Hate is a strong word

Chapter 10

"Turn to the left a little."

"Step back."

"Smile. No, a real smile."

"Sit on that chair. Good, now look into the camera very dramatically."

"Not that dramatic. Turn it down a few notches."

"Perfect."

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I sighed, looking at the clock. Another late night, but I had to fit this in. I wanted to finish the article on the website, basically explaining what Shawn would be doing here. I don't think anyone would read it, but I was required to put it up there anyway.

For the past couple of hours, I had edited photos and cropped them, then uploaded them to the website. I did this countless times but never seemed to find a setup I liked.

"If this doesn't work, I am going to scream." I took a sip of my coffee, which had now been refilled 5 Times. I clicked the photo I wanted to add and fit it into space.

I leaned back in my chair, staring at the person in front of me. It's amazing how different you can make a person look in a picture, almost like a mask. The public doesn't know what the person is really like, so they look at pictures and make their own assumptions. However, I know what Shawn is really like, and no matter how many filters I add, there's no changing it. 

I laughed at the thought. If only they knew. I sighed content and closed out the program. I shut down my office and headed to the elevator. 

I got it, listening to the soothing elevator music. To be honest, it was kinda scary, it being so close to midnight and such calming music being the only thing you can hear. But at this point, I was just ready to get home. 

I walked out into the foyer when I heard someone speak in a low voice.

"Can we talk?" 

Startled, I turned around to see Shawn. He was in all black, blending in with the darkness. He had his hands in his pockets and walked slowly towards where I was standing. 

"You do realize what time it is," I said, not trying to hide the annoyance in my voice. 

"I am fully aware, but I wanted to talk to you." 

"How did you know I would be here?"

"I waited until you were done. I was thinking you would leave at 5, but 2 a.m. is fine too."

I rolled my eyes. I walked to the door, making him walk with me down the deserted city sidewalk. 

"What do you want?" 

He put a hand to his heart. "Hurt!" I glared at him. "Ok, sorry. Not the best joke. But I seriously need to talk to you."

"Well stop talking about talking to me and actually say what you have to say!" I was starting to get mad now.

"Ok. I just wanted to apologize, for everything. For spilling coffee on you, for accidentally insulting you when I thought I was complimenting you, and for being a jerk when you were trying to make things right. I'm sorry." I pursed my lips. He better be sorry.

"Yeah, right. That's not very convincing." I threw my now-empty coffee foam coffee cup in a trash can before looking through my purse for my keys. 

"What else should I say? I said I'm sorry!" He was starting to get angry now. I couldn't believe him. Is he getting mad at me for not accepting his apology? This is not happening.

"Look," I turned to face him. We were now on my front steps, me on a step above, making me tower over him by a few inches. "I know that Felicity probably made you apologize. I get it. Your whole reputation and career are on the line. But I don't want a scripted, sorry not sorry apology. When someone treats me badly, I want a real deal apology. So, try again." 

He took a deep breath before starting again. "Ok, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have treated you so badly." I gestured for him to keep going. He rolled his eyes. "And for being ugly." I gestured again. "And for being a jerk." 

"Bingo! That's all I wanted to hear." I found my keys and unlocked my door. 

"What? That's it?" 

"Yep. Now, I want to sleep. Nice talk!" 

And with that, I slammed the door in his face.

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Ok, so writing this made me realize what I was doing, and I wanted to clear something up. For this book, I created an evil version of Shawn, just for the sake of the plot. I mean, who could hate Shawn Mendes? Shawn really isn't like this, and I don't hate him. 

-Hannah xoxo