Hear the Birdies {Shane}

[MONA LISA SANDERS]

Something about kneading dough was soothing, maybe it was the fact that essentially, she got to beat the stuff into submission. Kept her violent- HA!- tendencies at bay. But that was negated by the fact that she had to get up so frickin’ early in the morning. Cheese and rice, but three o’clock was a ridiculous hour. Even for her, and she was a morning person. Too bad she didn’t trust anyone else to do it correctly, or she could’ve passed it to one of her two little minions. Ah well. If she wanted something done right, she had to do it herself. As per usual. That was always the rule, huh? Her high ponytail bobbed and swayed a smidgen as she smushed- technical term, that- and rolled the dough into submission. Gosh, but it was this process that reminded her of Rosa, almost more than anything else. She missed her Italian mama, often, and her family, but she tried not to let it bother her, usually. She’d been without them for… almost a year and a half now, so she should be used to the ache, but it still pulsed at her every now and then, longing. Oh M, don’t pretend it’s just Rosa you miss… Her wicked- but correct- brain whispered at her derisively, pegging something she didn’t often like to settle on for long. She missed Shane. More than anybody else from her Italian life, she missed Shane.

Mona liked to think that it was a good thing that they had left before she ever got up to a bigger volume of unrequited love for him. The kind that would make her stupid enough to say something about it. No, no, it was much better that she had pined from afar. He’d paid her sweet attention, and even though it was definitely purely friendly, she couldn’t help but warm toward him. Oh sigh and gag Mona, stoppit, and get your ass back to work. Her internal voice wasn’t very kind to her, but it did point out truths to her, and force some awareness into her head that lacked sometimes. She got lost in details occasionally, and her inner self grounded her. Like now, it made her see that she’d stopped kneading, which was unacceptable. Bread wouldn’t beat itself. A few hours later, her arms were beyond sore, and her loaves were rising, just waiting to be baked by the minion who would arrive later, an hour or so before the bar opened. With a roll of her shoulders, Mona washed her hands, cleaned her stations meticulously, and locked the door behind her, ready to go home and sleep.

Her trek home took her across the park and then down the street before she got to the little house she shared with her mom, and was usually uneventful. Nobody was up at that hour of the morning, usually, unless they were runners. It was about seven-thirty or eight by the time she got out of the bar, and sometimes she liked to sit on a bench and watch the sunrise, if she got a chance. Today happened to be one of the lucky days. Sipping from a travel mug she’d prepped before she left- warm tea with honey- she picked her favorite seat, listening to the birds and looking east, waiting for the sun to come up. She had no idea that today was lucky for more reasons than she would even begin to realize in that moment.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
clicketh for clothes!

[SHANE OWEN VENDETTA]

[style=width:400px; height:200px;background-image:url(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/CowGurl_345/ALEX%20GASKARTH/REMb400x200.jpg);]

i'll remember you always, so much has changed


but it feels like yesterday i went away

shane was actually quite surprised when he woke up this morning and realized he was actually early. shane vendetta was never early with waking up, he was that lazy italian dude who stayed in as long as he possibly could since musicians never had early gigs anyways, since which insane fans would ever go to a concert early in the morning? that's right, nobody would. so why he had decided to wake up early today was beyond him, but shane would learn that later on he would not really mind at all. so what did people do when they woke up early right? what could they do with the insane amounts of time they had? he just stumbled out of his bed and slowly got dressed, everything at his own pace, the way he always did. just a shirt, some jeans and of course a beanie. shane always wore a cap or a beanie, he rarely ever walked with a bare head. it was how he was, for some reason, he really didn't get it, but it was who he was.

going downstairs, shane was careful to not wake xan up, because hell then there would follow a lot of punishments and normally shane would be completely up for that, but now he just wanted to get out and enjoy the early morning and probably even the sunrise. the shapeshifter hardly ever witnessed a sunrise, so it was something special to him. and it was absolutely beautiful. shane appreciated all beauty in his life, even if he would not get out of bed for it on a regular day, but the days he'd witness it, he'd appreciate it even more, it would be special. gliding his guitar over his shoulder, because since when did shane go anywhere without one of his beloved instruments? that's right, never. this guitar was a new one, the one he had called rachelle after he had bought her at phil's store. the day he had met judas sagar.. judas, the shy, guarded merman who was so different than shane himself was. they were like polar opposites and yet shane felt himself being more attracted to the guy than he had felt in a long time. and it was scary. in fact, it freaked him the hell out.

