Handwritten (Shawn Mendes Fanfiction)

Chapter Eight

Aubrey

"Okay, how about this?" I asked Shawn as we both sat on the piano's bench together and tried to come up with the first sentence of the song.
"'I promise that one day I'll be around'..." I sang, trying to think about what to add next. I was optimistic, while Shawn was beginning to look frustrated again.
"Oh, I have one. How about," he said as he sat up straighter, "this is hopeless we're going down." He sang in the melody of the song. He rolled his eyes while I laughed.
"Come on Shawn! You're supposed to be a guy in love remember?!" I chuckled.
"Really fill this character's shoes. You promise that one day you'll be around, and what?" I asked.

Shawn looked off into space again, but I could tell that he was really trying to focus. And it payed off.
"'I promise that one day I'll be around'..." I sang and Shawn finished it.
"'I'll keep you safe, I'll keep you.... Sound'?" He sang, questioning himself at the end.
"Shawn that's good!" I said with a big grin on my face. The corners of Shawn's lips lifted and he smiled. I began to write the lyrics down.
"Ooh!" I said just before singing the next part I had come up with.
"'Right now it's pretty crazy and'..." Before I could come up with some lyrics to complete the sentence Shawn beat me to it.
"'I don't know how to stop or slow it down'." He sang and I wrote it down.

"'Hey'... No, maybe not." He said looking at me.
"Why not?" I asked.
"'Hey... I know there are some things we need to talk about'." I sang and Shawn nodded his head.
"Write that," he smiled, "I like it.".
"Oh, how about... 'And I can't stay, just let me hold you for a little longer now.'?" He sang. I nodded my head in excitement. Shawn was writing! I was proud of him.

"How about we jump into the chorus here, what do you think?" I asked.
"I think that's a good idea." He replied with a smile. I nodded my head and made sure to indicate that the chorus came after that section of lyrics on the sheet of music.

We finished the song in two hours. As Shawn stared at the sheets of music in front of us he wore the largest grin on his face.
"Could you sing the first part for me?" I asked, causing him to look my way. Shawn smiled and then nodded.
"I've never heard Shawn Mendes live before." I said. We both chuckled. Shawn placed his fingers where they needed to be on the neck of his guitar.

"The first verse and chorus?" He asked, still looking down at his guitar.
"Yeah." I replied, getting up from the piano's bench and standing near the other side of the piano. Shawn was across from me, still on the piano's bench. I leaned my forearms on the piano and rested my body against it, waiting for Shawn to play. Shawn quickly read over the music before clearing his throat and beginning to sing.

"'I promise that one day I'll be around I'll keep you safe, I'll keep you sound'." Shawn sang. I began to feel as if I were being pulled into a trance. Shawn was captivating as he played his guitar and sang.
"'Right now it's pretty crazy and I don't know how to stop or slow it down'.". Shawn smiled as he sang, making me smile.

"'Hey, I know there are some things we need to talk about. And I can't stay, just let me hold you for a little longer now'.". His eyes stared into mine, making me melt. It was like he were singing the lyrics to me, he made it believable. It was the way he sang the song and how he looked as he sang it. That was why he was a performer.
"'Take a piece of my heart and make it all your own, so when we are apart
you'll never be alone. You'll never be alone'.". Shawn strummed the last chord, leaving me speechless. Shawn bit his lip, likely waiting for me to say something.

"The girls are going to swoon." I said as I clapped. Shawn laughed.
"Did you?" He asked, curiosity in his eyes. I looked down at the floor as a smirk rose to my face.
"It's the way you preform Shawn, it makes the fans feel like you're singing to them." I replied, walking back over to the bench.
"So I'll take it that you did." He smiled. I just laughed.

I sat back down on the bench next to Shawn.
"And you said that you couldn't write." I mumbled. Shawn smiled.
"I love it, I just hope that David feels the same." Shawn replied, looking back at the sheets of music.
"Who's David?" I asked, as I brushed my fingers over the piano's keys.

Shawn sighed before explaining.
"David is my producer. He's the guy who has been pressuring me for this album." He said. Shawn's eyes followed my fingers as they skimmed over the keys of the piano.
"Whatever he says goes." He mumbled.
"I don't think that's fair." I mumbled. Shawn stayed silent.

After a few moments of silence Shawn strummed his guitar, causing me to look at it. He played a little tune before looking over at me.
"Do you know how to play?" He asked, tilting the neck of his guitar up.
"No actually, I only know how to play the piano." I replied.
"Really?" Shawn asked. I nodded.
"I know, for someone who writes songs and works in an instrument shop it doesn't make any sense." I chuckled.

Shawn smiled.
"Well, I'll teach you." He said getting up from the bench and coming up behind me. He placed the guitar on my lap, standing behind me.
"Oh Shawn, you don't have too. I'm alright with just knowing how to play the piano." I replied with a chuckle.
"I want too." He said, turning his head to look at me. I smiled at him before looking down at the guitar he had placed on my lap.

He positioned my fingers on the strings of the guitar. As he picked up my fingers I could feel that his were callused from playing the instrument. He explained the notes of the strings before showing me chords. I could feel the movements of his breathing against my back, distracting me.
"And this chord." He said, placing my fingers where they needed to go, teaching me the last chord. He had taught me how to play the chorus of our song on the guitar. His body hovered over mine, making my stomach feel as if it were a cage for butterflies.
"That's it?" I asked, turning my head to the side to make eye contact with Shawn.
"Yeah," He replied.

"Okay, watch me butcher this." I said placing my fingers on the first chord.
"I would have disagreed with you but seeing that your fingers aren't making the right chord," he chuckled, "I would have to agree.". I began to laugh.
"Help me please?" I asked, Shawn chuckled some more as he leaned against my back to place his hands on mine. I watched his face as he looked down at the guitar. He was cute.
I ended up playing the whole chorus, but at a slow pace and with Shawn's help.
"I told you I would butcher it." I said, turning my head to look at him. Shawn turned his head to look at me. Our faces were inches away from each other's.
"You didn't do that bad, but you would have done better if you remembered the chords." Shawn smiled. I just chuckled.

Neither one of us turned our heads away, we stayed looking at each other. I felt as if I had fallen into a trance from looking into his eyes. I couldn't look away from him. I watched Shawn's eyes as they moved back and forth from mine, and then fall to my lips before looking back up into my eyes. I could feel myself lean in, as if a force was pushing me towards him. My hand fell against the strings of the guitar causing the trance between Shawn and I to break. Shawn cleared his throat before standing up and scratching the back of his neck. I awkwardly scratched the side of my head.

"Uh thanks," I said as I passed Shawn his guitar, "but I think I'll just stick to playing the piano." I laughed. Shawn placed the guitar on its stand, and then looked over at me.
"I think that's a good idea." He replied.
"Uh." I replied as if I had been offended. Shawn leaned his torso on the piano as he chuckled. I knew that he was only joking. I couldn't help but laugh, and neither could Shawn.

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