Luminary Love

Chapter 31

"And there... you... go! That'll be four-hundred dollars." 

"Charge it to the Smosh company." 

"Will do! Have a nice day!" The gentleman behind the desk nodded to Shayne, handing the bagged suit over the counter. Shayne thanked the man and walked out. His suit fitting for the charity event was finally done and he finally got to pick it up with no time to spare. The charity event was the following night which meant the next day was going to be jam packed with preparation, press, and hours of smiling for the cameras in the name of charity. 

When Shayne got home, he hung the bag up against his closet door, forgetting about it for the time being. He walked into his bedroom, his eyes immediately catching the sight of the red head laying half-naked in his bed. Natalie had proved to be a good distraction for the time being, her company helping him forget about you and the other stresses of his life. He approached the bed, sitting down on the edge and turning around to greet his lady. His hand caressed her back, causing her to stir awake. 

"Mmm... hi." She smiled, propping her head up on her arms, her lids half-shut due to her drowsiness. 

"Hey there." Shayne smirked, his voice coming out in a low husk. "How'd you sleep?" 

"Beautifully thanks to you." Shayne chuckled, leaning over to place a chaste kiss to her lips. "Little sore though." She quipped, her lips skimming against his. He smiled against her, leaning in to close the distance again. "Oh! Hey! I have to ask you something." She pulled back, surprising Shayne a bit. 

"Shoot." He responded, his hand coming up to run through her messy, auburn curls. 

"My parents are coming in for a visit and I was wondering if you'd want to meet them." She cheered, propping herself up on her elbow. Shayne immediately stiffened. He had been dreading this conversation. Sure, he liked Natalie. She was cool and fun when he needed something to help him relax... But meeting the parents was an awfully big step for something that was never meant to be more than a glorified hookup. 

"When, uh... when would this be happening?" Shayne asked, clearing his throat to try and sound less nervous. 

"Tomorrow! We're all going to go to dinner." Shayne's sudden rush of relief was masked by his furrowed brows. 

"Natalie, the charity benefit is tomorrow. I'm going to be gone all day." She sighed, pouting her lips slightly. 

"That's right. I forgot... Can't you skip it?" Shayne resisted the urge to groan. Sometimes that privileged valley-girl attitude came out when she talked and it drove him absolutely wild. 

"You know I can't do that." Shayne shook his head. 

"I know..." She pouted. "You're too good of a guy. That's why I like you so much." She said, batting her eyelashes at him. Shayne chuckled, but his stiffened posture remained. "You do have to meet them soon though." She continued. 

"I know." He nodded. "I'm just busy tomorrow." 

"Well start clearing your schedule." She said, sitting up and letting the covers fall from her chest. Shayne admired her bare chest, but quickly tore his eyes away. "I'm tired of this 'too busy' crap." Her fingers curled around the fabric of his shirt, pulling him closer to her. He looked down at her hands, taking them in his and removing them from his shirt. 

"I gotta go to work." He said, excusing himself from the conversation. He stood up from the bed, walking over to his dresser. 

"Will you call me later?" She asked, getting up as well and redressing herself. Shayne sighed, closing his eyes for a moment before looking over his shoulder at her.