patience

Chapter Four

I woke up Saturday morning with so many notifications on my phone. The headlines read: Shawn Mendes spotted with mystery girl in Kentucky!

I couldn't believe what I was reading. I couldn't believe that I was a 'mystery girl'. And, I couldn't believe that they left the headline at that. Alessia was with us, but they cut her out of the picture. I guess that's what the papparazzi does.

I walked into the living area of the suite. Alessia was up.

"Did you see this?" I ask showing her my phone. "This is crazy".

"I saw it. There's nothing we can do about it though" She says. She was drinking hot tea. I sat down next to her.

"Why not?" I ask. I was not very happy about this headline.

"That's the world you're in now, Riv. You just have to make the most of it" She says. "It sucks sometimes, but eventually it'll pass".

"What if Shawn gets mad when he sees it? I mean, it's not like we're dating" I say. I didn't know why I was worried about him, I just was.

"He won't be. Don't you think he hears enough rumors about himself being with other girls before? It's common in the industry" She says.

"Not for me" I say. She scoots next to me and wraps her arms around my shoulder.

"Hey, you're not the mystery girl. You're my gorgeous cousin, River" She says. I roll my eyes and smile.

"Yeah, I guess" I say.

"In fact, I'm gonna make that known" She says. I didn't really know what she meant, but I wasn't going to question her either. What she ended up doing was posting the headline and a picture of the three of us together last night and using what she had just told me as the caption. Leave it to her to do something like that.

"So, what are we doing today?" I ask.

"I have press to do today" She says. "You could go with me, but sometimes they get weird about people coming with".

"I'll stay here then" I say. In that moment, the door to the suite gets opened up. Shawn came in the door.

"Why are you staying here?" He asks. He must have heard me through the door.

"She has press to do, so I'm going to hang out here" I answer.

"Nope. You're hanging out with me. I did my press yesterday, so I have the day off. We can explore Louisville" He says.

"I-I don't want to cause any trouble for you" I say.

"It's not. I was going to explore anyway. Now, I just have someone to do it with me" He says. He smiled a cheesy smile. A smile I could never say no too.

"Okay, I'll meet you at your room in a few minutes" I say. He nods then walks out the door. Alessia stands up and looks at me.

"Oh, sis. What are the tabloids gonna say now?" she says before disappearing behind her bedroom door. I didn't even think of that.

***
I put on my black skinny jeans and a tank top that Alessia gave me. It was her merch of course, and black converse. I then walked to Shawn's room and knocked on the door. He answered with no shirt on and black jeans as well.

"Wearing your cousin's merch. How sweet" He says.

"She gave it to me. What did you expect me to do?" I ask.

"Exactly what you're doing. Only tomorrow during the show, I expect you to wear my merch" He says.

"Get me a shirt and I will" I say. He smiles and agrees.

"I got you" He says. I roll my eyes. He grabs a shirt quickly then we walk outside the hotel.

"So, are we just walking?" I ask.

"We could. Or we can grab coffee, dinner, ice cream, we could walk across that bridge into Indiana" He says.

"Oh, I don't do water" I say.

"Well, I wouldn't let you fall" He says.

"How do I know that?" I ask.

"You'll just have to trust me" He says. "Plus, Alessia told me how seeing that headline made you upset, and our chances of getting spotted out there are pretty slim".

"That headline was stupid. I'm sorry about it" I say.

"Why? Would it be that terrible to be my girlfriend?" He asks.

"Well, that I don't know" I say. "But I'm sure people will think I am because of what Alessia posted".

"Yeah, that was funny" He says. We had started walking across the bridge by this point.

"What if people talk?" I say.

"Then let them" He says.

"Whatever you say, Mendes" I say.

"Ooh, I thought we were on a first name basis, not last" He says acting as if that hurts his feelings.

"No, if people are allowed to think you're dating me then I get to call you what I want" I say.

"Okay, fine. I'm calling you 'Riv' from now on" He says. I smiled.

"Usually only my sister and Alessia call me that, if I let you, then that means you're pretty special" I say. He smiles.

"Let me call you that then" He says.

"Okay, you win" I say. His eyes light up and he smiles like a child.

***
We had spent the entire day walking around Louisville and that bridge. We didn't eat or get anything to drink. Just talked the whole time. Talking to him was so much fun. He understood me, and I understood him. To me, he was 'Shawn Mendes the Pop Star' he was just Shawn.