The One After [SHAWN MENDES]

Chapter 77

When my plane landed in Denver, I was awestruck by the mountains. I'd never seen anything in nature that compared to their magnitude so I took several photos and sent them to the girls and my dad. Briya and Fallon replied quickly, but my father didn't, probably because he was working. It was possible, however, that he was on a late afternoon date.

In my dream, I'd discovered he was seeing someone, and by a huge strike of coincidence, in August he'd met a lovely widow at the supermarket. Her name was Jennifer and I'd had dinner with them recently. She had three kids who were all 'grown and flown,' as she put it, and she recently downsized to an apartment in my dad's neighborhood.

Dad claimed they were taking things slow, though I suspected slow for fifty-somethings wasn't the same as slow for people my age. I didn't want to think about their intimate relationship too much, but I'd encouraged him to follow his heart. Unsurprisingly, he told me I needed to do the same thing.

My heart led me to the Mile High City, but there were other parts of my body that were almost as eager to see Shawn. Two days ago I'd splurged and used some of my cruise cash at a day spa. I got a mani, pedi, facial, and waxed. I didn't prescribe to the belief that women had to be hairless for their partners, but I figured tidying things up was in order, especially if his face was going to be down there.

And I really hoped it was.

On the flight, I had a conversation with myself in my head about how I needed to not compare the dream to reality when it came to sex. There was no way it would be the exact same, which I knew because even kissing Shawn was different. Or at least I think it was. The memories of his kisses were gone now. I could still remember what the sex was like, and I had mixed feelings about losing those sweet recollections, too, though obviously it would be worth it.

I only had a carry-on, so I bypassed the baggage claim area and went out to the pick-up zone where a driver was waiting with my name on a sign. "Ms. Atwood?" she asked when I approached her.

"That's me!" I considered getting in the back of the environmentally-friendly electric SUV, but since it was just me, I took the front seat instead. "They aren't lying when they say the air feels different here. Does it take long to adjust?"

"Most people are used to it within twenty-four hours. If you feel queasy, let me know. I've got bags."

Puking on the way to the hotel was definitely not how I wanted to start my visit.

When we pulled in front of The Four Seasons, I handed her a tip and hopped out. I wasn't exactly dizzy, but I felt a little off and wobbled a bit.

"Go to your room and drink some water. Dehydration is worse here," she advised before driving off.

After checking in and getting my room key, I took the elevator up to the twenty-fourth floor. The hotel had almost twice that many storeys, but the upper levels were residences. My room turned out to be a suite, and it was clear from the mess that Shawn was staying in it, too. We'd talked about our plans to fool around, so it's not like sharing a bed was a surprise.

He wasn't there, so I sent him a text.

Made it! In the hotel room.

A second later, he called. "Hey, Lucy! I must have just missed you. Cez insisted I get to the arena early to test out my vocals in this altitude. I always do a sound check, but he wants me to do more."

I knew I was cutting it close with my flight, but I didn't have many options with a last-minute booking. Still, I was disappointed that we didn't get some time alone before the concert.

"The air here is weird, so that's smart. When should I come over?" I asked.

"Your pass is on the bedside table, so come whenever you're ready. I can have a driver pick you up."

I laughed. "I looked on my phone and it's a five minute walk. I definitely don't need a ride."

"So I'll see you soon?" he asked.

"I need to freshen up and change, and then I'll head out."

"Freshen up, eh? I know what that means, thanks to our conversation the night we met."

The cruise was a little over three months ago, but it felt like so much longer. The timeline in my brain was still a little out of whack, and I yearned for it to reset. "I might actually jump in the shower to rinse off," I told him. "Flying makes me feel grimy."

"Make it quick. I can't wait to see you."

My heart skipped a beat. "I promise to be as fast as I can. When I get there, do I need to do anything other than show my pass?"

"I'm glad you asked. Once you're in, ask for Jake, my bodyguard. Someone will take you to him, and obviously I'll be pretty close by. If I'm on stage, you'll get a little preview of the concert. I have the meet and greet photos, but after that, we can hang out."

"But I need to act like we're just friends around other people."

He hesitated a second. "No. Why would you say that? Everyone on my team knows about you. I think my fans know something's up because photos of us surfaced after our dates last month. I'm not hiding that we're seeing each other."

"Sorry, I just assumed you were keeping things on the down-low."

"I'm not advertising that we're together, but I need to be able to live my life without worrying constantly what the outside world thinks."

"Should I avoid posting anything on Instagram?" I asked.

He chuckled. "You post so rarely, but if you get a good pic or video tonight, go for it."

"Do you mean when you're on stage or when we're alone in this suite?" I teased.

"On stage. I'd prefer not to have a sex tape scandal."

"I definitely don't want to be the one to ruin your squeaky clean image. I also don't want to give my dad a heart attack, so I promise I'd never post anything scandalous. His blood pressure would probably spike even if I took an innocent pic in a hotel room with you."

"But he's okay with us?" Shawn asked.

"Are you kidding? You made a really good impression on him. Saving my life earned you a lot of points, but then you won him over even more when you talked for hours in the hospital."

"He told you about that?"

"Yes." I couldn't elaborate on how we'd discussed those conversations in relation to my dream.

"Your dad is great, and I enjoyed talking to him. I was a fucking mess from everything that happened, and he helped me feel better, which was generous of him considering he was so worried about you."

I didn't like thinking about how I'd traumatized everyone. "If I'm going to make it over to the arena in time for your show, I should probably get off the phone."

"Good point. I can't wait to see you, Lu."

A shiver ran down my spine. "What did you call me?"

"Sorry...I have a habit of using nicknames. If it bugs you, I won't do it," he said.

"I don't mind, but Lou is my uncle so it feels weird. Also, someone used to call me Lulu and it reminded me of that."

"That's fucking adorable! Can I steal it!?" he asked. Then he added, "Unless it was your ex, 'cause it would be weird if that's the case."

Fuck. I could continue to perpetuate the lie about having an ex-boyfriend or I could move on. "Nope, not my ex. You can call me Lulu if you want."

We said goodbye but I remained frozen on the bed. It wasn't strange that he'd created a pet name, but it was definitely a little odd that he was adopting the same one he'd used in my dream. Was that why I'd told him? Was my subconscious trying to turn the fantasy into reality? I couldn't answer either question.