Joe was up surprisingly early to go for a run on Saturday morning. More than anything he needed to clear his head. Katherine looked startled when he appeared in the kitchen and she offered to join him on his run.

'You're still eating breakfast,' he pointed out as he filled his water bottle.

'I can be ready in half an hour,' she said and he held in a sigh.

'I'm ready to go now, and besides you slow me down.' He smiled trying to take the sting out of the words.

'Oh ok,' Katherine said looking a little disappointed.

He ignored the guilt that was clawing at him, telling himself there was nothing wrong with wanting a bit of space from your fiancee or a bit of time to think by yourself. He grabbed his keys and set off at a slow pace, allowing his thoughts to turn to Shannon.

He'd known all along it was risky to meet up with her, that his motives were questionable. When he'd seen her sitting in the bar it was like the past seven years were nothing. Even though she'd changed she looked the same to him, she had the same smile that he'd always thought was a combination of shyness and slyness. He'd expected her to feel like a distant acquaintance but she hadn't. Almost instantly he'd relaxed into their old relationship, enjoying her teasing him.

He sighed and began to pick up speed. He loved Katherine, of that he was certain, and he was going to marry her. They were perfect for each other and even Donnie's mocking didn't have him questioning their relationship. And yet he was thinking about Shannon. Common sense told him he was feeling nostalgic; even if he'd been single he knew they'd never get back together. Shannon had dumped him after all. For a long time he'd refused to think about her but now he let his thoughts drift back to that fateful call.

'Shannon, finally you've answered,' Joe said relief in his voice. She'd been impossible to get hold of lately, and even his messages had gone unanswered or had the briefest of replies.

'I've been busy Joey.' Her voice sounded strained.

'Are you ok babe, you sound tired?'

'Yeah I've got a lot on, and I've had a lot of stuff to think about,' she said drifting off. Something about her tone put him on edge.

'Stuff like what?'

'Well, me and you, being so far apart...we're like on different planets,' she said. Somewhere deep inside him, Joe knew what was coming.

'It'll be summer soon, we'll be together then.'

'It's about more than that Joey,' she said her voice breaking. 'There's too much distance between us now.'

'What are you saying?' However he knew the answer.

'I want to break up,' she said and started to cry. She was saying more to him but he couldn't make her words out between the sobs.

'Well I don't want to break up,' he pleaded cutting her off. 'Why don't we wait till the summer, see how we get along when we're back together.' He hated how desperate he sounded.

'There's no point Joey, it's over,' she said, and he realised he was crying too.

'Shannon please...'

'Joey I can't do this,' she cried. 'I have to go, we'll talk another time.'

Joe had let her end the call and despite him sending a few pleading messages she'd never got back in touch. They'd met briefly at a party during the summer and she had acted like he was a stranger. He'd been so hurt he didn't attempt to contact her again.

He slowed down the pace of his running, he had to stop thinking of the past. Katherine was his future. Shannon was his past. He'd moved on a long time ago, there was no going back. He repeated it like a mantra as he picked up his pace again.

~~~~

Shannon heard her phone beep and almost ran to check it. Feeling slightly disappointed she saw she had a message from Donnie.

Hey do you fancy meeting for dinner tonight? I'll pay ;)

She contemplated the message, if Joe hadn't told her Donnie was interested she'd have assumed it was an invitation from a friend and would have readily accepted. Now she wasn't so sure. She liked Donnie and would hate to ruin their friendship by getting involved, and yet she remembered Kelly's advice. She had to get back out there sometime.

Ok if you're paying hee hee

She hoped her jokey reply wouldn't give Donnie any kind of expectations, whatever happened she didn't want to rush in. Donnie made arrangements to pick her up at eight and she told herself to look forward to it.

~~~~

Shannon felt a little apprehensive as she got in Donnie's car and she kind of hoped Joe had got it wrong. She had to admit that Donnie was handsome but she'd thought he saw her as just a kid, which of course she had been when she was seventeen and he was twenty. Sometimes he'd flirt with her but it had been very tongue in cheek.

'So how come you're taking me out tonight?' she said lightly. 'I thought you were normally fighting the girls off.'

