More Than Words

He goes looking for help but finds love instead.

Category: Romance

Soundtrack: Selena Gomez, Rita Ora, Fifth Harmony, Camila Cabella, Bebe Rhexa, Hailee Steinfeld, Demi Lovato

*

Shae Walsh stared at herself in the mirror, her brow furrowed and her lips curled in a frown. Her delicate hands unwrapped the towel that covered her body, dropping it at her feet. She stared at her naked body, squinting at her own reflection. Her hands ran over her skin, softly touching the bit of belly before pinching a bit of skin. "Hmpf," she mumbled as she saw the stretch marks in her pale skin. She reached over and picked up a bottle of lotion from the dresser, squeezing some into her hand. Her fingers reached beneath her breasts which were large and prominent and smoothed the lotion into her skin, slowly working her way across her body. She saw her wide hips, the way her stomach stuck out a bit further than her lower abdomen and turned away, frowning.

She quickly got dressed, throwing on a pair of cotton panties and plain beige bra before throwing her legs into a pair of black pants, pulling the waist over the swell of her butt cheeks. She threw on a white tank top before covering herself with a loose fitting tan colored knit sweater. Despite the fact that it was nearing eighty degrees she preferred to stay covered up as she hated the way her arms looked. Her big bright green eyes stared at themselves in the mirror but didn't see themselves. They only saw what she perceived as her flaws. She reached down and put on a pair white sneakers before walking out of her room. She saw her friend and roommate Ava Martinez sitting on the couch watching TV. She saw how much thinner her friend was and felt a twinge of jealousy once again. They were best friends back in high school and despite the fact that she had gained weight, Melissa never once brought it up. Several years after graduating they were still best of friends and had moved into their own apartment.

"Hey Shae, is it that time already?"

"Yea, time to go to work."

"You really should take the sweater off girl, it's way too warm out there."

Shae smiled at Ava half heartedly, "Maybe if i was skinny like you I would."

"And? I know it ain't too bad now but I sure hope you aren't still wearing that damn thing when it's summer. You're so pretty you should show off some skin, stop covering yourself up so much."

"We'll see, I'll see you later." Shae walked out and down to the garage where she got into her car and drove to the mall, parking at one end where the employees were allowed to park. She walked in the door and down the hall, passing a girl with bright purple hair. "Hey Bree!"

"Hi Shae, coming or going?"

"Coming, gotta close," Shae said softly.

"Me too. Lucas says hi by the way."

"Tell him hi back for me. See you later!" Shae continued on her way before turning into a small room with a large walk around desk that had spots for up to three people to sit behind. A large sign above the desk read "Help Center" in light blue block letters. She looked down at the one other person who was already there, an older woman named Janice who was reading a book. "Another romance novel?"

Janice simply nodded, reading to the end of the paragraph before she put it down. "It's been a slow one today."

"Sure looks that way, but then again everyone is probably out enjoying the sun."

"Probably," Janice said as she picked up her book once again, not noticing that Shae had sat down and started looking at her phone.

Indeed the day was slow and dragged on as Shae sat behind the desk. She alternated between shuffling through some paperwork and her phone before saying goodbye to Janice. Eventually the mall closed and she was able to close the small area, turning out the lights and going home. When she got inside she found Ava on the couch on her laptop studying. She walked into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of lemonade before sitting on the far end of the couch.

"See any hot guys?"

Shae smirked, "Yea a few, but none of them saw me."

"I told you so, gotta show some skin."

"I highly doubt that will change anything. I'm a fat girl living in a skinny girl's world."

"You knock that shit off Shae. You know there are plenty of guys out there who would love you before they gave me the time of day," Ava said sternly, her Hispanic accent becoming more prominent as her words became more forceful. She usually didn't speak with much of an accent at all but when she became upset, she found it just naturally came out.

"Like who? The chubby chasers? Or the ones who are solely obsessed with my tits?" Shae slumped into the couch, already feeling bad for the way she spoke to Ava. "I'm sorry, it's just that sometimes it would be nice to meet a guy who just liked me for me."

Ava's tone softened, "And you will. One day some guy is going to sweep you off your feet, I just hope you see him coming and don't assume he's some guy looking for something else."

Shae giggled, "I highly doubt he could sweep me off my feet, I'm too heavy for that."

