The One After [SHAWN MENDES]

Chapter 99

We pulled in front of the log cabin and climbed out of the enormous SUV that Shawn rented so that the six of us could ride together. It wasn't an electric or hybrid, but he decided it was more environmental than taking two cars. Lately he'd been hyper-focused on the small things he could do to help save the planet, and it was rubbing off on me. I'd even come up with a plan for my dad's bakery to use more sustainable packaging after my green boyfriend pointed out that too many items included plastic.

"This place is so much bigger than it looked in the photos," Briya said with awe.

"And it's even prettier," I added. It was a cabin, so it was constructed completely of pine, though the architecture was more modern. I appreciated the juxtaposition of the aesthetics.

After grabbing the suitcases and supplies we'd purchased, we used the code to unlock the wooden door and stepped inside.

"Ooooh! It's decorated for Christmas!" Meg gushed.

The living area looked like something out of a magazine with a large tree, garlands, and other festive additions. It was beautiful, but also wonderfully cozy.

"There's a fire pit," Brian shared after peering through a window.

"It's supposed to snow six to eight inches tonight, so I doubt we'll want to be outside," Shawn told him.

Brian looked out another window, "Then I guess we'll have to make do with the huge hot tub that's on the covered deck."

"I didn't think to pack swimwear. Did all of you?" I asked.

Only Meg had been smart enough to do so.

Fallon said, "Looks like the rest of us are either wearing our underwear or skinny dipping."

"I'm sure the amount of alcohol we drink will determine which option," Brian laughed as he started stacking the bottles of liquor on a table. He stopped what he was doing and his face turned serious. "Fuck. Did anyone think to bring herb? I had some in a baggie and I forgot it."

"I've got it covered," my boyfriend told everyone. "I brought my bowl and some edibles, so there's something for everyone."

I got tingly at the thought of high sex. We'd done it a few times, but not so much that the novelty had worn off. I liked how mellow it made me feel while enhancing every sensation to unbelievable levels.

"Who gets which bedroom?" Briya asked. "Obviously Shawn and Lucy should get the master suite since he so very generously rented the place."

We took a tour of the house to check out the sleeping arrangements. The cabin had three suites with king-sized beds: two upstairs and one on the main level. Each of them had a private bath, so there really wasn't a room that stood out as being superior to the others, though one had a private deck that overlooked the lake, and our friends insisted that we take it.

I was debating whether it was worth unpacking or if it was better to just live out of my suitcase when the bedroom door shut behind me. I turned and saw my boyfriend grinning broadly.

"Seriously?" I asked, knowing what the mischievous look meant.

"We won't be the only ones. Don't you want to test out the mattress?"

"You're insatiable!"

"That was one of my words of the day last week," he said with a chuckle. "And you're wrong. You definitely satisfy my desires, but we're on a mini-vacation and I want to start it off with a bang."

"Literally."

He crossed the room in several long strides and yanked me into his arms. "Literally."

Thankfully, the bed wasn't squeaky at all, and we both managed to keep our moans and groans to a minimum. When we were done and fully satiated, we got dressed and went downstairs where our four friends were sitting around the lit fireplace with cocktails. Their raised eyebrows made it apparent that they knew what we'd been up to, and my cheeks flamed hot with embarrassment.

Shawn smacked my butt playfully before going to the kitchen where the bar had been set up on one of the counters so he could make us each a rye and ginger ale. He put both a cherry and a squeeze of lime in mine, but made his without either.

"What's on the agenda for this evening?" Meg asked.

"My vote is for lots of drinks and a Christmas movie to start. After that we can have dinner," Brian suggested.

"Do you celebrate Christmas?" Shawn asked Briya. "If not, we can watch something else."

I admired him for being sensitive to her culture, though I already knew how she'd answer.

"My mom is only half Indian, so we put up a tree and do a few presents, but we're not practicing Christians," she explained. "In the religious sense, I celebrate Hindu holidays."

"They've got a huge selection to choose from," Brian noted as he looked at the shelf filled with movies, "but obviously streaming will be easier."

We spent a few minutes debating what we should watch, and to settle the matter, he wrote down five choices on slips of paper and let his girlfriend pick one with her eyes closed. After refreshing our drinks, the other two couples took the sofas while Shawn and I shared a comfy chair he dragged in from another room before pressing play on A Christmas Story.

When the movie was over, those who liked to cook gathered in the enormous kitchen and started on the dinner we'd planned for our first night. As we tipsily prepared the black bean enchiladas, we made half a dozen 'you'll shoot your eye out' jokes since that was an iconic part of the film we'd watched.

While the food was in the oven, we sat down at the dining room table and played a round of Cards Against Humanity. Shawn ended up winning by a landslide, because his choices were always either wonderfully absurd, hilarious, or perfectly matched. He'd told me once during our pre-dating phone convos that he often felt like he was the stupidest person in the room, but I knew he had a quiet wisdom that could sometimes go unnoticed. As I'd gotten to know him, I'd become more aware of it, and this game definitely brought out his mental strengths.

No one drank during the delicious dinner, and our full tummies dulled our inebriation a bit. The two who hadn't cooked (Brian and Briya) offered to do the dishes, but we all ended up pitching in.

"Hot tub?" Brian asked when everything was clean. "Or another game?"

"Why not both at the same time?" Fallon replied.

Meg nodded enthusiastically. "We can continue Never Have I Ever."

We all went to our rooms to change into the most modest underwear we had. I'd packed a lot of sexy things for Shawn, but I did have a pair of black cotton panties and a blue sports bra. They were mismatched, but no one was going to judge. Shawn initially selected white boxer-briefs until I reminded him that they'd be somewhat see-through when wet. He swapped them for navy blue and I couldn't keep from ogling his perfect bod and telling him how good he looked.

The house came with big fluffy beach towels which we wrapped up in before venturing out on the cold deck with fresh drinks in hand. I was skeptical about whether being in the warm water would keep us comfy when the air temperature was below freezing, but after I stepped into the hot tub next to Shawn, I found that it was lovely. He wrapped an arm around me, so I snuggled closer against him and sighed deeply with contentment.

"I should buy a place like this," he remarked. "My anxiety level dropped two notches the second we got here."

"I think that's a great idea," his best friend agreed. "Just make sure you give me a key."

"You sound like such a mooch sometimes," his girlfriend chided him.

He threw his hands in the air. "It's not like I ever take advantage! I just like some of the perks that being friends with the prince of pop brings. He knows he could lose everything and I'd still be by his side."

"And if that happened, you might actually be forced to buy a round of drinks," Shawn joked.

"Are we playing a game or what?" Briya asked.

I would have been happy to just sit and talk, but if everyone wanted to play, I was fine with it.