Shawn Mendes Imagines

What Could Have Been

Hello again! It has definitely been a while. Huge thanks and credit to pickeringshawn_ for the idea for this imagine. I'm so sorry I took so long to write this, but hopefully you like it :)

*Shawn's POV*

The bass of the music thumped in my chest. I had only taken one step through the door and I could feel it. People were everywhere. It wasn't so crowded that my friends and I would have to push past anyone, but no matter where I looked, someone was sitting, standing, or dancing. As the front door shut behind me, I also noticed how many red plastic cups and beer bottles were around the room. That was the reason I almost didn't agree to go to the party.

"Brian, I'd love to go, but I know what's going to happen," I had told my friend when he brought up the party, "I know I'll end up drinking, probably too much, and I'll have the worst hangover the morning after. I don't want that. I have to be up early for work."

"Come on, man. I'll make sure you don't drink. It'll be fine," he had said, "Plus, there will be a bunch of people there. I could introduce you to someone."

Clearly, he had convinced me. Even though I knew I was probably making a bad decision, I walked into the party, ready to have a good time.

The guys and I stayed together for an hour or so. Brian introduced me to a few of his friends, like he had promised, although none of them spoke to me for more than a few minutes. Matt, Brian, and I quickly found the place where the music was the loudest and had the most people dancing. It was in the living room of the house. In front of the fireplace were couches filled with people, talking or making out. A table had been pushed aside to make room for people who were dancing. We hung out on the edges of the crowd for a while, until what had to be one of our favorite songs ever came on. There was no way we could just stand still during it. I ended up half singing, half shouting the lyrics to the song along with a bunch of other people. It was actually really fun.

Eventually, we ended up outside in the backyard. The weather felt nice, not too cold or hot. Matt and Brian met up with a couple other people that I didn't know and were playing drinking games. They asked me to play three times. And even though I really wanted to say yes, I insisted all three times that I was staying sober.

I drifted a little bit away from them and watched while they played. I crossed my arms and looked up at the sky. I could see the stars shining brightly against the dark, cloudless night. My eyes drifted down, following the different patterns of the stars, until I was staring at the edge of the backyard again. But something - someone - caught my eye.

She stood near the edge of the house with a drink in her hand. She looked stunning, wearing a black dress with thin straps. It cut off just above her knees. She was the type of person who was naturally beautiful. She had no makeup on, but she didn't need it. And it was obvious that she knew it. She seemed to have so much confidence, so much that she didn't seem to care that she was standing alone.

I glanced back at my friends over my shoulder. It didn't look like they needed me. Plus, I was standing by myself too.

I casually walked over to her, stopping when I reached the wall of the house. I leaned against the wall and she was just a couple feet away from me. "This party is pretty crazy," I commented, turning to face her and nodding towards the scene in front of us.

She glanced at me. "Yeah, it is," she agreed. Her voice was soft but noticeable. "At least out here is a little calmer than inside," she added, "It's nice to have a break from blasting music."

"Is that why you're out here?" I asked.

"Sort of," she said, "I'm mostly just out here because my friends that I came here with have all split off with other people. I thought I'd see what was happening outside." She looked up at me. "What about you? Why are you alone?"