FicWad

Chapter Four

Shannon saw Jared come in, his attitude had changed and he immediately wondered what had happened outside. He got up off one of the couches and made his way across the room.

"Hey, you alright?" He asked privately, not wanting anyone to hear their conversation.

Jared seemed to snap out of his stupor and looked to his brother with slightly furrowed brows. "Yeah, I'm alright." He replied.

"You sure?"

Jared contemplated telling him, needing for the moment someone to confide in but immediately he retracted the idea. What with how Shannon had let loose to Emma about what was going on, he couldn't have that happen again. Besides it had only been some girl, nothing else, could have been anyone. He was just acting crazy.

"Yeah, of course I am. You seen Emma?"

Shannon nodded, although it was obvious he didn't exactly believe what Jared was saying. He gestured towards a small group of people by the bar anyways.

Jared smiled a little and walked away from Shannon's side.

Shannon watched him take a hold of Emma gently and tell her something in her ear. She nodded with a sweet smile and they walked away together. He emptied another drink and heavily sighed. He was going to have to face the rest of the night alone...

He loved how delicate she seemed resting back against him, his hands running through her blonde hair and the quietness of her breathing all that he heard. He smiled to himself forgetting then everything that had happened earlier and everything that had been scaring him of late. She always had that effect on him. He had never thought something like this could happen for him. He had gone from girl to girl, not feeling much of anything until he had seen her walk through the office doors her first day on the job.

"I don't think that Shannon will like us leaving like we did..." She said softly with a small laugh accenting her words.

He smiled and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "He'll survive. He has to someday right?"

"He's always so quiet..."

"Always has been..." He replied, thinking then of that one time he had seen Shannon release all the anger he had been feeling. Almost instinctively he lifted his hand to his neck and sighed.

A moment passed before Emma lifted herself up and leaned over Jared. She smiled a little down at him, watching his blue eyes watch her. "Have you ever been in love?" She asked, lightly touching his face where his facial hair roughened his skin.

"I am right now." He replied, placing his hand at the back of her head and bringing her down to kiss him.

She laughed a little and pulled away. "I mean before us...Have you ever loved anyone else?" She grew serious then, watching the way the night danced in the blue of his eyes, making out every slight movement of his features hoping they didn't mean anything deeper.

He held her gaze for a moment, trying to push away the memory that filled his mind at her question. He let a faint smile appear on his lips and then he shook his head.

She let her gaze linger and then she smiled. Unsure if she believed him. She had seen a flicker of something in his eyes and had grasped onto it, coupling it with what Shannon had told her earlier. Did that mean it was doubt?

Jared made to kiss her but a pounding roused him into a sitting position. Emma looked startled as she moved away from him. He made a small gesture for her to be quiet despite the racing of his heart. He thought of the drive bys, those pictures. But this was Emma's house, certainly whoever it was wouldn't come here.

Again the pounding sounded and he stood up off the bed. He heard her call his name but he didn't answer, he only made his way downstairs waiting to see what the hell it was...