[The Shifters Committee 01.0] Time Shifters

by Rebecca Foxx

  “So, are you still dating Ron?” Jillian asked.

  “I am,” Kelly said.

  “Any talk of marriage?” Jillian pried some more.

  “No,” Kelly said sheepishly. This same conversation happened every time that she got together with Jillian. She didn’t know if she even wanted to get married, or if she really wanted to marry Ron. She tried to change the subject.

  “So, Shane, what are you doing these days?”

  “I’m a police officer, actually,” he said with a proud smile.

  “Oh, that’s great!” Kelly said back. Then silently she wondered if he’d heard the call she made to 911 a few weeks ago when Ron had hit her for the first time.

  Jillian started talking about how Shane couldn’t find a nice girl with half a brain and Kelly looked down slyly at her watch. It was almost two. She needed to get out of there by three. When she looked down, she saw that a bruise had formed on her right wrist, just where Ron had grabbed her the night before, to make a point, he’d said. She quickly tried to cover it with the bracelets that had slid higher up her forearm.

  When she looked back to join the conversation again, Shane was looking at her. He glanced down at her wrist and then back up at her again. She averted her eyes.

  “You two should really get together more often,” Jillian insisted.

  “That would be nice,” said Shane to Kelly’s surprise.

  She nodded in agreement.

  Kelly crossed her arms so that her right wrist wasn’t showing, but every now and again Shane would try to furtively look her up and down. She was sure he was searching for more evidence. She prayed that he didn’t find any.

  Ron had only hit her twice. Last night things hadn’t escalated to that point, but he swore he’d get therapy and Kelly believed him. They’d been together for a year now and he’d never done anything like this before. It was surely a fluke. The last thing she needed was Johnny Law over there to get involved. It was a private matter, she concluded.

  The conversation flowed nicely as the hour went on. It was three before Kelly realized that she needed to go.

  “I’m so sorry, Jillian. I’m going to have to go,” she said and grabbed her purse, standing up.

  “That’s alright, sweetheart. Why don’t you let Shane walk you to your car?”

  “No problem,” said Shane.

  “Thanks,” she said to him. “See you soon, Jillian!”

  She started to walk towards the exit and Shane joined her, shortening his strides to match her slower pace.

  “So a cop, huh?” she asked.

  “Yeah,” he chuckled. “Never would have thought I’d be doing this, did you?”

  “Honestly, no,” she said with a laugh. “You were always in the principal’s office and getting in trouble with my dad, not to mention your mom!”

  “Well, people can change, I guess,” he said as they crossed the parking lot.

  “I guess so,” she said, thinking of Ron. She looked off into the distance. Soon, they were at her car and she turned to give Shane a quick hug.

  He leaned down to hug her and when he pulled away he held on to her shoulder.

  “He’s hitting you, isn’t he?” he asked, suddenly very serious.

  “No!” she said emphatically.

  “I saw your wrist, Kelly. I know the signs. You can’t stay with him.”

  She thought about it for a moment. Where would she go? She loved Ron, but Shane was right. They couldn’t stay together if things were like this.

  “Let me go to his apartment with you. You can get your things. You can come and live with me for the time being.”

  Shane’s offer was so generous, Kelly was touched by it. She thought about it for a moment. She’d never thought of herself as the type of woman to let someone abuse her, and that’s what it was, she realized. She hadn’t put the label on it until that moment, but she knew that’s what it was.

  “Okay,” she finally said but felt her stomach begin to knot up as she thought about what Ron might do or say.

  Shane went to the passenger side of the car and got in. Kelly got in and closed her door. She put the car in gear and they took off for the highway. Ron’s place was in Sausalito and they headed over the Golden Gate Bridge on their way there. They wound around the coastline and soon they were at the apartment complex.

  Kelly parked and got out of the car. She felt like she was going to throw up.

  “Hey, it’s gonna be fine,” Shane said reassuringly.

  “I’m glad you think so,” she said to him.

  They walked up to the apartment and Kelly unlocked the door. It didn’t look like Ron was home and she breathed a sign of relief. She got a box from the closet and started getting her things together. She didn’t grab everything because all she wanted was to be done with everything once and for all. She finished packing that box and grabbed another. She got her clothes and her electronics. After a few trips back and forth to her car, they were finished.

  “Was that so painful?” Shane asked with a smile.

  She smiled back at him as they made their way back to do a final sweep of the apartment. She grabbed a notepad and started to leave Ron a note. She wasn’t sure quite what to say, other than “fuck you,” so she kept it simple. She peeled it off the pad and stuck it on the fridge with a magnet.

  “There,” she said. “I’m ready.”

  “Okay,” said Shane.

  Suddenly the front door opened and Ron walked in. She felt her stomach drop from where they stood two stories up.

