Post by Chrissy on Feb 27, 2004 12:30:50 GMT -5
Chapter 6
Shawn walked around aimlessly the next day for what seemed like hours. He couldn’t believe he had hurt her so badly that she had almost died. Why had he left? Why had he made that promise? He knew now that it had been stupid of him. However, at the time it had seemed like the right thing to do. How could he possibly tell Belle what he had done and expect her to understand?
He was lost in thought when he felt a tap on his shoulder. As he turned around he came face to face with the blue eyes he loved so much.
She looked at him and felt torn. She still loved him but she also hated him for leaving. She wanted to forgive him so badly. She wanted everything to be ok again, like it had before. She looked at his jaw and saw the bruise. “So, uh, I take it you had a run in with one of my brothers?”
He looked down toward the ground. “More like all of them.”
Belle sighed. If she had told them once, she had told them a thousand times, she was a big girl and could handle her own problems. But of course, they didn’t listen. “Sorry about that. They’re a little over protective.”
“Yea well, I deserved it. If it hadn’t been for me, you wouldn’t have almost died.” He mumbled under his breath.
Belle’s jaw dropped and she stared at him in shock. “They told you?”
“Yea, Rex said I almost killed you and then Chloe filled me in.” He looked at her blue eyes that were now shimmering with tears. “I’m so sorry Belle.”
“Damn it! I hate when they interfere in my life.”
“It’s not their fault. I forced it out of them.” He said as he watched her start to fill with rage.
“So how about you tell me what I’ve been trying to force out of you. Why did you leave me Shawn?” She needed to know. Part of her was scared of the answer but she knew she had to know why he had left her.
Shawn sighed. He couldn’t tell her the whole truth. Not yet anyways. “Will you settle for the short version.”
“I’d settle for anything at this point. I just have to know why.”
“A friend needed me and I made a promise that I couldn’t break. So I helped my friend as best I could and about a month ago I decided it was time to leave. So I came back here.” He held his breath and hoped that would be enough for her for now.
She saw in his eyes that there was more to the story but she also saw how painful it seemed to be for him. “I’ll accept that.” She looked downward. “I just always thought that maybe it was my fault. I thought that I might have done something wrong.”
He put his finger under her chin and lifted to where her eyes were level with his. “Don’t, for one second, think that anything I did was your fault. I did not leave to get away from you. I left because at the time I thought it was the right thing to do. Had I known the damage it would do I never would have left.”
As she stared into his chocolate brown eyes her mind kept screaming ‘I love you! I love you! I love you’ and then it happened. “I love you!” she blurted out. She instantly covered her mouth with her hand and looked away.
He knew from the look on her face that she hadn’t meant to blurt it out like that. She seemed almost embarrassed. Shawn was hesitant. Should he hug her? Put his arm around her? But before he could do anything she threw her arms around him. Slowly he wrapped his arms around her petite waist and held her.
“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do this. How many times I dreamed of being in your arms again.” She whispered as he held her.
“Yes I do, because I wanted the same thing everyday.” He replied as she wrapped her arms tighter around his neck and buried her head in his shoulder.
He pulled her back and stared into her hypnotizing blue eyes. Slowly her lowered his head to hers and, with the pent up passion he’d been holding back for two years, kissed her.
Her mind became a blank as his lips came down on hers. She was lost in the kiss but then suddenly realized what was happening and pulled away. “I can’t do this.” She whispered as tears started clouding her eyes. “I can’t do this when I know that in the end I’ll just get hurt again. I can’t let that happen again.” She saw the hurt in his eyes. “I’m sorry Shawn. I do love you. I just can’t subject myself to this again.” She quickly turned and walked away before he could say anything.
Shawn just watched as she walked away. “Damn! What do I have to do to prove to her that I won’t hurt her again?”
He paced back and forth trying to think of something, anything, to make Belle understand that he wouldn’t hurt her again. Then he got an idea. Maybe, just maybe this was exactly what he needed to do to get her back.
