Chris Donovan vs. Shane Lewis

Pix on the side: Shane breaks down.

Enjoy!

***

Chris Donovan had always been a forceful person. He'd had lots of criticisms from people because of this trait. But he'd never wanted to change that about himself. Ever. And for the first time in his life, he was happy he hadn't. If that forceful nature was going to help him find peace, then he was going to go all out and be forceful.

After coming out of his personal sanctuary two days earlier, Chris had vowed to get Shane to talk to him come hell or high water.  And he planned on achieving that through fair or foul means if he had to. He'd hired the services of one of the best private investigators the country had to offer. The man's task had been simple... Find out Shane Lewis' daily routine. When did he usually go out of his house? What time did he usually get back home? Chris had already found out where Shane lived. The house was big but had only one security guard at the front gate. Shane's back gate had no such security. The guy probably thought he didn't have enemies, Chris thought with a chuckle. Well, with his reputation for doing only genuine business, it was no surprise that the man thought no one would try to harm him. After all, most people didn't even know he was the Shane Lewis.

By Friday evening, Chris had all the information he needed. The best information being that Shane always drove into the house through his back gate because his garage was situated in the back. The electronically operated gate would slide up for Shane to drive in, and then would come back down immediately the car went through. Chris wasn't worried about how long the gate was going to take to come down because he planned on rolling in right behind Shane's car. Joining the military for a twelve month stint had not been for nothing, Chris thought grimly. What was the worst thing that could happen? Shane would probably catch him trespassing and hand him over to the police. Big deal!

***

Shane groaned as he sped home in his luxury Cadillac Escalade SUVafter a basketball match on Saturday. He had a group he played basketball with sometimes. He was good at the game...very good. But that day, he'd let his side down because his head hadn't been in the game. Shane had made silly misses that had surprised his boys because that was so not like him. He'd had to apologize to the guys after the game, explaining that he had a lot on his mind. It was just for fun anyway so the guys hadn't given him a hard time about it. But Shane had been pissed off at himself...and at Chris Donovan.

Since seeing Chris at that meeting on Monday morning, all Shane could do was think about Chris. He couldn't put a finger on what exactly he thought about...he just thought about the guy and that pissed Shane off to no end. Even on the basketball court, thoughts of Chris had intruded because Shane couldn't help but think of all those fun times years ago when he used to play basketball on the court in Chris' house. Shane groaned and tightened his hold on the steering wheel in annoyance. Chris was ruining the little fun he usually indulged in and that was not right. Shane was so upset he hadn't even waited to have a drink with the guys like he usually did. He'd just hit the showers and gotten into his car, lying to the guys that he had an appointment elsewhere. Thanks to Chris-fucking-Donovan, he couldn't even bring himself to properly hang out with his friend. As if that wasn't enough, Shane had to be stopped for over speeding. He hadn't even realized he was driving above the acceptable limit. Fuck!

As Shane got back onto the road, with a ticket tucked into his glove compartment, he couldn't help but curse Chris silently. What bothered Shane was not the ticket but rather the fact that he'd been careless on the road because he'd been preoccupied. He couldn't help but accept the fact that he was falling apart and he had no one other than Chris to blame for that. Shane was so angry he failed to notice the unfamiliar car parked just around his house. Though he was confident no one would want to harm him, he usually made it a point to note any odd or unfamiliar presence around his home. Shane parked in his garage and rested his head on the steering wheel, trying to calm himself down.

Shane raised his head after a while and instantly froze when his eyes went to his driving mirror. Was he hallucinating on top of his woes? He could see an image of Chris behind his car. Shane was positive he was hallucinating because there was no way Chris could have gotten inside his garage without being allowed in? It was all in his mind. Shane blinked and looked again but the image was still there. In fact it looked real. Shane had had it! There was only one way to know whether he was hallucinating or looking at the real Chris. Shane opened his glove compartment and punched in a code which opened an inner compartment. Then he reached for the pistol in there. The head of his security had insisted on hiding a pistol in each of his cars because Shane had insisted that he neither needed a bodyguard nor a chauffeur. Well it looked like after all these years, the gun was going to come of use. Shane got out of his car.