  “Who the hell are you?” he asked Shane angrily.

  “I’m Kelly’s stepbrother,” he said assertively, putting himself between the two of them.

  “What’s going on, Kelly?” Ron asked with a tone of disgust. “You fucking this guy or something?”

  “No!” she exclaimed.

  “You fat bitch. You’re lying to me,” said Ron. He started to try to make his way around Shane, but Shane’s broad shoulders moved to the left and countered Ron’s attempt to get at Kelly.

  “She’s leaving with me and unless you wanna get arrested, you’re gonna let her,” said Shane sternly, his voice no more than a growl.

  “The hell she is,” said Ron and he made a move to try and punch Shane. Shane move quickly and threw up a block, then he swung his right arm and hit Ron in the face, knocking him to the floor.

  “Bastard,” said Ron, spitting out blood onto the linoleum entryway.

  “Get out of the way,” said Shane. “Kelly, let’s go.”

  Kelly stepped out from behind the counter and rushed past Ron. She darted down the steps and quickly got into her car. There were tears threatening to spill over onto her face. When Shane got in the car, he noticed.

  “Hey, it’s okay,” he said. “Come here.”

  He reached across the gearshift and drew Kelly into his strong embrace. His muscles were both hard and welcoming at the same time. Kelly inhaled the scent of his cologne and noticed how good it smelled. This is how a woman should be held, she thought.

  She pulled away and once again they were driving. This time back to the hotel to get Shane’s car. When they got there, he got out, but before he shut the door he gave her some instructions of how to get to his place. She nodded but said nothing. When he slammed the door shut, Kelly started to cry.

  All the way to Shane’s house she cried.

  Chapter 2

  Lying in bed that night, Kelly couldn’t sleep. She tried desperately to just close her eyes and relax her body, but she couldn’t. The afternoon’s events played over and over in her mind. It comforted her to know that Ron didn’t know Shane’s address, so he couldn’t find her. She was glad for it to be over with, but she still had feelings for him, as twisted as that was.

  She shook her head and stared at the clock.

  2:53 a.m.

  Sleeping in Shane’s guest bedroom wasn’t bad at all. He had a loft in San Francisco and it looked out over the street and the bay area. The view was beaut
iful and the loft was even more so. The building had once been a car garage and had large windows and bricked walls. It was a perfect bachelor pad, she thought.

  She wondered why Shane was still a bachelor. He was so good looking now that she couldn’t get over it. For a moment her thoughts slipped back to when he was holding her in the car. She’d felt safe in his arms, something that she hadn’t felt with anyone in quite a long time.

  That’s ridiculous, she told herself. He’s your stepbrother. Gross.

  Right?

  Forget it, she thought. She got out of the bed and slowly opened the door to her bedroom to try to keep from waking him. She walked into the kitchen, knowing that his bed was directly above it in the actual loft part of the apartment. She opened the fridge door as quietly as she could and then she poured herself a glass of milk.

  “Can’t sleep?” came Shane’s voice from across the room.

  Kelly leapt at the sound it had scared her so badly. Milk spilled onto her shirt, causing the light pink to become almost see through right on her breasts.

  Shane was sitting on the couch in the dark.

  “I was just about to turn the TV on. I was hoping I wouldn’t wake you. I didn’t, did I?”

  “No, not at all,” Kelly said.

  “Why don’t you come watch a movie with me or something,” said Shane.

  Kelly made her way over to the couch and sat down next to him. She pulled her legs up under her, making herself comfortable. She sipped the cold milk, crossing an arm over her chest to try and obscure his view, not that he’d be looking.

  Shane flipped the TV on and his figure was illuminated.

  He was wearing loose sweatpants and an undershirt that showed off his nicely sculpted pecs. Kelly could see his nipples through the fabric, little pinpoints of hardened flesh. She quickly looked at the TV screen, trying to distract herself.

  Shane got up and popped a DVD into the player and got the TV set up accordingly. He took his seat next to her again, though he was slightly closer this time.

  Kelly felt something stir deep inside of her. It felt like desire.

  This was wrong, she thought. He’s your stepbrother. It’s only because he helped you today.

  “Can I have a drink?” Shane asked.

  Kelly handed him the glass and when he took it, his fingers brushed hers, sending her senses on a rollercoaster ride. She felt her own nipples harden.

  “Thanks,” he said, handing the glass back to her.

  “You’re welcome. It’s your milk,” she joked.

  He smiled and looked at her as the movie began to play.

  “Hey, what’s that on your cheek?” he asked.

  Kelly reached up to feel and felt the bruise she had concealed with makeup. Ron hadn’t hit her, but he’d knocked her down and she’d hit her face on the hard floor.

  Shane scooted closer to her and brought his hand up. He touched the bruise gently, dragging his finger across it. Kelly looked down, ashamed of it, but enjoying Shane’s touch. He cupped his fingers around her chin and brought her eyes up to his.