Ava stuck out her tongue, "You know what I mean." She put her laptop on the floor and sat up, "Look, you're gorgeous but you need to see that. You've got these amazing eyes and blond hair that I know drive guys wild, and yea, you got big tits, something I wish I had a bit more of. But you got this amazing personality. I know you had several guys hurt you but you can't judge them all from the actions of those creeps."

Shae grabbed a pillow and hugged it tightly. "I'm just afraid the next guy will end up to be just like Mike."

"Oh screw Mike, he was a bastard who didn't know what he had."

"He knew what he had, but I wasn't good enough. Kept wanting me to change for him."

Ava looked at her friend, "Look, the right guy is there, just have to be open to seeing him.

Shae pondered the words, maybe Ava was right. She wouldn't change how she dressed or acted, but she'd be open to keeping her eyes peeled.

***

Ryan Weaver walked into the mall to try and escape the overbearing heat that the midsummer months had brought. The immediate effects of the mall's air conditioning made him feel faint for the briefest of moments as the sudden temperature change caught him off guard. His tall lean body was dressed simply, a plain black shirt, khaki shorts and a pair of well worn sneakers. He peered through black rimmed glasses as he walked through the mall, unsure of where he was going. He turned down one corridor and saw a sign that said "Help" on it and walked towards it. As he approached he saw a young woman sitting behind the desk, her golden blond hair glowing beneath the bright lights.

As he approached he was caught off guard by a pair of piercing green eyes. He saw her makeup was light and simple, highlighting her features instead of covering them like he had seen so many other girls do. Her skin was flawless and he found himself immediately drawn to her.

"Hello," Shae said in a friendly voice.

"Uh, hi, uhm, I was wondering if you could tell me where 'GNC' was?"

Shae stood up and pulled up a paper map of the mall, pointing to where they were in relation, then showed the man how to get to the place he was looking for. She looked at him and saw that he was thin, lightly muscled and had the darkest brown eyes she had remembered seeing in a long while. "You alright?"

"Huh?" Ryan felt fine and realized he had been caught staring at this woman. He thought quickly, "Oh uh I suppose just coming in from the heat made me a little light headed."

Shae pointed to the water fountain on the opposite end of the room, "Help yourself."

"Oh uh thanks," Ryan said as he quickly walked over and took a drink. He turned back and smiled, "Well thank you."

Shae smiled at him warmly, "Sure thing. Have a nice day."

Ryan started walking out and stopped suddenly after a few feet, he looked back at the blond woman who had captured his attention, "Yea you too."

Shae smiled at him and sat back down, suddenly realizing she had been staring at this man. She picked up her phone and once again starting mindlessly looking at things, not really seeing them but instead thinking about those dark brown eyes. After some time she had found a website that proved to be of some interest and started reading it. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a voice nearby that sounded vaguely familiar.

"Thanks again!"

Shae looked up and saw the man with the dark brown eyes and smiled. "You're welcome!" She watched him as he took a few steps, "Uhm, look out!" She cringed as she saw him collide with a man who was walking in the opposite direction.

"Shit, sorry!" Ryan stumbled backwards. He sheepishly grinned and suddenly walked away, not believing he just made himself look like a fool in front of her. He quickly walked out to his car and got in, just sitting there. "Great Ryan, just great."

Shae felt bad for the young man and wanted to tell him it was alright, but she watched him as he suddenly turned red and ran out. Was he really staring at her? It didn't really matter as she was sure she'd never see him again, especially not after that. She went back to looking at her phone, glad that Janice had been in the bathroom during the exchange. She sat back down and picked up her phone once again, only putting it down when someone walked up. Eventually it was time for her to go home and found Ava on the phone, talking sweetly to her boyfriend. She grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and sat on the sofa, waiting for her roommate to hang up as she idly flipped through one of the many magazines that littered the coffee table.

"I know baby, trust me," Ava said softly. She hushed her voice slightly before she said in a husky tone, "Tú eres muy sexy y yo estoy muy caliente. I'll see you later baby, muah!" Ava hung up the phone and looked at Shae who knew just what she had been saying to her boyfriend and felt herself blush. "Hey what's up?"

"So you know how you said maybe one day a guy would catch my eye?"

