Personal Chef

Chapter 26

By the end of the week, Shawn and I had established a new routine. I showed up each day mid-morning. I'd taught him how to make blueberry muffins, so we ate those as we drank coffee together at the counter. The recipe we'd made on Tuesday made 24 regular muffins. There were only four left by Friday. Shawn was in carb-laden muffin heaven.

After coffee, we'd move to the couch. This was my favorite time of the day. Shawn and I would lazily make-out until it was time to make lunch. Because it was morning, there was something slow and relaxed about our kisses. There wasn't really an urgency. His hands roamed my body, but his touch was gentle. Soothing. My hands always ended up in his luscious hair. I couldn't touch it enough.

We'd make lunch together and eat at the dining room table. We used this time to get to know each other better. He told me all about his family and insisted that I meet them soon. Likewise, I told him about mine. He couldn't believe that I rarely saw or talked to my brother since he and his younger sister were so close.

I told him more about my backstory in cooking. He was shocked that I'd been so proficient at such a young age. I explained that I grew up in kitchens, so it was really all I knew. I could separate an egg before I could spell my full name.

We talked a lot about the album he'd been working on. It blew me away that he'd recorded way more songs than he'd need. Shawn explained that picking the songs and putting them in order was hard for him. Even harder was choosing which songs he would release as singles.

"I'm still thinking of naming your song after you," he said on Friday as we ate our Greek turkey burgers.

"I think that's a mistake," I told him. "If things don't work out, my name will be on your album forever. It will be a painful reminder."

"Or, forty years from now when we play my music for our grandkids, I can share your song with them," he joked.

"Yeah, well it's still a big gamble. No matter what you name it, you and I will know it's mine. Isn't that what counts?"

He gave me a warm smile. "That's all that matters. And I guess it would be better to not open up all the speculation that would come from a song being named after a woman."

"Speaking of," I said. "I think we should keep our relationship on the down-low for awhile. The public knew you were dating Kat and I don't want to be scrutinized as your rebound."

I really didn't want any attention from the public at all. I wasn't eager to date Shawn Mendes the celebrity. My Shawn was a fairly normal guy who happened to be famous.

He nodded. "I think that's smart. Plus, Kat was already in the spotlight and knew how to handle it. I don't want you to be put through that quite yet. We can ease into it. The paparazzi can be relentless, and the shit that gets written online can be ridiculous and invasive."

"So for now, as far as the public knows, I'm still just your chef."

"And my friend. You'll be at my party tomorrow. Your picture might get out."

"Oh right. I hadn't thought that someone might put pics on social media. We'll just have to maintain a friendly distance from each other and not give off any vibes."

"Ugh. That sounds horrible. But you're right about social media. If one picture gets out of me with my arms around you, people will flip and suddenly you'll be everywhere," he said.

"That's so not what I want," I told him.

It would be difficult to stay away from him, though. We were always touching each other. Sometimes he'd eat with his left hand so that he could hold mine with his right one.