket. “Fine by me, but be warned, you owe me.”
I didn’t need to see his eyes to know they sparkled with mischief.
“I’m sure something can be arranged” I said dryly.

I left him to text Mark and Jay and wandered into the kitchen to get a glass of ice-cold water, feeling suddenly parched. I wished I could text Nikki and ask her to join us for today, but she was still visiting her parents, and I doubted very much that she was ready to see Jay – or vice versa.
For perhaps the millionth time, I thought about how much easier it was when I didn’t have to split my time between separate groups of friends. I never knew what to tell different people, certain I would hurt somebody’s feelings by saying the wrong thing or by not being able to meet up because I had other plans. But then I remembered that that was horribly selfish of me and two people who weren’t happy shouldn’t stay together just to make me, or anyone else happy.
I scrunched up my suddenly itchy nose. Sometimes, life sucked. I sighed, wandering back out of the kitchen before I decided to host a pity-party of one.

“Mark and Jay will be here in approximately one minute and thirty seconds, apparently” Nick announced as I took a seat on the edge of the couch by his feet.
I raised an eyebrow. “Specific.”
No doubt it was Mark’s estimation. Disturbingly enough, the approximation wasn’t far off in the end. Mark sauntered in with a smug smile on his face, and just for that the rest of us steadfastly ignored him. He didn’t need our help to increase his ego that was for sure.
Jay flopped into his usual seat on the armchair and I fended Mark off when he attempted to sit beside me. His eyes had already started to wander and I wasn’t in the mood for constantly having to make sure that his hands didn’t try to follow the same path. I swear he had no sense of boundaries whatsoever.

“Adrian gone?” Jay asked, his eyes thankfully meeting mine.
I nodded, but didn’t elaborate. Mark rolled his eyes, and waved his hands about as if we had just had a lengthy conversation. Drama queen.
“Yes, yes, we all know how sad Shannon probably is that Adrian and his regrettably-taken fiancée are gone, but let’s move on to the important stuff; what are we doing today?”
Nick sent a glare in the direction of his best friend and Jay channelled all of our mutual irritation when he punched Mark in the ribs.
“Love you, too” I muttered.
Once again, he waved away my comment like one would an annoying fly, rubbing at his no-doubt tender ribs. “I think we should go somewhere very public and hope the female population of London have followed Shannon’s example and stripped down to the bare minimum.”
Nick and I had barely sent glares his way before Jay was punching him soundly once more.
Mark winced but carried on nevertheless. “Come on, don’t pretend none of you want to take in the sights, so to speak…Shannon excluded, of course.”
I just raised my eyebrow.
Mark glanced at Nick and had the grace to look slightly embarrassed. “I suppose Nick’s out of the running, too.”
Nick reached out to run fingers through the ends of my hair. “Don’t worry about me. I have plenty to keep me occupied.”
I just rolled my eyes again.
Jay narrowed his eyes when the attention turned to him. “Don’t look at me. I won’t be your wingman, Mark.”
That earned him a disappointed pout.
“I blame you!”
I sent a disapproving look towards Nick when he idly started poking his foot into my ribs in an effort to annoy me, before turning my attention to Mark. I stared at the imperious finger pointed in my direction. “What am I being blamed for, and why?”
“Before you came along” he huffed, “the three of us enjoyed being single. We were like the Three Musketeers, only better.”
I hid a smile as best I could, feeling strangely proud of myself.

Getting up, Jay muttered under his breath sarcastically as he headed for the kitchen. He’d obviously reached his Mark limit for the day. I couldn’t blame him. Nick sat up, shuffling over to sit next to me…needy boy. I settled obligingly against his shoulder as Mark stared at us thoughtfully.
“Up until recently, I would’ve said that casual acquaintances beat having a relationship.”
All traces of humour seemed to have fled as Mark eyed us. “But then at one time, I also would have said that the chances of Nick ever settling down were miniscule…but look at him now; he’s like the poster boy for being pussy whipped.”
Nick raised an eyebrow at Mark while I just laughed.
“No one likes blue balls, Mark” I grinned, making myself more comfortable in my seat.
Nick smiled knowingly. “It’s all worth it when you put it in perspective, Sweetheart.” He kissed the top of my head.
Mark stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Interesting.”
His usual playful grin returned. “You know, I don’t mind being whipped, Sweetcheeks” he winked.
I rolled my eyes, even as Nick threw the nearest cushion at Mark’s head.
“Watch it” he threatened, not quite able to cover the amusement in his voice.
Mark deflected the cushion as he laughed. He was so predictable.
Jay returned, a glass of water in hand, took one look at us and sighed. “What did he say now?”

