shawn mendes imagines

Peas in a pod

It was the light switch and the glow from under the door that first woke you, followed by Aaliyah quietly coughing as she left her room which was opposite Shawn's. You hear him stir as he turned so that his back was to you.
You glanced at his alarm clock, 4:35am.

Aaliyah had been ill for a few days, and had been feeling miserable assuming she was going to be ill over Christmas. She would defend herself when anyone would try and treat her like a kid, and she would claim that she was on the verge of being a young lady. However, you couldn't help but see a struggling little girl who stayed in bed most days surrounded by her cuddly toys and tissues.

You peered over your shoulder at Shawn to make sure he was sound asleep, before climbing out of bed and throwing on one of his jumpers. You quietly crept out of his room and down the stairs. A lamp had been turned on in the living room, and there you found Aaliyah curled up on the sofa.
"Hey," you smiled softly as you joined her.
"Did I wake you?" She asked, looking apologetic.

You shook your head, "Don't worry. I couldn't really sleep anyway" you reassured her.

Aaliyah spoke to you, the most she had spoken for a few days. She was drugged up on antibotics with a high temperature - so you could say she was slightly delirious.
She told you stories of family christmases, hearing things you had never known about Shawn when he was a kid.

"They got him the entire book set," she smiled, referring to the Harry Potter books. "And he would not touch them for months. He wanted to keep them in prime condition - as if they were collectables and would be rare one day" she started giggling before needing to cough.

You smiled at the fact that Shawn was still the same years later.
It was quiet between the two of you for a few minutes and you thought Aaliyah may have started feeling sleepy. "What's it like to be in love?" she asked.

You looked at her to find her sat so she was facing you, with her head pressed into a cushion.

"You love my brother right?" she asked, looking at you blankly.
You nodded, "Yeah I do."

"So, what's it like to love someone? And to have someone love you back?" she asked in a curious tone.
You looked at the fire place, to the right of Aaliyah, and focused on how to answer.

"It's like the first few days of Autumn," you smiled to yourself as you continued to stare at the fireplace. "It's refreshing like the crisp air that settles throughout the season. Being loved acts as the arms that keep you warm and protect you at all costs."

You looked back at Aaliyah, "You know when there are hundreds of leaves on the ground," Aaliyah nodded. "And they're all different colours? That's love. Love is full of colour. Each leaf is a different shape right? So is love, love is different for everyone."
You focused on Aaliyah and knew that she had grown up reading fairytales, and was yet to experience a real relatioship herself. You saw her as your own sister, and therefore felt you could tell her the truth.

"But Aaliyah, that doesn't mean it's like that all the time. When you look up at the sky and watch leaves fall from the trees, that's what relationships can be like at times. One moment you feel like youre as tall as a tree, and you're sitting comfortably right at the very top. The next, you come swooping down and suddenly you hit the ground."

You watched Aaliyah's eyes lose a glow, so you reach across and take her hand. "But when you're in love, and I mean truly in love - those bad moments never last. If you love someone, you stick with them through thick and thin. You may fight against them, but in the end you'll end up fighting for them. You will fit together like two jigsaw pieces, you will have a best friend and a lover all in one." You're smiling from ear to ear, feeling a flutter in your heart.

"Love changes people too, doesn't it?" She said.

You shrugged your shoulders, "I guess so, depends on the person maybe."
She nodded slowly, "I knew when Shawn had fallen in love with you."

You were caught off guard, and your pulse began to race a little.

"He'd come back from a day out with the boys," Aaliyah rolled her eyes. "But that was a total lie. He must've been with you." She cleared her throat before continuing. "Anyway, he went straight up to his room and didn't come out for hours. But I went up and pressed my ear to his door, and he would not give up trying to learn 'Isn't She Lovely'. I ran back downstairs and told my dad, and he smiled and said 'He must be in love.' And Shawn has been a better person ever since."
Later in the morning, Karen and Shawn woke at similar times and headed downstairs together. Shawn went straight to the kitchen, desperate to get a glass of orange to soothe his scratchy throat. Karen went through to the living room.

"Shawn," she called softly.

He walked through, on his phone. "Shawn, look" she hissed. His head shot up, smiling at her before his eyes fell on you and Aaliyah.

The two of you were curled up together on the sofa, a blanket covering mainly Aaliyah whose head was resting on your shoulder.

Shawn's smile grew wider and he felt something that must've been something like falling in love with you all over again.