LOOK UP AT THE STARS

CHAPTER 15 - MEANINGFUL

Camila

I couldn't stop looking at the two Grammys on the shelf in our bedroom. I stared at them, feeling so proud of him. It had been an odd night. He had not been as excited as I imagined he would and afterwards, when Taylor had INSISTED we come to her after party, and then Niall had INSISTED we sing Karaoke on the bar, he had not seemed happy at all when usually he would have been first to suggest it.

He had been strange ever since, and I'd put it down to a hangover at first, then yesterday had been the day the two men had faced court in New York for Tyler's death, and, as it turned out, the murder of Gigi Van Kamp as well. Luckily, Shawn hadn't had to testify, as one of the men had confessed and turned on the other, and his video evidence had been enough. But he was still the same today and I felt it was time to confront him. It was impossible to consider working on my music when I was worried about him. The thing was, he was still loving and attentive to me, and it was pretty hard to find something to put my finger on, I just felt an odd vibe from him that I couldn't explain.

I walked downstairs and he met me with a smile.

"There you are! How was your video meeting? All go well?" he asked brightly.

"Yep, all done. What are you up to?"

"Oh just the usual, Foundation stuff, you know, other stuff too. Nothing exciting." It sounded like a crock of shit. What was he hiding? He pulled me against him and embraced me loosely, nuzzling my neck. "Do you have any plans for the rest of the day and tonight?"

I closed my eyes, enjoying the feel of his lips on my ear. "Nothing, why? What did you have in mind?" I was having a few ideas on my own.

"I think we're well overdue for date night," he whispered into my ear, and I felt the shivers run down from his lips to all the important parts of me.

I smiled. "OK, when were you thinking?"

"Now," he said, a twinkle in his eye. "Dress up, smart casual and comfortable."

Interesting. I remembered our perfect date, the cooking class and the chef's table. When it came to dates, this guy delivered, so I was looking forward to it. I just wondered what the occasion was.

Shawn

I had struggled with planning the date where I had confessed I was in love with her, I had wanted to make it perfect, and it had been. I'd set the bar high, so I had thought long and hard about this one. A flight to Paris? A weekend in Italy? A luxury boat cruise? These were all great ideas, and doable, and she'd be blown away, no question, but they weren't me, and they weren't Camila. I wanted to make it personal. 

She had been surprised I had wanted to head off so early, it was only three in the afternoon, but it had also just made her more excited. She wore a cute dress that clung where it should and flowed to her calves and sandals on her feet, her hair left out, falling in soft waves to her shoulders. She looked adorable, bouncing up and down with anticipation.

"Let's go," I said. She looked around and saw all I had was my keys.

"That's it? You got everything?"

"Yep, all good, let's go."

We walked out and got into the car and then I laughed.

"What is it?" she asked, frowning.

"Forgot my wallet, I think it's upstairs, I'll run and get it."

When I returned she was frowning. "What took you so long? You've been gone ages!"