***

Chris' heart went out to Shane when he saw the way he leaned his head against the steering wheel when he parked his car beside a white Lamborghini Gallardo. It was obvious that something was bothering Shane and Chris hoped, with all his heart, that he wasn't the reason for whatever Shane was going through. He decided to wait till Shane got out of his car to talk to him...give him the chance to compose himself. Chris knew the exact moment Shane saw him through his driving mirror. He waited with his heart pounding as Shane got out of the car. Then he saw what was pointing straight at his head and froze. A pistol. Chris would be a liar if he said he didn't get scared when he saw the gun pointed at him. Who wouldn't get scared if someone who had every reason to hate them pointed at gun at them? But what terrified Chris even more was the look on Shane's face.

The look of utter desolation on Shane's face was heart-wrenchingly palpable. It was the look of a broken man. And as he looked at Chris, Shane begun to breathe harshly, his face scrunched up and his eyes welled up. Chris forgot about the gun.

"Oh God, Shane." Chris breathed as he felt goose bumps break out on his skin at the look on the other man's face.

Chris started slowly towards Shane, noting how the gun didn't waver even once but remained pointed right at his head. Then he heard it...the sound of the safety catch on the gun being released. The sound was pretty loud in the quiet garage. Chris knew Shane could kill him in an instant but he didn't really care if Shane took that shot at him. Hell, he'd tried to do it himself once because he deserved it. But he also knew deep down that Shane wouldn't shoot him. Chris just knew it. As he neared Shane, Chris saw the tears begin to slide down Shane's cheeks and felt his heart break even more. When he got so close to Shane their bodies were almost touching, Chris slowly reached up and took hold of the hand holding the gun. Then Chris gently pried it out of Shane's hand and pushed the safety back into place. What happened next, Chris would never forget.

***

For a moment, Shane didn't know where the sound was coming from. It was only when Chris grabbed him tightly and sank to the floor with him in his arms that Shane realized that the shockingly horrible sound was coming from him. Deep and desperate gut-wrenching sobs that were the buildup of years of pain and sadness tore from Shane's throat. Great heaving sobs, that sounded like they were coming from a wounded animal, shook Shane's frame. He'd never shed a tear since that night all those years ago. So the feeling was alien to him. It was painful and Shane wished he could stop. God knew he tried to stop but he just couldn't. After a while of non-stop sobbing, he finally heard Chris' voice saying how sorry he was, crooning softly to him, rocking him as though he was a little boy... It only made Shane cry even harder. He felt like he was dying. He clung desperately to Chris as though he were his anchor on a sinking ship.

After what felt like hours, Shane eventually quieted down. He noticed how soaked Chris's t-shirt was with his tears and couldn't believe how weak he'd been. Chris was the last person he should have shown any weakness to, Shane thought miserably. To think that the very first time he'd broken down after years of holding back...and it was in front of none other than Chris Donovan, the very person who had caused his misery...the very person he couldn't afford to show any weakness to. Just his fucking luck, Shane almost groaned. What was Chris going to think of him now? Shane pulled back from Chris' chest and looked up into his face, for the first time noticing how wet Chris cheeks were with his own tears. Shane pulled himself up and picked up the gun from the floor.

"You can show yourself out." Shane croaked and walked off.

Chris sat on the floor and watched as Shane walked away. He was saddened even more at the defeated and dejected way Shane walked. The Shane he watched walk away was nothing like the tough and proud business man the world knew. Shane was a broken man and it was all because of him, Chris groaned. He was going to leave Shane alone...just for that day as he'd seen the shame in the other man's eyes when he looked at him after falling apart in his arms. No need to emasculate the man further by hanging around. But Chris swore to himself that he was not going to give up. He planned on coming again the next day and every day after that till Shane talked to him. If Shane thought Chris was going to let him be, he had another thinking coming. Chris stood up and let himself out of the garage by simply clicking on 'open' on the consol. This was just the beginning.

***

And true to his resolution, Chris was at Shane's gate the next day which was a Sunday. He sat on the ledge on the side of the back gate and worked on his mini-iPad. This time around, he didn't attempt to enter the house. He couldn't have been able to anyway because there was a security guard at post. He knew Shane was aware of his presence because the security guard had come to ask him whether he wanted to see the boss.

Chris had shrugged. "Does the boss know I'm here?" He'd asked.

"Yes." Was the man's brief answer.

