May 2015
Shannon rolled his head on his shoulders as he waited next to his bike in the morning. He had forgone his normal morning coffee in an attempt to get on the road faster, but Callie had other plans. The night beforehand had been a strange one and he was just eager to get on the road and put this stupid village behind them. Henry was a total dick and it took all of Shannon's self control to keep from punching him in the face. But the last thing he needed was an assault charge; Jared had barely gotten over his DUI arrest.
He didn't sleep much and spent most of the night thinking about Callie and what he had done wrong. They had kissed before but last night he thought it was different. Of course he knew she was reacting to Henry's behavior, but he thought things would progress further. The feeling of her body against his had flown around his head all night and he tossed and turned, unable to get comfortable. His frustration had spilled over into the morning and all he wanted was to put some miles between him and this place.
When Callie finally emerged from her room, he barely said hello before getting on his bike and starting the engine. She said something to him but he couldn't hear her over the roar. They took off, heading south. The road hugged the coast for about an hour and a half before jutting inland slightly in Cambria.
"I've got to get gas!" Callie called over the road noise.
He nodded and signaled to pull off the highway. He found a gas station and parked at a pump, leaving space for her to pull in behind him. The station was mostly empty and he leaned against the pump as he waited for his tank to fill up.
"No coffee this morning?" she asked.
He shook his head. "Nope. I kind of just want to get back to the city."
She gave him a funny look. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah. I'm fine," he sighed, pushing off the gas pump and removing the nozzle from his bike. "I'm just tired." He paid and moved his bike so she could fill up.
She didn't push, so he figured he had given her enough of an answer. She was silent as she filled her bike up, biting her lip in a way that told him she wanted to say more than she had. It was times like these when he wished he couldn't read her as well as he could. The sun was peeking through rare clouds, casting shadows on the ground.
"I need a pee," she said, walking toward the convenience store without looking back at him.
He wasn't sure if she was angry with him or not. If she was angry with him, it wasn't exactly fair. She came on to him. She was the one who put up the boundaries. She was the one who crossed them. She was the one who stopped things. He was barely a consenting party in all of it. His mind was a shambles and he pulled his phone out to check his messages, hoping for a distraction. His search came up empty.
He did find a message from Jared asking him what he was doing later that evening.
I don't know. I'm on my way back home right now. I'll be back in a few hours. Shannon responded.
The speed with which his phone vibrated told him that Jared's assistant was typing and not his brother. It was common knowledge that Jared was terrible about responding to text messages.
Where are you? Jared (Shayla) asked.
Out of town on a ride with a friend. I'll be back later, though.
He didn't get a chance to see what Shayla had typed because Callie reappeared. "Ready?" he asked, trying to lighten the mood.
"Yeah. You sure you don't need a stop?" she asked, smiling as she pulled her helmet over her head.
He shook his head and got on his bike. They continued roaring through the hills, each mile bringing them closer to Santa Monica. The landscape turned a dull brown as they rode, passing shrubs and dried grasses. The ocean disappeared from view and they spent much of the ride in solitude. After a while, the ocean reappeared and Cayucos greeted them warmly. The smell of saltwater and sunshine overpowered the gasoline scent of the road and it was almost enough for him to pull over and jump into the waves.
They skirted the picturesque beach town, driving toward the mountains before finding the ocean again. Morro Bay was the last they saw of the ocean for some time. The mountains towered in the distance as they pulled into San Luis Obispo. The highway cut right through the bustling city and it shocked Shannon's system. He had been spoiled by the natural beauty of driving along so much empty highway that seeing the traffic build up in front of him actually gave him a headache. Compared to places like Gorda, San Luis Obispo seemed like New York City, nestled between mountains.
After battling highway traffic for about an hour, they were back out on mostly-empty roads as the highway cut through the mountains once again to head toward the coast. The got a quick glimpse of the ocean outside of Pismo Beach before the vista gave way to more fields and farmland. They continued to weave in and out of the hills and mountains as they moved south.
