Status: New Chapter posted!! :)

Shaded Beauty

Chapter Eight

*** Please check authors note at bottom!***

"198…199…200,” Colton took a deep breath as he pushed up off the ground one last time and leaned against the couch. He grabbed the towel next to him and wiped the sweat off his face before closing his eyes. Jesus, it’s been a while since I’ve done this. Colton had found himself with an unshakable tension since his day with Shaya, and nothing seemed to work to help him relax. He even took sleeping pills the following night, and although he didn’t have any dreams, he still didn’t feel as though a peaceful sleep had been had.

“Are you finished yet?”

Colton smirked as he turned back around. “Just getting started.” He replied before putting his left arm behind him and pushing up with the right.

“Are you really going to make me sit here and watch you work out?”

“No one’s forcing you to stay, Ashton.” Colton breathed in between reps. “If I didn’t know any better I’d think you were here to check me out.”

There were a few moments before Ashton responded. “Alright, what’s going on with you?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about the fact that I haven’t seen you in this good of a mood in…well, forever. You’re working out, making wisecracks, smiling instead of scowling, and not once did you scold me for breaking in.”

“Can I not be in a good mood?”

“No, you can’t,” Ashton replied matter-of-factly.

“Whatever you say,” Colton responded, although he knew there was an amount of truth in his words. I guess I have been in a better mood as of lately…but it’s not like anything’s changed in my life. The thought of Shaya passed through his mind, but he quickly shook it away. There’s no way one student can have such an effect on me that my friend can see a difference. I can’t just forget about Rihanna in a short amount of time, and it’s not like my nightmares and sleepless nights have disappeared. No, I’m just having a better day than most, despite my inability to relax.

“What is this?”

Colton glanced up to see his friend picking up and examining a book from the kitchen counter.

“Jane Eyre? Seriously Colton? Is that what’s going on, you’ve suddenly decided to sprout a vagina?” Colton’s eyes grew wide and he nearly dropped himself as he suddenly realized what it was his friend was looking at, but the rustling of pages told him it was too late. “S.W.? That’s not your…” Colton stood up to find his friend grinning wickedly at him. “You’ve got a girlfriend!”

“Don’t be stupid, of course I-“

“Oh no, you can’t lie to me,” The blond replied as he pointed his finger. “It would explain your behavior today. Colton Rylander, you got some tail last night, didn’t you?”

“I don’t have a girlfriend, Ashton.”

“Boyfriend? Because with the whole reading books thing and then this-“ He picked up the dog and displayed it, “has had me wondering-“

“No.” Colton reached over and grabbed the dog and the book from the other man, “There is no one. The book belongs to one of my students. It was left in the classroom and I brought it with me over the weekend for safekeeping.”

“So why is it sitting on your kitchen counter?”

“I forgot to put it back when I was grading papers.”

“Why do I not believe you?”

“Because it’s the truth,” Colton replied. I can’t believe I didn’t put that away. Now Ashton’s going to be a nosey nelly until I prove there’s nothing going on. But can I even be sure that there isn’t?

“Well I’m not fooled. I’ll be keeping an eye on you.” Ashton leaned forward and looked his friend square in the eye.

“That doesn’t make me feel any better, Weis,” Colton replied, but as he moved to turn away he stopped. Those eyes… He looked back at Ashton and was suddenly drawn in by his ocean blue eyes. Why am I getting this feeling of comfort, like I’ve seen them before? Suddenly, blonde hair turned black, and Shaya was standing in his friend’s place, a cheerful smile displayed, and he drew back. Holy fuck.

“What’s wrong with you?” Ashton asked, drawing Colton back to the present. “Were you just checking me out?”

“No, just…spaced out.” Colton shook his head and looked down at his hands.

“Good, because I’m in a committed relationship and just…no,” Ashton shuddered before turning around and opening the cupboards.

“Is that what you call it?”

“Shove off.” He replied as he turned back around, a bag of chips in hand, “Not like you would know, though, because you’d rather sit here and mope than hang out with us. Annie’s going to start taking it personally.”

