boundaries [s.m]

chapter twenty

we were meant to break - Shawn Mendes, perfectly wrong
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aria sunk down in her car, not wanting to get out and face the school, especially with a broken heart like hers. her hoodie was closed around her, the hood up, and her eyes, covered by a pair of sunglasses. she wore a pair of leggings, and simply did not want to get out.

a knocking on her window snaps her from her daze, as she jumps, looking up, seeing aaliyah, who offers her a sympathetic smile, before opening the door, and greeting aria with a hug.

"aaliyah-"

"shh," she cuts her off, hugging her, and rubbing her back. "god, my brother is so dumb."

"how is he?" aria croaks in response, her voice hoarse from shawns illness, and all the crying she has done for the past day.

"he's in la," aaliyah sighs. "he told me about the breakup whilst he was in the airport. he should be in la by now."

"oh," aria mumbles, looking down and frowning. "it hurts so much."

"you guys were best friends, i just can't believe he would give in and listen to his friends and fans," aaliyah tells her. "he's obsessed with you, i don't understand."

"i don't even know," aria mutters. "does he regret it?"

"it's hard to see, he just, seems emotionless," she sighs, as aria frowns deeply, turning off her car.

"he's gonna get punched when he comes back home," aria mumbles. "liam found out and wanted to go and kill him. i don't understand why, it's my fault for being 17."

"but you're 18 in two months!" aaliyah says, as aria gets out of the car, shrugging. "i don't understand! he's in love with you."

"obviously not, since he-" aria gets cut off by her phone ringing, and sighs immediately. she quickly answers it, without looking at the caller id.

"sweetie, are you okay?" camila's voice enters arias ears, as she stays shocked, still confused of how she knows one of the best female singers of their generation.

"hey camila," aria says gently, her voice almost gone. "i-i'm okay."

"aria, jesus christ, i didn't know he would do that, i'm so sorry," camila sympathises. "trust me, i'm gonna slap him so hard when i see him next."

"i-is he telling everyone?" aria asks gently.

"no, he told me that he's only told the guys in la, aaliyah, his parents and i. he hasn't even told his friends back home yet," camila says to her. "do you want me to fly over? i can easily come to see you tomorrow."

"no, you don't need to do that," aria says softly. "thanks for calling, cam, but i have to go to school."

"call me if you need anything, okay hun? please don't worry about things, you're worth way more than this."

she tried so hard to believe camila, but she knew, she was nothing without shawn. she was nothing without her best friend, and she hated it. she wanted him back, she wanted him back to love her, to kiss her, to hold her, to make love to her. she craved him, and she swore to herself that she would do anything to get him back.
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shawn strummed away at his guitar, his mind swimming with ideas, but empty of feelings. he doesn't know how to feel, it's like his emotions suddenly vanished into thin air, leaving him confused, and empty. lonely. isolated.

"hey dude," brian says, sitting next to shawn on the balcony, handing him a beer. "how you holding up?"

"i don't know?" he asks, taking a sip of the beer. "you would be happy though." he mutters.

"shawn, you're gonna understand that it will benefit you."

"and i know it will, but seriously, admit it."

"okay yeah, i am happy for you," brian starts, as shawn rolls his eyes, taking a sip of his beer. "but i hate seeing you like this."

"glad to see you have a heart," shawn mutters, looking out into the distance. "don't you dare go back to toronto and chase aria, because i swear to god if you do, i will fucking kill you."

"noted," brian says back to him. "i'm sorry man, i didn't realise it was that serious to you."

"i asked her to move in with me once she turns 18," he says, completely emotionless. "she ended things because she overheard by phone call with andrew. and then she dropped the key i gave her and walked out. everything between us is over, brian. and you're one of the reasons why."

"i'm sorry," he tells shawn, as he sighs.

"it's okay," shawn responds. "i was pretty sure it was going to end just because of how the world was reacting. it's okay. i forgive you."

shawn looks forward again, staying completely silent, and finishing his beer.

"you know what's funny?" he asks, as brian looks at him confused. "i actually thought she was the one. i was completely ready to give her my all."

"so then why end it? even if i was being stupid about it?" brian asks him.

"wrong time, and it wasn't just you who hated us. a lot of people did, and i didn't want her to get hate, even though she is," he mutters back. "i was gonna take her to her prom, i was gonna share a home with her."

"i'm so sorry, man."

"it's okay," shawn answers, standing up from where he was sitting, and turning around, walking back in the studio to let go of his thoughts.

but it wasn't okay. it wasn't okay at all
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be prepared for a lil time jump kids :)))