SHAWMILA ONE SHOTS

THE GLASS SLIPPER

A Shawmila Love Story

"You have to come, Camila, it's the event of the year. I even have the ideal costume for you. If you catch a flight tonight you can be here in the morning, have a nap, get ready and meet us there!" Tarli was a model Camila had met years ago during a photo shoot and made instant friends with. They kept in touch and often got together for some fun girl time when they were both in the same city.

"It sounds fun, is there going to be anyone I know there." Please tell me he won't be there.

"All the big names will be there, it is THE event as I told you. Bigger than the Met Ball. The theme is the letter P, and it's MASQUERADE! So fun, to cover your face, either with an eye mask or a full mask, whatever."

"I don't know Tarli, it's a long way to come just for a night out."

"Come on, my usual playmates are not coming, not even Shawn can make it this year, he's holed up in the middle of nowhere recording." She named a few other people who couldn't make it but Camila was too focused on her words. He wouldn't be there. She was all at once disappointed and relieved. Their last interaction had been awkward and uncomfortable and they hadn't even texted since then. He was upset with her for how she reacted when he.....well, they'd both had a few drinks and then he had pretty much told her he was still in love with her, and she had been so mad at him because she'd finally gotten over him and moved onto this friendship phase and now he was doing this. They had been caught up in work at different times in the past and maybe not texted or phoned for a month or two but never because they "weren't speaking". She hoped he'd come round but she didn't blame him for being pissed, she had totally overeacted, and since then she had realised it was because she DID feel the same way, she had never gotten over him, and she just couldn't face him.

"OK," she said spontaneously. "I'll come. Have the dress sent to my house and arrange for a car to pick me up, I'll see you there."

A big night out like this could be just the thing to drag her out of this funk, and wearing a mask could be freeing, she could pretend to be someone else entirely. It would be a heap of fun, just like Tarli said. She was a young, single woman after all. This is just what she needed.

***

Shawn looked at himself in the mirror. The costume was....different. Not exactly Jack Sparrow, it was a pirate inspired by him nonetheless, with a puffy white shirt and gauntlets covering his tattoos and therefore his identity, as well as the mask. He wore a long dark wig with braids and beads and feathers, breeches and long black leather boots, and a long coat.

"That looks incredible mate!" Niall said. "I wouldn't recognise you."

"Except for the height," Shawn said drily.

"No way, there will be a lot of tall blokes going, I bet ya, nobody will pick it's you, although I don't know why it's so important."

"Because nobody knows I'm in town, and I want it to stay that way," he said. "I'm going back to the studio tomorrow, or at least the day after depending on the hangover."

"Well, thanks for comin' with me mate, I appreciate it." Niall said. He stood next to Shawn and straightened his green suit. It was a modern day Peter Pan costume and he looked fantastic.

The one thing Shawn knew for sure was that Camila wouldn't be there. She was in Italy, he had seen a photo of her there on social media yesterday, and she was playing at a festival in Europe in two days. He could relax tonight without worrying about bumping into her. They weren't speaking at the moment, and it was his stupid fault for making his surprise confession and he'd never been so embarrassed and just couldn't speak to her let alone face her. He knew he'd get over it and they'd be friends again, but for the moment, he was trying to get over a broken heart and he couldn't do that if he kept seeing her.