When we finally got back to the matter at hand, it was Mark who decided that he wanted to go find the nearest park. Was the park somewhere that hot girls tended to congregate? I wasn’t sure but Mark seemed hopeful, and I really didn’t care as long as I was outside and with my friends.
The rest of us had barely risen from our seats when Mark skipped out of the apartment yelling “day drinking!” at the top of his voice.
I frowned. “Did I zone out again? Was there a discussion about whether we were going to drink?”
Jay shook his head. “Nope, Mark’s just getting carried away.”
We hurried after him, stopping only to lock the door behind us. He was halfway to the gates and already chatting up an unsuspecting (and confused-looking) girl by the time we caught up to him. We rounded him up, apologising profusely to his first victim of the day as we dragged him away.
Despite the ridiculousness of the situation, I felt my spirits soar as I soaked up as much vitamin D as I could. Nick slipped his hand into mine and I smiled over at him, even as Mark once again turned an imperious finger in my direction.
“I’m afraid I have to lay down some ground rules here.”
My mouth dropped open slightly. “Why are you singling me out? That’s not fair!”
He shrugged. “You’re a girl.”
“How very sexist of you” I sniffed.
He completely ignored me…or maybe he just didn’t know what the word ‘sexist’ meant. I couldn’t be entirely sure.
He launched into a fairly long list of rules for the day, from “sexy sunbathing” to “no cockblocking”. I was more than slightly baffled.
“Mark” Nick said tiredly, a muscle beginning to tick in his jaw. “Give it a fucking rest or you can bloody well go to the park by yourself.”
“Seconded” Jay agreed.
I sighed at the sudden blissful silence, choosing to ignore the childish pout Mark had adopted as he marched on ahead. I let go of Nick’s hand in favour of wrapping an arm around his waist.
“Thanks” I told him.
He squeezed my shoulder in reply.

We had just reached the park when Mark decided to turn around at the last moment and dash across the street. He was lucky the traffic wasn’t too bad. He didn’t bother looking back but must have known that the three of us were staring at him because he shouted back over his shoulder to let us know what the hell he was doing.
“Going to the shop, you guys go on ahead!”
Shaking his head in exasperation, Nick grabbed my hand and tugged me along, Jay following us without a word as we looked for a good place to sit down.
It seemed that we weren’t the only ones who were trying to make the most of the summery weather.
At first glance, I knew Mark was going to be disappointed at the distinct lack of talent around. There were many families and couples, and I smiled at the teenagers congregated here and there, making the most of their weekends and trying desperately to look cool as they lounged around in large groups. It was amazing how young they suddenly seemed to me, even though it hadn’t been too long since I was just like them.

We finally found the perfect spot; half in the shade of a tree, half out, and far enough away from the large fountain in the centre of the park that we weren’t constantly being hit with sprays of water.
I sat down and immediately wished I’d had the foresight to bring a blanket and maybe even a pillow. Now that we were here I had no plans to move for a very long time, and I wished I had something comfortable to lie on. I eyed Nick thoughtfully. He’d do, if needs be. He pulled down his dark glasses far enough to squint at me over the top of the rims. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
He sounded vaguely fearful and I had to wonder what sort of evil look I’d adopted.
“No reason” I said sweetly.
He gazed at me closely for another minute before subtly shifting a little away from me. I couldn’t help it, I laughed aloud at the way he was acting, my already good mood getting even better.

Mark didn’t take too long to find us, and when he did he was carrying an ominously full bag in one arm. I eyed it suspiciously, hearing the telling clink of glass. So he clearly wasn’t joking about the day-drinking. Okay, then. It was going to be one of those days.
He collapsed down beside Jay, hugging the bag to his chest like a beloved pet. Reaching in, he pulled four bottles of Heineken out, shooting me a look as he handed them out.
“No girly drinks for you, Sweetcheeks. Today, you’re one of the guys.”
I fought the urge to roll my eyes as I took the bottle from him. “Whatever you say.”
I glanced at my boyfriend. “I’m sure Nick won’t mind.”
He groaned. “Don’t start, Sweetheart.”
I grinned, knowing he was remembering my announcement from the day before that he was apparently gay.
“Did you also buy a bottle opener?” Jay directed at Mark, studiously ignoring the back and forth between Nick and I. I couldn’t blame him…we probably became fairly annoying to be around after a while.
It only took a moment of rummaging in one of his pockets for Mark to pull out a miniature bottle opener, attached to his set of keys. I sent him a questioning look.
He shrugged; “got it from a Christmas cracker a few years ago.”
I burst out laughing, imagining the delight he must have felt when he saw what he had won.