because shane was not that person. he loved and then left, always polite and kind never sneaking on out on people because that was rude, but that was what he did. and if they could handle that, they'd become fwbs, possibly, but his attention span did not often last that long, as horrible as that sounded. shane was easily distracted, easily occupied with other stuff, and honestly, he forgot about his hookups quite easily, unless they were with friends. and then to imagine that shane had not even made a move on judas yet. he was just an interesting guy, he was fascinating and shane wanted to know more. it was just not what he did. the polarbear shifter took what he could get and anything that required some effort was hardly ever worth it. and he could sense that a guy like judas would mean a lot of effort, so why was he still interested? it made zero sense to him really, but for now he was just going to not pay attention to it for now. for now, he was just going to enjoy the beautiful start of a new day. he got into wailman's park and glid the guitar around so that he could hold it in his hands and actually play, his fingers casually gliding over the strings as he walked on, like nothing was going on at all.

"I've been searching for some love and affection
But there's nobody giving me that kind of attention
I'm alone, ooh, I'm alone

Can't help thinking that there's somebody missin' who
Could hold me and please me till I'm tired of her kissing
I'm alone, ooh, I'm alone"

[/i]

his voice echoed through the empty park and honestly, he would probably have been walking the same way, singing, if there had been a 1000 people around. the brunette just didn't have any shame at all, he really didn't give a single fuck about what people thought about him. hell, he had gone through the streets dressed up as captain america for xan, he'd do it again for anybody else, hell he'd dress up as anybody for a dare. he did that stuff, because he didn't care. people were just people, really. the song was not really something he was feeling, alright sure, he wanted a woman or a man at night, but they could be gone in the morning again for all he cared. shane just did not like to sleep alone, he hated it. it fed his fears and his worries about his dad and he just.. he hated it. hence why he usually had people staying over. friends, hookups or xan, he rarely slept without anybody besides him in the bed. he just couldn't take it. but suddenly in the middle of his song, his stream of conciousness stopped, and he even stopped playing. where his eyes deceiving him? was that really who he though she was? a big grin spread across his lips as he slid his guitar back to his back again, and calling out to her. his childhood friend, and one of his best friend. one of the girls shane could truly miss. "mona!" he called at her, before racing beeline towards her and lifting her up in his arms, twirling her around in a bearhug like only shane could. when he put her down again, he was still grinning from ear to ear. "it really is you. what are you doing here, bella?" he asked, amazed but definitely overjoyed. one of the hardest parts of leaving italy, had been leaving this girl behind. and now she was here. lucky day much?

outfit | this song

[/div]

[/style]

[/div][/center]

[MONA LISA SANDERS]

Oh, she loved her walk home. She’d always been a morning person. Maybe it was genetic, ‘cause her mommy was too. Always getting up early, getting a little breakfast, doing a little yoga, before doing her whole ‘getting ready’ thing. It turned out to be a strength, given her chosen profession. Some people found it annoying though… Made her a touch sad when they picked on her for it, for absolutely no reason, other than spite. What was so wrong with being happy in the morning? The sun shone, the birds chirped, and the air smelled wonderful, not tarnished by all the heat and people yet. It wasn’t that Mona had anything against either, but she certainly had her preferences. She wondered if those preferences would’ve been different if she’d grown up with a different name, or a different skill set, or a different- but there was no point wondering about that kind of thing. She was who she was, and that wasn’t going to magically change. Hopeless romantic, Disney movie lover, spunky chef, firetamer wonder-girl, eidetic memory brain child, and mommy’s girl. And she was more than okay with all of those things. Occasionally, she just wished that other people were too.