“No she’s not. Even she understands that there’s only so much of you I can take, Ashton.”

“Has anyone told you that you should have been a comedian instead of a teacher?”

“No,”

“Good.”

Colton watched as his friend devoured the bag in front of him. “I don’t know why you ever moved out. You still eat my food, use my cable, destroy my apartment…”

“Let’s just say I didn’t feel comfortable sleeping two rooms away from you, especially after the looks you were giving me earlier.”

“Well, Weis, it’s been fun, but I have things I need to do,” Colton quickly changed the subject in an attempt to avoid thoughts on a certain girl.

“What, got essays to grade?”

“Something like that.”

Ashton shook his head and laughed, “I still can’t imagine you telling a bunch of high schoolers what to do. I imagine you look something like a caveman in a business meeting.”

“Hey now, I haven’t had any complaints yet,”

“And it looks like you’ve got one student who’s got the same deranged sense of entertainment as you do,” He nodded to the book that was still sitting on the counter.

“I guess so,” Colton replied. Although she’s far less broken and deranged than I am.

Ashton sighed as he walked away and grabbed his jacket from the couch, “You’re no fun anymore, which is my cue to leave.”

“Why? Because I’m not working out anymore?”

“Hey,” Ashton turned around and pointed at his friend, “keep that up and I’ll never leave.”

The grin never left Colton’s face, “Good, you can help me grade papers and write me lesson plan.”

The other man stood frozen for a moment before shaking his head and opening the door. “I will never understand you, Rylander,” He replied before walking out the door.

Once he was alone, Colton’s face slacked and he sighed into his hands. Neither will I.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sunday afternoon, Shaya was camped out in her car with the hood of her jacket placed over her head and her silent phone resting in her lap. *I could kill Lucas for making me resort to this.* She had been stalking his house for two hours now to make sure she didn't miss him. This way, she would know when their father would drop them off, and if he didn't contact her immediately, she'd storm right over there for a confrontation. I'm not letting him get away another day without speaking my mind.

The entire day had been spent think of exactly what Shaya wanted to say to him, and no real progress had been made. She knew there was jealousy, anger, and heartache, but whether it was due to his supposedly dating Maggie or his withdrawal was a grey line. Is it possible that I’m just misinterpreting everything? Lucas has always been there, of course it would make me uneasy if he suddenly stopped wanting to be around me. But maybe, now that he has her, I’m realizing that I don’t have what I always thought I did.

But how can I suddenly have feelings for Lucas? He’s been in love with me for years, or so he says, and it’s not like I’ve had an onset of emotions like it was with Mr. Rylander.
She thought of her English teacher and how she went from seeing him as a stranger in the classroom to blushing in his presence in a matter of days. Is it because I’ve known Lucas for ages, so I needed a defining moment like this to realize?

Shaya glanced in her back seat where Colton's riding jacket was resting. It wasn't until after she had entered her house Saturday and he had left that she realized she was still wearing it, and with her mom's cleaning habits and her sister's tendency to raid her closet, Shaya didn't feel comfortable leaving it in the house and answering the questions that would follow. However, now that she was in close proximity to it and its essence periodically made its way to her senses, her mind kept wandering back to their afternoon together.

She tried to shake her thoughts of him away. You need to let this go she told herself. Be sensible. Not only is Colton years older than you but he’s your teacher. There’s no way he could reciprocate your feelings and be with you. Plus he’s obviously still in love with his ex-girlfriend and torn up about the accident. I need to stop focusing on what’s not going to happen with him and put all of that attention on my situation with Lucas.

Shaya groaned aloud and slammed her forehead into her steering wheel. Everyone makes this seem so easy.

A car drove by, and Shaya looked up just in time to see the back of a black Lexus SUV head down the road. Her attention was grabbed as she recognized it being Lucas’s dad’s vehicle, and her assumptions were correct as it pulled into the correct house a few blocks down. A number of minutes passed, but the phone sitting in her lap remained silent. Finally, after the car had driven away and there was still no sign of contact, Shaya started her own and left.

