You & I [Kier/Shane]

Chapter Thirty-One - Shane

Shane’s POV

Releasing a soft whimper I watched as Kier left the kitchen, the sound of the front door slamming moments later signalising that my boyfriend was no longer on the premises. I sighed, sniffling slightly at the mere thought of him being angry; it was my entire fault.

“T-There was no need to shout.” I croaked out, head bowed while I stared down at my hands, unable to bring myself to meet Drew’s gaze.

“Yes, there was.” Drew mumbled, listening out for the sound of the patter of footsteps as I mapped out where my friend was going; back to his mug of tea. “He was being stupid.”

“H-He didn’t do anything wrong.” The majority of the time I’d smile and nod along with Drew’s opinion, finding no strength in me to argue back with him; However, this time – this time he was crossing the line. “K-Kier only wanted to help me; H-He shown me the breeze.”

“And almost caused you to have a panic attack.” The smaller blond countered, causing me to sigh in slight frustration; he was too overprotective.  

“D-Drew, please…” I breathed, attempting to calm myself; I couldn’t handle any more raised tones. “I-I liked it; I-It was cool and s-soothing.”

Lifting my head I was met with the concerned stare of my friend, leaning his back against the counter while he made eye contact with me.

“Shane, you’ve been dealing with his too long,” He mumbled, determined to keep to his own opinion, but I knew his tone was failing him. “You need to take things slow.”

“And I am.” I insisted, drawing out the syllables long to plead my case. “I don’t want to be afraid anymore, Drew. I want to be able to go out and meet people… a-and go to concerts with you and Kier and smile; I just want to be happy.”

Drew’s expression fell into a small, sympathetic smile before he slowly approached me, pulling me into a gentle hug.

“Okay.” He whispered, causing my eyes to lighten from the previous pain they were holding. “I’ll support you.”

I returned the hug at his words, squeezing him slightly.

“You.” He repeated. “Just you; not him.”

My eyebrows rose at his statement, yet I didn’t push it. Drew appeared to have had issues with the redhead from the start, for reasons unknown to everyone except himself, and I wasn’t about to start yet another spat with him over it. No matter how much it frustrated me.  

Eventually we both pulled back, smiling softly at each other before Drew tapped my arm before returning to his cooling beverage, while I shuffled from the room. Taking a quick glance in each room of the lower floor I trudged up the stairs disappointed; Kier still wasn’t back. With a soft sigh I entered my dimly lit bedroom, closing the door gently behind me before glancing around in boredom. Without Kier I had no idea what to do with myself; nothing seemed even moderately interesting to me. Sitting myself down on my bed, I stared around my room, a small frown on my lips while I chewed on the inside of my left cheek. I wasn’t entirely sure how long I was sat there for, thinking of everything and everything, including about what on earth I should do while sat up here alone; I was simply wasting time until Kier returned.

The exact moment my bedroom door was pushed quietly open, a large grin formed on my lips, my cheek sore and ripped but I couldn’t bring myself to care. My redheaded boyfriend entered the room, a soft smile on his lips as he approached me and sat at my side, pulling me into his side.

“Hi,” He whispered, causing my cheeks to tinge pink at the single word.

“H-Hello,” I replied timidly in a replicated tone, leaning my body against him slightly while gazing up at him with sparkling eyes of happiness. “I-I... m-missed you.”

Kier released a gentle chuckle, leaning downwards to peck my lips and winking as he pulled back, which managed to make my cheeks blush even more. “Really?” He breathed. “I missed you too.”
My smile widened, unknowing why someone like Kier would miss me, but I appreciated the emotion.

“W-Where did you go?” I asked softly, merely curious. “I-I’m really sorry about Drew… I-It was rude of him.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Kier shrugged my apology away, not appearing too bothered by my friend’s cruel words anymore. “I went out to get you something; I know you probably don’t want my help anymore, but I really think it’ll help a little.”

I shook my head, timidly leaning up to kiss him gently in comfort; His help was the only one that worked anymore. “W-What is it?” I asked, wanting Kier to know I was willing to try.

“It’s a surprise.” He grinned, moving from the bed and taking my hand, gently pulling me beside him.

“K-Kier, I-I’m not really a fan of surprises.” I mumbled, yet I received no answer as he pulled me downstairs and back into the kitchen.

In front of the door leading towards the garden stood a wooden easel, a large canvas resting on it while a small table, covered in assorted art supplies, was placed on the side near a stool.  

“What’s all this?” I mumbled confidently, turning my head to be met with a beaming Kier.

“I know you like arty stuff so I thought I’d get you this.” He grinned, appearing proud of his purchases.

I approached the table slowly, smiling gently down at the numerous supplies Kier had bought, giggling a little at the thought of someone buying these items purely for me, yet I didn’t understand why.

“K-Kier, I appreciate it; I really do, but-” I was cut off by a gentle ‘ah!’ from Kier.

“Listen, Shaney, I’m doing this because I want to.” He replied, moving over to me and pulling me into a gentle embrace. “I care about you a lot and I want to support you as much as possible, okay?” I nodded, managing a small smile.

“B-But how is this going to help my fear of leaving the house?” I mumbled; I had art supplies in my room, there was no need for all this.

“By staying in the house you’re in your comfort zone, right?” I nodded silently at his soft words. “Well, if we can slowly bring you outside, but keep you somewhat in your comfort zone; it might work.”

My smile broadened while I nodded along with him, still a little clueless of how this would work but if it involved art and made him happy; I was up for it.

“I know you’re more of a ‘skulls-and-other-creepy-things’ type guy, but scenery is something new to try, right?” He mumbled, causing my smile to drop.

“I’m painting the back door?” I asked, a little disheartened at the thought; there was nothing interesting about our back door, I can assure you.

He nodded, kissing my forehead with a smile before continuing. “Each time you paint here, I want you to take a step closer, okay?” He asked softly, causing me to nod slowly, still not quite understanding. “Paint what you see from that point – no close ups – and eventually you might be able to do it from outside.”

My eyes lit up in realisation, my smile gradually reaching my eyes as I leant upwards and met my lips with his; It was perfect. I might just be able to do it.