She’d had a few people in her life who were, at points in her existence. High points. She’d been cooking, having a few friends, her Italian family… Definite high points. Then things had sort of spiraled downward. It wasn’t a big deal, anymore, as she tried to be fairly positive by nature. You learned to look on the bright side when life handed you a big ol’ box of crap. At least you could grow flowers. That kind of thing. Now though, Mona was resettling into a routine, making a couple friends, helping her mom. Nothing was perfect, but that wasn’t a deterrent to her good mood. Especially when the sun was shining so brightly, encouraging a smile that- while she didn’t know it, wouldn’t have ever guessed- probably would’ve rivaled, and beaten the glory of the big star. The firetamer wondered just what kind of bird was chirping so fetchingly this morning, before she heard the singing. Singing to rival the pretty little bird. Who the hell was up this early, and singing, besides her? Her bright green eyes roved the park, looking. Because what her flawless memory told her was true just couldn’t be. God, maybe she’d had him too much on the brain recently, if she was hearing him from nowhere. Well, maybe it was just in her head then. That was possible. Right?

Nope. Her name, called out in that voice that made her want to cry from missing him so bad, made her whip her head around and choke on her tea. Sweet Helen of Troy, it was Shane. In the flesh. Her large, beautiful Italian of an unrequited love. Oh mercy.Merci. Thank you, but how was that even possible? Her brain was trying to make giant leaps, trying to rationalize the impossibilities and do the mathematic improbabilities while she coughed hard enough to bring tears to her eyes. Thank goodness she was done by the time his long- really long, really great- legs finished carrying him in her direction. She couldn’t even get up off her butt, as great as her shock was, but that didn’t dissuade him at all, because he scooped her right up off her bench into a hug that melted her whole body, made her feel warm and protected and safe, just like it always had. He twirled her like she weighed absolutely nothing, and she just held on, holding him like she couldn’t believe he was real. Tears pricked her eyes, but she was better than that, smiling like a loon as he pulled away from her, asking her the most obvious, really pressing question, making her chuckle. Right to the point, her Shane. Well, he wasn’t hers, but ya know… And did she mention how much she loved the way English sounded, coming from him? With the endearments and the accent, she was getting a refresher course in why she’d fallen for him in the first place. Damn… She was doomed. She’d thought she was safe after he’d left, she was wrong.

’Yeah, um, still me.’ She grinned softly, a touch bashful and floundering. But she was so comfortable with Shane, despite the way he made butterflies swirl around and through her stomach that it didn’t last too long. ’I live here, silly. This is home, for me. The better question is, what’re you doing here?’ She swallowed, and almost pouted when she finally pulled back from him all the way, knowing that she shouldn’t extend the hug into that ridiculous time frame. ’Still singing like some kind of rebel angel, I hear. And since when did you become an early riser, Shane? You and sleep are like… tighter bffs than you and your guitars.’ A pale eyebrow arched in amused confusion, because last she remembered, her feisty Italian had been nothing short of grumpy if he was up before, like, ten o’clock in the morning. And even that was pushing it. Wait… shoot! She’d done it again, calling him ‘hers,’ even just in her head. Really needed to stop doing that, like pronto.

[SHANE OWEN VENDETTA]

[style=width:400px; height:200px;background-image:url(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/CowGurl_345/ALEX%20GASKARTH/REMb400x200.jpg);]

i'll remember you always, so much has changed


but it feels like yesterday i went away

in italy everything started late. everybody started late, there was no need for early rising, you still had all day and night, time enough and if you needed more time, tomorrow was yet another day. it was chaotic and slow, but if you were born in that rhythm it was hard to not to go with it. even if you were as hyperactive and ADHD-like as Shane was. It was where he had gotten his laidback nature from, if something didn't work out today, then you could try again tomorrow and all that stuff. he didn't judge those who did want to rise early, it just wasn't for him and that was why he was so surprised to see himself up at this hour, since he never was. shane was definitely not a morning person, he was an evening person, when he had fully woken up an was ready to bounce around on stage and be the goofball he was when they went out, drinking and partying. he was typically italian with his chaotic nature and though he was definitely more active than his fellow country men were, he didn't get that from his father, because the russian man had always been stiff and cold, something his jubilant, buckets-of-sunshine mother had mistaken for shy and attractive. shane's father was far from that everybody knew it by now. it was the main reason they had had to flee.