  “It’s not your fault. It never was,” he said, barely above a whisper.

  His voice like that was almost more than Kelly could handle. She finally spoke.

  “Thank you,” she whispered back.

  “Kelly,” Shane said. Hearing her name roll off of his tongue was all she wanted in that moment. “I missed you,” he said, his hand still on her face.

  Kelly stared at him. His eyes were saying more than he was. He began to lean towards her. Her body instinctually knew what to do. She tilted her head to the side and just as she was about to close her eyes and explosion went off on the TV, rattling the speakers and jolting the pair of them out of the moment.

  Shane suddenly looked sheepish and Kelly couldn’t help but feel embarrassed.

  “I’m gonna go back to sleep, I think,” Shane said suddenly. “You can watch this if you want to.”

  He got up from the couch and walked in front of Kelly. She didn’t know what to feel. It was obvious that they’d just shared a moment of mutual attraction. Everything that she’d thought in the bar and felt about Shane was coming to a head. How wrong was it? No one could ever know about this.

  She felt ashamed of herself again. Not for the actions of another but for her own thoughts about, and reactions to, Shane. What kind of person wants to make out with their stepbrother? He was so different now. He was like a different person. Like the kind of man she wanted in her life now.

  Kelly knew in that moment that she wanted him. She felt that he wanted her, too. She’d always picked the wrong guys up to this point. Was this just one more wrong choice? Or was Shane right for her? Would Shane even consider it in the light of day? She didn’t know.

  She flipped the TV off and went back to bed. Her inability to sleep was still going strong, but as she was lying there she wondered if maybe high above the kitchen, he wasn’t sleeping either.

  Chapter 3

  A couple of weeks had passed. Kelly and Shane had shared a few more moments where there was some sort of wild chemistry between them that almost felt like it shouldn’t be there. They were growing more comfortable with each other, though. Shane seemed to like having Kelly at his place. That night they were going out with some of Kelly’s friends.

  “I don’t know what I’m gonna wear,” Kelly said halfway to herself as she modeled a dress in front of the mirror in the bathroom. Shane was brushing his teeth.

  “Something that shows off your ass,” he said playfully through a mouth full of foam.

  “Ha ha,” she said. “Very funny.”

  They had started teasing each other, just like in the old days, but now there was more meaning behind it. It felt like flirting to Kelly. She noticed that Shane didn’t seem to mind it and never acted like it was something he didn’t like doing with her. In fact, he almost always initiated it, much to Kelly’s delight.

  Taking his advice, she chose her black dress. It hugged her plus-sized figure tightly, showing off her hourglass figure and the curves she was gifted with. As Shane walked out of the bathroom, she slapped him on the ass. He turned in mock surprise and then gave her a devilish smile, hinting that he liked it.

  Every time he smiled at her like that she got butterflies in her stomach. It was like being in high school all over again, except for wanting to sleep with her stepbrother.

  She smiled at herself in the mirror and shut the door. She wiggled her way into the dress, but realized that she needed someone to zip it. She called for Shane to come back to the bathroom.

  “Can you zip this?” she asked him when he returned.

  “Sure,” he said, taking his place behind her.

  He paused for a moment and there was a tense silence. Then he slowly began zipping the dress up. When he got to the top, his hand lingered a little too long against her skin and he drew it across her shoulder, sending shivers throughout her body. He walked out without a word, and she thought he had to know full well what he was doing to her.

  She curled her hair and put on her makeup. By nine they were both ready and headed out in Shane’s car.

  At the bar, all of Kelly’s friends were there. Anita was the one who had organized the evening. Short and tiny, she squealed when she saw Kelly walk in and she ran to hug her.

  “Oh, you look great!” she exclaimed at Kelly.

  “You do, too!” Kelly replied.

  “Who’s this handsome stranger?” Anita asked, looking Shane up and down.

  “That’s Shane. He’s my stepbrother,” said Kelly, suddenly feeling a little protective over Shane.

  “Why don’t you come have a seat by me?” Anita asked him with a wink. Shane smiled at her but looked at Kelly and shrugged. Kelly felt herself growing jealous as Shane planted himself right between the two of them.

  The girls got up to dance several times and Anita made sure to dance with Shane as much as possible. Kelly became increasingly jealous as the night went on. She even wished she hadn�
��t brought Shane along to begin with. It was a little late for that now.

  Shane was her own private secret. She enjoyed being at the apartment with him. The little moments they would share. The innuendos and the flirting. She suddenly wondered if that’s all that it was. Maybe it was just a game they were playing. Maybe they’d just grown close. Something inside of her said that wasn’t all it was, though. She lost herself in thought as she drank a vodka tonic with lime.