As soon as Lucas’s mom opened the door she moved aside to let the young girl through. “He’s in his room.”

“Thank you,” Shaya smiled warmly before dashing past the older woman and bee lining up the stairs. I’ve had three days to sit and think about what I wanted to say to him, but now that I’m here I have no idea. My thoughts and emotions have been in such a whirlwind since yesterday that I haven’t been able to form a concrete decision. I guess I’ll just have to go in the moment.

Once she reached Lucas’s door, Shaya rapt twice before abruptly letting herself in.

“Shaya?” Lucas, who was previously laid out on his bed promptly sat up at the emergence of his friend. “What…what are you doing here?”

“I came here to talk,” She replied as she promptly sat down in front of him.

Lucas shifted uneasily as he looked away, “Look, Shaya, I just got home from my Dad’s and you know how much of a drag it is th-“

“Oh no,” Shaya stopped him as she shook her head. “You have been avoiding me all week, and I am putting my foot down. Now, we are going to get to the bottom of everything no matter how long it takes, do you hear me, Lucas Green?” The words came out rapidly, and once she was done she took a huge breath of air.

Lucas just stared at her for a moment before he chuckled. “I love it when you’re determined. Alright, let’s do this.”

Shaya opened her mouth to speak, but immediately closed it when she realized, on par with her earlier fear, that she had no idea where to begin. There’s so much I have to talk to him about…do I just come out and say it? “You’re in trouble.” She blurted.

“I know I am,” Lucas whispered, his attention once again directed to his knotted hands in his lap.

“Why have you been avoiding me this past week? And don’t tell me you haven’t, because we’ve exchanged more words in the past three minutes than the past seven days.”

“It hasn’t been all avoidance,” Lucas took a moment to give her a guilty smile, “I’ve been keeping pretty busy, so I couldn’t talk to you even if I wanted to. But yeah, I didn’t want to.”

“Lucas, are you dating Maggie Allman?” The question was itching to be asked.

The room was quiet, and the tension that suddenly filled the air told Shaya that Lucas didn’t need to speak to give her an answer, “I don’t know if you could call it that, but…”

“How…”

“Well, there was the night I told you about. Then, after won our way into playoffs, we kind of got cozy, and after that she’s been calling me every night. I mean, I know I’m not the purest of heart, but seriously…sometimes even during school. Between school, football, and keeping up with her, I haven’t even had time to sleep. And I didn’t want to tell anyone because all of you would give me shit for it, and I didn’t want you to know, because, well…”

The pit that had formed in Shaya’s stomach at his confession had slowly grown into a watermelon and was making her ill. I wish I hadn’t asked. Hearing all of this is just making me feel worse. “I can’t believe you,” She muttered.

“I know.”

“No, you don’t know.” Shaya looked up and glared at him before springing off the bed. “Seriously Lucas? We have had this conversation a million times. You say you love me but can never keep your goddamn legs closed. Now some….floozy, Maggie Allman, shows up and suddenly you’re tied down? So, what, have you been lying to me?”

“Of course not.” It was Lucas’s turn to get defensive. “Shaya, I love you, I really do, but for the past two years you have done nothing but turn me down.”

“That’s not true.”

Lucas’s jaw slacked dumbfoundedly, “Shaya, I have tried numerous times to kiss you, and every time you draw away.”

“You don’t know that I would keep drawing away.”

Lucas laughed “So, what, if I tried right now you’d let me.”

Shaya sat back down on the bed, “Maybe.”

The room was filled with silence as Lucas processed her words. “Is this a joke, Shay?” He whispered as he leaned towards her. “Because I don’t know if I can take it.”

“No, it’s not.” Shaya could feel her heart thumping as she looked him dead in the eyes. This wasn’t exactly the route I was planning to take, but what matters is that he understands.

In a split second, Lucas’s demeanor turned from ashamed and bashful to coy and confident. “What made you change your mind?”

I know what it’s like to want someone who could never want you back. “I don’t know…when I heard about you and Maggie and you weren’t talking to me, I got jealous. I think, because I realized there was a chance that I might lose you, I realized how I really felt.”