he hadn't brought much with him, only his guitar and his clothes, but no personal possessions from home. the shapeshifter hadn't had many of the them, he had only taken a picture with his best friend, mona. she was the one thing he had regretted leaving behind, because with her he had always felt home, like he could be as crazy and nuts as he wanted to be, and yet she wouldn't judge him and love him anyways. maybe deep down inside shane had known about the crush she had on him, but even if he did, he had chosen to ignore that fact and just have fun with her because he cared so much about her. for shane himself it was hard to depict what exactly it was he was feeling, since he was pretty convinced music and his dog were his only love, and his attention span was way too short to notice anything after that. he loved he left, if the sex was really good you got to come back, but most of the time that didn't happen, he was very free with all of that.

but somehow mona had always felt a little 'his'. Just like music would always be a big part of him. mona was an amazing woman and he had missed her every day he was here. sure, he would admit she wasn't on his mind every day, but that didn't mean he didn't think about her. because he definitely did think about her. which is also why the big smile came upon the big giant's face when he saw her, why he raced towards her and swirled her around like nobody's goddamn business, because he had missed her. god he had missed her so so much. when they stood again, shane took a second to swirl his eyes up and down her body, more to see what had become of her than anything else, and approvingly whistled between his teeth, a bright, playful grin evident on his face. "well well, look who's finally grown up. when did you become so hot hmm?" like said before, shane had absolutely no shame, he could say such things and even wink with it, which in this case he also did. "bella donna, i've been living here for quite a while now. we moved here after we left italy, which is why i'm still here." he said, feeling how easy it was to slip back into his italian english drawl, which somehow girls had always found attractive. when she commented on his sleeping behavior, shane chuckled, but did have to point out one thing to her. "nothing is tighter with me then my guitars, mona, you should know that." he said with a wink, grinning amusedly, but did continue to answer his question, shrugging his shoulders. "questa è la vita, just happened, you see? right now i don't feel that bad about it. so what were you up to, la mia bella minuscola?" the italian words kept flying out now, but shane didn't care. neither did he care that is was goddamn early and he was all hyped up. he realized that had he gotten up later, he probably would have never seen mona again. so as the movie title once said, la vita é bella. life, it's wonderful.

outfit | sorry this is such a crappy post bby, i kept falling asleep x.x

[/style]

[/div][/center]

[MONA LISA SANDERS]

Would her traitorous body ever learn that Shane really wasn’t hers? Seriouslyyyy. It lit up like a stupid firecracker whenever the man was within touching distance of her. Which, if she hadn’t had a very good handle on her firetaming nature, could’ve been a literal translation. And that would’ve been bad. She didn’t even know if Shane was supernaturally-inclined, let alone if he knew about firetamers. There were just… so many things wrong with her having her ridiculous crush on him. Didn’t stop it, though, never had. Not even when they’d left the country. Instead, it’d just morphed into a dull ache. But at least she didn’t think about him every single day of her life anymore. Especially not when she had bigger things to worry about, that weren’t her almost-nonexistent lovelife. Like her mommy getting sick.

Gawd, that had come as a painful sideways blow to the small blonde. She’d cried and cried and cried, for days, after her mom had told her, over the phone, what the doctors had said. Worse yet, she’d had nobody to hold her when she did it. She’d missed her Italian familia something awful those days. Sure, they couldn’t have changed anything, but their very existence would’ve comforted her. Would’ve made her feel less alone in those months it had taken her to get back to the States. But she’d found some more of her spine then, sucking it up and doing whatever it took to get her ass home, and helping her mom however she could. The little chef had found a good job, and while it wasn’t enough to have anything left over, it covered the bills, and that was alright for them. They managed. They got by. And they attempted to kick cancer’s butt every single day. It even seemed like it was working. Mona could only hope. And keep hoping until her body gave out. Kinda like it was doing now, all boneless and smushy ‘cause Shane was holding her like she weighed absolutely nothing.