"And did the boss send you to ask me that?"

A sheepish look appeared on the man's face. "No."

"Did he ask you to remove me or send me away?"

"No."

"Then don't worry your head. I'll just sit here for a while."

And he'd sat on the ledge and worked for about four hours before leaving for home. The following day which was a Monday, Chris closed from work early because according to the private eye, Shane usually got home around four p.m. By half past three, Chris was on the ledge. He'd taken off his jacket and tie and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. When Shane eventually got to the gate, he drove in without looking at Chris. Chris watched till the gate came back down and went back to his iPad. And that was how it went for two weeks. Shane never once spoke to Chris but Chris knew he watched him from the house. He could feel Shane's eyes on him.

"You sure that's going to work?" Damon asked one day when he passed through Chris' office.

"If I have to do this for a whole year, I will. I don't want to pressure him by demanding he talks to me. But I'm sure not going to allow him to forget me."

"Trust me dude, I don't think he ever will. Not after that garage stunt you pulled. Guy will be looking out for you even if you're nowhere around. Why do you think he's now posted a security guard at that back gate? You're a psycho stalker, know that?" Damon chuckled. "He obviously doesn't want to take any chances."

Chris had told Damon about going to Shane's garage but had omitted the part about both of them breaking down.

"He doesn't have any choice but to talk to me at a point." Chris said with conviction.

Damon shook his head amused. "Dude should have shot your arse when he had the chance."

Chris laughed. "I've got to get going, jackass. It's almost a quarter past three."

"Come on Chris, it looks like it's going to rain. Do you have to?" Damon looked surprised.

"I want to, Damon. Besides, the forecast talked about showers and not a full-on down pour."

Damon shook his head with a look of incredulity on his handsome face. "All the best."

Chris chuckled. "Thanks. Regards to Tristan. And hey, don't tell him about my stalking tendencies."

"Sorry. Already did." Damon laughed.

"Ow come on, Damon." Chris groaned. "You know that mischievous husband of yours is never going to allow me to hear the end of this."

"Surprisingly, he supports your style." Damon said as he opened the door.

A smile brightened Chris' face. "Really?"

"Uh-huh." Damon said dryly. "Come on, the guy blew me in my office's restroom with his father not more than twenty feet away, just to make a point. He's nuts so will definitely understand what you're doing."

"Fuck." Chris chuckled. "You locked the door though, right?"

"What do you think? Talk to you tomorrow." And with an amused look at the silly smile on his friend's face, Damon left Chris' office.

***

Shane stood at his bedroom window and watched Chris. He really didn't understand the man. For two weeks, Shane would always come home to find Chris sitting on the ledge outside his gate. The man must be feeling very guilty for what he'd done to him if he would waste his time sitting outside his house, doing nothing for three straight hours every day. For a banker, that was something. Shane knew Chris was a banker. And from the look of how important Chris was in Damon Thomas-Reid's operations, Chris was obviously not just an ordinary banker. That didn't surprise Shane as Chris came from a wealthy home. It didn't take much to make it in life if a person was born with a silver spoon in their mouth, right? Well, important person or not, Chris' quest to stalk him was rather odd, Shane thought. But much as Shane felt Chris was stalking him, he appreciated the fact that Chris wasn't showing up at his workplace or inside his home as he'd done the last time.

Shane could still not believe how he'd broken down in Chris' arms. That had been bad. The only good thing that had come out of it was that he'd slept like a baby that night. Shane couldn't remember ever having such a good night's sleep. Had it not been for the insistent knocking on his bedroom door by his housekeeper, which had woken Shane up at noon the following day which was a Sunday, Shane would have probably slept till evening. Not only had his elderly housekeeper been worried that he was still sleeping at that time, but according to her, the security guard wanted to know what Shane wanted done to the respectable looking man sitting at his gate. 

