Lonely Hours [Kier/Shane]

Thirteen

Kier seemed to have took it upon himself to choose our lunch destination, leading the way back out the building and waving passively towards the woman at the front desk on the way. I merely nodded towards her, attempting to ignore the pang of jealousy within my chest at the sight of her overly warm expression at Kier's interaction towards her. It was no secret that the redhead was admired by those within his workplace, the women especially noticeable; everyone parted once noticing his presence, throwing welcoming smiles his way whilst many blushed once he'd left. It was admittedly as ridiculous as it sounds, however, sometimes I found myself joining them. The man was currently saving my Brother's life, how could I not admire him?

"So, Shane," He caught my attention, noticing that we were currently heading in the opposite direction of the car park and down the nearest street. With a few quick steps I managed to keep pace with him, walking alongside the man. Even when he walked he radiated confidence, his back straight and shoulders broad, whilst keeping his hands within his trouser pockets to appear self-assured, yet calm. "Are you a drinker?" He asked, a lopsided smile on his lips as we made eye contact for a second.
I shook my head, my clammy hands pressed together as I stared ahead. "Not really, it's not really my scene."
"Your scene?"
I nodded in confirmation, believing I'd chosen the correct word before explaining. "You have to have friends really, and my parents never drank either; Plus, bars are dark and kind of intimidating."
Kier seemed unfazed by my words, merely nodding along and releasing a small hum once I finished; He never elaborated.

Without as much as an explanation Kier led me into a minuscule pub near the end of the street, nodding and pointing towards a small wooden table without another word before heading towards the bar. I complied to his wishes, heading over to the table and settling on a square topped stool. I couldn't help but feel slightly uncomfortable whilst staring around at the decor, the occasionally flickering lamps, near rotting wood and lack of customers setting a somewhat sinister tone. With a small sigh I rung my hands together, watching Kier intently as he ordered and paid for a few drinks before returning. My lack of alcohol knowledge was highlighted as I was unsure of what he ordered for himself, however, I noticed the familiar sight of a glass of Coke for me, bringing me to smile thankfully as he placed down the glass. I timidly took a sip from the given straw, my hands never leaving my lap while I awkwardly stared around the room. We both fell into silence, yet I felt his intense gaze on my face while I gently traced along the indents of the table, finding the odd insult or name engraved within the wood a good distraction.
"So, is this, umm," I mumbled, hoping to divert us from being engulfed further. "Is this where you go every lunch break?"
Kier chuckled at my petty attempt, hopefully not insultingly. "No, only sometimes." He replied regardless, giving me a small smile before gulping at his drink. "I like how quiet it is in here."
I nodded. "T-That might be because of how dull it is." Thankfully, he laughed once more.
"Well, we'll just have to make it less 'dull' for ourselves." He then winked, causing the butterflies within my stomach to come alive. I stumbled for a response, unable to release anything other than a strangled squawk while my mind ran amok with possible conclusions to his words. However, I was admittedly disappointed when he continued. "I want to get to know more about my new PA, so we should take turns asking questions."
I frowned, shoulders slumping slightly. "Like in those nonsense teen books?"
Kier's laughter was rapidly becoming one of my favourite sounds; the way he releases a short spurt first before it flows all at once making it near impossible to maintain a composed expression.
"Yes," He replied, voice slightly high pitch due to his happiness. "It'll be fun. You'll get to ask me whatever's going on in that pretty head of yours too." I couldn't help but smile at that, a faint blush forming on my cheeks once realising he'd complimented me. I replied with a small 'fine', causing Kier to grin adorably in my direction, before beginning. "Okay, so, favourite colour?" He asked as I took another sip of my drink.
"Umm," I thought for a moment, recalling any childhood memory I had while trying to answer the slightly silly question. "Blue. I-I had a really nice navy blue hoodie when I was younger, I wore it everywhere; it was really comfy."
Kier merely smiled, softer than his usual ones.
"What's the secret behind a successful career at such a young age?" I asked, resulting in yet another chuckle from him.
"Luck." He confirmed, and I rolled my eyes. "What's your best childhood memory?"
I paused, attempting to think back to a time where genuine happiness appeared even reachable. "The day I met Drew for the first time," I spoke slowly, as if unsure of my own decision. "Our parents had only been dating for a few months and they decided for us four to go out for lunch to introduce us to another. Drew ended up spilling his drink down my favourite jeans and we've pretty much been inseparable since." I didn't wait for his reaction before continuing the 'game', the memory of my family becoming painful. "What's yours?"
Kier merely shrugged, making a grab for his drink and taking a large swig before continuing. "Who was your first kiss?"
My eyebrows creased at his blatant dodge of my question before my eyes widened at his, an intense discomfort growing as I took another sip of my beverage. I mirrored his previous answer, shrugging.
"C'mon, I want to know!" He replied, becoming more interested than he had been since I saw him this morning.
"How come you can have an opt out but I can't?"
"Just tell me!"
Releasing a small sigh and raising a hand to play with the fabric of my tie, I flicked my tongue over the surface of my lips before answering. "I-I, umm, I haven't had a first kiss." I mumbled, keeping my head low in attempt to muffle the sound. However, Kier seemed to have heard it all.
"What," He near exclaimed, eyes humiliatingly wide whilst his drink sat forgotten before him. "Seriously?"
I merely rolled my eyes, folding my arms tightly against my chest in means of protecting myself from further embarrassment. Admittedly, I felt foolish in his presence; Not only is the man more powerful, wealthy and talented than me, he's also experienced. It was only at that point that Kier seemed to notice my lack of self-confidence, squatting and grabbing the chair beneath him to shuffle around the table towards me. I eyed him carefully, questioning his actions before he sat centimeters away, our thighs occasionally brushing against another while he smiled softly.
"It's okay, Shane," He comforted, voice low as he found no reason to speak any louder. "It's really not a big deal."
"To you, maybe," was my mumbled reply, finding myself needing to look away as our legs brushed once more, another blush rising to the surface. "I'm twenty-two; it's pathetic."
"No, it's not." He replied. However, his smirk told otherwise, meaning I turned away from him. At that moment, I couldn't express how truly embarrassed I felt at the sight of his expression, giving me further reason to hate myself more... until I felt a gentle hand grip my shoulder, applying pressure to bring me back around to face him. The smirk was gone, an apologetic smile having taken its place.
"It's really not, Shane," He whispered, bringing me to shake my head lightly. Kier released a soft chuckle, his eyes locked with mine so I could do nothing but watch as he lent closer. My eyes flitted from left to right, trying to find the reason for his actions yet being unsure of whether I minded the lack of space between us. Without any further warning his lips touched mine, softly, yet with no caution. I suppressed a squeak, my eyelids flickering gently until I gathered enough control to return the affection. However, the second I did he pulled away, breaking our moment of perfection as he done so.
"See?" He murmured, straightening his jacket. "No big deal."
Ignoring the feeling of my once soaring heart plummeting I nodded in false agreement, watching as he stood from his chair to leave before following suit.