Shawn walked around aimlessly the next day for what seemed like hours. He couldn’t believe he had hurt her so badly that she had almost died. Why had he left? Why had he made that promise? He knew now that it had been stupid of him. However, at the time it had seemed like the right thing to do. How could he possibly tell Belle what he had done and expect her to understand?
He was lost in thought when he felt a tap on his shoulder. As he turned around he came face to face with the blue eyes he loved so much.
She looked at him and felt torn. She still loved him but she also hated him for leaving. She wanted to forgive him so badly. She wanted everything to be ok again, like it had before. She looked at his jaw and saw the bruise. “So, uh, I take it you had a run in with one of my brothers?”
He looked down toward the ground. “More like all of them.”
Belle sighed. If she had told them once, she had told them a thousand times, she was a big girl and could handle her own problems. But of course, they didn’t listen. “Sorry about that. They’re a little over protective.”
“Yea well, I deserved it. If it hadn’t been for me, you wouldn’t have almost died.” He mumbled under his breath.
Belle’s jaw dropped and she stared at him in shock. “They told you?”
“Yea, Rex said I almost killed you and then Chloe filled me in.” He looked at her blue eyes that were now shimmering with tears. “I’m so sorry Belle.”
“Damn it! I hate when they interfere in my life.”
“It’s not their fault. I forced it out of them.” He said as he watched her start to fill with rage.
“So how about you tell me what I’ve been trying to force out of you. Why did you leave me Shawn?” She needed to know. Part of her was scared of the answer but she knew she had to know why he had left her.
Shawn sighed. He couldn’t tell her the whole truth. Not yet anyways. “Will you settle for the short version.”
“I’d settle for anything at this point. I just have to know why.”
“A friend needed me and I made a promise that I couldn’t break. So I helped my friend as best I could and about a month ago I decided it was time to leave. So I came back here.” He held his breath and hoped that would be enough for her for now.
She saw in his eyes that there was more to the story but she also saw how painful it seemed to be for him. “I’ll accept that.” She looked downward. “I just always thought that maybe it was my fault. I thought that I might have done something wrong.”
He put his finger under her chin and lifted to where her eyes were level with his. “Don’t, for one second, think that anything I did was your fault. I did not leave to get away from you. I left because at the time I thought it was the right thing to do. Had I known the damage it would do I never would have left.”
As she stared into his chocolate brown eyes her mind kept screaming ‘I love you! I love you! I love you’ and then it happened. “I love you!” she blurted out. She instantly covered her mouth with her hand and looked away.
He knew from the look on her face that she hadn’t meant to blurt it out like that. She seemed almost embarrassed. Shawn was hesitant. Should he hug her? Put his arm around her? But before he could do anything she threw her arms around him. Slowly he wrapped his arms around her petite waist and held her.
“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do this. How many times I dreamed of being in your arms again.” She whispered as he held her.
“Yes I do, because I wanted the same thing everyday.” He replied as she wrapped her arms tighter around his neck and buried her head in his shoulder.
He pulled her back and stared into her hypnotizing blue eyes. Slowly her lowered his head to hers and, with the pent up passion he’d been holding back for two years, kissed her.
Her mind became a blank as his lips came down on hers. She was lost in the kiss but then suddenly realized what was happening and pulled away. “I can’t do this.” She whispered as tears started clouding her eyes. “I can’t do this when I know that in the end I’ll just get hurt again. I can’t let that happen again.” She saw the hurt in his eyes. “I’m sorry Shawn. I do love you. I just can’t subject myself to this again.” She quickly turned and walked away before he could say anything.
Shawn just watched as she walked away. “Damn! What do I have to do to prove to her that I won’t hurt her again?”
He paced back and forth trying to think of something, anything, to make Belle understand that he wouldn’t hurt her again. Then he got an idea. Maybe, just maybe this was exactly what he needed to do to get her back.
