Don't Wake Me Up - Shawn Mendes

PART TWELVE

PSA : cannabis is legal in Canada, but still should not be consumed by people under the age of 18, as it can alter the healthy development of the brain, and no buzz is worth schizophrenia (google it).

Shawn and I share a few texts here and there during the rest of the weekend. He does hang out with his friend in town, and I clean up around my place. I keep replaying the events of the past week in my head, and I can barely concentrate on the music I'm listening to or the show I'm watching or the book I'm reading. And you bet that Xavier has heard all about it, and is probably sick of it by now.

"Babe, I'd never be sick of hearing you talk about that!"

"You're happy,"

"and you know that"

"makes me happy"

Yeah, I've gotten used to his way of texting by now. It's quite endearing.

"Hahaha thank you babe, but I need you to shut me up now, 'cause I'm catching feelings, and it's too early for that," I reply.

"Okay, fine! Wanna hang out"

"tonight"

"I could ask Mateo and Abby to join us"

"We could just chill at your place."

"Cool! Let's do it, I just cleaned up today, so it's perfect," I agree.

We shoot the invite on the group chat and they both reply that they can come by soon. We agree Abby will bring a snack, Xavier will make a chill playlist, and Mateo will bring what he just ordered from the OCS. They get to my apartment around 7, and even though it's Sunday, it's a long weekend, so no one has work the next day. I prepared some light cocktails — okay, it's gin with the tonic I had left that was gonna become flat soon — and we start catching up. I did mention to Xavier that it's probably best we stay away from the whole 'I'm dating Shawn Mendes' thing, and he understood. But of course, while I'm in the kitchen getting us a bowl for the chips, my phone lights up with a text from Sean (sp?), and Mateo sees it:

"Uhm, Alice? Who is Sean and why is he asking you what you're up to?"

"WHAT?" I can't help but scream from the kitchen.

Abby picks up my phone to see for herself, and lets out a scream.

"Alice! Are you seeing someone? And you didn't tell us!"

"She just didn't want to jinx it, guys," Xavier chimes in.

"And you knew?" Abby exclaims.

Mateo looks at Abby, and tells her, unimpressed:

"Of course he knew, you know how these two are."

I finally come back to the main room to get my phone back, and put it away.

"Fine. Yes. I met a cute guy last Sunday, I went up to him and..."

I recount all the events of how we met, and our two dates. I do intentionally leave out the drama about knowing he is a famous singer, and the intimate encounter we had yesterday... Some things are best kept to myself, I think. All they know is his name, and it's misspelt, so I should be fine.

I swiftly change the subject by breaking open the package Mateo brought:

"Y'all ready to light up?" I say as I get up to go get a lighter. "We just have to go on the balcony, 'cause I'm not about to have everything in here smell like weed."

We all get our coats — it's still a cool spring evening — and shoes, and stand out on the tiny balcony. We pass the joint, and when it's done, we go back inside and sit back down. I light a bit of incense to cover the smell, and we keep chatting. We recap the last episode of Drag Race, and Abby and I watch a few episodes of UNHhhh while the guys talk about the latest gossip from Crews. I remember we talked about Shawn because he texted me, but I still haven't replied. So I take out my phone and unlock it.

"Hey! Sorry for the late reply, I'm just hanging out with my friends at home. Hbu?"

"Just chilling at home. My friend had to go back to his girlfriend," Shawn replies.

"Oh, you should really get yourself one of those!" I tease him.

I don't know if it's the buzz, but I snicker audibly, so my friends pause the vine compilation they were watching on my laptop and turn to me:

"What are you laughing about Alice?" Xav asks.

"Sean just told me he's by himself at home, 'cause his friend had to go back to his girlfriend, so I said 'neat! you should get yourself one of those' hehe."

They all join me in the high laughter.

"Oh my God, Alice, you really like this guy!" Mateo says. "Show us a picture!"

"I don't have one! We didn't exchange social media info, guys. But he's cute, I promise. Oh, he replied!" I say as I get back to my texts, and my friends get the hint and keep watching vines.

"Yeah, I think I might."

"Can I come by?" he sends right after that other message.

I start panicking a bit, 'cause I'm not exactly in the best state, and Shawn has to stop seeing me like this.

"No thank you," I send back, without thinking. This is a weird thing to reply, obviously, because my phone starts quacking. I pick it up quickly and lock myself in the bathroom.

"Hi. You really like talking on the phone, eh" I whisper, so my friends can't hear.

"Uh, I just wanted to check that you're okay?"

I let out a snort trying to hold back laughter, and I immediately apologize:

"Oh my gosh I'm sorry, I'm fine Shawn, I promise. I'm just a bit high, and I haven't exactly told my friends about you so you can't come by."

"What do you mean 'you haven't exactly told them'?"

"I mean... obviously Xav knows, but I'm also with Mateo and Abby, and they saw the text you sent me earlier, but" and I have to stop myself to laugh again — I have to ask Mateo what kind of weed he bought, 'cause this one works for me! — "I saved your contact as S-E-A-N-open parentheses- spelling, question mark-close parentheses' so they probably wouldn't even link it to you."

"Are you ashamed of me or something?" Shawns asks, faking being offended.

"Nooooo!" I scream into the phone, loud enough for everyone in the apartment to hear. "I'm sorry, I'm too faded right now, I can't do this. Look, I'm gonna hang up, but before I go, I'm just gonna say that if you were to drop by, with, I don't know, some pizza or some McNuggets, I am fairly sure I wouldn't let you freeze outside. I'm just sayin'! Mwah!" I make an exaggerated kiss sound into the phone and hang up.

I rejoin the group, and they all look up at me.

"What happened?" Xavier asks me.

I take Mateo's phone, start his ESPAñOL playlist and start dancing to the rhythm of Ambiente by J Balvin. I announce:

"Sean may or may not be on his way here. If he is, he's bringing McNuggets."

My eyes are closed as I sway my hips to the reggaeton jam. I can hear my friends's excited screams at the idea of meeting the guy I'm seeing. They have no idea... Xavier grabs my arm, which forces me to open my eyes, startled.

"He's really coming here? Are you gonna tell them?" he snickers, gesturing at Abby and Mateo with his head.

"They'll notice when he gets here... It'll be funny!" I say under my breath, as I can't help but snort again, and I go back to dancing.

Danna Paola's Final Feliz comes on, and I get everyone dancing:

"No me sirve un caballero si no cumple mis deseos," I sing along.

"Dame, dame mi final feliz." Yeah, Shawn better hurry up.