Fractured [SHAWN MENDES]

~52~

The car ride was silent, which didn't exactly bode well for them, but Shawn chalked it up to fatigue. Besides...it was hard to make small talk when your relationship was possibly in peril.

"We could just go to bed and work this out in the morning," he suggested as he tossed his keys on the counter in the kitchen once they were inside his condo.

Taryn shook her head. "I don't know if I can sleep next to you right now with things feeling so...unresolved."

"I'll take the guest room so that we can both have space."

"If that's the plan then why didn't I go to my mom's? What's the point of me staying here?" she asked.

He cocked his head. "You always sleep here. It's what we do."

Her chest tightened and a sob started forming in her throat. Taryn knew that if they started talking about living arrangements, she'd fall apart. But he was right; they needed to sleep. "I'm going to go get ready for bed."

Just like every night, Shawn joined her and they brushed their teeth side by side. The only difference was that when he was done, he said goodnight and left the bedroom suite. She took off her clothes, put on one of his t-shirts, and crawled under the covers. Despite being sure that she wouldn't fall asleep, within minutes she was out. Shawn had a harder time, but before long, he also succumbed to his exhaustion.

******

Taryn woke up to the smell of coffee, and when she opened her eyes she saw Shawn squatting beside her with a mug in his hands.

"Good morning," he said. "I wasn't sure if I should let you sleep or if you'd want to get up."

"What time is it?" she asked groggily.

"Almost eleven."

She sat upright. "No way!"

"Yup. Do you feel rested?"

"I'm a little fuzzy right now. Is that my coffee or yours?" She stretched her arms over her head.

"Yours. I'll leave it here. Join me in the living room when you're fully awake," he said with a sweet smile.

She sipped her coffee in bed for a few minutes as the cobwebs cleared from her brain. When was the last time she slept this late? She couldn't remember, but it hadn't happened in ages. The fact that their normal morning routine included sex was a large part of that. She wished they'd started today that way, but until they worked things out, it probably wasn't a good idea. That didn't stop her from missing how it felt to be made love to right after waking up, since it often made the whole day brighter.

After getting out of bed, she went to pee, and then she pulled on a pair of flannel pajama bottoms and grabbed one of Shawn's cardigans off the shelf. Once it was on, she sniffed it and savored his masculine scent.

He chuckled when she entered the living room. "Cozy?"

"It might be a little big on me, but I love this sweater." Big was an understatement, since the hem almost reached her knees. She sat down next to him. "I didn't say good morning back to you, so good morning."

Shawn desperately wanted to lean closer to her so that he could give her a kiss, but he was fairly certain she wasn't ready to make up quite yet. "About the other night-"

She held a hand up to stop him. "Can we set some ground rules first? I propose that there's no yelling and no walking out. We need to talk things through without letting our emotions take over."

"Agreed. In fact, I was about to say that I'm really sorry I let my anger get the best of me. I overreacted and I never should have shouted at you or stormed off."