Bad Reputation - Shawn Mendes

8 - Come Clean Sooner Than Later

Eleanor.

"Wait, did you really fall off the stage in front of thousands of fans?" I say while trying to hold in my laughter. "Yeah, it was the most embarrassing thing ever. And they even got it on tape!" Shawn exclaims with his cheeks all red. As we were talking and laughing, Mia comes over with the bill. "We're going to close in 20 minutes." She tells us and we both nod. I reach into my purse and say, "Let's split the bill." He puts a hand out and rebuts, "No, i got it. I'm the one who asked to hang out, I'll pay." I look up at him, and he has placed his card on the bill and is calling Mia over. "Thank you so much Shawn." "No problem Elle." He smiles, looking very attractive.

Mia returns with Shawn's card, and he keeps it in his wallet. We has just spent 3 hours just sitting and talking and i could feel that we clicked instantly. We walk out of the restaurant and i notice that all the stores are closed except for an ice cream store. "Can we get ice cream?" I ask while turning to face him. "Yes, we can." He says and i smile at the thought of a nice ice cream cone. We enter the store and the guy behind the counter greets us. Most of the flavours were already gone since it was quite late so there weren't many options to choose from. "I think I'm gonna get the hazelnut flavour." I say. "Then I'll get the pistachio." He replies and i tell the guy our order. He scoops up our ice creams and i insist to pay for it this time, which i did.

We grab our cones and sit the bench outside the store because the weather outside was nice. We ate and talked again, and it felt nice, just trying to get to know each other. Of course i left out the fact about my reputation, I wouldn't tell that to someone i had just met especially not to a celebrity. As we were done eating, Shawn looks at me and takes a napkin. "You've got a little uh." He says and wipes away the ice cream on the corner of my mouth. My heart began racing the moment his hand touched my cheek and it felt like electricity was flowing through my body. "T-thanks." I say quickly before turning away and cursing at myself for eating sloppily. "We should probably get going." I say while standing up and throwing away the used napkins.

We head towards Shawn's car, and he opens the door for me again, i thank him before hopping in. He jogs towards the driver's seat and hops in. He drives back to the dorms and we sit in silence. It wasn't an awkward silence, but more of a comforting one. Like two people who've hung out and talked a lot and are recharging themselves. Shawn pulls up to the dorm's parking lot and i face him. "Thanks for today Shawn, i really had a blast." "My pleasure Elle. We should do it again some other time" He says and i reply with a 'yeah'. Shawn unbuckle his seatbelt and i stop him. "It's okay Shawn, i got it." I say and leaning in with my arms spread for a hug. He shifts forward and we hug for a few seconds. I got off the car and walk towards the entrance of the dorm. I watch Shawn drive away before i head in.

I open the door of my room and see the light's out and Aaliyah is fast asleep. I quietly grab my toiletries and head to the communal showers to wash up. I go back to the room and change out of my dress into my pyjamas and go under the covers. I replayed my "date" with Shawn in my head and smiled to myself. Why does that man make me feel so excited and nervous? I slowly drift to sleep as i think about my favourite moments of today.

———

I wake up and turn to see that Aaliyah is scrolling through her phone in bed. "Morning." I say as i stretch my body. "Good morning. Someone came home late last night." She comments and my cheeks instantly flushes. "Yeah, I went out with." I started but immediately stopped myself. Should i be telling Aaliyah that i hung out with her brother instead of her? "My brother i know." She finishes my statement and my eyes widen. "He texted me asking if it was weird if he hung out with you. And i said it was fine, and that you probably shouldn't be alone on a Friday night." She tells me while putting down her phone and looking at me. "Thank you Aaliyah." I say as i sit up. "So how was it last night? Did you enjoy yourself?" She asks while grinning. "Yeah i did. We went out to a Mexican restaurant and then ate ice cream." I tell her. "Sounds like you had a wonderful time." She adds and i nod.

"Do you want to grab breakfast together?" I suggest. "Yes please, I'm starving." She says while rubbing her tummy which made me laugh. We quickly went to wash up and changed out into something more presentable before heading to the cafe nearby. We both ordered and paid by ourselves before sitting at a table near the window. As we were waiting for our food, i debated on whether to tell Aaliyah about my past. I figured that if we were going to spend everyday with each other, i might as well come clean sooner than later. A couple of minutes passed and our food was ready, I offered to collect it for us. I walk back towards the table with a tray of food in my hands and take a deep breathe. I will tell Aaliyah what happened to me back then, and pray that she'll understand.

Author's Note!

I hope you guys are enjoying the book so far! Please vote and even comment your thoughts, i promise to read them all :) also if you like Shawn, i have another book called 'The Weight'. It's already completed so feel free to check it out. I love you guys.