Chapter 11

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Shannon was feeling stupidly excited about meeting up with Joe again, she knew she was being ridiculous, he was her ex but she couldn't wait to see him. Deliberately she'd suggested they could meet at her apartment, and she was a little bit surprised Joe had agreed without hesitation.

She spent an hour getting ready, teasing her hair and making sure her makeup was immaculate. As she surveyed her appearance in the mirror she suddenly felt deflated. What was she doing getting all dressed up as if she was being taken on a date? She was such an idiot.

She walked through to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of wine grateful she wasn't working the next day. She sat down, almost instantly relaxing as the alcohol hit her system although she knew the relief was mostly in her head.

She grabbed her phone and looked at her facebook notifications while she waited for Joe, then idly scrolled through her newsfeed. Her ex had updated his profile picture to yet another selfie of him with his girlfriend Natalie, the pair of them holding cocktails as they smiled for the camera. She took another sip of her own drink as she studied them more closely, bitterness washing over her. Her former friend and her ex-boyfriend, talk about a cliche.

Before she could fully descend into the depths of self-pity there was a knock at the door. She stood up, adjusting her dress and plastering a smile onto her face.

'Hey come on in,' she said opening the door to Joe, and her face relaxed into a more natural smile as he looked down at her.

'Hiya,' he said handing her over a bottle of wine and she was glad he was on the same wavelength. She put the bottle to chill in the fridge and got him a glass of wine from the bottle she'd already started.

'So what's Katherine doing tonight?' she asked as she led him through to the living room. It seemed odd for him to arrange to meet her on a Friday evening when surely they should be doing coupley stuff?

'She's going through wedding preparations with my mom,' he said with a half smile.

'So why aren't you there?'

'You never did beat about the bush,' he said with a laugh. 'I'm not there cos at the end of the day they're gonna do what they want. If I go I'll be piggy in the middle and referee. It's a no-win situation.'

Shannon nodded, she didn't know about Katherine but she could well remember how intransigent Joe's mom could be 'Right so you're here with me instead?' she asked raising an eyebrow.

'I guess.' He gave her a boyish look.

She sighed taking a sip of her drink. 'Is there something you want Joey?' She was old enough to know a man didn't ditch his girlfriend to spend time with another woman by accident.

'No, not really, I mean I wanted to see you,' he said almost stumbling over the words.

'But why?' she asked twirling her hair around her finger. 'I'm happy to be friends but this seems a little odd, don't you have better things to do on a Friday night?'

'Don't you?' He threw the question back at her.

She took a gulp of her wine and looked at him directly. 'No Joey I don't. I'm a very single woman facebook stalking my ex!' She laughed and then realised Joe might think she meant him. 'I split up with Mark over a year ago, I really should stop it.' She cringed but Joe didn't seem to notice.

'I can't really be bothered with social media,' Joe said clearing his throat. 'But that doesn't sound very healthy Shannon.'

She bristled at the criticism, if that's what it was. 'I do know that,' she said her voice sharp. 'But maybe I like to remind myself that I did the right thing in dumping him.'

Great, now she sounded like a bitter bitch.

Joe reached for the wine bottle and topped her glass up. 'You can talk to me, about anything.'

She let out a sigh. 'There's not much to tell really. We split up, and then very shortly afterwards he got together with what I thought was a good friend of mine. Very shortly after.'

Joe frowned. 'But you dumped him so why would you care?'

Shannon snorted. 'You're a typical guy, you don't get it.'

'Well maybe if you explain,' Joe said his brows furrowed.

Shannon shook her head, no way would he understand if she told him the whole story. 'I guess I just felt betrayed by them both since Mark supposedly didn't want to split up, and I'd been confiding all my relationship woes to Natalie.'

Joe nodded and Shannon breathed a sigh of relief that he didn't press her any further. 'So anyway, what's your excuse for staying in on a Friday night? And don't say it's to avoid the stress of wedding preparations.'

He drained his glass as he contemplated her. She took the glass from him and topped them both up emptying the bottle. 'I don't know,' he admitted. 'But when I heard you slept with Donnie...'

'What!' she exclaimed her face heating up. 'He said that? I don't believe him!'

Joe frowned. 'He didn't exactly say that, he implied it....he said he stayed the night.' He slapped his palm to his forehead. 'Typical Donnie, trying to wind me up.'

Shannon scowled. 'Yeah he slept on the sofa you're sitting on. Donnie knows I've just come out of a relationship, I'm not ready for anything like that,' she huffed still feeling indignant.

'You said it had been a year,' he reminded her.

'Yeah a year, big deal, you don't know what I went through.' She tried to swallow down her irritation.

'Sorry I jumped to conclusions,' he said sheepishly. 'Like I said, he was probably trying to wind me up.'

'But why would that wind you up?' she asked tilting her head to look up at him.

He drained his glass, buying time. 'I don't think he's right for you, he's my friend but I don't think you'd be good together.'

'And that's all it is?' Her tone was slightly mocking.

He moved closer to her on the sofa. 'Well what do you think it is?'

'You tell me,' she said taking another sip of her drink to avoid his gaze. He groaned looking away from her momentarily.

'I don't know what it is Shan,' he said using his old name for her. 'The thought of you with Donnie, I don't like it.'

She looked at him closely, she felt a thrill at his words and she told herself not to be so stupid. She wasn't a teenager anymore, and he was off limits. 'Is that because he's your best friend and you don't think I'm good enough?' she asked disingenuously.

Joe groaned. 'I think you know that's not what it is.'

'Right,' she said slowly biting her lip while her heart raced.

'It's not right though,' he said inching closer to her. 'It's not right at all.' But still, he lifted her face towards his and kissed her. She opened her mouth so he could deepen the kiss, and he pulled her closer, almost crushing her against him.

'Oh my,' she gasped as they finally broke apart. 'I don't think you ever kissed me like that before.' She was literally shaking, and yet she wanted to jump into his arms again. God knows what he was thinking.

He raised an eyebrow. 'I've done quite a bit of growing up the past few years.'

She nodded not trusting herself to speak.

'I want you Shannon, from the moment I saw you at that party....' She noticed he avoided saying the engagement party. 'And seeing you tonight, looking like this, don't tell me you're not thinking the same.' He reached a hand towards her, trailing his finger along the neckline of her dress and she closed her eyes trembling.

'But Joe...' His lips met hers again, more softly this time, and she let him kiss her. Well, she wasn't the one in a relationship. She pressed herself against him, her hands running down his chest noticing his muscles were a little more defined than she remembered.

'Oh god,' she said pushing her palms against him and trying to put some space between them. This was wrong.

'God won't save you now,' Joe said with a wicked smile before he kissed her harder.

'I always did think God was in your corner,' she gasped trying to squirm away from him again. 'Joey, please.'

He stopped, holding her under him. 'What's wrong?'

'What about Katherine?'

He paused looking at her slightly confused. 'I've already cheated. By coming here tonight, I've already betrayed her.'

'This will make it even worse,' Shannon said but she wrapped her arms around his neck, and no way did she want him to stop.

'Shut up Shan,' he said hitching her dress up. 'I know how much you want this.'

Her body trembled against him. She opened her mouth to object but no words came out, and in seconds his mouth was on hers and she was kissing him back. All thoughts but what he was doing to her were driven from her mind.

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