Chapter 4: Adrian

Adrian slept fitfully. He'd had a hard time falling asleep after Shae had agreed to go out with him. His mind was filled with thoughts of their upcoming date: what to do, where to take her. When he finally did fall asleep, Adrian had the strangest dream...

He dreamt that Shae had invited him over to her house for a party. Her whole band was there, and everyone wore their swimsuits despite the fact that there was no pool.

When Adrian awoke, he treated himself to a plate of waffles and reflected on his odd dream... Swimsuits?


"That's it!" Adrian exclaimed aloud, "I'll take her to the beach!"

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The next few days seemed to pass at a snail's pace, even though Adrian was kept busy.

He'd had an invitation from the CEO of Doo Pea's to go and evaluate the work of a few of the up-and-coming artists the company was holding a show for.

He'd also done some renovations for Carmen Morganti, a local vampire. 

The way she ogled his neck made Adrian uncomfortable and he swore that was the last time he'd be doing any work for nosferatu.

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Tuesday finally arrived, and Adrian went to pick up Shae. When they arrived at their destination, Shae was ecstatic.

"I haven't been to the beach in ages," she told him as they stood in the shade of a particularly tall palm tree. "Are those see-saws?" Shae exclaimed, looking over her shoulder.

They were indeed. Adrian had a blast acting like a kid. He also enjoyed simply being in Shae's presence. Her exuberance made everything seem like a thrilling new experience.

While Shae was freshening up in the ladies' room, Adrian took the opportunity to get started on dinner. He hadn't used a grill in some time, and hoped his skills were up to par.

"Dammit!" Adrian cursed, after flipping a hot dog a little too enthusiastically. He looked around, but Shae wasn't back yet. 

By the time they finally sat down to eat, the sun had begun to set. They soon fell into an easy flow of conversation.

"She's so easy to be around," thought Adrian after they had finished their meal. "It feels like I've known her for ages."

Out loud, he said, "Why don't we go sit by the water and watch the stars?"

"Why Mr. Dawson!" Shae replied in her best imitation of a southern drawl, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were attempting to seduce me."

Adrian laughed as they headed closer to the shore.

Once they were seated, Adrian entwined Shae's hand in his. She didn't seem to mind.

Soon enough they were staring up at the stars, trying to point out constellations. So far, Adrian was winning.

"I can only ever find the big dipper," Shae pouted.

Adrian chuckled, "Why don't we go for a walk," he said as he rose, pulling Shae to her feet.

But Shae had other ideas, as he soon found out.

The moment her mouth was on his, all rational thought fled Adrian's mind. There was only Shae, her touch, her warmth.

Before he knew it, they were both naked and doing a lot more than kissing.

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"Why don't we go back to my place?" Adrian suggested once they had finished and were again fully clothed.

"I'm sorry Adrian, but I can't," Shae replied slowly as she pulled him into a hug. "Tonight was wonderful," she whispered in his ear, "Let's do this again soon."

Adrian didn't see the brief look of melancholy that flashed across her features before she turned and fled into the night.

He wanted to call after her, but somehow he knew she wouldn't turn back.

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It had been a few days since their date and Adrian hadn't heard from Shae. He thought about calling her, but he sensed she needed to do things on her own terms and had therefore refrained. 

In the meantime he tried to distract himself by drawing some new designs. It wasn't working very well, and Adrian was about to give it up for the night when his phone rang.

"Adrian?" Shae's voice held a note of concern, "We need to talk."