Your Song (Shawn Mendes)

Chapter 3

They were still on the plane and Shawn took the time to study Maria. She was typing on her laptop, headphones in and completely unaware of Shawn's eyes on her. He could see the ring on her left hand was of two feathers forming a circle, their tips overlapping but not connecting. He had noticed it on her every day he had seen her. He wondered what pushed her to wear it daily.

Her black to silver hair was now pulled up into a ponytail, showing him that the music notes from her chest tattoo curved up her neck and behind her ear. The tattoo was exquisite but he had to wonder what its meaning was to her. She didn't seem like the type of person who would just get a tattoo for the hell of it.

Then again, he didn't really know her at all.

He knew she was passionate about her music. That much was obvious from simply watching her play the guitar and violin. He hadn't seen her play the other instruments but he was eager to. Plus both the tattoos he had seen were music inspired. He knew she was drop dead gorgeous in a classic, black-and-white silver screen star type of way.

Other than that, he didn't know much about her.

In the time they'd spent during the rehearsals this last week, she had seemed very closed off... in a way that didn't quite read like she wanted to be. It was almost as if she wanted to open up to someone, but something deep in herself was stopping her from doing so. 

There was something mysterious about her that gave her a kind of strength that seemed to radiate off of her. It drew Shawn in like a moth to a flame and he couldn't help but think that if getting close to this girl meant being burned, he would gladly take the pain.

*******

Maria swallowed hard. She stood on the stage looking out at the empty SSE Hydro arena which was sure to be filled with screaming fans in a few hours. Her guitar suddenly felt a thousand pounds heavier in her hands and she could feel her throat tighten up. She all but jumped out of her skin when she felt a hand on her arm. She turned and let out a small breath when she saw Shawn smiling at her. "A little nervous?" He asked lightly. 

She rolled her eyes and scoffed. "That's the understatement of the century." She muttered. She ran a hand through her hair and paced as she spoke, "How the hell am I supposed to do this? I'm barely 18 and yet somehow I'm standing here about to perform with Shawn freaking Mendes! God, what am I even thinking? I can't do this. I shouldn't..."

"Maria!" Shawn cut her off. She froze in her spot. "Look, I know what it's like. This kind of life is terrifying, especially when you just get thrown into it like you did." He took a step towards her. "But this is why you have the music. I'm the one who's supposed to worry about the fans. Just... lose yourself in the music like you did in the music room, in the audition, and in every rehearsal."

"But what if..."

He cut her off once again, "Don't think about the 'what if's." An idea came to him. "Come here." He motioned her to center stage. He knelt down and handed her the chord to plug in her guitar. She did so with a raised eyebrow. "Now, don't do one of my songs. Play the first song that comes to your head. One that you know you can get lost in." Maria took a shaky breath and tentatively started playing a few chords. She stopped and clenched her pick in her shaky hand, eyes shut tightly. "It's okay. Just breathe and let the music take over. I know you can do it."

She nodded mutely and hesitated for a second before playing the chords once again. It was a small intro to a song he hadn't really heard. His eyes widened when suddenly as if some other force was controlling her, she started to sing,

Dear daughter
Hold your head up high
There's a world outside
That's passing by  

Her voice was beautiful with just an inkling of an edge to it. It sounded as if it was coming straight from her heart and he realized how he must look on the stage to his fans. There was something mesmerizing in watching her lose herself in this song.

Dear daughter
Never lose yourself
Remember that
You're like nobody else  

Life throws you in
To the unknown
And you feel like you're
Out there all alone

A small smile managed to crack through her features when she started the chorus. Just like the tattoo, Shawn had to wonder what this song meant to her. There was something hidden in her voice and he... he had to know what it was

These are words
That every girl should have a chance to hear
There will be love
There will be pain
There will be hope
There will be fear
And through it all year after year
Stand or fall I will be right here
For you  

She let the final note hang in the air for a moment before letting out a breath and opening her eyes again. She took her guitar off and started apologizing, "I'm so sorry, I don't know what got into me..."

"Don't be sorry." He interrupted, placing his hands on her arms. She flinched slightly but quickly relaxed. "That was absolutely amazing." She blushed darkly and shyly tucked a hair behind her ear. "What was that song?"

"Dear Daughter from Halestorm." She answered, a smile playing on her lips. "Nicole discovered it when it came out back in 2015 and she fell in love with it since it was the one-year anniversary of when I was adopted by them. She or Rachel sometimes sing it to me when I... can't sleep." His curiosity was peaked at the slight hesitation in her voice but brushed it off.

"It was a good song and your voice is gorgeous." He responded. She muttered her thanks. She sucked in a sharp breath when he reached forward and brushed some hair behind her shoulders, showing her chest tattoo. "What's the story behind the blackbird?" 

She bit her lip, silently debating with herself. "Well..." 

Before she could continue, Andrew came up behind them. "Shawn, can I talk to you for a minute?" He asked.

He looked to Maria. She smiled reassuringly. "It's fine, go. Thanks for helping but I should probably get to wardrobe and makeup right now." She gently touched his arm, squeezing his bicep before running off stage. 

He smiled and looked at Andrew. "What's up?"

"Let's talk in your dressing room." He said. Shawn raised an eyebrow. What could they need to discuss that they couldn't do right here? Andrew sighed, pulling out a manila folder. "It's about Maria."