I handed my uncomfortably cold bottle over to Nick to open while I tried to make myself comfortable. Everywhere I seemed to sit, there was something digging into me.
“I wish we lived closer to the beach” I huffed, already noticing grass stains on my shorts. Wonderful.
Nick eyed me as I finally found an acceptable spot leaning against him. “Now that is something I would like to see.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, my attention on taking my first sip of beer. I hadn’t drunk anything other than spirits in so long that I grimaced slightly at the taste of the alcohol.
“You in a bikini” he said casually, making no effort to lower his voice.
Mark leaned in conspiratorially. “Sign me up.”
Nick wrinkled his nose. “I change my mind. No beach.”
I giggled, leaning up to press a light kiss to his cheek.

Mark pouted for only a second, his face brightening quickly like the sun coming out from behind dark clouds. His good mood was infectious, and part of me hoped he’d never lose the childlike enthusiasm he had for life, even if it could be irritating a lot of the time.
He raised his sweating bottle, clearing his throat for our attention. Jay lounged on the grass, half his bottle already empty, content to just listen and take everything in.
“I propose a toast” Mark announced.
I looked away awkwardly when I caught the eye of a curious passer-by who had obviously just overheard Mark, focusing on my friend even as he glared at me for getting distracted.
“To another year finished and gone” he said.
“Technically, we’re not finished yet” I interrupted, earning me another glare.
“Shush” he told me. “You’re ruining my speech.”
I snorted, resting my head contentedly against Nick’s shoulder.
Mark cleared his throat. “Now, as I was saying; here’s to another college year gone by, this one even quicker than the last.”
He paused, his hand coming to rest over his heart as he stared into the distance. “It started with the four of us…”
I couldn’t help it. “You’re just saying that to be polite, aren’t you?”
He grinned, focusing on us again. “Yes. Yes, I am. It started with the three of us guys. We were perfectly happy, and most importantly, we were cootie-free.”
Nick covered his laughter with a cough, pulling me closer.
“Then one fateful, drunken night” Mark continued, obviously enjoying the “rapt” attention of his audience. “We made the decision not to live together this year. Purely for the lols, of course.”
I rolled my eyes for maybe the hundredth time in the last hour, unable to stop myself.
“And that, my friends, is when a wild Shannon appeared.”
Even Jay laughed this time, much to my chagrin.
“So sorry to have ruined your cootie-free existence” I said, taking another drink.
“Thank you for the apology, Sweetcheeks. A kiss should seal the deal.”
Nick reached to smack him but Jay beat him to it. He casually kicked out a leg, pushing Mark over and upsetting his bottle of beer. The liquid spilt over his shorts, leaving a dodgy looking wet patch.
I turned to Jay. “I love you” I told him seriously.
“Love you, too, Shannon” he smiled.
Mark sat up, grumbling to himself as he patted helplessly at the stain. We ignored him.
“Cheers” he muttered sarcastically, raising his almost-empty bottle for barely a second before downing it and proceeding to sulk.
Again, we ignored him.

We spent hours in the park. Mark made another run to the shops for more drink and this time, food too. Even when the spilt beer had dried, there was a discoloured patch left on his shorts. Anybody else would have been mortified but Mark seemed oblivious.
When my legs started to cramp, Jay and I made a trip to the nearest shop we could find for ice-creams. The alcohol had loosened his usually shy demeanour and together we skipped down the street holding hands and swinging our arms dramatically between us like a pair of kids.
It was one of those days that seemed to embody summer; good company, hot weather, and best of all, no worries.
I had almost reached the cone of my 99 by the time we made it back to Nick and Mark.

