He's Like Him [Part 2]

62.2

POV Shawn

I walk over the red carpet and people call me from all sides. Fuck, it's only quarter past four in the morning and I'm really broken and fucking tired. We went to bed lately yesterday, fortunately Tiffany taught me how to cover my bags with a little cream and some other brown stuff, no idea what it's called. I pose shortly in front of the cameras and wave to a group of girls behind the fence.

"Shawn Mendes, how are you?" A woman from extratv asks me. I laugh and look around me quickly. "I'm fine, thank you." I say to the woman. I think I've seen her before, but it's a long time ago.

"You performed for Dolly last night, how was that?" She asks me. "It was amazing. My mom is a huge Dolly Parton fan and," before I can even finish talking, the woman asks me if my mother was allowed to meet her, "she did not unfortuanatly, Dolly was so busy that night. "

"Do you have a Valentine?" I look at her as stupidly as I can, does she know that I'm married? "I do actually, my wife." I hold the ring around my finger and see that she clearly has to change her next question. "Sorry, I forgot you're married to Indy. I still see that boy I met two years ago." I knew I recognized her.

"What's your name again?" I ask her. I just have to know. "Renee." She answers. "Now I remember," I tell myself more than her, "yea, I was a little boy back then, but I'm a married man with a kid now." The woman laughs at my answer and touches her big, hanging earring. "What are you going to do with Valentine?"

"I don't know, I haven't planned anything yet to be honest," I tell her, "and Indy's watching me on the television so I wouldn't tell you if I knew what I wanted to do. It's gonna be a surprise." The woman looks at me strangely and looks behind her. It's like she's searching for something. "Maybe we'll go to my parents and watch a movie." I say a little insecure. What is she looking at?

Andrew jumps in and whispers something in the woman's ear. I also look at Andrew and he knows I want to know what he said to her, but he says that nothing's wrong and goes back to the back of the camera. "So you're performing today, do you already know what song you're going to sing?" The woman changed of topic.

"Yes, but it is still a surprise." I see Andrew gesturing that I've to go to the next interviewer. The woman in the pink dress noticed too and start finishing our conversation. "Thank you very much for your time and enjoy your performance."

"Thank you, I will."

Andrew comes to me for a moment and puts his arm around me. "Everything okay?" I ask him. I'm way too curious, I wanna know what he said to her. "Yes, are you? You're a little pale." I shrug my shoulders and tell him how much I would have liked Indy to be here. I don't feel completely at ease without her. She's always there for me and this is my most important performance ever. "Take a short break, kid, give her a call."

"Thank you And." He knocks me on my back and smiles at me.

I rush past all photographers and stand behind the canvas. I quickly pick up my phone and call my wife. "Hey, everything okay?" She asks with her quiet voice through the telephone. "Yes, now I am."

"What's Nathan doing?" With my hands in my pockets I'm wobbling with my legs. "He just fell asleep again, I just saw you and you look incredibly handsome."

"Oh stop." I feel how red my cheeks are by her words. If someone would see me now, they would confuse me with a tomato. Gross, why am I thinking about tomatoes? I hate them.

"I mean it," she is silent for a moment and I listen to her breathing, "Shawn, enjoy this day, I encourage you from our couch and when you come home we go to bed and watch those two great Awards."

"Idiot." I say softly. I blink a tear away and take a deep breath. "I love you."

"I love you too."