You & I [Kier/Shane]

Chapter Thirty-Four - Kier

Kier’s POV

It took me a while to gather the correct response to Shane’s question, the fact he was being genuine throwing me off slightly.

“With great difficulty,” I settled with, licking over the surface of my drying lips and pressing a kiss to the top of his head before quickly adding. “It gets easier, Shaney, trust me.”

“It’s so exhausting.” He whispered, causing me to nod gently and lean over to kiss the top of his head. 

I honestly didn’t have a response to that, finding the whole conversation nerve-wracking; I didn’t want to risk saying something that will lead Shane into a downward spiral. He was only just beginning his recovery and I had no experience with this; Not even when Laurence was battling his own demons - I only heard about them through Skype conversations which was usually followed by 'Don’t worry, Kemp. It’s all under control.’ - Only now am I realising that it probably never was. 

“Listen, Shaney,” I mumbled after a short while, cuddling the blond a little tighter. “How about we go out somewhere?” I wanted to prove to Shane just how well he was improving; I wanted no reason for him to feel anything other than happiness and pure pride for himself. 

“I-I don’t know, Kier...” He replied, causing my smile to drop into a deep frown at the sound of his stutter; I thought he’d managed to stop doing that around me. 

“It’s okay, Honey, we don’t have to.” Guilt flowed through my form, causing me to gulp down any negative thoughts about whether I’d said the wrong thing.

“Umm, M-Maybe tomorrow?” He whispered, leaning upwards to peck my cheek sweetly as if he knew what was running through my mind.

I nodded, holding him a little tighter and kissing his head in return. “It’s a date.” 

Shane and I spend the remainder of the date tucked up in his bed together, watching various movies and lazily kissing; It was soothing. My previous guilt gradually faded as the hours passed, loving how tightly he was cuddled against me and how he’d whisper gentle words to me on occasion. Not necessarily about anything important, just things like; his opinions on the plot, how many times he’d watched the film and whether or not him and Drew found the characters likeable. It was only at the point where we were an hour into our third film that my phone buzzed beside me, signalling I’d received a message. Recently, I’ve developed a habit of ignoring those said buzzes, however, I felt as if it was time I got back to those who contacted me; I didn’t want to get into too much trouble. 

Alright, Kemp. Heard you were in the UK, Why wasn’t I informed? - Darren. 

Darren was someone I knew from an old management company; He’d been in various tattoo magazines for years and was offered the same contract as I. However, he didn’t want to move out the country - too far away from family - and stayed while I went. Admittedly, him and I had a thing a few years back; It wasn’t a relationship, the idea of commitment didn’t sound appealing to either of us, but if something happened where we were feeling lonely or down; we’d spend the night together. 

Sorry, Daz. I’ve been staying at a friends. - Kier. 

“Who are you texting?” Shane whispered lightly, his head moving to rest on his chest while he gazed up at me, a gentle smile on his lips. 

“An old friend; I haven’t seen him in years.” I replied in a soft mumble, my free hand running through Shane’s hair while I spoke to Darren with my other. 

He merely nodded in response, turning back to the television moments later.

You free? We can catch up at the usual. - Darren.