Ava suddenly bolted upright, "Uh huh."

"Well this guy came in and he kept totally staring at me with these beautiful brown eyes."

"Staring at you or your boobs?"

"Me! I mean yea he looked down at my boobs, but he mostly kept staring at me, into my eyes."

Ava smiled, "Was he gorgeous?"

"Nuh uh," Shae said, unable to finish.

"Wait he wasn't some creepy old guy or some like frog looking person was he?"

"Oh my goodness let me finish," Shae said, feigning irritation. "He wasn't gorgeous, but good looking. He had glasses and was thin but not like scrawny, but his eyes, and that smile. Unf!"

Melissa smiled, "Please tell me he asked you out!"

Shae looked away.

"Or you asked him out?"

"The poor thing, I think he wanted to talk but he was shy and then he ran into this big muscle guy and he just ran out. I don't even know his name."

"Oh man, well maybe he'll come back. You never know."

"Would you after that?"

Ava thought about it for awhile, "Yea no not really. I'm sorry girl." She reached over and hugged Shae, "Come on, let's go out to eat. My treat."

Shae reluctantly agreed and followed her friend out, her thoughts often coming back to the mystery man with the brown eyes.

***

It had been two weeks since the incident at the mall and Ryan finally worked up the nerve to show his face again. He couldn't stop thinking about the blond. He wasn't even sure if she'd be there but considering it was a Saturday, he figured he'd have better chances than if he went during the week after he got off of work. He looked at himself in the mirror and curled his arms, bulging his muscles. The protein shakes he bought were helping and he wasn't feeling as worn out at work. A coworker had made a few suggestions to him as the warehouse work was physically demanding. He stuck his tongue out at himself as he was still thin, but he slowly building muscle mass and was happy with the results. He quickly got dressed and made sure he looked presentable before he drove to the mall. As he entered he once again felt the surge of cool air and this time he walked straight to the help center. As he rounded the corner he suddenly felt nervous, the incident of the previous week replaying in his mind and he stopped just short. He stood there and took and took a few breathes before walking up. He looked behind the counter and saw an older woman with graying hair and suddenly felt foolish.

Ryan hadn't planned on this and quickly pretended to be looking for a map of the mall, even though he knew full well they were plastered all over the place. He heard a door opening behind the desk and looked up and suddenly felt his heart race. There she was, the beautiful blond woman with the green eyes. She was wearing hip hugging blue jeans and a loose knit sweater that hugged the curves and ample bosom. Her blonde hair fell just below her shoulders and looked incredibly soft. His eyes met hers and he saw the faintest smile curl her lips.

"Well hello again," Shae said softly. She caught Janice looking at them both in confusion.

Ryan stepped forward, surprised that she had even remembered him, "I was uh, wondering if you knew where a place to get coffee was."

Shae smiled and once again brought out the map, pointing to a Starbucks in the mall. "Right over there."

"Oh, okay." He looked at the map then turned his head and saw it down the corridor not more than a hundred feet away. He felt his cheeks turn bright red. He screamed at himself internally before he looked back at the young woman. "Uhm, would you like to join me?"

Shae smiled warmly, "I'd like to but ..."

Janice caught on to what was happening and smiled at Shae, "Go on dear, I can handle this."

Shae smiled at Janice, "Thank you."

Ryan's eyes went wide and he smiled broadly. He watched her as she walked around the large desk, grabbing her purse. He caught the scent of sweet peas and violets as she walked next to him, his heart fluttering. They walked to Starbucks and he ordered his drink before turning to her, "Sorry, I should have let you go first."

Shae tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear, "Oh uh it's fine." She ordered her drink and smiled when her companion paid. She learned his name was Ryan when the barista asked who's name to put the order under and found herself liking it. After a few minutes their drinks were ready and she reached for hers, her hand touching his softly as their drinks were close together. She felt herself blush as they carried their drinks to one of the tables and sat down.

"I'm sorry for being so rude, I'm Ryan."

Shae giggled, "Yes I know, I heard you tell the barista that."

Ryan blushed and looked away quickly.

"I'm Shaelynn, but I've always gone by Shae," she said softly. She waited for him to look back at her before she continued, "I was hoping you'd come back."

"You were?"

"Yea, unless you're some kind of stalker that is."