Callie pulled off the road for lunch when they got to Lompoc. They were seated and had ordered before she spoke.
"Are you ever going to tell me what your problem is?" she asked, toying with her straw.
"What problem?" Shannon asked.
"This morning - all day, in fact - you've seemed like you just want to get home and get away from me," she said. "So what gives?"
"Nothing's wrong," he sighed, looking out of the window.
"Nice lie. Try to hide it better next time," she deadpanned.
He sighed and ran his hands over his face. "Last night," he started.
"I knew it! I knew you were upset about it," Callie fumed.
"Callie, I don't want to talk about it," he replied.
"So you're just going to be silent for the rest of the day?" she scoffed. "Just tell me."
He looked at her square in the face. "I'm pissed about last night, alright?"
"What for?"
"You fucking led me on, knowing how I feel about you, and then just cut me off!" he exclaimed. "I don't know why you keep doing shit like that."
"Keep doing? That's the first time! And I told you, it was a mistake," she answered.
"First time? What about in Long Beach after we rescued Trio? At the vet's office?" he countered. "Callie, I don't think you realize what you're doing half the time," he said, shaking his head.
"I said I was sorry," she said. "We're friends and it was wrong of me to cross that line. I didn't think you still had feelings for me."
He shifted in his seat and shrugged again, but didn't say anything. No matter how many times he had told himself they were just friends, it really only took one look from her to take his attention again. He didn't know why it was so hard for him to keep her in the 'friend' category. He knew plenty of women he'd had casual sex with over the years who he had remained friends with and had no issues separating them. Why was it so damn hard with Callie?
"I don't," he lied. "Its just...you're a gorgeous girl. I'd be stupid not to react like that." He smiled, hoping it was enough for her.
She tilted her head. "If you say so."
"I do," he answered, sticking his tongue out playfully. His phone vibrated and he took it from the table.
Want to come by the studio tonight and hear a few things? Jared had texted.
Shannon sighed and put his phone down. He wasn't in the mood to listen to any of Jared's song ideas.
"Who was it?" Callie asked.
"Jared," he replied.
"Is everything alright?"
He nodded and sighed. "Yeah. He just has this idea about me coming by tonight and hearing some new shit he's working on."
"I thought he was in New York City or Toronto filming?" she asked.
"He is. He's apparently back for the weekend doing something in the city," he explained. "I guess he's starting work on the next album."
"Already? You guys haven't even finished with this tour yet," she said.
"He's always working. I usually just leave him be until he asks for me these days. Its easier," Shannon said.
"How come you aren't more involved?" Callie asked. "I thought the band was your idea."
"He has a certain way of doing things. And since his way works, we do it that way. He has the connections in the industry. He doesn't mind being the face of the band and doing all the work. So I just let him," he explained. "Its easier than fighting for creative control. He takes our input - mine and Tomo's - and that's enough for me."
"I don't know how he does it, keeping up with everything he's involved in," she said, a hint of awe in her voice.
He shook his head. "I do. He shuts everything and everyone else out and focuses on himself. He' never going to get married or do anything like that. He's too busy working for himself to give anyone else the same level of attention he devotes to his projects."
"Sounds lonely."
"It is. He gets so engrossed in these things that he hardly comes up for air," Shannon said. "Its sad to me that the person he is closest to is someone he has to pay to do the job."
"I thought you two were super close?" she remarked, watching the waitress walk toward them with a tray full of food.
He waited for the waitress to set the food down before talking. "We are. We were. Since he started acting again, he's been busier than he used to be. Its just harder to find the time, you know?"
"You have one sibling to keep track of - I have four. I feel your pain," she sympathized.
He chuckled. "He always says I'm his best friend, but I don't believe him. We spend too much time apart to be best friends."
"Sometimes spending time apart from your best friend is good. I mean, Aya and I are best friends and we live together and work together, but I don't have to see him every second of the day when we aren't at work," Callie reasoned. "Its nice to have some space from time to time."
