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Shane smiled as he and his younger sister Stephanie walked across the campus. It seemed they never really hung out anymore, as they'd stopped having much in common since her high school days, but he was actually enjoying himself.
Of course, he very much would have preferred the company of the beautiful Stacy Keibler. He visualized her tall, long-legged form and soon realized that he was no longer paying attention to his present company.
"Shane?" Stephanie's voice issuing his name penetrated his thoughts, bringing him back around.
"What? Oh, I'm sorry, Steph." He turned to eye her and noticed she was giving him a somewhat strange look.
She pointed in the direction of the campus cafeteria.
"I just said I'm starved... Do you want to go eat something?"
The dark-haired man nodded.
"Sure... But wouldn't you rather go somewhere off-campus? You know, somewhere nice?" he inquired. Being the children of the college's owner, they could certainly afford lobster and caviar quite easily.
Stephanie shook her head.
"Nah... I'm not sure I can wait," she said. "I skipped breakfast this morning. Bad idea."
"All right, then." Shane placed a hand on the small of his younger sister's back and ushered her in the direction of the cafeteria. However, as soon as they entered the area, his jaw nearly dropped at who he saw. This would not be good, or pretty, if Stephanie were to see him - or more aptly, them.
"Hey, you know what?" he began, pulling her back out and placing himself in front of her, almost like a shield. He hoped she wouldn't catch on. "Why don't I go in and get us lunch, and we'll eat outside? The view is so much better there."
"What?"
"My treat," Shane said, placing a hand to his chest. "What would you like?"
The brunette told him what she felt like eating, giving him a couple of alternatives in case they didn't have her first choice.
"Very well," her brother said. "There's a free bench," he observed, pointing at one some yards away. "I'll come meet you in a few minutes."
Stephanie nodded and headed in that direction.
The young man allowed himself to exhale a held, deep breath only when he turned away. That had been a really close call.
He eyed his friend as he stepped into the cafeteria, and he smirked. Just because the redhead had actually gone ahead and was eating with him didn't mean he'd won the bet. Come to think of it, it didn't even mean they were on a date! Of course, he'd reacted as though it were when Stephanie had been at his side, but that was different. He knew she wouldn't react well if she'd seen her boyfriend eating with another girl.
Levesque ever so briefly looked up from his conversation and met Shane's dark eyes. It seemed a self-satisfied smirk crossed his face until he shifted his gaze back at Amy Dumas. If only the quarterback knew Steph had been that close to seeing him here with her. Shane decided he would warn his friend later.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Amy glanced over her shoulder at the dark-haired young man who had just passed them by to go up to the lunch counter. She'd noticed the change in Paul's facial expression and figured he didn't like that guy for whatever reason.
"What was that all about?"
"Huh? Oh, nothing," the man replied. He shook his head and couldn't suppress a chuckle.
"Isn't he on the football team with you? Is he someone you have a problem with?" the redhead asked.
Levesque groaned inwardly. This was getting on his nerves. This one was a question asker, and he wasn't sure he liked that.
"Yes, and not at all. As a matter of fact, he's a friend of mine," he said.
"Oh." Amy remained silent as she wondered about the non-verbal exchange Paul had just had with the other guy.
A couple of minutes later, the young man actually headed toward them. Paul thought it over quickly, deciding he might as well introduce them. Beside, he wanted to rub Shane's nose in it.
"Hey, Paul," he said as he approached the table, sandwiches and other food and two drinks on the styrofoam tray he held in his hands.
"Hey, Shane," Levesque said, grinning pointedly at him. "This is Amy," he went on, gesturing to the redhead sitting across from him.
"Nice to meet you," the dark-haired man said with a nod and smile.
"Likewise."
After some small, meaningly niceties, Shane walked out of the cafeteria. He spotted his sister at that same bench and made a beeline for her.
"Here you go," he said as he set the tray down gingerly between them on the bench.
"Thank you."
"You're very welcome," he said. He decided that what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her.