Ryan laughed, "Thankfully no, just uhm, apparently a klutz."

"A cute klutz though."

"Oh, uh thank you?" Ryan perked up.

"So do you work out often?" Shae asked, trying to get Ryan to come out of his shell. His shyness was cute to her and she found herself feeling a bit attracted to him.

"Huh? Oh that, no I work at a warehouse, well the steel plant at the edge of town. It's pretty heavy stuff and I was getting the shakes so a coworker told me to try having a protein shake and eating better. Seems to be helping."

"Ah, well that's good that it's helping." Shae heard the song change that was playing the background and smiled. The opening guitar notes played and she smiled, "I love this song."

Ryan turned his head slightly, listening to the notes, "I don't know this one."

Shae smiled, "It's silly really, I just really like it I guess."

Ryan listened to the opening lyrics intently.

"Saying I love you

Is not the words I want to hear from you

It's not that I want you

Not to say, but if you only knew"

Ryan felt his lips curl as the melody caught him, "It is nice. So uhm what kind of music do you listen to?"

Shae suddenly felt silly, "Just about anything really, but certain songs just stick out."

"I totally understand what you mean," Ryan said softly. They began to talk about music and he was amazed at how comfortable he suddenly felt with Shae.

Shae found Ryan very expressive when it came to music and found talking to him came easily. He no longer seemed so shy and she wished she had more time but knew that she had to get back to Janice and the help center. "I'm really sorry Ryan, I should be getting back."

"I understand."

"I'd really like to hang out with you some more though, if uh, that's alright."

Ryan looked at her and smiled, "I'd really like that. I pretty much always have the weekends free, but if that doesn't work I usually get off of work at around five."

"Does Friday night sound good? I get off early and can meet you somewhere," Shae asked as she stood up. She waited for Ryan to get up before she started walking back to her station.

"I'd like that," he said softly. He followed her silently until they got back to her desk and he smiled at her. He watched as she took one of the mall business cards and wrote her number on the back before handing it to him. He took it and felt her fingertips touch his.

"Text me when you figure out where we should meet?"

"I will." Ryan smiled and walked away, stepping backwards a few steps. He kept smiling at her, noticing her expression change and turned just in time to miss running into a woman. "Sorry, excuse me."

Shae laughed softly as she watched Ryan narrowly avoid the woman before walking out. She turned and saw Janice smiling at her. "What?"

"He seems nice."

"He is, and cute."

"And smitten," Janice said with a wink.

A laugh escaped Shae's lips as she went back to her seat. The idea that even Janice had noticed put her in a good mood that couldn't be broken. Eventually her shift ended and she went home, excited to find Ava sitting on the couch and ran up to her, hugging her from behind tightly. "I love you!"

"I love you too boo, but what for?"

"Ryan came back and he asked me on a date and I said yes! Can you believe it?"

Ava watched as Shae came around and sat down on the other end of the couch, kicking her shoes off before pulling her legs up onto the cushions. "That's great! Who's Ryan?"

Shae laughed, "The guy with the brown eyes!"

Ava thought for a minute, "The guy who nearly got himself run over cuz he couldn't stop staring at you?"

Shae nodded and squealed.

"Girl I told you! When is your date?"

"Friday after work. I even gave him my number and told him to text me!"

"Look at you girl! I'm so happy for you!"

Shae smiled, and kept smiling all through the week which dragged on until it was finally Friday morning and she realized he still hadn't text. She got herself ready for work and started to have doubts about whether or not Ryan would text her at all. As she went into the kitchen she found that Ava had already left for school. With no one to talk to she just stood there in the kitchen, sipping her coffee that she had poured herself. After she finished it she grabbed everything she needed and walked out the door, getting into her car and headed to work. The smile that had been wearing all week had finally vanished when she stepped behind the desk and readied the help center for the day. After a few hours Janice had arrived and Shae took her lunch. She had given up on hearing from Ryan, figuring he had fallen for some pretty brunette or redhead. Anyone who wasn't her. She picked at her lunch, not really in the mood to eat before returning to work. As she rounded the corner she saw a man in a delivery uniform walking away. She eyed the counter and found a large bouquet sitting there, immediately thinking that Janice's husband had sent them as he had done that before. "That's so sweet of Bill to send you flowers."