"Yeah, the days of Jared and I living together have long since passed," Shannon smiled. "Its better for everyone's well-being if we both have our own spaces to return to at the end of the day."
"So you don't miss touring, then?" she asked.
He shook his head. "Not on a bus, no. Buses are always harder for everyone. Its a cramped space and there's bound to be some tension." He took a bite of his pasta. "I prefer it when we each get our own hotel rooms. Saves my sanity."
They ate quickly and got back on the road. Shannon had forgotten how much of the highway cut through the mountains. He had also forgotten how empty they were. Rest stops were few and far between as they wove through the hills. It wasn't until they reached tiny Las Cruces and turned toward due south that he started to catch a whiff of the ocean again. Gaviota greeted them right on the coast and once again, they were hugging the coastline.
They stopped for gas in Goleta and Santa Barbara and Shannon was tempted to call it a day to spend the day on the beach. They hit some traffic from UC - Santa Barbara as they got back on the highway and traffic continued as they got closer and closer to Los Angeles. Houses and little hamlets started to crop up along the highway, facing the ocean. They got bigger and grander as they crept closer to Malibu. Los Angeles traffic crowded the highway.
Malibu seemed tame when they came into view of Los Angeles. Callie invited Shannon to her place in Santa Monica and they pulled off before they got too far down the coast. He made note of Aya's car in the driveway as he parked next to Callie.
"Aya's home? I thought he'd be on some little trip or something," he remarked.
"I think he had a photo shoot," she explained. "Come on in," she smiled, walking toward the back yard.
She led him up a few stairs to the back stoop and unlocked the door. A clatter of toenails on tile greeted them as Trio came bounding toward them across the kitchen floor. His tail was wagging wildly as he wriggled around Shannon's legs.
"Hey, buddy!" Shannon exclaimed, bending over to pet the dog.
Callie took his bag from him and put it on the floor. "I'm just gonna go get changed. Help yourself to anything in the fridge," she said, walking out of the room.
Shannon watched her go as he pet Trio. The dog panted happily and whined, prancing back and forth on his feet. He walked to the vintage-looking teal refrigerator and pulled the door open. Glass bottles clinked in the shelves of the door and he took out a pitcher of water.
"Second cabinet from the window," a Scottish brogue said. Shannon turned around with a smile. "Hey man. Alright?"
Shannon gave Aya a warm hug. "Yeah. I'm good. How have you been? Enjoyed having the place to yourself?"
"Yeah. Its been lots of fun, actually. Just me and the beast," Aya replied, opening a cabinet and handing Shannon a tall glass.
Shannon poured himself some water and downed the whole glass in a few seconds. He looked Aya up and down. "Going somewhere?" he asked.
The Scotsman had on a nice button-down shirt and black slacks. A black tie was draped across his shoulder.
"Yeah. I've got a date," he answered.
"Nice. Anyone famous?"
Aya shook his head. "Nah. She's some up-and-coming model. We met at the photo shoot I did a few days ago."
"I remember those days," Shannon said with a wistful sigh.
"Remember what days?" Callie asked, coming back in. She was putting her hair into a messy bun as she walked.
"The days when Shannon could get any girl he wanted from a photo shoot," Aya said, moving over to hug Callie. "Have a good trip?"
She nodded. "Yeah. It was nice. I didn't know there were so many tiny little villages along the coast. We saw lots of really nice views. It was really beautiful."
"Sounds like you guys had fun. I'll have to go sometime," Aya answered, tying his tie.
"Where are you off to?" Callie asked.
"Hot date," Shannon supplied, putting the water pitcher back in the refrigerator. "Model."
She nodded in understanding. "Right. Well don't do anything I wouldn't do."
Aya scoffed. "You don't do anything on your dates. If I followed your advice, we'd just sit in my car all damn night." She shoved him playfully as he finished the knot for his tie. He turned to look at them. "How do I look?"
"Snazzy," she said, sticking her tongue out. "She'd be a fool not to jump your bones."