Until he put her down, setting her on her feet like something precious, and ‘surveying the damage,’ so to speak. The whistle he let out surprised her, and she felt a hot blush rise in her cheeks at the comment, eyes quickly seeking the ground while she swallowed hard and laughed, softly. ’You’re so silly, Shane, honestly. I was mostly grown up when you left, come on now.’ Her blonde hair shivered slightly as she shook her head and took a small breath, daring to look up into his face again. Yes, she had completely ignored the whole ‘hot’ comment, knowing that her pretty Italian was inclined to pass out compliments to people he liked. It was a European thing, she was convinced. Her fingers ran through the ends of her hair for a moment, a slightly-nervous gesture, mostly because it had been so long since she’d seen him. But she was quickly getting over that, recalling how easy it was to just be around the tall man. He’d always called her sweet things… still did, it seemed. She’d missed that. Made her smile like a star.

’Shane, are you telling me you’ve been here for years? Seriously? I had no idea…’ She shook her head in genuine shock. ’I didn’t know that you’d gone to America, bello, let alone my hometown. Why, of all places, did Mama pick Manuka?’ The firetamer just slipped back into it like she was made for it. His mother had always been her ‘Mama’ just like her mom had always been ‘Mom,’ or ‘Mommy.’ Her bottom lip slid between her teeth while she nibbled on it, still thinking, listening to the pretty, natural Italian in his voice slide over her ears and down her spine. Oh, she had missed that too. She hadn’t realized how much until she started speaking to someone who was genuinely Italian. A happy little sigh left her at the sound, and she smiled softly, taking to teasing him about the hour of the day, rather than focusing on the unlikely logistics of it all. ’I know, Shane, I know. ‘Twas a joke, carino. You and the guitars, like… heck, I don’t even know. Is that a new one I see?’ Her head tilted as she angled herself to look behind him, just a little, and spy the fanciful guitar over his shoulder. One she didn’t recognize. And if she didn’t recognize it… it meant she’d never seen it. Like she’d almost never seen her large Italian up and about at this hour. Which he essentially waved off in that way he had, as if it meant nothing. But now… well, now it meant a lot to her. She might never have run into him if not for the unusual happenstance. And she was glad he ‘didn’t feel that bad about it.’ She chuckled and rolled her eyes.

’I should hope not, trouble. Sheesh. Way to make an old friend feel special. ‘Mona is now one step above sleep, but still below guitars.’’ Her laugh was light and playful and only a little mocking before she answered his inquiry, internally squirming with happiness at the endearment, though she knew that was just something he did, not necessarily unique to her. Still ‘my tiny beauty,’ was something any girl could feel good about, coming from this man. ’I just got off work, Shane. For a little while, anyways. I was making bread. You know, early morning activity. This is my walk home.’ Her small shoulders shrugged as she nodded down the path, indicating her route back to the house.

[SHANE OWEN VENDETTA]

[style=width:400px; height:200px;background-image:url(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/CowGurl_345/ALEX%20GASKARTH/REMb400x200.jpg);]

i'll remember you always, so much has changed


but it feels like yesterday i went away

shane always failed to notice it when people had a crush on him, it just flew right past him, since he didn't think about that stuff. no shane focused on what he liked and he could easily find out if he was liked back, and then it would be over quickly. but the guy he currently had an interest in, judas sagar, was a whole different kind of something that kept him flying back like some kind of boomerang, no matter how often he was semi-rejected. the shapeshifter could feel there was something there, he knew it and it made him come back, made him continue to try there where normally he would have already given up. maybe it was shameful to say so, but shane did not work for what he wanted, if it ran away from him he shrugged his shoulders and continued without it, knowing there were so many other things to enjoy in life, that mourning over that one thing did not make sense, not to him. he was pretty easy with all of that, he wasn't materialistic at all and didn't care about money or stuff. but judas.. judas had got him hooked and he just wanted to find out what it was about that pesky merman -besides his good looks of course- that caused shane to swing back every time like some sexually frustrated boomerang. and the weirdest part was that it wasn't even about sex anymore, because shane was as far with the realization that with judas he wasn't going to get that yet for a very long time and it didn't seem to matter. shane was making an effort for something, and he did not know why.

