Hate is a strong word

Chapter 16

We ran through the rain, the umbrella not really helping. We found out quickly that a guy that is 6'2" cannot share an umbrella with someone who is 5'9". He eventually gave the umbrella to me and ran alongside me in the rain. 

We reached my apartment and he held the umbrella while I unlocked the door. We ran inside and collapsed on the couch. 

"Next time it rains, I'll take a cab." I giggled. He nodded, and we sat in silence for a while. 

"I was just going to order a pizza and watch Netflix. I know you hate me, and I hate you, but your welcome to join me." 

He thought about it for a few seconds. "Ok, I will."

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I went and changed into some PJ shorts and a t-shirt, but since I don't own any clothes that would fit him, he ended up shirtless. Part of me begged for him to put a shirt on, but a bigger half was perfectly fine with it. 

He ordered the pizza, saying that it was the least he could do, and we sat back down on the couch. We could not agree on a show to watch, so we ended up watching the office. 

As the theme song started, the doorbell rang. I groaned and got up to get it, but Shawn beat me to it. He opened the door and started to talk to the pizza delivery guy, but it quickly got very heated. 

"No. Leave her alone! Never come back to this house again!" He slammed the door, taking a few deep breaths before walking back over to me on the couch.

"Who was that?" I was seriously confused.

"Nash. He was wondering why I was at your apartment and asked to see you. I remembered how awkward it was today at the office, so I told him to go home. He got mad, demanded to see you, so I told him never to come back." He said it like it was nothing, and began to eat the pizza. I stared at him, mouth agape, and grabbed myself a slice. 

"You're amazing." I smiled, before turning to watch the T.V. 

We watched a couple of episodes, occasionally laughing and re-stating some of the lines. I couple of times, I could see him looking at me through the corner of my eye. I smiled to myself, never wanting this night to end. Eventually, he cut the T.V. off and turned to face me.

"Rebecca, we need to talk." I hesitantly turned to face him. I know I was supposed to hate him, but how could I after tonight? I thought we could finally be friends, but my gut told me he was about to say something that will make he hate him all over again.

"Yes?" I replied, very weakly. He took my hands and began to rub my knuckles with his thumb. This surprised me, but I enjoyed it. 

"Do you really hate me?" I gulped and looked down at the floor.

"Hate is a strong word." He smiled a little bit, before clearing his throat. 

"Well, I don't really hate you. I mean, yeah, you make me mad sometimes, but I don't hate you." I gave him a playful glare, making him laugh. 

"What are you trying to say, Mendes?"

"What I'm trying to say is ...I like you. I've always liked you, but kept messing it up. I tried to fix it, multiple times, but they always backfired on me. You would make me so mad, but I couldn't stay mad at you for long. At the end of the day, you were the only one I was thinking about."

At this point, I was tearing up. His words were so thoughtful, sweet. This was the Shawn that I liked, and now I knew he liked me too. He had been such a gentleman tonight, and I knew that he meant what he said.

"Shawn...I like you too. I did hate you at first, but like you said, I couldn't stay mad at you for long. You were always on my mind, and no matter what, I knew that there was no changing how I really felt about you." He smiled, happiness filling his eyes. 

"Will you be my girlfriend, and forget the past behind us?"

"Yes!" I hugged him, and we began to laugh. He pulled away and looked into my eyes, smiling the biggest smile I had ever seen. We began to calm down a little bit, glancing down at each other's lips. We began to lean in slowly, having all the time in the world. 

At that moment, I forgot the past. I forgot the ways we had treated each other. I forgot about the nights I cried myself to sleep. Because, as our lips met, I decided that they were all worth it.

I made my decision, I just better hope that it was the right one. 

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Hey, guys! I just wanted to thank all of you for the support. This was a short chapter, I know, but I hope that the ending was worth it! I have listened to his new album, like, a million times since it came out. I am in love! I am so proud of Shawn. Again, thank you guys!

-Hannah xoxo