There's No Way

Boarding Pass

[Camila's POV]

Our wedding concluded with all of our family and friends sending us off with a bevy of sparklers. The second that Shawn and I were alone in the car we both just sat there and admired each other; both of us speechless and in awe over the fact that we were finally husband and wife.

"Isn't it funny that you used to refer to yourself as my 'work-husband'? And now you're like...actually my husband?" I asked. Shawn laughed.

"I manifested it." I laughed and shook my head as I leaned in to kiss him. I pulled away briefly, becoming aware of the driver who could easily see us. Shawn must've read my mind, because he leaned forward and pushed the button to bring up the partition between us and the driver before bringing his lips to mine once more.

"So," he said quietly—his lips still hovering next to mine. "When do I get to hear the other two songs?" I smiled and reached for my purse, pulling out my phone and a pair of headphones.

"I had a feeling you might ask that." I handed him the headphones as I plugged them into my phone. I played "Dream of You" for him first, followed by "Used to This". My heart nearly fluttered out of my chest at the sight of his pink cheeks and shy smile as he listened to the songs he had inspired.

"Are you sure you wrote these for me?" he asked, flustered. I smiled and nodded. "These lyrics are...wow." His compliment made me blush.

"I've never really written happy songs before, so..." I dropped my eyes to my hands as they nervously fidgeted in my lap. He took notice of my shift, reaching over and intertwining his hand with mine.

"You're very good at writing happy songs, Camila. I hope you write more." He leaned in and pressed a quick peck to my lips.

"I have a feeling that won't be a problem."

——

[Shawn's POV]

If you would've asked me two years ago if love like this was even possible, I would've said no. Up until falling in love with Camila, I was under the impression that love meant mistrust, constant bickering, failed attempts at communication & settling for just 'good enough'. But with Camila—with Camila, everything was different. With Camila, love means unconditional support, healthy communication, teamwork, safety, comfort & unwavering happiness.

Sex with Camila rarely made me nervous anymore, but on the night of our wedding I was nervous. Not because I thought she wouldn't enjoy herself—that was never an issue. But because I needed her to know how I felt about her; I needed to show her how I felt about her. As we made love that night, I did everything in my power to express with my body the feelings that my brain couldn't quite put into words. And as we lay in bed next to each other—both of us completely bare and still trying to catch our breath—she intertwined her small hands with mine. Usually after making love we would engage in sweet pillow talk, but not tonight. Tonight we were both completely speechless and in awe of ourselves, of our love and of our connection. Eventually we both drifted off to sleep, still completely entangled in each other.

——

"Can you please just tell me where we're going?" Camila begged as I loaded her suitcase into the car. I just laughed and shook my head.

"You'll find out when you find out! I'm not telling you." She huffed and stomped her foot in fake annoyance. "Don't act like you don't love surprises."

"You're right," she sighed as she stood up on her tippy toes to give me a kiss. "And you're the best at surprises."

"And don't you forget it!" I said as I slammed the trunk shut.

Camila nervously twiddled her thumbs on the ride to the airport.

"Relax, baby. You'll find out where we're going soon—I mean literally the first thing we have to do when we get to the airport is check in, and there's no way of hiding where we're going after that." I heard her take a calming breath.

"That's true...sorry—I'm just so excited!" she squealed. I couldn't help but chuckle at her childlike excitement. We pulled into the airport parking lot. The curious look she flashed me as I turned toward the international terminal didn't go unnoticed by me.

"Any guesses?" I inquired. She shook her head. "Oh, come on! Just one guess? If you could pick anywhere to go for your honeymoon...where would you choose?" I asked, already knowing her answer.

"No! I'm not answering that."

"Why not?"

"Because," she began. "What if I tell you my dream honeymoon destination and it's like...the complete opposite of the place we're actually going?" she said timidly. I chuckled and squeezed her hand.

"I think you'll like the place I picked."

——

[Camila's POV]

I couldn't even stand still as Shawn and I waited in line at the airport to check our luggage and get our boarding passes. I knew once we got up there he would have no way of hiding our destination from me anymore.

"You're extra cute when you're excited," he stated. The line was pretty much at a stand-still so I took the opportunity to wrap my arms around his torso, hugging him as tightly as I could.

"I love getting to spend time with you," I whispered against his chest.

"Good, because you're kinda stuck with me now."

Just then, the line began to move again and we made it up to one of the check-in desks. Shawn moved our luggage up onto the scale, which was always one of the most nerve wracking parts for me as a notorious over-packer.

"So, where are you two lovebirds off to?" the kind lady behind the desk asked. I squeezed Shawn's hand, knowing I was finally about to find out our destination. He looked down at me and smiled.

"Paris."

My jaw nearly hit the floor.

"Paris? Seriously? We're going to Paris?" I asked excitedly. Both Shawn and the woman behind the counter laughed at my enthusiasm.

"Remember? I'm the best at surprises—you said it yourself."

"You two are adorable," the woman beamed at us. "Is this your honeymoon? Or just a romantic getaway for fun?" she inquired.

"It's our honeymoon—we got married yesterday," Shawn replied as he smiled down at me.

"Well, congratulations! You know what...we have a couple open seats in first class. Would you be interested in a free upgrade as a celebration gift from the airline?" she asked.

"Seriously? That'd be great," Shawn answered. The woman printed out our boarding passes and handed them to us, wishing us a happy honeymoon as we walked towards security.

"You knew, didn't you?" I asked.

"Knew what?" Shawn played it coy, but the look on his face told me he knew exactly what I was talking about.

"Paris has been my dream honeymoon location since I was a little girl..." I said sheepishly. He smiled and leaned down to kiss my forehead.

"Yeah, I knew."