the shapeshifter had always known about the supernatural world, about all of it, so it was funny that he did not know what mona was, whether she was just a human or something else. he didn't know, they had just never talked about it, and a shapeshifter is not something you see so easily. mona aged though, so he did know that she was a mortal being, which was good because it made him able to strike a lot of things from his list already. honestly it truly didn't matter that much which species she had, because she was his mona, and whatever she was, he loved her anyways. he didn't know how she felt about him, honestly he had no clue because his mind was so full of other things, mainly judas, but she was his best friend and he didn't know what to do without her. leaving her had been the one thing he regretted the most, the one thing in his life he would re-do if it had been possible. he would take her with him this time. but being stuck in the past was never something the shapeshifter did, nor did he look at the future a lot, he was more the 'no day but today' kind of guy who just enjoyed his life, even if he wasn't part of the rich jetset or could earn more money by working somewhere else other than pursuing his music career, hell, shane didn't care. he did what he loved the most with people he loved a lot, and it was fine. everything was good in his life currently and he didn't care that he wasn't mr. rich hotshot, because money and stuff just didn't seem to matter to him that much. he was rather poor, and yet he was probably more happy than so many of those rich people. striving for money and materialistic things just seemed to shallow and silly to him. it wasn't who he was.

an amused smile formed on his lips as he noticed the blush on her cheeks as he 'checked her out', seeing how she had become after all those years. oh mona, who was always so awkward and yet amazingly cute. his adorable mona. she always seemed so bright and joyful, always glowing. he didn't register that that was mainly around him, but he liked that about her. it was like he had his own little ray of sunlight to always cheer him up, which was also what she used to do, those sporadic times that he did feel down, mona was the person he went to. the only person in his life who he would tell everything to, the good and the bad, and he realized how much he had missed her now that she was back. "and still you grew an awful lot." the italian boy said with a nod, grinning teasingly at his blonde, american friend. "Non lo so, carissima, we just had to go somewhere. it's more a coincidence, i think. she'll be glad to see you though, mama missed you an awful lot." shane continued, watching her as she fiddled with her hair, shaking his head at her with a grin, before reaching out to take her hand away, tucking her golden locks behind her ear. it was true, his mama had felt about mona as if she had been her own daughter, and leaving her behind was something she too had regretted an awful lot. so seeing her again would truly make her happy. "and what are you doing here, cara?" he asked her, looking down on her as he glid his other hand along her face to tuck the golden hair away on the other side. "you really because very beautiful. bet the men are all over you now huh?" the boy added with a wink, stepping away from his best friend again, his eyes lighting up as the conversation shifted to his guitars.

"Yes, this is a new one, carina, but don't you worry, you and guitars can share the first place." the boy said with a grin, running a hand through his brown hair as he dropped himself down on the bench, patting the seat besides him. it had been so long since he had seen her, he wanted to catch up so bad. "making bread? why don't you tell me what you've been up to so far huh? when did you get here?" he had so many questions, but it was mainly to make her stay with him a little longer, because he couldn't help it. "i really missed you, bellezza."

outfit

[/style]

[/div][/center]

[MONA LISA SANDERS]

More than once, her mother had called her ‘sunshine in a bottle.’ Mona had always giggled, quickly explaining to her mom that she wasn’t a bottle, and didn’t live in one, so how in the world could that be? A ruffle to her hair would follow, then a kiss to her forehead, and a rolling of her mother’s dark green eyes. It sort of became one of their private jokes. It was one of the things they’d done, right before Mona had gotten on the plane to Italy. To a different kind of life. One where she actually had some friends, and a goal, and a crush and well, lots of things that she hadn’t had in her hometown. Things that she’d missed as soon as she’d returned. Things that were practically epitomized by Shane Vendetta, who fate had tossed into her lap on her walk home from work. What were the chances? Shane had called her ‘sunshine,’ too, and that was probably one of the first things that had drawn her to him, besides the fact that he was just too pretty for his own good. One of those people you just couldn’t help but notice, no matter what they were doing? She’d actually stared at Shane, the first time she saw him, like a wide-eyed tourist. He hadn’t noticed, thank gawd, because he’d been distracted by somebody legitimately more appealing, and a plate of pasta as big as his head.

