I Don't Believe In Fate

Chapter 15

"Damn... That was great." Shannon moved a little closer, sliding his arm around me, still slightly panting. I wasn't sure how to feel right then. I mean, I definitely felt something for him, but couldn't help the slight wave of guilt wash over me. Why did I feel like I had disrespected Tyler? I closed my eyes, mixed emotions clashed inside of me and made my brain go into overdrive. "What's wrong?" He noticed everything and quickly whispered into my ear. "You know, I've never had a girl get so quiet after sex. Was it not good for you?"

He knew damn well it was fantastic and I couldn't stop the corners of my lips from curling upward at his ridiculous question.
"No, that's not it at all. I'm just hungry and a little tired." My response was only partly true. I was hungry, but not tired at all. This was going to be weird now, wasn't it? How do you have sex with someone you don't know that well, and then act completely normal afterward? Do I high five him and say, 'okay, see ya later?' Ugh, I knew things would be awkward if I fucked him. My mind was all over the place and this definitely wasn't Vegas, where I could sneak out in the middle of the night while he was asleep.

"Oh good, I'm starving too! Let's get dressed and go get something before I head home." He sat up, dropped my head onto the pillow and slid out of my bed, quickly stepping into his jeans. I couldn't help but stare at his perfect body while he dressed, wondering if I told him what was on my mind he be offended. I sat up, pulling the sheet around me, hoping he'd leave the room. Unfortunately, he did a double take when he spun to look at me. "Are you really gonna be all shy now? We just had sex for the second time." He huffed, holding up two fingers. Shannon rolled his eyes and tugged his shirt over his head. Moving to the door, he stopped and glared at me. "Let me remind you that there really isn't any part of you that I haven't already seen."

"I know, I'm sorry." I bit the inside of my cheek as I stared down at the sheets and felt stupid all of a sudden. I shook it off, mentally congratulating myself for having the balls to go through with screwing him. God knows I certainly needed it.

He shook his head in disbelief. "Fine. Okay then, I'll wait out here for you." He exited my bedroom and pulled the door closed behind him.

I tugged on the sheet, pulling it off the bed and wrapping it around my body. Taking it with me to the closet, I snatched a hanger from my closet and tossed it on my bed. I opened the drawer containing my bras and panties, picking out what I wanted. I carried everything with me into the bathroom, feeling like maybe I gave him the wrong idea. He would definitely think I was snotty.  Looking at myself in the mirror, I couldn't help but feel a little guilty. Even though Tyler was gone, I wondered what he would think of my latest behavior. The girl he knew, certainly wouldn't go to Vegas and randomly fuck a stranger, but I guess I felt safe with Shannon because he was a celebrity. It's not like he could be a dangerous person or anything.

Would Tyler be disappointed that I was involved with Shannon? Would it be disrespectful to his family that I was seeing someone? I would make myself absolutely crazy with these questions and promised myself to speak to my therapist about it on Wednesday. I cleaned up and got dressed, pulling my hair up into a ponytail before rejoining Shannon in the living room. "Ready?" I asked, trying to sound as normal as possible.

He put his phone away and stood up. "Yes and by the way, you look adorable." I bit my lip and instantly felt self conscious, tugging at the messy ponytail. He took my hand and led me out of the apartment. "I'll drive."

"Sure." I locked the door and followed him down the hallway, having no idea where we were going. This was a little awkward and I didn't really know what to say to him. Why must things get weird when sex comes into the situation? Thankfully, he didn't seem to notice and just held my hand.

"Claire, I meant what I said about you coming to LA this weekend. I'd love for you to spend the weekend with me." I was so used to rolling my eyes at the cocky and overly confident attitude he always had, that this sweet, and real Shannon stunned me a little. I loved that his real personality was coming out. He was sweet and affectionate, very much like Tyler used to be in the very beginning.

"That sounds fun." I didn't actually know if I could drive to LA for the weekend, or stay with him. Maybe staying with Lily would be better, it just seemed more convenient. All I did know, was that I wanted to see him again, but I needed to make up my mind about what I really wanted from him. Hell, I didn't even know what he expected of me. I was deep in thought that he nudged me. "Sorry, what did you say?"

He smirked and shook his head. "I asked if Italian was okay?" He grinned and added. "You feeling alright, you seem a little distracted?"

"Don't be ridiculous, I'm fine and yes, Italian works. There is a great place a few blocks from here." I gave him directions to the restaurant, Lily and I had been to many times. He parked and when we got out, he wrapped his arm around me, leading me into the restaurant.

He held my hand as we were taken to a table and he even pulled out my chair, like a true gentleman. We had a nice quiet meal and the conversation was mostly about him trying to convince me to drive to LA on Friday. I just didn't know what I'd be doing this weekend and refused to commit.

He seemed to be disappointed, but didn't argue or try and change my mind. I relaxed a little once we got into a comfortable conversation about daily life. He shared his pasta and I shared my mushroom risotto. We were quite cozy at our little corner table. He told me about his ex, Kaylee and all of the trouble she caused. He shared the way he broke things off with her recently. Who knew Shannon could be so open and honest? It was only right since he knew about Tyler. When we were ready to go, he drove me back to my apartment and walked me to my door. I wrapped my arms around his neck, hugging him goodbye and thanking him for an amazing dinner. Spending the afternoon with him seemed to have put my mind at ease. I put the key in the lock, but before I could turn it and open the door, he spun me around and pushed me against it. His mouth covered mine and his arm moved around my waist. I could no longer think straight and his kiss made me weak in the knees.

He finally pulled away, placing a kiss on the tip of my nose. "I WILL see you this weekend Claire." It was no longer put to me as a question and I grinned big, knowing that I would definitely go to him. I opened the door and stepped inside and stuck my head out, watching him walk down the hallway until he disappeared from sight.