The One After [SHAWN MENDES]

Chapter 2

"Shit. Sorry," Shawn Mendes stammered after running into me and spilling the ice from my drink all over the floor.

He immediately bent over and started picking each cube up while I checked him out. The first thing I noticed was that he was slimmer than I expected, but that's not to say he wasn't built. From the position he was in, I could see his muscles rippling through the thin green button down shirt he was wearing. He had on black pants and a pair of Converse tennis shoes that didn't fit his look at all, though strangely enough they worked.

He stood up, and I held my glass out for him to put the half-melted ice cubes in. "No worries. These passages are very tight." Then I walked over the the large open window and tossed them overboard.

"I owe you a drink." His tone was anxious and he hardly made eye contact at all. Instead he kept glancing towards the stairs to the upper level.

"No, you don't because it was empty. Enjoy your night." Brody would be seething if he heard me say this since each drink equaled more profits, but I could tell that the offer was made out of politeness, and I didn't want to take advantage.

He gave me a weak smile and took the stairs two at a time before disappearing from my view. I entered the middle deck and looked around for my friends. Briya was chatting up a guy in his forties who seemed relatively harmless. He wasn't standing too close to her and was listening to whatever she was saying. I handed the bartender my empty glass and sat down.

The next hour dragged on. I mingled with guests, drank another weak drink, and ate my fill of food. No one took the bottle service bait and I wondered if Brody would be irritated by this. The cruise ship would dock at one-thirty in the morning, and without my phone on me, it was hard to know how close it was to that time. As I talked to a few guys, I found myself daydreaming about my cozy bed.

"Our boss wants you upstairs," Briya told me when we met up in the bathroom. "Shawn Mendes is the VIP and he and his entourage haven't responded to me or Fallon, so you need to give it a shot."

"I actually ran into him and he didn't even look at me. I guess I'm no Camila Cabello."

It was widely known, even by people like me who weren't really into celebrities or social media, that Shawn and Camila had been a very hot item until the end of last year. Their break-up seemed to come out of nowhere, and he'd released a sad song soon after indicating that he still loved her.

I definitely wasn't anything like his ex. She was a short curvy brunette who could go from cute to sexy in an instant. I was tall, fairly slim, and had light brown hair that was naturally highlighted with blonde streaks. I was pretty- I wouldn't have this job if I wasn't- but I wasn't even close to being on Camila's level.

Briya patted my arm. "You're hot, Lucy! He's probably still fucked up about losing his dream girl. I honestly thought they'd get married and make bunches of beautiful babies together."

"Maybe they still will."

"Well they aren't tonight so go get him, girl!" she said encouragingly.

I made my way to the top level which had the smallest covered area since part of it was the captain's bridge. Scoping out the scene, I saw Fallon with the frat guys. Liam spotted me and gave me a dirty look, presumably because I never rejoined him. I turned and went out on the large open balcony where music was playing loudly as lights flashed to the beat. Opting for a moment to myself, I leaned over the railing and gazed at the dark waters of Lake Ontario.

"I think I owe you a drink," a voice said from behind me.

Swiveling, I saw Shawn Mendes. "I'd love one," I replied with a smile.

Together we approached the bar and each of us got a cocktail. He held his up and I clinked mine against it. "Sorry about earlier. I had to make a phone call and finding someplace quiet on this boat is impossible." His tone and facial expression indicated that the call wasn't a pleasant one.

"You don't need to apologize. What brought you aboard the Queen of Canada tonight?"

He sighed. "I'm leaving next week and my friends thought it would be fun to do a booze cruise."

"But you're not having fun?"

"I am...I'm also stressed. Sorry. I didn't introduce myself. I'm Shawn."

"Nice to meet you, Shawn. I'm Lucy. Stress sucks, and unlike a bar, you can't leave until the ship docks." I decided this was as good a time as any time make my pitch. "I've been on these cruises a couple times and there is one thing that can make them more fun."

He raised his eyebrows. "Oh? What do you have in mind?"

"Bottle service." I leaned forward and dropped my voice to a whisper. "I know the manager, so I can probably convince him to give you a discount." Brody was always willing to knock ten percent off since the profits for this service were enormous.

"That sounds great. How do we arrange that?"

"There's a private lounge on the lower level. If it's open, you can go there. You just need to tell a bartender you're interested."

"You'll join us, right?"

I smiled at him. "Of course."

In no time, I was surrounded by his friends who were sitting on the couches of the lounge or standing by the big open windows. Everyone seemed happy with the situation, and I knew the pop star had money to burn, so I didn't feel an ounce of guilt for initiating the expensive service. I moved around the room chatting with people, and no one questioned why I was there. Shawn and I made friendly small talk, though I wasn't really getting the vibe that it was anything more than your typical party interaction fueled by alcohol consumption.

Most of his friends appeared to be regular guys, and a couple had dates or girlfriends with them. It was fascinating to watch his buddies interact with him, since no one treated him like he was anything special, which was oddly endearing.

Several hours passed and the group grew increasingly loud as they consumed drink after drink. It must have been long after midnight when Shawn asked Ellen, the bartender, to pop some champagne. She winked at me when she held up a pricey bottle for him to approve. Brody was going to be a happy man when he saw the receipts later.

Shawn stood up, stumbling momentarily, and cleared his throat. "I just want to thank everyone for being here and showing me so much love. I'll remember this when things get tough on tour." He then raised his champagne flute and all his friends cheered.

I watched as he stepped away from the rowdy group and took his phone out of his pocket before frowning and shoving it back in. He looked up and caught me staring which caused my cheeks to flare red. Now was a good time to exit since I was embarrassed, but moreover, I didn't want to be there when he got the bill. I escaped through the door, walked past the other room where people were dancing, and was almost to the stairs when I felt a hand on my elbow.

"You're leaving?" Shawn asked.

"I'm here with friends and I've been gone forever, so I should find them."

"Can't you text them?" He then looked me up and down. "Do you even have a purse or a phone on you?"

Fuck. No one had ever questioned me about this before. I hated lying, but I had to. "My friend has my purse."

He was intoxicated enough to buy this excuse, because instead of asking why I wouldn't have it myself, he ran a finger up my arm. "Let's find your friends together and have them join my party. You suggested bottle service, so you should enjoy the drinks until we dock."

If I found Bri and Fallon, he'd see that they didn't have my purse or ones of their own. "You go back to the lounge and I'll get them." We'd be at the pier soon so it wouldn't matter if I never returned.

"Are you trying to ditch me?" he asked with a surprised air. He was undoubtedly used to being the ditcher not the ditchee.

I wasn't sure how to respond.