Nick jumped up from his spot in the shade, grabbing my hand when I made to sit down. I eyed him curiously when he began tugging me away, not bothering to say anything to our friends as they sat surrounded by empty bottles and sandwich wrappers.
When we were out of earshot, he slowed down, heading in the general direction of the fountain.
“Um, where are we going?” I asked.
“Just away” he said simply.
We kept on for a minute in silence.
“Care to elaborate?” I ventured, each bite punctuated by a crunch as I finished off the cone of my ice-cream.
I wiped my slightly sticky hand against my shorts, ignoring the endearing smile Nick sent my way, as if he found my actions cute, or something.
“Is it not enough to want to spend time alone with you?”
I tilted my head back in pleasure as a cool spray of water hit me. “Sure it is, but don’t even try to tell me it’s the whole reason.”
I closed my eyes against the sun, hearing him huff and mutter under his breath but trusting him to guide me and not let me walk into anyone. My eyes popped open. On second thought, he might do it on purpose for a laugh.
“Okay, okay” he admitted. “I needed a break from Mark.”
I snorted with laughter. “You only now need a break? You deserve to be canonized pronto.”
He grinned. “You’re the only one who truly appreciates me, Sweetheart.”
“What did he do this time?” I asked, even knowing I’d probably instantly regret it.
He rolled his eyes. “A group of girls wandered past pretty soon after you and Jay left. He was being creepy even by my standards.”
I grinned. “You mean you left because you were sick of staring at girls? Are you feeling okay?”
He pouted. “You’ve ruined me.”
Smiling to myself, I reached my arm awkwardly over my head.
“What are you doing? Are you feeling okay?” Nick asked, staring at me like he often did; with a look on his face that told me just how weird I was acting.
“Just patting myself on the back” I told him with no small amount of satisfaction.
“Ha, ha” he muttered but pulled me in for a kiss anyway.
He was so predictable.

Together we walked around the fountain, stopping on the other side, well out of sight of Mark and Jay. I felt slightly bad for leaving Jay alone but I wasn’t about to pass up some alone time with Nick.
We stopped beside the fountain, and with Nick holding my hips for balance, I stepped up onto the low stone rim. There was a weathered statue in the centre, spurting up jets of water, the stone roughened and dirtied.
Within the water however, I could see hundreds of coins glinting in the sunlight. Nick had obviously noticed too, because he began rummaging around the pocket of his shorts until he came up with a pound coin.
“I only have one” he told me sheepishly.
“We’ll just have to throw it together” I smiled.
He pressed the coin into my palm, before wrapping his hand around mine.
“Should we make a wish?” He murmured, lightly kissing the top of my shoulder.
For once, I was taller than him.
“I can’t think of anything I want” I said thoughtfully.
And I couldn’t, at least not at that moment. Right then I had everything I wanted.
“Me neither” he admitted quietly.
I turned to look at him, staring into his brown eyes before I spoke. “Then maybe we should just wish that everything stays as perfect as it is right now, in this moment.”
He smiled and I swear my heartbeat sped up. “I like the sound of that.”
He gently guided our hands back before pushing forward again. I released the coin and for an instant it hung in the air, shining in the sun before gravity took hold and it landed in the water with a splash.
I felt his hands gripping my waist as he turned me to face him. I braced my hands on his shoulders as lifted me down from the fountain slowly, holding me against his chest, kissing me deeply, before putting me back on my feet.

We made our way quietly over to a nearby bench that a middle-aged man had just vacated. I don’t know how long we sat there; me nestled against his side, both of us ignoring the bustle all around us. We didn’t speak, content to just sit silently in each other’s company.
When we finally did move, I was drowsy from the heat and I couldn’t help but notice that the sun had moved far across the sky. It felt like waking up from a dream.
Stepping back into reality was jarring, especially when we reached Mark and Jay. Mark exuberantly jumped up as we approached, immediately beginning to recount everything that we’d missed.
Apparently he’d managed to lure a couple of girls over to sit with them, a fact that Jay looked none too happy about. I was sure he had been a perfect gentleman to them, but now after they were gone, he was shooting daggers at Mark’s back.
I sent him a sheepish smile, once more feeling bad that Nick and I had left him, even though we hadn’t actually been too far away.
“You’re sunburnt” he smiled, pointing at my face. All was forgiven, then.
I reached up to feel my hot cheeks, groaning at the thought of how I looked. Hopefully it wasn’t too bad. I didn’t usually burn and had already developed a tan from being out almost constantly in the sun, but obviously sitting for so long was too much.
Nick cheekily pressed a kiss to each cheek, commenting on the freckles that had also appeared across the bridge of my nose. Great, I probably looked like Pippi Longstocking or something.

