The Morning After [s.m]

Chapter 17

Chapter 17
The Morning After
Shawn Mendes
1008 Words
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I trace my fingers over the writing on the delicate piece of paper. For some reason, I can't let this girl go. If she's anything like I remember, I'll be doing myself a favour by looking for her. This is just so complicated, I don't work for the FBI, how the hell will a track down a girl I don't have the name of, or even a physical description. But, as far as I'm concerned, the closest thing to an FBI detective is a girl. Never underestimate the stalking skills of a woman. It's some freaky stuff, but in my case, it's a great help. I unlock my phone and call Aaliyah like its muscle memory "Uhm, hey, whatever I say after this you're not allowed to make fun of me for, okay?" I hear her chuckle in the background and I smile "Okay, what's up bro?" I sit up against the wall in my AirBnB "Well, I met a girl last night and she's amazing as far as I can remember. The only problem is I don't know her name, what she looks like, anything. All I have is a note she left." I hear no response for a few seconds and all I can hope is that she's making a plan. Finally, after a whole minute if anxious waiting, she answers "Okay, what club where you at?" I give her the address and all and she stays silent for a few moments, later sending me screenshots of a few snapchat profiles and Instagram pages. "Uhm, sis, what's this for?" I hear her groan on the other end "Those were all the girls who posted being at that club on their stories, idiot. Now do some stalking of your own! I can't do all the work here." I grin to myself "Thank you so much, I owe you. I'll keep you posted." All I hear from her is a muttered "Oh please don't, your love life is too complicated for me." before she ends the call. I laugh to myself and start going through each profile, checking everything that could lead me to her. The last Instagram page I check has no pictures of the woman, Sarah, but there is one picture of  a notebook with writing in it. I shrug off the name as a coincidence and hold up the note next to the post. The handwriting is identical, right down to the heart she ended the note with. It has to be her, what are the odds that someone would have identical handwriting to yours? I send her a DM after many drafts "Hey, I'm Shawn. I think you were at the same club as I was last night. If you think you recognize me, or want to know more, please reply. Thanks" I set my phone back down and turn on do not disturb. I decide to go head to the studio to get my mind off of this for a few hours. Andrew and the crew are all there which helps ease my nerves. About an hour into recording, I start remembering what I was telling myself earlier today. I propose the lyrics to my writers and we spend the rest of the day working on the song, finishing off a day of hard work with a recording. I thank everyone and go back to my AirBnB, anxiously pacing in my room. Should I check my Instagram? Should I wait? What if she's not her? What if she is? I decide to start somewhere and open up Instagram. The rosy notification of a DM stares right back at me. My hand shakily hovers above it. In a blink of an eye, I click on the DM and read her response "Hey! Yeah, I'm not really sure if I'm the one you're looking for. I was at the club, but the alcohol wiped my memory. Maybe we could meet up? Maybe I'll remember then? Let me know." I let out a breath of relief. She didn't completely shut down the idea of it being her. I reply to her immediately, saying that I'll be in LA for the next few days and that we could meet up anytime. Lucky for me, she immediately reads it. She asks me if I'm free tonight, and that if I am, to meet her at the downtown park at 7. I don't bother replying to her because I need to keep my sister updated. I call Aaliyah and she picks up on the first ring "Okay, updates, she's asking me to meet her at the park at 7. She's not sure if she's the one I'm looking for but she wants to test her memory in person. Yes? No? Maybe?" She doesn't pause for a second before answering "What are you doing calling me? Stop wasting time and go get ready to that.. Date?! Just go!" I laugh and thank her before ending the call. I shake off the nerves and DM her that I'll be there at 7. I take my shower, shave, do my hair, try on outfit after outfit for a solid 45 minutes before deciding on one look. A stylishly loose white t-shirt, classic black jeans and I put on a random rose necklace. I don't even remember where I got it from, it just looks pretty. Now all that's left to do is wait for 7 to come around.

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The light breeze evens out my breathing as I go sit on the bench, just as she told me to. A few minutes pass until I see a silhouette of a woman approaching me. The closer she gets, the more beautiful. She's still blurry to me until she stops right in front of me. Silence stops time. The colour in her face drains. My heart drops. All I can do, is choke out one pained question;

Where were you in the morning, Sarah?

A/N: Thanks for reading and remember to vote and comment! ❤️