Perfectly Wrong

2. Garden Gnome

Camila wakes up the next morning regretting not putting socks on the night before because as soon as her feet touch the wooden floor, she’s convinced she just stepped on ice. She takes a sweater out of her closet and searches for a pair of socks, which she doesn’t find in the mess of boxes her room still is. She decides to try something different, tiptoeing the ice cold floor to the living room to find some shoes, but when she passes Sofia’s room, she spots her sister’s Harry Potter house shoes on the floor. Camila sneaks into the room and slips them on before heading to the kitchen.

 She looks around in search of the coffee pot, not finding it anywhere and remembering that it’s probably in one of the boxes they hadn’t unloaded from her Jeep yet. The Jeep is outside on the driveway, where it’s probably really cold, but she has no other option. Camila grabs her keys and opens the front door, noticing a white substance all over the front yard. It takes her a second to realize what it is. Snow in September. How was that even possible? She bends down and takes some in her hand. It’s just how she imagined it would be: fluffy, soft and cold.

 Taking a step forward, Camila starts to make her way to the Jeep, but she doesn’t get much far, because the second her Harry Potter house shoes meet the snow, she’s down on the concrete looking at the cloudy sky. She immediately feels the pain on her right shoulder, reaching around and realizing she landed on one of the garden gnomes. Half of its red hat is broken and the little creature is smiling at her, making her groan and taking it with both hands, ready to break the thing for good.

 “ That’s not a good idea!” A voice she immediately recognizes as Shawn’s stops her. Camila sits up and watches as he crosses the street to where she is. “ Are you okay?” He asks with a laugh. She immediately starts thinking about how she hasn't even taken a look in the mirror this morning.

 “ I’ll feel a lot better after I break this thing for good.” Camila says, looking at the garden gnome in her hands.

 “ You don’t want to do that, gnomes are good luck.” Shawn says, gently taking it from her hands and placing it on the snow covered grass.

 “ Yeah. Real good luck.” Camila says sarcastically, looking down at her shoulder where a red spot it's forming on her sweater.

 “ Oh my god, I’m so sorry.” Shawn stops laughing when he sees the blood on her clothes, helping her stand up. “ I wouldn’t have laughed if I knew you were hurt. You need to get a bandage on that.”

 “ I wouldn’t have a clue where to find one at this point.” She says, thinking about all of the unopened boxes they have inside the house.

 “ Come with me. We have some in our kitchen.” Shawn says as he takes his jacket off and wraps it around her shoulders, helping her cross the street. Camila can definitely walk on her own, so she feels kind of pathetic letting him help her like that.

 Once they’re inside his house, Camila removes his jacket from her shoulders and places it on the couch before following him into the kitchen. It’s still dark inside, so she assumes everyone is still asleep. His house seems bigger than their new one across the street, even though the overall structure looks similar. There’s a bay window to the left of the living room with a bench, colorful large pillows and an acoustic guitar on top of it. Several family pictures hang along the wall, most of them of Shawn and his little sister, but a few with their parents.

 Camila walks closer to analyze the pictures while Shawn looks for a bandage, and decides he got his genes from his dad. The most recent picture looks a few years dated and it shows his dad with his arms around his two children. His features are identical to Shawn’s, both with captivating eyes and perfect white teeth. Shawn’s mother looks breathtaking with short blond hair and bright blue eyes, but Camila can’t pick out any facial features that she might have passed on to her children. All of the pictures just show her how much this house feels like a home.

 “ It needs to be cleaned before putting a bandage on it.” She hears Shawn’s voice as she walks back to the kitchen and sits down in one of the stools at the bar.

 She watches as he rolls up his shirt sleeves and turns on the faucet, involuntarily taking the time to analyze him properly. Shawn has a pale yellow button up collared shirt and she can see the outline of his undershirt under the kitchen lights. He has broad shoulders and his head reaches the cabinet above him, so from the similarities their kitchens share, Camila can tell he stands about a foot taller than her. Her eyes are on his patterned black tie when he turns the water off and walks back to where she is. She takes the wet napkin from his hand as her face flushes from the amount of attention his physique is getting from her.

 “ It’s okay.” She says, pulling her sleeve down over her shoulder. “ I can get it.”

 “ So, what were you doing outside in your pajamas at seven in the morning?’ He asks as he opens a bandage, watching as she wipes off the blood from her shoulder. “ Are you guys still unloading?”

 “ Coffee.” She simply says, shaking her head and throwing the napkin into the trash can.

 “ Coffee?” He asks with amusement in his voice. “ I guess you’re not a morning person.”

 Shawn moves closer to her to place the bandage on her shoulder and she tries to hide the chills on her arms when his warm breath hits the skin of her neck.

 “ There. Good as new.” He says.

 “ Thanks. And I am a morning person.” She says, standing up and pretending to inspect the bandage while trying to think what to do next. “ After I get my coffee.”

 She already thanked him, but if she just turned around and walked out it would seem rude after how he just helped her. If she just stands there waiting for more small talk, she’ll look stupid for not leaving. She doesn’t even know why she’s overthinking her next move.

 “ You want cream or sugar?” She turns around when she hears his voice, watching as he walks to her and sets a cup of coffee for her on the counter.

 “ Black is fine.” She shakes her head. “ Thanks.”

 Shawn is leaning across the bar watching her as she drinks her coffee, his eyes a light tone of hazel staring at her. He smiles and breaks their gaze, looking down at his watch.

 “ I need to go. My sister is waiting in the car and I have to get to work.” He says. “ I'll walk you back. You can keep the cup.”

 “ I’ll be fine.” Camila says, heading to the front door. He follows her outside and closes the door as she crosses the street.

 “ Camila!” He yells just as she’s about to open the front door of her house, making her turn around and look at him standing in his driveway. “ I solemnly swear I am up to no good.”

 She looks at him in confusion at first, then laughs along with him as he hops into his car and drives away. She stands there for a while, looking down at the Harry Potter house shoes she still has on with a huge smile on her face.

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A/N: Let me know what you're thinking of this story so far!!