After stopping to throw away our rubbish, we made the trek back to campus. Why did the journey feel longer on the way back?
I was even more hot and tired by the time we reached our apartment. Mark and Jay trailed after us, lost in conversation. Nick opened our door and pushed me inside.
“Bye guys” he announced brightly, shutting the door in our friends’ faces.
I eyed him in shock as he reached down to lock it after us.
“What the hell?” I asked, gaping at him.
He turned to me with a lascivious grin on his face. “We had a deal, remember, Sweetheart?”
Right then, as he started to advance slowly towards me, I couldn’t even remember my own name.
I gulped audibly. “Care to refresh my memory?”
He chuckled darkly as he reached me, arms snaking around my waist. “You promised that once our guests left we’d lock ourselves in this apartment but you decided you wanted to go out and I agreed, on the condition that you’d owe me. Remember now?”
He didn’t give me chance to answer before he swept me up into his arms, carrying me towards our room.
As his lips descended to mine, all traces of fatigue suddenly gone from the both of us, I glanced over his shoulder to see the door handle being jiggled. The idiots obviously hadn’t gotten the hint that they weren’t welcome. But I didn’t have to time to talk or laugh, as every thought but the feel of him all around me was suddenly wiped from my mind.

Much later, when full darkness had fallen – or as dark as it got at this time of year in the city – I lay wrapped in Nick’s arms, listening to him breathing. Tiredness had once more crept up on me, but my mind wouldn’t stop turning. I couldn’t sleep.
I reached up to touch my cheeks. I winced slightly as my fingers ran over the hot and slightly tight skin. It would be better in the morning, but I needed to remember to get some Aloe Vera to put on the burnt areas.
Sighing, I dropped my hand down again, my mind turning once more. In the hour or so since Nick had fallen asleep, I had thought about the day that had past, which brought me to thoughts of Adrian and his wedding, which in turn made me think of Ryan and my family, and how much things had changed in the past few months.

It was hard to believe it had been less than a year since I’d stepped out of that taxi outside the main office of the college. I’d been so nervous, so excited for what I thought my college experience would be. They had been some of the best months of my life, and also the worst.
I had so much to be grateful for, but the small, broken part of me wished that I had the power to turn back time. Nothing would ever bring Ryan back, though. I knew that, and as each day passed, the weight of grief lessened the tiniest bit. I no longer felt like I was drowning during my waking hours, but I still had a long road ahead of me.

I turned to look at Nick as he shifted in his sleep, a slight frown tugging at the ends of his mouth. I often joked about how needy he was, but in truth I was the needy one. I literally couldn’t imagine my life without him. I leaned on him too much, depended on his quiet strength and love to keep me going. I usually shied away from thinking about it too much because it scared me to admit how much I actually needed him.
I closed my eyes and thought back to that moment as we threw the coin into the fountain.
Would our wish come true?
Would things stay as perfect as they had been in that moment?
I couldn’t know, but right now it was impossible to believe that it could be anything less.

I traced the lines of Nick’s mouth, and slowly his eyes opened, blinking owlishly at me.
“What’s going through that pretty head of yours, Sweetheart?” He muttered sleepily, unconsciously pulling me closer.
I was quiet for a moment.
“Just wondering where we go from here” I murmured, not needing to elaborate on the thoughts whirling around my mind.
Nick grunted in amusement, his voice thick with sleep. “I could say something cheesy right now, like; ‘we’ll just have to wait and see’, or, ‘we just have to take it one step at a time’, or some other bullshit like that. But right now, I just want to sleep with you in my arms, and then maybe have sex again when we wake up.”
How wise.
I grinned against his neck, snuggling as close to him as I possibly could. “Have I ever told you I love you?”
Even now, I could feel my thoughts beginning to calm. I stifled a yawn.
“Plenty of times, Sweetheart, but once more won’t hurt.”
“Then, I love you, Nick.”
“Love you, too, Shannon.”
Within seconds his breathing had evened out as he fell back asleep.

I fought the pull for another minute, unable to hide my smile. He was right. All we needed to worry about right now was sleeping. Everything else would come after.