Donnie's mouth twitched. 'I don't know where I got that reputation from.'

'Yeah you do,' she laughed twirling a strand of hair around her finger. 'I've never known you not have a girl and probably half a dozen in reserve!'

'Nah that's just the impression I like to give people, I'm a lot more serious these days.'

She looked at him doubtfully, she suspected he was the kind of guy who liked the chase more than anything else. 'So what's your longest relationship been?'

'Nearly a year,' he said sheepishly.

'Donnie that's no time at all!' she spluttered.

'I know but it's not for lack of trying.'

'I think you do too much trying,' she said teasing him.

'So what about you, what's your longest relationship?'

She chewed her bottom lip. 'To be honest, it's Joey. That's bad, isn't it? I was better at long-term relationships when I was a teenager than I am now.' She didn't understand how that had happened, and it made her feel regretful.

'You and Joe were kids, that doesn't even count,' he said almost dismissively. 'What's been your longest relationship since then?'

She looked down. 'About two years, we split last year.'

'Ok you beat me,' Donnie laughed. 'So how come it didn't work out?'

'I'm not sure, we got on great to start with. We worked together so that probably helped with all the travelling....' She wanted to tell him to stop with the personal questions but she suspected her awkwardness was more due to Joe saying he liked her.

Donnie chuckled. 'Don't tell me he was a pilot?'

'No he was an air steward like me.' For some reason, Donnie seemed to find that hilarious. 'Anyway, the first year was great but the second less so,' she admitted. 'We started having disagreements cos we wanted different things in life.'

'Oh, like what?'

'Well I wanted to have a family eventually, I still do, and he wasn't sure he'd ever want kids so it was a pretty big issue.' Now there was an understatement.

'But Shannon you're only young, in five years time you could start a family and he might have been on the same page by then,' Donnie said his brows furrowed.

'Yeah I know, but if he hadn't have been I'd have wasted five years, and anyway I knew he never would be,' she insisted.

'How could you be so certain?' Donnie asked.

'He had very set ideas.' Right down to almost dragging her to the abortion clinic, she thought bitterly. 'I had to cut my losses.'

Donnie nodded. 'I guess you knew best.'

'Yeah, it's hard though.' After she'd had the abortion her boyfriend had assumed everything would revert to normal, however for Shannon everything had changed. She wasn't sure that she'd made the wrong decision but the pressure he'd put on her had changed her feelings forever. She'd known if they'd stayed together her resentment would only grow until she hated him.

'Anyway, how come your big relationship ended?' she asked lightly, keen to turn the attention back on him.

'I guess I didn't feel strongly enough for her,' he admitted looking shamefaced. 'After a year she was wanting to move in together and make all these plans and I wasn't feeling it.'

'So you ditched her?'

Donnie paused for a moment as if contemplating. 'Well I wouldn't put it like that, I did like her but I didn't see us growing old together. Like we'd hang out with Joe and Kat and you could see they were serious and we were just having fun.'

Shannon smiled softly. 'Yeah they're totally loved up aren't they?' She hoped she didn't sound jealous.

'Totally boring more like,' Donnie laughed.

'You don't like Katherine?' Shannon sensed a degree of animosity.

'She's ok, not much sense of humour though,' Donnie said carefully. 'She needs someone to help her lighten up.'

'And Joey can't?'

'Well he hasn't so far, I think they're too alike. I mean he can be a bit dull sometimes can't he?'

'That's not true,' Shannon said feeling defensive on his behalf. 'We used to have fun together.' Until I blew it.

'Yeah, you and Joe did cos you brought out that side of him. You two were much more compatible.' Shannon frowned, if Donnie was supposedly interested in her why was he talking about her and Joe like this?

'I'm sure Joey would disagree with you....'

'Yeah but only cos he's set himself on this path to get married and he doesn't know how to get off,' Donnie said his eyes meeting hers.

'Well that's his problem, it's not our place to interfere,' Shannon said unable to hold his gaze.

'No I know,' Donnie said with a sigh. 'But he's making one hell of a mistake...'

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