FALLING FOR SHAWN

Chapter 2 - The Diva

"Shawn Mendes? Mama!" Sofi called from the phone. "Mila is going to do a song with Shawn freakin MENDES!!!!" Camila laughed, she had known Sofi would be excited. "Can I meet him? You have to be performing it with him sometime, can I come? You know I've been in love with him since I was, like, nine years old or something!"

"I promise I'll try to get you to meet him," she said.

"What about you Mila, do you think he's cute? Maybe you two will fall in love and get MARRIED!"

"Come on Sof, yes I agree, he is pretty gorgeous, but maybe he's a dick in real life. Maybe I won't even like him."

"No way, everyone says he is the sweetest ever, and he is so nice to every fan he meets. You are so going to fall in love with him."

"Hey sweetie, I gotta go, I have another call coming in that I have to take," she said, staring at the unknown number and knowing there was only one person she was expecting to call who wouldn't be stored in her phone.

"Who is it? Is it Shawn?"

"Goodnight sweetie," Camila reiterated.

"Oh my God, it IS Shawn!!" She squealed and Camila laughed, said bye again and hung up to take the waiting call.

"Camila speaking," she answered. There was a short silence and then a breath.

"Hi, this is Shawn Mendes," he said.

"Hi Shawn," fuck, what did she say, she hated this sort of thing, she could feel her anxiety crawling it's way up her spine and hitting her right in the chest.

"So, what do you think about this collab?"

"I haven't heard anything yet, but the idea sounds good, and the people involved are all talented, including you."

She could feel his surprise in the silence. What, did he think she was some kind of diva?

"The reasons are sound, for me anyway, having someone as successful and talented as yourself on my album brings it some gravitas and will garner attention when it might have just slipped under the couch, you know? One time Disney teen heartthrob plays at serious music and releases forgettable album."

"You think it's going to be forgettable? Man, you're doing it wrong."

"I don't think so, but I'm afraid that I'll be written off without even a listen."

"I'd love to hear it, if you want someone else's point of view."

"Really? Yeah, that'd be cool, thanks. I'll see if we can do that."

"I'm hoping to hear the tapes of this duet tomorrow, I guess you will too," she was nervous, what if she didn't like it, and she had to pull out of the project. She'd only spoken a few words with the guy, but she was already intrigued. She liked his attitude, and his sexy voice.

"It seems we've both asked for creative input, and the song is really only in the concept stage, so I guess we'll be working together on that first."

She felt a thrill and looked at her computer where a still from a European festival performance was still on her screen. He was wearing a white tank and his muscular, tattooed arms were shiny with sweat, it soaked his hair, so that damp ringlets fell over his forehead and the muscles in his neck were visible as he belted out whatever song it was. It would be no hardship to be locked in a studio with him. She felt guilty suddenly, thinking of Matthew. She had to do something, she just couldn't bring herself to. Avoiding him seemed to be her way of coping at the moment, but that couldn't go on. She needed to make a decision, she knew in the back of her mind exactly what that decision was, she just had to find the courage to make it. She realised that once she did, she would be single again. A pang of loneliness assailed her, but also a sense of relief, and a strange zap of excitement. If she broke it off with Matt, she'd be single when she made this song with Shawn.