The One After [SHAWN MENDES]

Chapter 143

I woke up to an empty bed, which in and of itself wasn't that strange since Shawn occasionally got up before me to hit the gym. It was the day of the girls' wedding, though, and I wanted some morning snuggles before the craziness began.

Looking out the large window, I could see clear skies in the dim light of dawn. The forecast was outstanding, so if we turned on the fire pit, guests could sit out on the patio or at least pop out for some fresh air and to check out the view. A few people would probably want to light up, Shawn included. If I got too anxious about hosting, I might indulge in a puff or two.

Sitting up, I stretched, threw my legs over the side of the bed, and went to the bathroom to pee. I scowled when I saw that my boyfriend left the toilet seat up again, but he was otherwise a pretty perfect roommate so I forced myself to let it go. I was about to put the kettle on for some pour over brew when Shawn walked through the door with a large bag from my dad's bakery and two coffees from our favorite cafe. He was wearing old holey sweats and must have rolled out of bed without brushing his hair, which was somehow both endearing and sexy.

"Shit! You're up already?" he said as he set the things on the counter. "You usually sleep until at least eight-thirty."

"Today is a big day," I replied with a yawn. Truthfully, an hour more of sleep would've been lovely.

"Damn right it is! It's the woman I love's birthday, which is cause for celebration. I'm very thankful that you came into this world twenty-five years ago!" he said enthusiastically. "Happy birthday, sweet Lulu of mine."

I couldn't help but smile even if that wasn't what I was referring to. "Thank you. What's in the bag?"

"All of your favorite things. Bob helped with the selection, and he said to give you a birthday hug from him." He came around the counter island and enveloped me in his arms. Then he gave me a very long, deep kiss. "That's from me."

"I figured," I giggled. We sat at the counter and dug into our pastries while drinking our delicious coffee. "Is that muffin gluten-free?" I asked him.

"Yep. Your dad is getting really good at making things without wheat flour. I think he should open up a second shop that's a hundred percent gluten-free. He'd make a fortune."

My dad was getting a bit too old to start a new venture like that, but I appreciated that Shawn saw the potential for growth. "The wedding cake will definitely have gluten. I guess you won't have any."

"I might take a bite of your slice. I know it's going to be insanely good, so I want to try it," he told me before cramming the last of his muffin in his mouth and taking another from the bag. The first had been blueberry but the second was apple spice, one of the shop's best sellers during the fall months.

I took a bit longer to finish my ham and cheese croissant, and then I helped myself to a raspberry danish. "I'm glad we hired cleaners even if that's so not me. It takes a little pressure off this morning."

Yesterday, a crew came in and worked their magic to make our condo spotless. Before they arrived, I took Inky to my dad's where she was spending the weekend since the large crowd could freak her out. Plus, it wasn't safe to have her roaming around if people were going in and out of the patio door. One of my fears was that she'd leap over the railing, though Shawn assured me that she wasn't that stupid.

"I vote for having someone come in weekly to do the dirty work. I can afford to never scrub a toilet again, so why do it?" he said.

I gave him a stern look. "Because everyone should clean up their own messes. It's part of being a responsible adult! Obviously people who work long hours or who are older or have health issues need help, and that's fine, but you and I have plenty of time and energy to do it ourselves."

Shawn rolled his eyes at me. "Sometimes you're so opinionated."

"And you love it."

"True. I wouldn't want you any other way. I have a couple presents for you. Do you want them now or later?"

I gave this a little thought. "Now is good. You didn't go overboard, did you?"

He got off his stool. "Nope. Lemme grab them from my top secret hiding place." A few seconds later, he was back with two gifts, which I'd seen hidden under his sweaters a couple days ago when putting laundry away. I kept that to myself. "Here you go, birthday girl."

I opened the smaller one first, which was in a pretty floral bag, and gasped when I saw a pair of beautiful earrings that coordinated with the pendant he'd given me the year before. They had a large pearl as the central focal point and a cluster of topaz jewels in several colors of blue. "Thank you, Shawn. I love them! I'm wearing these tonight since they'll look beautiful with my dress!"

I was wearing a pale aqua dress that I'd found on a clearance rack of an upscale boutique. The girls told me to wear whatever I wanted since I was the only attendant and they weren't doing a color theme. The moment I saw it, I knew it was the one. Maybe it wasn't very fall-ish, but Fallon and Briya knew I loved anything in that color family. I sent them a pic from the store and they both said it was perfect. They had not divulged what they were wearing tonight, though Bri insisted that they go fairly traditional. Each was keeping her gown a secret from the other, and they were getting ready in separate bedrooms before the ceremony began.

"Is it okay that they don't match exactly with the necklace I gave you?" he asked. "I saw these and was drawn to them."

"I love that they are different!" I gushed.

"The next one isn't something I bought but more a thing I wanted to share with you."

The second gift was a in a flat box, and I could tell that Shawn had wrapped it himself. Inside was a sheet of paper with lots of scribbled phrases. As I read it, I realized it was a love song. I looked up at him as tears pooled in my eyes. "You wrote this?"

"For you, yeah. And I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I wrote it when we were broken up, with hopes that it would help manifest us getting back together."

I read the heartfelt lyrics again as tears streamed down my cheeks. "This is the best present anyone has ever given me."

"I'm still working on the melody, but eventually I want to turn it into a song that I can record and release."

"I know that putting out song a that is tied to a specific person can be hard. I'm okay if it's just for me," I told him, vaguely referencing all the songs he'd written for Camila. I suspected that performing them on tour had been difficult, though he was such a professional that he rarely showed that pain to the audience. I had seen a couple clips, however, where it was obvious he was hurting.

"My music represents what I'm going through in my life, and if I'm going to honest with my lyrics, I have to open myself up to the emotions I'll always have tied to that period. I mean...what's the alternative? Writing generic songs with no true meaning? I want to be more than that as an artist, so I'm definitely going to release this one day. When we're in California, it's one of the things I'm going to focus on."

"I love you and respect you so much for that." I wrapped my arms around his neck and gave him a kiss.