He swatted her butt and rolled his eyes. "There will be no bone-jumping tonight," he replied, walking to the counter and grabbing his wallet. "I'm not gonna fuck her on the first date."
"How considerate of you," Callie joked dryly.
"Right," he sighed. "That's me off. See you two later."
He grabbed his keys and walked out the back door. A second later, his car started up and the noise drifted down the street as he drove away. Callie looked at Shannon.
"I'm glad you suggested the trip," she said, leaning against the counter. "It was nice to get out of the city for a few days."
"I'm glad you had fun. I was a little worried you'd hate it," he chuckled nervously.
"Why? I loved it."
"We were kind of roughing it for the most part," he explained. "I thought you wouldn't like it."
"Shannon - I didn't care about that stuff. I actually wish we could have stayed a bit longer in some places," she smiled.
"Like Gorda?" he joked, raising an eyebrow.
"Dear God no. I'm never going back there again," she laughed.
"Maybe your friend will want to see you again," he nudged her, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
She swatted him and pushed off the counter, walking into the dining room. The table was covered in unpacked boxes and she went to move one but it was too heavy.
"Let me," Shannon offered, picking the box up with ease. "Where do you want it?"
"Living room," she said. "They're books for the built-ins."
Two short, white built-in bookshelves flanked the fireplace in the living room. He put the box on the floor in front of the fireplace and sat on the sofa. "I don't remember you having so many books at your place before," he said.
"They're Aya's. I told him I'd unpack a few boxes of his in exchange for watching Trio while I was gone," Callie explained. "He's actually a big bookworm."
"Never woulda guessed," he answered. He watched her for a few minutes before moving to the floor next to her. "Need some help?" he asked.
He took several books from the box and put them on the other shelf. He was surprised when he passed titles on French philosophy alongside books on marine biology. Aya was either really interested in a variety of topics or he had just gone to a used book store and bought a random box of books for decoration. Either way, he was impressed.
"Has he ever actually read these?" he asked, shelving a thick hard cover book on politics.
She shrugged. "No idea. We haven't really had a lot of down time since we moved in. We signed the lease and then we were in Greece and then I was with you. Its been too crazy to really settle down and figure out each others' habits."
"I don't think you'll have any issues," he replied. "You two are like two peas in a fucking pod."
She laughed. "I guess so. I mean, we get on pretty well. Trio likes him, so at least there's that," she said, nodding to the dog.
"Ah yes. We can't fuck up Trio's chi," he joked, making her smile.
They finished unloading the books and Shannon broke the box down and put in outside the back door. He grabbed a beer from the refrigerator on his way back to the living room.
"You didn't get one for me?" she asked in a joking tone.
He sighed, handed her his open bottle, and walked back to the kitchen. "You didn't say you wanted one." He sat next to her on the sofa when he returned. "So what's next for you guys? Filming?"
She nodded. "Soon. Probably in a couple months. My publicist is trying to get me this fashion campaign."
"Oh? Who is it for?"
"Tom Ford. So I doubt I'll get it. But we used a lot of his clothes last year on the show and I think it might be a decent offer," Callie explained. "It would come out right after Lullabye, in theory, so it would be great publicity. We'll see."
"A fashion campaign. That's a big deal," Shannon exclaimed.
"I'm not getting too excited about it," she shook her head. "I'm sure there are like, a dozen other people on the table as options. I'm not as well-known as many of them. It wouldn't make a lot of sense."
"So? I think you're smoking hot. They'd be stupid not to see that," he said.
She rolled her eyes and shook her head, taking a swig of her beer. "Well, its not up to you, so we'll see. I'm trying not to get too invested. One of those contracts could be a really big deal. I don't want to be disappointed."
He put a hand on her knee reassuringly. "Something will work out for you."
He sat back in the sofa and sighed, taking a drink and looking around. The walls had been decorated with a few new pictures that he hadn't seen before and assumed came from Aya's apartment. A Scottish flag was framed and hung near the front door and a welcome mat in Scotland's colors stood just inside the doorway.
