Give In

discussing

I grabbed a coffee and I was making my way back to the room when I ran into Connor and Brian on the hall. I was relieved they were here and that I wasn't coming back alone. I hugged them both and together we turned on the last corner before Shawn's room.

"Look at you!", Brian said when he saw Shawn eating a chocalte puddin in bed.

"Hey", he said back with a smile on his face.

"How are you, man?", Connor asked.

"I'm ok, all things considered", he told them.

"Guys", Manny interrupted. "We're gonna go get some lunch while you chat, see you later", he said to the boys. He, Karen and Aaliyah left the room after hugging Connor and Brian.

"I'll let you talk too", I started to say but Shawn immediately looked at me with wide eyes.

"No. Stay here, you just came back".

"You don't have to go anywhere", Connor said. "You're part of the group now".

That was so sweet I couldn't help but smile.

Shawn put the puddin away and patted on the bed right next to him for me to sit.

"You got some nasty scratched, didn't ya?", Brian said checking the bandages around Shawn's body.

"I don't really remember how it happened but I'm pretty sure it wasn't nice", my boyfriend said.

"It all happened so quickly, dude. You were just laughing and then you weren't in front of us anymore", Connor said. "Honestly, I'm impressed you are in one piece right now".

"He's right", Brian agreed. "And all the blood..."

I could tell they were in shock last night because they didn't share any of these details then. They were pretty cryptic and quiet.

"Yeah, the doctor said it was because of the cut here", he said touching his forehead.

"What else did the doctor said? Are you all good, for real?", Brian asked concerned.

"I guess. My ankle is fractured though, and I have a concussion plus all the wounds and scratches, but other than that, I'll be fine".

"Wow", Connor sighed.

They talked for about 30 minutes until Shawn started to blink too much and we all noticed he was tired. He was just too good of a friend to tell them to leave or just be quiet for a second, but the headache he was experiencing because of the concussion was apparently too much to bare, because he couldn't help zone out for a bit. He closed his eyes and shut his mouth and although he told his friends he was fine when they noticed, they knew he had to rest so they left. I felt his hand tighly wrapped around mine, so I figured he didn't want me to leave.

Just like last night, I brushed his hair with my fingers while he tried to relax.

"I love when you do that", he whispered and my heart skipped a beat when I heard the L word. For a moment I thought he was going to say another thing and I wasn't prepared for that. Or was I?

I pushed those thoughts away and focused on giving him cuddles. I touched his hair, his forehead, his cheeks and spent time massaging his temples to relief some of the discomfort on his head.

"So...", I murmured after a while. "Did your parents said anything about me?"

He coughed and sat up a little, opening his eyes and looking at me.

"Uh, yeah. Well... I told you, they are not used to seeing me dating", he spoke slowly, choosing his words.

I didn't know what else to say. I understood that it was not Shawn's fault what his mom had said. And I wasn't sure if it was ok to tell him what I had heard, maybe he would think I was lurking.