Curious?

CHAPTER FOUR

How do I get ready to hang out with Shawn Mendes in a park? Wow, this is a sentence I never thought I'd say. And I never thought it'd describe a situation I'm in. The weather is nice, so I think I'll be okay with a light bomber jacket. I put on some white sneakers, black jeans, a basic tee and bomber. I know I shouldn't give too much thought to this, but I'd be lying if I said that what Emily said didn't stick in a small and far corner of my brain. So, I look at myself one last time before leaving and walk over to Queen's Park.

I get there around 12:55, hoping Shawn will be on time. I just sit down on a bench when I hear my phone buzz in my pocket.
"I'm here, at the northern entrance."
Wait, am I supposed to know the coordinates? I don't know what entrance he's talking about, so I chuckle to myself and simply send my location.
"There, this is simpler than taking out my compass."
I guess I must've also been close to the northern entrance since I immediately see Shawn walking towards me.
"Hi!" he says, flashing a beautiful smile.
"Hey!" I nod towards him.
I see him come in for a hug, and I definitely didn't expect that, but I can't say it's not welcome so I hug him too. I'm not a short guy, but he's incredibly tall, so I could rest my head on his shoulder, and that makes me laugh. I pull away, and he's already chatting me up, clearly not feeling the awkwardness I'm feeling.
"So, how are you today!"
"Uhm, I'm good. Glad the weather is warming up, I can't wait for the summer!"
"Yeah, summer in Toronto is the best!" Shawn says.
"Are you going to be here to enjoy it? Or does your jet-set life take you away from home?" I say, just a bit condescending.
He laughs. I'm glad to realize he really does enjoy my attitude, because most people are put off by it.
"Well this summer isn't a good example, because I'm touring, so yeah, I won't be here too much. But I still have a few weeks before I have to go. And anytime I have a break I love to come back home."
We're walking now, but I can still feel Shawn's little side glances on me. He's really good at making me feel comfortable.
"Cool. And when you do, you meet random people at parties and get their numbers?"
I look straight at him when I say that to see his reaction. I'm glad I did, because his cheeks flush with red and he has the cutest shy smile. He brings a hand to his face to hide himself, but that image is already etched in my brain forever.
"Uhm, not usually!" he says. "I really still can't believe I was so forward. I hope that was okay?"
"Yeah! Sure. I wouldn't be here otherwise, right?" I say, feeling much more confident about this than when I first left the house this morning.

"So Adam, what do you do?" Shawn asks.
I can barely open my mouth to reply that we get stopped by a lady and her daughter.
"I'm so sorry, but are you Shawn Mendes?" she asks.
Shawn looks at me and smile before looking at her and confirming it's really him. He bends down and looks at the little girl, barely 8 years old.
"And you are?" he asks her.
"I'm Ashley!" she says with the biggest grin on her face.
"Nice to meet you, Ashley!" Shawn says, and he saw the mother take out her phone, so he continues, "want to look at your mom so we can take a picture?"
He flashes that beautiful smile, and I get an unfamiliar feeling in my stomach.

He wishes them a good day and we continue on our way.
"Yeah, sorry about that." Shawn apologizes.
"Nah, that's fine. I used to see it happen all the time, to be honest."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, you haven't noticed, but I run into you all the time in Toronto. And I see everyone stop you all the time. I thought it was kind of obnoxious."
"Wait, you did? How come I never noticed you before?"
"I mean, I don't really do anything notice worthy!" I reply, unsure of what I'm supposed to say.
"Still..." he trails off. "Wait, you never got a chance to reply. So, what do you do?"
"Oh right! For now I work retail. I was in uni, but I didn't know what I wanted to do, I was very unmotivated. So I dropped out for now. I'm trying to find my passion. And I work in a clothing store in the meantime."
"Oh, that's cool," is all Shawn can say before three teenage girls spot us and walk over to us. Well, to Shawn.
"Hi! Shawn! I love you so much, oh my god, can I ask for a picture? I can't believe we just ran into you! How crazy is that!"
I see Shawn glance over at me again, and he smiles at the girl that already has her phone out.
"Yeah, of course! It's nice to meet you all!" he says as he puts on the same smile I've seen earlier and takes a few selfies.

We keep walking, and the feeling in my stomach is fading a bit, if I'm honest. We've been stopped twice and we haven't been walking 15 minutes... Is that what I have to put up with now? I mean, in a sense, I didn't ask for all that attention.

"Sorry, again," Shawn starts, "You were saying?"
"Actually, I think I'm gonna go," I say as I look down.
Shawn grabs my arms lightly so I face him.
"Wait! Why?"
"I don't know, I don't feel well anymore. You seem really nice, but..."
I can't bring myself to finish my sentence. How can I tell him I'd love to get to know him, if only he wasn't living his dream!
"It's all the people, isn't it?" Shawn says, a bit embarrassed and I think disappointed.
"It's a lot, yeah. I mean, we can barely have a conversation. Even right now, I feel like I have to hurry before someone else spots you."
He had let go of me before, but I feel his two hands on my arms again.
"Look, Adam. I'm really sorry I thought I could impose this on you. But don't go. Let's go back to my apartment, no one will stop me there, and we can keep hanging out. There's still so much I don't know about you."
His eyes are so sincere that I can't help but think I should give this a shot.
"Fine," I sigh, but the smile on my face makes Shawn smile in return.

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