Fall From Grace(46)

“God, Shane!  Shut up!  Why does everything have to be sexual with you?  Have you seriously never had a platonic friendship with a female before?”

He laughed his low raspy laugh.  “No, not really.  Lea maybe, but she doesn’t count.  She belongs to Conner and he’s my buddy.  Before that, it’s been a long time.”

“Shane, I went on a date with Tucker and you still flirt like crazy with me!” I said exasperated.

“Grace.  Don’t you get it?  I’m really trying to do this platonic thing here.”  He sighed, “I just called to see if you were okay about what happened before.”

Yeah, sure and I’ll buy that bridge you’re selling me right now, do you take credit or cash?  “I’m okay, Shane.  Thank you very much for helping me to kick that guy’s butt.  Oh yeah, and getting in the way of the knife.”

“Yeah, when I think back on it now, it looked like you were doing fine by yourself.  I just saw all the blood on the guy and I thought he hurt you.  I went crazy.  How did you fight that guy back?  He was like five times your size.”

I giggled.  Yes, I giggled like a schoolgirl.  I’m such an idiot.  “I had an older brother who taught me how to protect myself.”

“You had a great older brother.”

I smiled.  “One of the best.”

There was a hesitation again.  Then he took a deep breath and asked, “Why didn’t you have a good time with Tucker?  I figured you didn’t like him, but I don’t understand why you went on a date with him.”

I yawned again.  “Lea forced me to go on the date.  She has this warped vision of us marrying best friends or brothers or something.”  I sighed heavily, “Tucker is nice enough, but he’s just not my type.”  I did not want to get into this with Shane.

“And you type is?”

“Not Tucker.”

We stayed on the phone until six the next morning, talking about everything and anything.  Nothing got too personal, and nothing even remotely provocative.  He spoke to me about his music, his songs, and his words.  I could have listened to him for another lifetime and then some more.  We stayed talking until my phone’s battery was beeping that it was about to die.  I appreciated the effort he was making to try to be a friend, I accepted the fact that it was a leap for him, but I was not caving in anytime soon and I hoped he realized that.  He never again mentioned that I owed him anything for saving me, but I think that it was unusual for him to lift a finger for anyone else besides his friends. He was more shocked than anyone that he’d done it.  I knew in my heart at the end of our conversation that I did need to repay him in some way.

When I sat up groggy the next day at three in the afternoon from the most exquisite dream I’d ever had; I knew exactly what I needed to do.  My unconscious mind had conjured up a sleep filled with me playing music, alone in never ending rapture.  I was going to audition for Shane’s band.  It would only be six weeks until Alex’s casts would come off and then I could go about my own way.  I wasn’t sure if there would be more trouble in store for Alex after his arrest, but I figured on the court system in the city to draw out any trials for years to come.  Alex most likely spent the night in jail and would be out the next day with only a desk appearance to show up to.  I guessed that in six weeks when his casts were off, he wouldn’t still be in jail or anything and he could just jump back in the band again.