Status: Complete!
Closer to the Edge
e i g h t - i n c r e d i b l y . d i f f e r e n t
*Jared*
I was surprised as I left Natalia's apartment. I hadn't expected her to pick me, honestly. I was smart enough to have realized a while before then that her and I's chemistry wasn't exactly right. I had, however, been pretty surprised with the decision that she had come to. I'd expected her to pick Shan. I'd never seen my brother look at any woman the way he looked at Natalia. We hadn't really talked about our individual feelings for her too much, but I knew his surpassed mine by a lot. Sometimes when I watched him watching her, I wondered if he loved her.
So, when she'd said that she had to quit the job and distance herself from both of us, obviously I was sad, but I knew that Shannon had to be so much more sad. That's why I'd bowed out when I had; because I knew that Shannon probably just needed to talk to her. I couldn't believe that's the decision she'd made.
*Shannon*
I really don't know what it was about that girl. For some reason, she made me willing to risk everything. I didn't know what Jared would do if he found out we'd come to the decision that we had. I didn't know what he'd say to me when he found out that I'd gone back on my word and decided to try to maintain some sort of relationship with Natalia. Hell, I wasn't even sure that he'd let her keep her job. But I had to have her. Something about her just made me feel... whole. It sounded so stupid and I'd never felt that way before, but she was just too perfect to let go.
*Natalia*
Shannon spent most of that day at my apartment. We really just lounged around relaxing with each other and talking, something we'd never really done because we'd never really had the privacy to. He ordered us takeout for lunch and we ate it while watching a terrible horror movie. Just in that short amount of time, I couldn't believe how incredibly different everything felt. I felt like I could touch him for real now, for the first time ever. I traced the small Morse code tattoos on his throat, touching each dot lightly with my finger. I traced the tattoos up and down his arms. He laughed each time my fingers touched his skin, and I kissed every spot that he laughed at. I felt like I could kiss him, and I did every time I got a chance too. I'd almost forgotten how incredibly soft and inviting his full lips were. I couldn't believe how much he felt like home, just that quickly.
We talked about what I was going to say to Jared when he called me about quitting. We decided that I was going to do everything I could to keep the job. We knew it would be hard, not only for me to convince Jared it could work, but to keep us a secret. We decided that it was worth it; we were worth it.
Jared finally did call a while later, and it was about as hard as I'd expected to convince him that I could still do the job while distancing myself from the both of them. We talked it over for a long while before he finally agreed that we could give it a shot.
As I sat awake in bed that night, I couldn't believe how much had changed in just the past twenty-four hours. I couldn't believe I'd just spent the day with such an amazing man who seemed to really be very into me. I couldn't believe that I'd managed to slide by and keep the job that I loved so much when I'd been sure I was going to lose it. I couldn't believe I was kind of but unofficially in a secret relationship. I wondered if we'd be able to pull it off. We'd made a deal not to tell anyone at all. We were to act like nothing at all was happening when anyone else was around. I had been and still was worried that we wouldn't be able to pull it off. Shannon insisted that we would. I'd kept asking him what would happen if someone did find out. He'd said that we'd deal with that when the time came. I was worried. I still didn't want to mess anything up between him and Jared, but at the same time, all of a sudden I couldn't really picture my life without him in it. He'd reassured me that everything was going to be okay, and for everyone's sake I desperately hoped he was right. Above everything else, though, I was mostly excited. I was excited to see where things went with Shannon and I. I was excited to see where the job would take me.
My mom had always said I'd needed some excitement in my life. Better late than never.
I was surprised as I left Natalia's apartment. I hadn't expected her to pick me, honestly. I was smart enough to have realized a while before then that her and I's chemistry wasn't exactly right. I had, however, been pretty surprised with the decision that she had come to. I'd expected her to pick Shan. I'd never seen my brother look at any woman the way he looked at Natalia. We hadn't really talked about our individual feelings for her too much, but I knew his surpassed mine by a lot. Sometimes when I watched him watching her, I wondered if he loved her.
So, when she'd said that she had to quit the job and distance herself from both of us, obviously I was sad, but I knew that Shannon had to be so much more sad. That's why I'd bowed out when I had; because I knew that Shannon probably just needed to talk to her. I couldn't believe that's the decision she'd made.
*Shannon*
I really don't know what it was about that girl. For some reason, she made me willing to risk everything. I didn't know what Jared would do if he found out we'd come to the decision that we had. I didn't know what he'd say to me when he found out that I'd gone back on my word and decided to try to maintain some sort of relationship with Natalia. Hell, I wasn't even sure that he'd let her keep her job. But I had to have her. Something about her just made me feel... whole. It sounded so stupid and I'd never felt that way before, but she was just too perfect to let go.
*Natalia*
Shannon spent most of that day at my apartment. We really just lounged around relaxing with each other and talking, something we'd never really done because we'd never really had the privacy to. He ordered us takeout for lunch and we ate it while watching a terrible horror movie. Just in that short amount of time, I couldn't believe how incredibly different everything felt. I felt like I could touch him for real now, for the first time ever. I traced the small Morse code tattoos on his throat, touching each dot lightly with my finger. I traced the tattoos up and down his arms. He laughed each time my fingers touched his skin, and I kissed every spot that he laughed at. I felt like I could kiss him, and I did every time I got a chance too. I'd almost forgotten how incredibly soft and inviting his full lips were. I couldn't believe how much he felt like home, just that quickly.
We talked about what I was going to say to Jared when he called me about quitting. We decided that I was going to do everything I could to keep the job. We knew it would be hard, not only for me to convince Jared it could work, but to keep us a secret. We decided that it was worth it; we were worth it.
Jared finally did call a while later, and it was about as hard as I'd expected to convince him that I could still do the job while distancing myself from the both of them. We talked it over for a long while before he finally agreed that we could give it a shot.
As I sat awake in bed that night, I couldn't believe how much had changed in just the past twenty-four hours. I couldn't believe I'd just spent the day with such an amazing man who seemed to really be very into me. I couldn't believe that I'd managed to slide by and keep the job that I loved so much when I'd been sure I was going to lose it. I couldn't believe I was kind of but unofficially in a secret relationship. I wondered if we'd be able to pull it off. We'd made a deal not to tell anyone at all. We were to act like nothing at all was happening when anyone else was around. I had been and still was worried that we wouldn't be able to pull it off. Shannon insisted that we would. I'd kept asking him what would happen if someone did find out. He'd said that we'd deal with that when the time came. I was worried. I still didn't want to mess anything up between him and Jared, but at the same time, all of a sudden I couldn't really picture my life without him in it. He'd reassured me that everything was going to be okay, and for everyone's sake I desperately hoped he was right. Above everything else, though, I was mostly excited. I was excited to see where things went with Shannon and I. I was excited to see where the job would take me.
My mom had always said I'd needed some excitement in my life. Better late than never.