I Never Meant to Fall In Love (SDV Fanfiction)

Chapter 10 - Hurricane of the Century

**Edited Version**

Monday morning, the rain was blowing in sideways. Shane secured the animals in the barn before heading back inside the ranch. "Marnie, I'm stepping out to run a couple of errands," he called out.

"Be careful! And hurry back, the hurricane's gonna hit land soon," Marnie called out as the door closed.

Hoodie pulled up and cash in his pocket, Shane headed to the beach first. The wind whipped the rain into sharp pellets, stinging his face as he stumbled across the sand. Across the bridge, he noticed a dark figure in the shadows. What a weird fucking tradition. Give a wad of cash to a shady guy on a rainy day for a mermaid pendant so you can marry the person you love? Still, Shane persisted until he was standing in front of the Mariner.

"I've come about a pendant," Shane said to the man.

The Mariner studied Shane, held up a small, blue spiral shell on a gold chain, and named his price. Without hesitation, Shane took half of his winnings from the Joja Commercial he made over the summer and traded it for the pendant.

He let it dangle in front of him for a moment, watching it sparkle eerily in the rain, before putting it in his pocket, and headed back to town. His last stop was at the clinic. By the time he made across the town bridge, the wind had picked up. Shane hurried across the square and stepped inside the clinic. Dr. Harvey was standing behind the counter and looked up when the door opened.

"Hello, Shane! This hurricane is causing some nasty weather," Harvey said with a friendly smile. "What brings you in today?"

Shane shifted around to see if Maru was there, not wanting her to overhear.

"Uh, I'd like to buy a box of condoms, please," he asked when he sure they were alone.

"Sure. Give me one moment, please." Harvey's mouth twitched in a small smile.

The doctor squatted behind the countertop and unlocked the cabinet door hidden beneath.

"What size and how many? We have regular or extra large and they come in quantities of twelve or twenty-four." Harvey asked, peering over the countertop.

"Uh, regular, I guess, and, the, uh, twenty-four pack." Shane shifted uncomfortably, wanting to just buy the damn things and head home before somebody walked in.

"That'll be eighteen dollars." Harvey placed the box on the countertop, locked the cabinet, then stood. "Would you like a bag for that?"

"Yes, please," Shane rushed as he counted out the bills and handed them to Harvey. "And, uh, I'd appreciate it if you didn't say anything about this to anyone."

"You have my word." Harvey put the bills in a locked drawer and smiled knowingly. He slid the bag across the counter. "Doctor Patient Confidentiality Clause."

Shane took it with a nod and left quickly, heaving a huge internal sigh of relief. He sprinted toward Joja Mart for the start of his shift. That sniveling little fucker, Morris, hadn't closed the store. He didn't care about anything but profit margins.

The sun peeked through the clouds for a brief moment before the dark clouds covered it once more. Shane was too busy thinking about Ashley to notice. The moment he realized he was falling for her was the stormy night he followed her home.

After making love for the first time and waking up next to Ashley yesterday morning, Shane couldn't stand the thought of not doing it every day now. Proposing in her shower without a second thought was scary at first but seemed so right. Shane smiled to himself at her initial reaction. Thank, Yoba, she accepted.