A little part of her had always been impressed and pleased that Shane could eat like a horse and not gain a pound. It meant that she could just keep feeding him. You know, after they got to the point where she trusted herself enough to feed anybody besides herself and her class. But that first time she’d met Shane, it had been at some house-party Mama had been throwing, and they’d glossed over the introductions of new people. Mama had merely pointed all the people out by name, and then yelled that she was Mona, and they had better be nice or… something. Her Italian hadn’t actually been that fluent at that point. But it was a threat, and people had honored it, being welcoming and sweet to point that shocked her. It had warmed the small firetamer though, making her feel more at home than she’d been anywhere else. Home enough to keep coming back, whenever Mama offered, and building a friendship and crush on Shane that just kept growing. He did the sweetest things, without even trying, he said the best sentences, without meaning to. And Mona… she’d just fallen, head over heels. With no regard for what he was, and every regard for who he was.

It seemed strange, that she didn’t know for certain that he was or wasn’t human. She knew the signs for a great deal of supernaturals, but some- most, even- flew under the radar. So her lovely European could’ve been any number of things. All she knew was that he was perfect. At least, to her. Kinda oblivious and a little nonchalant and blasé, but those things made him perfect too. She didn’t quite know what she’d do if he was more structured (it likely would’ve been too much, coupled with her own), or more observant, actually noticing things, like how he made her swoon and shine all at the same time. Oh, he saw that she shone like the sun, but didn’t see that it was mostly for him. And now, now he was noticing that she’d ‘grown,’ actually making her blush a bit and shake her head like she didn’t know how to behave around him. ’I was pretty much the same height then, Shane. It’s only been like, a couple years.’ It had felt like eternity, and while she could name the precise amount of time that had passed, down to the minute, that wasn’t necessary, and she knew it. The amount of time he had been right here, in her hometown, living a life miles away from her. His plain explanation did nothing to help her feel less like she had wasted all those precious moments in Italy. Yes, she was that crazy about him and his family and her mother, that she would’ve given up Italy, the place where she actually felt comfortable, to see them again. She met those eyes of his, frozen, as he tucked her hair away, before she melted, leaning into his touch, eyes slipping closed for just a little bit, savoring. A happy, deep sigh left her, before she answered him. ’Happy coincidence. And I missed her too. So much. I gotta see her soon. Where does she live or work or…? Something?’

She nibbled her lip, because she’d almost asked him where he lived. Ha. But the two had always just gone hand in hand in her head, so the words had almost succeeded. Instead, she’d managed the right thing to say. And so did he, asking her why she was there… Her stomach clenched and so did her hands around her cup, and she looked at the ground. The blonde swallowed hard, and told him the truth. She always told him the truth. Some part of her couldn’t lie to him. ’Um… My mom got sick, so I came home to help out.’ It was the short answer, but to keep going, looking into that face that cared about her would likely make her cry. So she stopped there, halting the little flood, and shrugged, joining him on the bench, a different set of emotion making her speechless, shaking her head again. ’Nah. But grazie tanto, for the compliment. Nobody’s all over me, silly. You, on the other hands, did always have a mile-long list of suitors. How’s romance faring for you?’ Sometimes, that question had hurt to ask, but it had faded. She cared enough to be happy when he was happy, and they were happy talking about anything. Love, life, and guitars. Sometimes, the last two were synonymous for Shane, making her chuckle. ’Pft. You’re just saying that ‘cause you haven’t seen me in a while. Wait ‘til you get a new one, carino, your heart will be all aflutter.’ She slipped back into talking with her hands, fingers flicking a little for emphasis, before she leaned her head on his shoulder and relaxed, well and truly happy, more carefree than she’d been in months.

’Well, I got a job over at the Pub- I’m their chef- which means I make all the bread, early in the morning, and then have the day to myself until the evenings, when I go in and actually cook. As for getting here… it’s been about, six months now. It’s alright. Nothing spectacular to report. You know I was always pretty boring.’ She passed him her cup, offering him some in a silent gesture that had become second nature. Mona would share anything she had with that man. ’How about you? What have you been up, my Italian rock star?’ They watched the day give birth to the sun together, his little exhalation making her heart leap into her throat. ’I’ve really missed you too,’ she said with a soft smile, nudging his arm with her shoulder, encouraging him to spill his guts. He would, eventually. Such was their routine.