FOLLOW YOUR HEART

Chapter 20 - Clair de Lune

Shawn woke to a chill and realised the radiator had gone off. The room was icy at this time of the morning when dawn had yet to reveal herself and he slid naked from the bed, shivering as he fiddled with the stubborn thing until he got it working again. He leapt back into bed with Camila, pulling up the fleecy blanket from the end of the bed as he did so, then spooning her from behind.

"Fuck!" Camila said, jumping away from him. "Shawn Mendes, your hands – and everything else – are freezing!"

"I was just fixing the radiator. It should warm up soon. Go back to sleep, it's barely dawn."

She sighed. "Go on then, warm yourself up."

He slid his hand around and cupped her breast and she gasped, but not from the cold.

"I have some good ideas about getting warm, since you're not going to go back to sleep."

She rolled over and into his embrace, sighing as she slid her warm arms around his middle, lifting her face for his kiss.

"Good morning," she said, just before his lips touched hers.

As they kissed he felt something on his back and pulled away.

"What the....?" He looked over his shoulder in time to see Sparrow walk up and over his hip and snuggle into the small indent between their bodies. He looked at Camila and they both burst out laughing, startling the little cat who leapt off the bed and scurried to a spot in front of the radiator.

"Ooof!" Shawn exclaimed, as the cat used his lap as a launching board. He glared at Sparrow who was now licking himself in complete disregard for anyone else.

"Oh dear," Camila tried not to laugh. "Are you OK?"

"Yeah, fine, I'll just be singing falsetto on a permanent basis from now on."

She let the laugh out and he couldn't help but smile. Her laugh was wicked and infectious.

"How did he even get in here?" she asked.

"I don't know, I've locked him out a few times and he always gets in somehow. There must be a hole somewhere, it's an old place, there probably are all sorts of secret nooks and crannies."

"Really? Do you think there are hidden passageways and stuff?"

Shawn shrugged. The cool autumn day, the disdainful cat, the old house – they all combined to create a spooky vibe reminding him they were only a few days out from Halloween. He loved Halloween, it was his favourite holiday, and he wondered now how it was celebrated here. He would love to have a party, but of course the terms of the will precluded them from bringing anyone into the house, so they couldn't do it. Tally, and by extension Pam, who was pretty much a permanent fixture these days, were pretty much all he could invite.

Camila reached down and caressed him. "Thank goodness, it seems like you're all very much in one piece, how about that?"

"What are you trying to say?" he asked in a strangled voice as his body responded to her ministrations.

"Tell me if I'm hurting you..."

"Oh, I'm definitely in pain," he groaned.

"I'm sorry, I'll stop then...."

He gripped her arm before she removed it, his voice husky against her lips.

"Don't you dare..."

***

When they awoke a while later it was pouring rain and thunder was rumbling in the distance. They dressed and went down to the drawing room where Tally had lit the fire. He was baking in the kitchen and the aroma creeping out of there was divine. Obviously, Pam had been helping him hone his skills. They started off playing scrabble and somewhere in the middle of it, Shawn moved to the piano and started playing a simple melody and Camila found herself freestyling, and Shawn joined in. He started recording on his phone and she started scribbling notes and by the time Tally interrupted to let them know he had made them creamy mushroom pies for lunch they had written an entire song.