Fractured [SHAWN MENDES]

~20~

Taryn woke up on the uncomfortable fold-out and sighed, wishing she was still in Shawn's bed with his strong arms holding her tightly. Their time together had been great, but it had ended far too soon. She let her mind wander to what she'd do with him if she had an entire night.

"You look like the cat that ate the canary," Patricia observed as she walked past her smiling daughter on her way to the kitchen to make coffee.

"I got a good night's sleep," Taryn fibbed as she sat up and stretched.

"I heard you come in around one. Must've been a big dinner."

Suppressing a giggle, she climbed off the bed and started to make it while thoughts of just how big and satisfying the meal Shawn had served her had been. Once the sofa was folded back into place, she joined her mom and helped herself to a cup of coffee. "We got Chinese food last night and then hung out for awhile."

"You've got quite the mark on your neck."

Taryn's jaw dropped and she instinctively reached up to the spot below her ear that Shawn had been nibbling on less than ten hours ago. Had he given her a hickey?

Shaking her head, Tricia confessed, "You don't have a love bite. I only said that to see how you'd react. The look on your face tells me everything."

"That was low."

"I hope you and your friend were safe. More importantly, I hope you're looking out for any signs that he might have a violent streak."

"Mom...you know Shawn. Has he ever done anything that indicated he's an aggressive person?"

"Other than the crime he was convicted of? Yes. I saw him shove a customer into the door of the bar hard enough to break the glass. Granted, he did it to protect me, but it was still a physically violent move."

Taryn rolled her eyes. "It's funny that when you first told me about that incident you had nothing but praise for Shawn. I was the one skeptical of his motives and you defended him."

"Wait until you're a mother. You'll understand."

"Yeah? Well you weren't looking out for me like this when Richie was around, were you?" The pained look on her mom's face made Taryn feel horrible, but she wasn't going to apologize for being honest. "I've got class in twenty minutes and want to shower first," she said before exiting the kitchen.

Patricia decided to go to the bar to do some inventory so that Taryn could have space. Her daughter was right, of course, and had every reason to resent her.

A couple hours later, after submitting an assignment, Taryn pulled out her phone. There were two messages from Shawn.

Good morning ☀️

Any chance we can meet up today?

She had several more things to complete for school, but her afternoon was open.

Hi 😃

I'll be free around 1:00

Taryn got back to work, expecting to be interrupted by the vibration of her phone. No text came, though. In fact, he didn't reply until late that afternoon.

Sorry

I can't see you today

******

Shawn sat staring at his phone with a grin on his face. He'd be seeing Taryn later, which meant they'd probably be hooking up again. The night before had been fantastic and not just because he'd experienced physical pleasure. The whole time he was with her, he felt normal. Forgetting about the last couple years for a few hours had been the greatest escape ever, and he couldn't wait to get lost in her again.

As he imagined all the things they could do, his phone started vibrating in his hand, and he saw the name of his former manager. For a split second he considered declining it, but given his good mood, he opted to answer. "Andrew...What's up?"

"Hi, Shawn. Sorry to call out of the blue, but I didn't think an email or text were adequate."

"Is everything okay?" Shawn knew Andrew like a book and could recognize when his tone was foreboding.

"No. Not really. I'm calling to warn you about something."

And just like that, Shawn's mood deflated like a popped balloon. "What now?"

"I got a call from a writer who saw Winter's interview. She wants to do a piece on toxic masculinity and how it's so pervasive that even men who come across as decent are actually dangerous. You'd be her prime example of this."

"Fuck."

"That's what I said, or rather thought, when she asked me for your contact information and a statement," Andrew said.

"She wants to talk to me?"

"Yes, because she believes there is a journalistic obligation to get all sides of the story. I don't think she's particularly sympathetic to your side, though. Obviously she's spoken to Winter, but she's also talking to some of the people who fought to get you canceled when everything first happened."

#cancelshawnmendes started trending within twenty-four hours of his arrest. A group of student activists picketed outside the courthouse during the trial, demanding that the music industry stop supporting artists who commit acts of violence against women. There were several other men who'd also been impacted by this movement. The ironic part was that he totally agreed with the principle before he was the one under attack. Shawn didn't believe that he deserved to be lumped in with men who physically or mentally abused their partners. Yes, he'd done something terrible, but to him, it wasn't the same.

"Should I talk to her?"

Andrew sighed. "I don't know. It could be a trap. She might ask you leading questions to get you to reinforce her hypothesis about you. Based on my brief discussion with her, I wouldn't say she's particularly open-minded. On the other hand, this is a chance for you to tell your side of it and explain why you pushed the car."

"I did that already. In court. I don't want to go through that publicly again." It felt really good to talk to Taryn about it, but opening up to the whole world was different.

"I'll call her back to let her know you're declining the interview."

Shawn anxiously ran a hand over his short hair. "That's going to look bad, isn't it? Does saying no imply guilt?"

"That's a good question, and I don't have the answer. I will say that it doesn't look good," he replied.

"Can you tell her I need some time to think about this? Like maybe three or four days?"

"Yes. That's smart. One other thing you should know...she'll undoubtedly be digging up any ex-girlfriends of yours to find out if there's a pattern."

"That's fine. I've never done anything with any other woman that I'm ashamed of. I don't have a history of violence," Shawn said confidently.

"I know. For what it's worth, I think her theory is bullshit. I've known you since you were a kid and you're not a bad or toxic person. You made a huge mistake, and it's cost you, but you'd never hurt someone."

They got off the phone after Andrew gave him the name of the writer. He googled her and read over several pieces she'd written for major publications like The New York Times and Rolling Stone. She definitely had a bite to her style and did very thorough research. She wasn't some TMZ intern looking to make his story relevant again.

This was the last thing he needed and he wondered if it was happening at the same time he was starting to feel good about life again for a reason. Was fate trying to tell him that he was a monster and didn't deserve happiness?