Shane stood still listening.  Shane had a few ways of approaching this, honesty, her new policy was just what she was going to use.  This was going to rock her world.

            “How about dinner?  A real date?  A movie?  I don’t have to ask when to pick you up since we are already living in the same house what do you say?”  Shane asked her voice even and calm.  Nothing at all like what she felt at the moment, scared beyond words or reason.

            “What?”  Sam spun around facing Shane.  Her thoughts a jumbled mess as her mind ran in circles.

            “Dinner?  Movie?  Both?”  Shane said again and Sam grimaced.

            “Coffee, tea or me?”  Muttered a stunned Sam, Shane leaned forward with a laugh in her voice.

            “I didn’t catch that.”  Sam waved it off, zipping the duffle bag in one swift motion.

            “Ok, fun and games are over.  No more patronizing the *****.”  Sam said thickly and she finally got the courage to meet Shane‘s honest gaze.

            “I am not playing.”  Shane answered her eyes serious.  Now it was Sam‘s turn to be nervous and caught off guard.  Shane stepped towards Sam and she reached into the pocket and pulled out the ring that Sam had thrown onto the deck.

            “This is yours.”  Shane took Sam‘s right hand and slipped the ring back where it belonged.  Shane‘s hands were anxiously sweaty flying totally on instinct.  “Now that it’s back in its rightful place…”  Shane paused, looking at Sam‘s stunned look as she stared at her hand.  “You shouldn’t forget her or replace her with anyone even me.  I couldn’t fill her shoes even if I tried.  I don’t want to.  I want to be something different, with you.”  Shane stopped talking all the speeches that she’d rehearsed in her head were gone now, and all that really great material was thrown out the window.  It was just her, Shane, talking or lack of talking. 

            Shane let Sam‘s hand go and walked to the door, leaving Sam with food for thought on her plane ride to Pittsburgh. 

***** 

            “I just think that we should go out.”  Ivan said, trying to touch Kit.  She pulled away from Ivan‘s touch.  Ivan sighed; Kit had been antsy all the night before.  She hadn’t wanted Ivan to touch her last night.  There was a sudden rift between them.