Callie sighed and settled her head against his shoulder and they sat in silence for several minutes. "Do you ever go on dates?" she asked. "Or do you just hook up with girls?"
Shannon smiled. "I go on dates. I go on plenty of dates," he said, nudging her in the ribs. "A hell of a lot more than you."
She laughed and shifted away from him as he nudged her again. Trio sighed and walked out of the room, leaving them alone. "Are you dating anyone right now?" she asked, trying to fill the silence.
"No. I thought I told you. I'm free as a bird right now," he answered.
"Just in time for summer," she nudged him back.
He put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. "How come you aren't dating anyone?" he asked, even though the words tasted like vinegar in his mouth. "When we were in Greece, it seemed like you and Tom were really getting close."
Callie shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, when we were filming we kind of hooked up," she said. It was all he could do not to bristle. "And then again in Greece, we were together. But I just don't think he has the time for a relationship right now. And I'm okay with that."
"But are you seeing anyone else?"
She shook her head. "I'm okay with that, too. He can see other people if he wants. It doesn't bother me. Its not like we said we love each other or anything. Its just casual."
He blinked. "But I thought you didn't do casual sex? How is that different?"
"I don't usually," she said. "But Tom and I got to be pretty close while we were filming. I guess I kind of made an exception for him."
Confusion welled up in his mind. Callie had spent so much time emphasizing that she never had casual sex or hooked up with anyone that he assumed it was never a possibility. But now she was telling him about Tom and how close they had gotten?
"Closer than you and I are?" Shannon asked, struggling to hide his annoyance.
She shifted and looked at him. "What's wrong?"
He scoffed. "Only the fact that you've been dragging me along for months, flirting and making out with me and then shutting me down when I try to take it farther. And
Tom only has to spend a couple of months with you before you sleep with him."
"I wasn't aware my sexual activities affected you," she countered.
"Callie, you know I've been attracted to you since we first met!" he exclaimed in disbelief. "You keep teasing me and then shutting me down, telling me you want to keep certain boundaries up. How do you think that makes me feel?"
"So because you are attracted to me, you think you automatically deserve to have sex with me?" Callie asked incredulously. "Wow, Shannon."
He put his beer down and stood up. "Come on, Callie. Its not like that and you know it. I know you're attracted to me or you wouldn't be coming on to me like you have. I am pretty damn sure you don't make out with Aya every time he gets rid of a creep that hits on you in a bar. So what's the fucking deal?"
She sighed and looked at the floor. "Shannon..."
"Don't lie to me anymore, Callie. I'm tired of this back and forth shit," he said. "Tell me the truth."
"Its your age," she whispered. "Every time I find myself relaxing I remember how much older you are than me. I just can't get past it."
He looked at her in disbelief before walking through the house to the kitchen. He heard her call after him as he grabbed his bag and keys. His mind was running a mile a minute as he slung his bag across his back, pulled his helmet on, and kicked his bike to life. Callie appeared at the gate as he was backing down the driveway and her calls were blocked by the roar of the bike's engine.
Unbe-fucking-lievable, he thought.
All this time, he thought it was just because she wasn't into casual relationships - which he understood. In Hollywood, you had to be careful about being used by people who wanted a quick and easy leg up. But the fact that she kept giving him mixed signals was maddening. And all because of his age? As if Hollywood wasn't chock-full of older men with younger women.
***FASHION JOURNAL***
Tom Ford has tapped newcomer Callie Morrison to star in a series of new short films to promote his new Fall/Winter collection. The campaign will also feature Criminal Minds star Matthew Grey Gubler and will tell the story of a couple who meets at a masquerade ball in New York City and the adventure that ensues. Gubler has a history of modeling, having walked for major brands before landing his big break in Criminal Minds. Morrison has never modeled, however she has quickly made a name for herself as a fashionista with her earthy and practical choices intermingled with daring, look-at-me outfits. A Tom Ford spokesperson has not said specifically when the campaign will begin shooting, but did list The Bowery Hotel as one of the locations high on the designer's list.