boundaries [s.m]

chapter six

you give me a reason, something to believe in - Dua Lipa, Homesick
-
the chatter and buzz around them silenced their pain and misery. he was leaving. not for too long a time, only for a couple months, but he was leaving.

"i don't want you to go," she mumbles, holding him tightly. "shawn, i know it sounds so selfish, but i don't want you to leave, not now. not when i need you more than ever."

"you can call me, and i'll always answer, aria," he whispers, cupping her cheeks, and looking into her eyes, which are glossed over by tears. "aria, i know it's hard for you right now, but you gotta know that i can't stay."

"i know," she says softly. "i'm not gonna hold you back from anything, i just need you to hold me and tell me that everything's gonna be okay."
-
three days earlier.
-
aria was helping her mother prepare for the dinner she was hosting tonight. she was busy peeling the potatoes, before her mum let out a shriek at the fridge. shawn runs into the room, immediately looking at arias mother, and then aria.

"it's nothing, i bet we don't have any butter," aria chuckles, putting down the potato and walking to her mum.

"wrong actually, we don't have any asparagus. i told you to get some at the store," she sighs at her daughter.

"it wasn't on the list," aria says innocently. "i'm sure shawn can go and grab-"

"nonsense, i'll go. can you just finish up peeling the potatoes, and then peel and chop the carrots? i'll be back in twenty minutes," her mother says, kissing aria's cheek, before rushing out of the house. shawn and aria chuckle to themselves, before going back to what they were told to do.

"so, i got maples tickets for tomorrow," shawn says, casually dropping it into their conversation. "front row, you have to come with me."

"who said i wasn't going to?" she grins. "how much do i owe you for them?"

"nothing, i got them for free," he says, peeling the carrots. "and even if i didn't, i wouldn't have let you pay for a thing." aria playfully shoves her boyfriend, glaring at him, as he continues to chuckle. "i'll pick you up at 3, yeah? we can go grab some coffee before."

"sounds like a plan," she says, leaning up, and kissing his cheeks softly. "i'm gonna go and quickly get changed, are you okay alone?"

"yes, go put something even more pretty on," he beams at her, before planting a loving kiss onto her lips. she pulls away with a small chuckle, shaking her head at shawn.

"i can't believe you think that your t-shirt, and a pair of shorts are pretty, but okay, i'll take it," she says, wiping her hands on a towel, and running upstairs, heading straight into her room, where she picks up her phone, her eyes trailing to the window, to see what's happening outside the front of her house.

she drops her phone in shock, letting out a high pitched scream.

her mums car, if you could even call it a car anymore, was thrown to the other side of the road, glass and shrapnel all over the tarmac, another car flipped over, its tires still spinning. the loud, annoying screech of the car alarms go off simultaneously, as shawn runs upstairs, seeing aria crouched down on her knees, in utter shock and fear crossing over her face. she was terrified.
-
present.
-
"it will be okay. your mum will get through this, and you'll be with her again," shawn says softly. "i hate to leave you at a time like this, but i promise you, you'll be okay. everyone will be okay." he kisses her lips lightly, as a line tear rushes down her cheek. "i will call you as soon as i land, i promise, aria."