Fate ~ Shawn Mendes

Chapter 12

The following morning I woke up and felt Shawn's arm laid over my body as his sweet snores filled the room. I gently rolled out the bed not waking him and entered the kitchen.
I opened up the blinds to reveal a gloomy looking day, dark grey clouds ruled the sky and a harsh wind raced through the town.
I went to the fridge and took out a packet of bacon and placed the pieces in a frying pan. I played some music on my phone whilst I cooked and started swaying side to side to the beat of the music, bouncing my knees up and down when the beat kicked in.
"Is this what I'm going to wake up to every morning?"
I jumped and turned to see Shawn leaning against the kitchen counter besides me.
"Jesus." I hastily breathed out.
"Nope just me." Shawn chuckled coming next to me.
"Ha Ha, very funny." I commented whilst flipping the bacon over in the pan.
"Seriously though why are you up so early doing this?" Shawn asked whilst placing the packet in the bin under the sink.
"I have to go in." I clicked my phone to reveal the time. "An hour."
"Go where?" Shawn asked. "Your not going home, I said you could stay."
"Relax. Your personal chef isn't leaving, I've got to go to work." I laughed.
"You have a job?" He said.
"Don't look so surprised, I'm 17."
"I'm 19 and I've never had a job, besides from what I do now."
"I heard you worked as a sales assistant but quit after a day because there were no other men on the ground floor." I laughed.
"I wasn't staying there! They all followed me round!"
"Don't flatter yourself Mendes." I joked as I set the same amount of bacon on two plates. We sat on the island opposite each other and I squeezed some ketchup onto my plate.
"So what do you do?" He asked cutting his bacon.
"I teach riding lessons to little kids, I've got an exam coming up to become qualified as an instructor." I said and placed a piece of bacon into my mouth.
"That's cool, have you been riding your whole life then?"
"Pretty much." I replied chewing the last piece of bacon. "Started when I was four and I've ridden ever since."
Shawn and I chatted about what we both did until it was time for me to leave.
"I'll drive you." Shawn said standing up.
"No Shawn! I'll get the bus out." I insisted.
"Honestly, let me drive you."
Shawn was holding the door open for me and as I pulled on my jacket and then my riding boots I gave him a look. I dropped my hip and folded my arms across my chest.
"Don't go all sassy on me." He put his hands up.
"I just feel guilty, your doing everything for me." I said walking through the door.
"I want to drive you. I want to see what you get up to in your spare time." Shawn smiled and with that we made our way down to his car.
The place I worked out was only about a half hour away so the drive didn't take long.
"Hey Taylor!" I smiled exiting Shawn's jeep.
Taylor was one of my friends who rode here, he had blonde hair and was the same age as me, he is one of my closest friends.
"Clara!" He said dropping his poo picker and running over to me embracing me in a hug. "I heard what happened, I came by but no ones there."
"Yeah I've moved in with someone, I couldn't live alone. Not yet." I made a weak smile.
"This is Shawn, Shawn this is Taylor."
The two boys locked eyes on each other and made a small smile at one another.
"Jaguar has missed you." Taylor smiled starting a new conversation.
"Jaguar?" Shawn repeated.
"He's my horse." I smiled as we all started to walk out to the field behind the stables.
I saw a jet black horse grazing and as our footsteps grew nearer his ears pricked forward and I called out his name.
"Jag!" I called and within an instant he was galloping full speed towards us. "woah buddy."
I climbed the fence and Jaguar nuzzled his head up and down my chest.
"I missed you to." I whispered hugging my 16hh horse."
"Here ya are." Taylor said behind me and rested the saddle and bridle on the fence along with my hat.
I quickly tacked up and pulled my hat on over my head before running down my stirrups.
"Want a leg up?" Taylor offered.
"No. Thanks. I've been wanting to do this for ages." I took the reins and put one foot in a stirrup and swing my body up into the saddle. I bent down and put my leg forward to tighten my girth.
"Now don't do crazy. He's fresh." Taylor said putting a hand on my knee as I sat back up.
"Just the way I like it." I chuckled and put a part of Jaguars mane into my hand, gripping tightly. "Yah!" I called and pushed my heels into Jags stomach and he made the transition from halt to gallop. I steered him up the hill and we galloped all along the fence until we reached the top. I felt so free, the wind in my hair and the trees racing past as I entered the forest.
•••
Shawn's POV:
"Come on dude, your going to want to see this." Taylor said patting my back and he led me into the forest that Clara had disappeared into.
He led me to some sort of risen platform in a tree that you had to climb up a ladder to reach. Once at the top you could see everything.
"Just there." Taylor pointed. "Do you see?"
I followed his finger and saw Clara racing through the forest.
"I see." I smiled as I replied.
Her and Jaguar dodged trees as they galloped at full speed, it was amazing to watch. I saw her slow her speed down and she jumped a huge knocked down tree before balancing herself again and racing down a path.
"Isn't she amazing." Taylor commented making me realise I wasn't alone.
"She sure is." I looked over at him. "How long have you known her?"
"Clara was here before me, I arrived when we were both 13 but she's been here since she was four. It was what Clara and her Mum used to do. She never rode with anyone else but her Mum." He started to talk quieter as he finished his sentence. "What about you? I didn't want to say anything but aren't you like mega famous?" He chuckled.
"We met at the music awards, Clara was having her photos taken and we were next to one another. I then found her with that son of a bitch when he was..." I couldn't finish without becoming tense and wanting to hit something.
"You like her. Don't you?"
I looked over at Taylor who was smirking at me.
"Is it that obvious?" I asked.
"To me yes. To Clara no." He laughed. "The way you just said that, like protecting her, anyone could tell you'd take a bullet for her."
There was a moments silence between us as I contemplated what Taylor had just said to me, and he wasn't wrong. There was something about Clara that wasn't in any other girl.
"she likes you to." He said confidently before leaning back on the banister of the platform.
"What makes you so sure?"
"The way she looks at you."

Hey guys! So I've been updating whilst I've been off school as once it starts up again I won't be posting as actively.
Let me know how you like it!!