Shane had gone to his window and to his shock, seen Chris sitting on the ledge in front of his house. What the fuck was Chris doing, Shane thought incredulously. His initial thought had been to tell the security guard to drive Chris away from where he sat. But on second thought, Shane had told him to let Chris be. He'd noticed that the security guard had still gone outside to talk to Chris but Shane hadn't asked the guy what was said. And for two weeks, Chris' silly visits had continued. Shane had become so used to seeing Chris there that when he'd gotten to his gate three days earlier and Chris hadn't been there, he'd been worried and surprisingly disappointed. He'd stood at his window and looked out till he saw the familiar Jaguar park and Chris get out. Shane had released a sigh of relief and then watched as Chris got on his usual perch. And when Shane felt the smile on his own face, he'd groaned and left the window, angry at himself. Shane hadn't gone back to watch Chris again that day. Chris was getting to him and Shane didn't like it one bit.

As Shane watched Chris this time, sitting at his usual spot, he couldn't help but admire the man's spirit. But hey...that was Chris, Shane chuckled as he turned away from the window. Chris had always been a go-getter, had always done exactly what he believed in. Some things obviously never changed, Shane laughed softly to himself. Just as he was about to enter his study, Shane heard the unmistakable sound of rain. His eyes widened in surprise at the sound because he definitely wasn't expecting any heavy rains.

"What the fu..." Shane rushed to the window and lo and behold, it was pouring outside. The forecast had said there was going to be showers and not a heavy down pour. "Chris... Shit!"

Shane flew out of his study and out the door without thinking. All he had in mind was getting Chris out of that rain. He opened the gate and dashed out, getting drenched within seconds. When he saw an equally drenched Chris sitting with his face on his knees, probably hiding his face from the onslaught of the rains, Shane shook his head in disbelief. The guy could have simply rushed to his car instead of waiting to get drenched, Shane thought exasperatedly.

Chris heard the gate open and looked up to see an equally drenched Shane gesturing with his head for him to come in. He got off the ledge and followed Shane inside to a very beautifully decorated cozy den. 

"Go in there." Shane said pointing to a room beside the den. "There are towels in the bathroom and clothes in the closet." Then Shane turned around and left.

By the time Chris came back into the den, a changed Shane was standing in front of the fire place, staring into the fire. The huge projected screen was on the news channel.

"Thanks." Chris said quietly.

Shane nodded and gestured to the bar. "Get yourself a drink." Shane said, not taking his eyes off the fire.

Chris placed his iPad, which had remained dry in its plastic pouch, on one of the side tables. Then he went to the bar and poured a glass each of cognac for himself and for Shane. He went to give the drink to Shane and gave a slight nod when Shane murmured his thanks. Both sat down and drank in silence whilst watching the news. Very soon both glasses got empty. This time, Shane went to bring the bottle of cognac to the glass table between them and filled their glasses. The rains continued to pour outside. Though each man stared at the screen, they couldn't hear a word the newscaster was saying as their minds were filled with thoughts about each other. When the bottle got empty, Shane went to bring another bottle but didn't sit back down because his cell phone started to buzz. He went to stand by the window and spoke quietly to whoever was on the other end.

When Shane was done talking, he remained by the window with his back to Chris, lost in thought. There were two people he wanted to strangle that very moment...the silly weatherman for giving a wrong report and himself for not exercising restraint. He wanted to punish himself because he should have known better than to go charging to the rescue of Chris Donovan. But then if Shane had known it was going to rain, he would have been prepared for what had happened and wouldn't have spontaneously dashed out like a fucking good Samaritan. Shane congratulated himself on his outward calm because inside, he was totally confused and shaken.

He was supposed to be furious at Chris but what Shane was feeling at that particular moment, was very far from anger and it worried him immensely. Being that close to his childhood sweetheart was bringing up emotions and feelings that Shane didn't know he still had. Unfortunately, and against Shane's will, those feeling seemed to rather increase by the minute. He couldn't help but watch Chris whenever Chris was looking away from him. Shane had watched the way Chris walked, sipped his drink, tilted his head sometimes, ran his fingers through his close cropped hair...every little movement reminded Shane of the Chris he'd known and loved. What scared Shane most was the sudden stab of desire that flashed through him and left him aching when he saw Chris lick his lips at a point. Maybe it was the alcohol or even the rains but the feelings running inside Shane were all jumbled up...in a sweet and disturbing way. Shane didn't plan on making a fool of himself twice in a row. First, by breaking down in Chris' arms, and secondly by possibly throwing himself at Chris. Hell no...that wouldn't do at all. Shane knew what he had to do. He had to ask Chris to leave. After all, the rains had diminished to showers...

***

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