listen to your heart

sieben

stefan had left after being put in his place by both me and shawn. shawn was holding onto my hand for the first time in front of my mother who was gleaming happiness. i couldn't help but feel like things were finally falling into place. my mom had gone to the kitchen to begin making dinner for the two of us. shawn had sat down on one of our couches in my living room. he looked like he wanted to say something, i smile.

"i can read your lips, you know."

i see him chuckle, oh how i wish i could hear you. he began motioning his hands in sign language. i raise my eyebrows in surprise.

"i'm learning sign language so it can be easier to talk to you. i know how tiring it can be watching only my lips."

i laugh, giving him a small peck.

"i don't mind watching your lips."

he smirked, gripping my waist, pulling me into his lap. i laugh, as he began snaking his arms around my waist tightly. i didn't know what took over me, but i began kissing him. with the most passion i've ever felt, he reciprocated instantly. i had eventually straddled him, my legs around his torso as he sat up. we stayed in the position, loving each others taste. i pulled back, taking in a breath, he stared at me with a mixture of shock and approval.

"er-sorry. i can't believe i just did that."

i said embarrassingly, he shook his head, cupping my cheek preventing me from looking down. he licked his lips while keeping eye contact.

"that was amazing. i don't mind it, if anything, i hope we can do that more often."

he chuckled, i giggled as he leaned in for a few more soft kisses. i decided to get up and off him to check on my mother in the kitchen and how far she's in for dinner. shawn had stayed behind, probably calming himself down from.. well...

"the dinner's ready!"

i see my mother sign me, i nodded,
going to fetch shawn. shawn had already popped up as if reading my mind, he was smiling a star smile. the dazzling one that made me begin to fall hard.

"take any seat, dear."

my mom told shawn, i watched shawn slightly nervously pick out a chair at my large family's dining table. he decided to take a seat directly in the middle of the table, as did i. hoping to ease his first dinner nervousness by caressing his thigh in comfort. he smiled, kissing the top of my head. my mother took a seat at the edge of our table, watching us be lovebirds. which was completely new to her, and me frankly.

"so what do you do for a living, shawn?"

i read my mothers lips at lightning speed, hopefully she doesn't murder him. she did say she already liked him, he hadn't placed any food on his plate yet—most likely wanting to answer my mother's questions without food in his mouth. i can't help but stifle a laugh thinking about his effort, i loved it.

"i produce music and study architecture, ma'am."

my mother raised her eyebrows in interest. i get flashbacks of my father playing for my mother before he died, trying to shake off the sad memories. my mom decided to ask him a few more in depth ones.

"oh! that's fantastic, as did laura's father."

shawn had turned to me, giving me a look of, "and you didn't care to tell me?" i shrugged, cowering a bit. it was a bit of a sad topic to bring up, and how would i have known his reaction to my deafness?

"really?"

my mother nodded.

"he would produce the most lovely piano pieces, aside from his large franchise, he created it for laura. laura can show you some of the pieces, they're exclusive—keep that in mind, son."

my mom's voice was stern, almost warning like. i scowled at her for scaring him, she shrugged as if she did not wrong. rolling my eyes, i whisked him away from the dining room and to my fathers music studio. which was just down the hall since he would produce right after dinner. i stopped in front of the double doors, feeling a lump in my throat.

i haven't been back in here since the day he died. shawn had noticed my uneasiness, in response he took me into a hug. i felt my eyes burn as he eld me against him, his heartbeat beating against my ear, it was slow.

"i-i haven't been back here since.."

he squeezed me a bit tighter, i stayed quiet. i finally pulled away from his grasp, taking a deep breath.

"you don't have too, laura. i understand if you aren't ready."

i shook my head, leaning up slowly to give him a peck.

"it's about time."

i opened the doors to his hideaway, revealing all his instruments. shawn's eyes had lit up like a kid on christmas. he entered, mouth slightly agape. i watched him in curiosity, searching the room in awe.

"you're father has such amazing instruments, this is.. wow."

i read from his lips, he was astounded by my father's high quality studio. as he observed, i took a seat on his piano. my father only taught me one song, heart and soul. i began slowly playing, feeling the song beneath my fingertips. shawn had stopped rummaging through my fathers possessions. he was watching me, i could see him in the corner of my eye, etching closer. i felt closer to my father again, shawn had taken a seat next to me as i finished.

"was that your song with him?"

i nodded, tucking a hair strand behind my ear.

"well, i recently wrote a song because i was inspired by someone i just met."

me? before he could play, he took both my hands and placed them on top of the piano.

"even though you can't hear through your ears, you can listen to your heart."

i felt my eyes begin to water, as i held onto the piano. he kissed my cheek softly.

"this is when you're ready."

interesting name for a piano piece. his fingers gracefully made their way on the keys, every beat flowing through my fingertips. as i listened to the song, i felt myself wanting to cry. i had missed listening to the piano, and for him to write a song for me to listen again.. meant everything. the song had felt romantic, he was singing to himself while playing. most likely the lyrics, i watch him sing it while listening.

baby, tell me when you're ready
i'm waitin'
baby, any time you're ready
i'm waitin'
even ten years from now
if you haven't found somebody
i promise, i'll be around
tell me when you're ready
i'm waitin'

the small snippet made my heart blossom even larger than it already had. he finished off the song, his throat extending a note. as he finished he stared at me, we both could feel the tension build up. he stopped breathing momentarily, his chest wasn't moving. shit, does he have asthma? before i could ask, he had blurted out a sentence.

"i think i'm falling in love with you."