Lucas leaned forward and pulled her into a tight hug, “You’d never lose me, Shay,” He then let go, but his face remained inches away from hers as he grinned wickedly, “You want me.”

Shaya’s face turned scarlet under the close scrutiny. “I-I didn’t say that,” She stammered.

“You did say that you would let me kiss you. Were you lying to me?”

“No, I wasn’t.”

“You know what this means, Shaya,” His breath danced over her lips as his sky blue eyes penetrated hers. He was giving her that look, but this time she was drawn in instead of away, “If we do this, there’s no going back.”

Shaya hadn’t even considered the idea, but she was too drawn in the moment to logically weigh the consequences. There’s no knowing exactly how I feel about Lucas unless I take this chance. “I know.” Her words were barely audible, but the syllables still reached his ears.

“Okay,” Lucas gave Shaya one last wicked grin before his hand held the back of her head and closed the gap.

As his lips met hers, the breath that Shaya had been holding caught in her throat. Her body sat motionless for a moment as she attempted to process what was happening before feeling gave way and she leaned into him. Tiny tendrils of electricity formed in her core and extended to where her lips met Lucas’s, where his hands were placed on her head and knee, and her fingers that had found their wait to the nape of her neck. Lucas deepened the kiss, encouraged by her reactions, and she made no move to protest. If I would have known it was going to feel like this…

Eventually she broke away, her head becoming dizzy, although their faces remained close as his forehead rested against hers. “Lucas,” She whispered.

Lucas gave a small, guttural groan at the sound of his name. “This isn’t a dream, is it?” He asked between breaths, and Shaya gave a short chortle.

“Lucasss!” His brother Max called from the hallway.

“I’ll take that as a no,” Lucas sighed as he drew backwards, and Shaya couldn’t deny that she missed his warmth the second it was gone

“Lucas,” The eleven-year-old burst through the door a moment later.

“For fucks sake, Max, learn how to knock!”

“I’m good,” The younger boy displayed a cheshire smile, “Mom says that once Shaya’s done yelling at you she wants you downstairs so she knows you’re real.”

“I’ll be down soon. Now get out.” For once, Max didn’t argue and immediately left, shutting the door behind him.

“He’s probably busy playing video games,” Lucas explained. “Dad hates that shit so he’s been going through withdrawals all weekend. Now, where were we…?”

The shy, timid Shaya emerged as the moment had passed and she slightly leaned backwards. “You should go down and talk with your mom,” She told him, a smile on her face, “You’ve been gone all weekend so she hasn’t seen you.”

Lucas cupped her cheek in his hand, and Shaya nearly melted into the touch. It’s really amazing how easily I can be affected. If I don’t keep under control, there’s no telling where we’ll end up. “But I haven’t seen you either.” He replied.

“Well, we have all day tomorrow and the rest of the week, right? Unless you plan on spending the lunch period…” I can’t even say it without feeling sick to my stomach.

Lucas knew what she was hinting at without hearing the words. “Everything with Maggie is over.” He then pulled her closer for another kiss, entrapping Shaya’s breath once more. As he broke away, he whispered, “You are mine.”

As she emerged from the house and got into her car, Shaya closed her eyes and took two deep, expelling breaths before glancing at the jacket in her backseat. What have I gotten myself into?
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So....I'm sorry to say that I have failed you all :(. Real life has gotten the best of me at the moment, and now I'm nearly a month behind on updates. However, after this week all of my big girl applications should be done and I can get back on schedule. So I'm going to PINKY PROMISE ON MY LIFE the next chapter by Wednesday, February 6th. I know that means another week to wait, and i'll try my hardest to get it up sooner, but that's what it looks like for right now. But anyway, I'm sorry once again for keeping you all waiting, and i hope you can hold on a few more days.
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Is this a new chapter a week early? Why yes it is!! :) I was just so inspired by all the positive feedback and super excited for this chapter that I just flew through it. So, an early Christmas present for all of you readers, you deserve it. And be prepared to hold on tight, because things are about to get a whole lot more interesting from here :).