Patience ➳ Shawn Mendes

Chapter 11

SPOV

I walked into the Peeters' house. It was Saturday and I just came from a meeting with Andrew, my dad and some other people from the record label. It was now a certitude that I would go on a world tour after graduating High School, so there was no possibility of me going to college. I was always quite sure that I wouldn't go but I guess I was hoping that I would be able to go with Ian and the others. And Charlotte.

Is Charlotte even going to college?

I guess she would be. She hasn't talked about it but she seems like someone who would value that very much. Guess I'll just ask her when I see her today.

Taking out the spare key they always told me I could use under the doormat, I opened the lock and walked in, slipping the key in my pocket.

"Hello?" I yelled.

"We're in the living room!" I could hear Patrick- their father- yell.

I walked in and saw everyone but Charlotte which was weird because she hardly had any friends except for me, I know that they have all the groceries because Ollie sent me a text he was at the store when I asked if he wanted to come to the meeting with me and Dad.

"Hey, where's Charlotte?"

"That's the first thing you ask, son?" Patrick asked amused. "No 'Hello, how are you?' or 'What's up?', no nothing like that?"

"Sorry." I was sure I was blushing madly. "How are you?"

"It's okay, Shawn. Dad's just teasing you. We're good and as for Charlotte, she's gone." Ollie summed up.

My head snapped up. "I'm sorry, what?"

"She's gone." Clarissa repeated.

"Where is she?"

"She asked us not to tell you." She told us. "Char wanted it to be private and she also wanted to tell you herself. She just wasn't sure how to tell you."

"Tell me what?"

"Look, I've told you before that my sister has issues she wanted to work through before making friends and stuff. I know she also told you the same thing herself. Now she's in a place where she can work through them."

"She's in a mental health facility?" I guessed.

"Something like that." Clarissa confirmed.

"Clarissa!" The rest of them exclaimed, glaring at her. "Char told us to deny it."

"You haven't checked your voicemail, have you?" Nadia, their mother, asked kindly.

She really reminded me of my own mother. She was kind, soft and gentle. She was everything a mother needed to be. Everytime I came over she'd treat me kindly, nearly as if I were her own. I would be asked if I wanted something to drink or eat and she offered for me to stay over for dinner and the one time I stayed over to sleep with Ollie, she got a bed ready in the guest room and came to check if everything was alright. When she woke me it was soft like my own mother would do if I woke up immediately. Ollie however kept sleeping and so she started shouting and shaking. It was so funny.

"No, I haven't... Why?" I took out my phone and turned it on.

Immediately I got a notification that I had a voicemail from Charlotte. I immediately walked away somewhere quiet and listened to it.

"Hey, Shawn. Uhm, I just called to let you know that you won't see me anytime soon. I'm gone and I'll be back soon. Don't worry, I'll help you with History assignments, the school has been notified. Anyway, I just called to let you know and to say that I'll miss you. You can expect me to call you at least once a week. Bye."

A tear slipped from my eye as the girl I love- yes, love- told me she would be gone for a long time as I would not see her anytime soon. I had to laugh when she reassured me she would keep helping me with our History assignments, it was the least of my worries really- I just wanted her to come back and finally say yes to my question.

I felt a presence behind me before a soft, warm and gentle hand was put upon my shoulder. "Hey, don't cry. She'll be back."

"Just not soon." I completed her sentence.

I turned to Nadia and she brushed the hair out of my face. "You love my daughter, don't you?"

"More than you'll ever know. You know, I didn't realize that I did until now. I just thought I liked her, nothing more- maybe something more could come in the future but not now, for me it was just a strong liking towards her- but now that she left I realize that I'm not falling in love anymore, I've already fallen." I frowned. "This is crazy right? I've known your daughter for a month and I'm already in love with her. It's too soon, right? Yeah, it's too soon."

"It's not. I knew I loved my husband after four days. He needed longer to figure it out but I knew. I believe in love at first sight, when you know, you know." She smiled thoughtfully at me. "You know, she loves you as well... right?"

"She's been pushing me away before pulling me in again but I can never really get through those high, thick walls she has built up. It's like it's the most impossible thing ever." I told her. "Sometimes it's like she can't make her mind up. I feel like losing my patience but then I look at her and her words run through my mind and Ollie's word that I remember she has issues and she probably doesn't know what she's doing or she thinks it's best to do that. But it's not only that, I look at her and see what I'm waiting for."

"You're waiting for her."

"I'm waiting for her." I confirm. "And it's definitely worth it."

"Treat her right."

"I'll treat her better than anyone else ever has." I vowed.

"You should because the two boyfriends she's had weren't the best." She told me.

My face sobered up at the thought of her having boyfriends. Nadia walked away, laughing at my face.

"Wait, she's had a boyfriend before?" I ask, walking behind her.

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No pictures, no translations. Next chapter is Charlotte's POV again.

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