The Upside of Heartbreak

Shameless

Hey all! Triumphant Fury here! Sorry this is a day late, but as a shift worker with a weird shift rotation, I sometimes have no idea what day of the week it is. I thought yesterday was Friday all day, until this morning. Then I needed to rush to finish this chapter so that I could get it posted before midnight tonight :S BTW, The title for this chap is from the song 'Shameless' by VRSTY. It's a fantastic song that fits way too perfectly, and even if you aren't a huge fan of rock I would suggest you give it a listen anyways. The title can be a little misleading without the lyrics telling a deeper story...

For those of you that follow both of my currently ongoing stories, you were likely expecting an update to TWoB yesterday. Here's the thing... Writing is very stressful and time consuming, and a lot of other things get set aside for it because I am a wee bit obsessive. As it is the holidays, I plan to spend some quality time with the hubby for a change. Therefore, I will be taking a temporary hiatus. I repeat, it will only be temporary, so don't stress. I'm not leaving you. Lol

Since the last chapter of TWoB was an absolutely perfect Xmas chapter, I decided to leave it there and give you a little gift by way of this one instead. So, here you go. Hopefully you all enjoy it, and I will see you in the New Year. Merry Xmas/Happy Holidays everyone :D

*Lemon Alert*

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"Well, Astrid's certainly going for the jugular," Eret said into the silence that followed as the girls left the bus. His expression hard to read beneath his mask. Hayden couldn't tell if Eret was laughing at him, or judging him. Instead of answering, Hayden just huffed a sigh. Barely resisting the urge to run his hands over his face. A nervous tic of his that wouldn't go over well with all the make-up he was currently wearing.

"Uh, I don't think it's his throat that she's after man," Dagur deadpanned. He and Eret glancing at each other before they both broke down laughing and reached out to bump fists. Hayden just grumbled incoherently at his friends. Leaning forward and placing his elbows on his knees as he dipped his head down. Careful fingers pressing to his temples as he performed a few calming yoga breaths. Suddenly wishing that he had more alcohol in his system, if only to temporarily numb his stressed out brain.

There was no point in even bothering to try and contradict them. They were right and they knew it. Astrid had been hunting Hayden like a fucking fox hound for weeks. Hayden had finally confessed her motives to his friends last week, though he had been sure to omit the explicit details. Likely his friends had already been able to piece the truth together themselves though. Especially based on Hayden's odd behaviour as of late.

Could any single man in his right mind truly be expected to hold out this long against such a wicked siren though? "I'm so screwed," Hayden finally groaned.

"Not yet," Eret quipped with a chuckle. When Hayden just scowled at him, he held his hands up defensively. "Just kidding! Geeze! Can I just be the first to say that you look seriously scary right now, by the way? As in, decidedly clinically insane. Those girls could make a career in stage make-up if they wanted to."

This was undoubtedly true as well. The ladies had done an excellent job on all of the costumes. Hayden had barely recognized himself when he'd looked in the mirror in Astrid's room. There was very little chance that anyone else would know who they were either. Aside from the bouncers that checked ID's and probably the club owners directly after that, of course. Although their costumes would definitely draw attention because of their impressive accuracy, Hayden was still just one of a million guys going out to party with friends on Halloween.

So why did his heart feel like a jackhammer in his chest every time he thought about being in a dark and crowded club with Astrid? Why had it sounded so damn good to hear her say that she was his Harley Quinn? Her hands against his bare skin sending tremors down his spine. Looking like a paid model at Comic-Con as she pressed her gorgeous body against him. It shouldn't make him so stupidly happy that everyone would just assume they were a couple everywhere they went tonight. He should be running back to the safety of his lonely condo instead; before it was too late.