Love Is Not The Enemy

DON'T LIE

Cari's PoV

"Cari?" Shannon turns around out of breath from running down the empty, dark sidewalk, "Help me up!"

I look up at where she's pointing to and laugh as she walks up to a huge three. We have been filming for probably an hour already. Ryan just follows us around with his camera, while Shannon and I do what we felt like doing. Ryan and I haven't made a plan, figuring it would seem more authentic and real if what we filmed actually were real moments between Shannon and I. Until now Ryan had just filmed us running down the streets, jumping on each other's backs and something that could remind you of dancing down the sidewalks. The most drastic thing, I would say, we have done so far is probably kissing in the middle of the road not even caring about the headlights coming towards us full speed. Only for us to run out of the road laughing when Ryan comes to pull us away from each other.

"Up in the tree?" I chuckle and run over to my girlfriend who nods with a wide smile gracing her features and lifts her arms up to get a grip onto a thick branch.

I shake my head in amusement and crouch down a little to be able to push her up. With only a little trouble Shannon sits herself down on the branch and smiles widely down at me, making it impossible to not smile back.

"Here" Shannon says and reaches her hand down towards me, "I'll help you up."

"I'm not going up there" I tell her and turn towards Ryan who is standing a little away from us with a concentrated look on his face and a camera held in our direction.

"Please?" Shannon asks and juts out her bottom lip when I turn to face her again, knowing I can't resist her pout.

I think for a second before nodding with a slight smug smile spreading across my lips, "Fine."

She sends me another wide smile and reaches her hand a little further towards me. I bite my bottom lip and take her hand in mine, before looking up to meet her eyes. Shannon moves her free hand to hold onto the branch and pulls slightly on my hand.

"And down you go!" I laugh and pull her down from the tree, causing her to fall into me and push us both to the ground.

"Cari!" Shannon yells but the smile is still very much so present in her voice as she lifts her head up to find my eyes.

"I told you I wasn't going up on that" I tell her and wrap my arms around her neck from underneath her.

"Why?" She pouts and lets me pull her back down on top of me, laying her hand down on my shoulder.

I lay my cheek against her forehead to hide my face from her sight as I close my eyes and run my fingers though her dark brown hair, "You know why."

"But it wasn't even that tall" Shannon whispers into my shoulder and moves her arms to wrap them around me.

"The one in the park isn't much taller than this one" I state calmly and exhale shakily as I brush her hair out of her face.

"But we were seven" Shannon replies and tilts her head up slightly to meet my eyes.

"It doesn't matter if I'm seven or sixty-seven, I can still fall off" I tell her and swallow deeply before continuing, "and I don't really need another broken shoulder. It's the worst fucking thing ever."

Shannon pouts at me and lays her head back down on my shoulder after pressing a light peck to my cheek, "You're right, I'm sorry. But I still don't understand why you chose a neon green cast, it was so big and so... green."

I laugh and turn my head to face her, resting my forehead against hers as pictures of my seven-year-old self with my entire arm and the back of my shoulder trapped inside a huge neon green cast fills my mind, "It was either that, or neon pink" I state as if it's obvious and place my hand on her cheek lightly, "obviously baby Cari would pick green."