#Shawn Mendes Coffee Shop AU

[violetsandfluff]

Coffee Shop AU (s.m.)

a/n: this has been in my drafts since November. I planned to post it on Christmas Eve, but only now got around to polishing it up.

tw: allusions to smut?

word count: 3.4k+

summary: shawn and a cute customer in the shop after hours

Only a university campus would have a coffee shop open from six am to midnight. A vast variety of students flowed through the shop steadily, getting their beverages to go or staying to enjoy them and take advantage of the free wi-fi. The shop’s location made it easily accessible for students traveling to and from their classes, and a convenient place to study and work on group projects. The shop was also run primarily by students, providing them with a way to make money on campus in bite-sized shifts.

The cafe was a small shack designed to look like a log cabin. Despite the limited space inside, the tables and booths were comfortably spaced. The booths were covered in a rough, resplendent upholstery and the tables were a yellowy, polished wood. A long, narrow high-top table was positioned down the center of the room, divided by a metal structure down the center with built-in outlets for convenient charging. There was an assortment of chairs and backless stools available for maximum comfort, and a plethora of outlets scattered around for convenience. The wifi password was plastered on the wall by the door, and on the chalkboard menus, which were always neat and colorful.

It was a popular study spot for students during the day, but not so much at night. Students tended to flock to the shop before their classes or for a mid-afternoon energy boost; not a bedtime snack.

Among the workers there was Shawn, a lissome junior who tended to keep to himself. He was pleasant enough when taking orders or preparing coffee, but he usually chose the latest shifts when fewer people came looking for coffee. He never minded sweeping the floors or locking up in the dark, and the lack of bustle didn’t bother him. After all, it was rare for even college students to go seeking out caffeine in the form of coffee past midnight.

As finals approached, there was a steady increase of anxious students pouring into the shop late in search of caffeine, wi-fi, or an extra charger for their laptops. As studying intensified, the late-night crowd grew, and more nighttime workers were brought into the shop.

Shawn was used to working alone, rarely having to worry about a customer requiring attention as he worked on another’s drink. However, as finals week drew near, he was positioned solely at the front counter, manning the orders and bakery selection. The small cafe was brimming with students sipping on hot caffeinated beverages as they poured intently over their laptops and textbooks, retaining as much information as they could.

Despite the steady flow of students in and out of the cafe, one girl, in particular, caught Shawn’s eye. She ordered the same thing every night, a dark chocolate mocha, and sat in the same booth by the window as she studied. She, along with the others, tended to pack up and leave just before twelve, leaving Shawn and his coworkers time to clean before they locked up, but one night, Sunday, she found herself so engrossed in her studying that she didn’t realize when the other patrons packed up and left.

Hannah, one of Shawn’s coworkers for the night, tried to secure her attention and ask her kindly to wrap up her studies, but Shawn reassured her, saying that he’d tell her to leave if she hadn’t finished in fifteen minutes.

Giving a resigning sigh, Hannah retreated to the back door, hanging her apron on a hook before disappearing into the cold night air, flipping the sign from open to closed as she left.

Shawn gazed over the counter at the studious girl, entranced in her studies like they were the only thing in the world as he cleaned the coffee machine absentmindedly. Her hair was tucked into the band of her headphones, and she was wearing a simple white sweatshirt with the university’s name on it. Her legs were tucked up next to her, one under her and the other to the side, and her head was resting in her left hand as her right hand flipped the pages of her book. Her drink remained untouched, aside from the sip she’d taken from it when Shawn had handed it to her. The laptop on the table in front of her dimmed, but it did nothing to pry her eyes from the pages of her textbook.

Her lips moved ever so slightly as her eyes scanned the pages, fighting the avalanche of words to retain as much information as she could. Shawn watched all the while, nearly halting as he ran a sudsy rag over the outside of the coffee machine in lethargic circles. His eyes were fixed on the girl’s hunched figure and they had no intent to move.

Fifteen minutes passed faster than Shawn thought they ought to. He had promised Hannah that he would remove the girl from her spot in the cafe in fifteen minutes, twelve-twenty, but his heart raced as he thought of doing so. He fought himself internally behind the counter before finally closing the distance between himself and the compelling girl.

He stood nervously beside her table as he racked his brain for words to say to her.

“Excuse me,” he croaked, his words thudding soundly into the silent room. He repeated it once before sitting down in the booth beside hers, a safe distance away. He reached out a hand to tap her shoulder gently and she jumped in alarm, hastily removing her headphones and shifting her attention to Shawn.

“I’m so sorry,” he began. “I know you’ve been working really hard, but we’re technically closed now. Again, I’m so sorry.”

She glanced from him, to the corner of her computer screen, and back. “You’ve been closed for half an hour!” she noticed in horror. “You could have told me sooner!”

“I didn’t want to interrupt your work,” he admitted, his cheeks flushing slightly as her eyes met his. “I know it sucks to be interrupted.”

“Your shift ended half an hour ago,” she repeated, scrambling to close her book and laptop. “You should be at home, enjoying your own time, not stuck here with me.”

“I don’t mind,” he babbled softly. “My homework’s in the back room. I’ve been working on it a little.”

“That’s good,” she managed apologetically as she turned to her backpack, which was occupying the seat beside her. She shoved her headphones in, but before she could get any further, Shawn stopped her.

Placing a hand gently on her forearm, he asked, “What have you been working on?”

“Studying for exams,” she groaned with an exhausted sigh. “I have a history exam tomorrow and I’m grossly underprepared.”

“That’s the worst,” he empathized.

“What kinds of homework do you have?”

“A little bit of everything,” he replied slowly, feeling his confidence bloom slightly as she took interest in him. “A lot related to holistic health.”

“Really?” She raised her eyes to inspect the honey-colored ones hidden timidly behind his thin, inconspicuous glasses, noticing his flawless complexion and curly, chocolate-colored hair in the process. “You’re into that kind of stuff?”

“Yeah. Holistic medicine and things that go along with that; herbology, homeopathy. Things like that.”

“Is that your major?”

“One of them. I major in both holistic health and psychology, and minor in music theory. What about you?”

“I’m a business major. I can’t imagine taking on two majors. I can hardly handle the one I have.”

Shawn let out a soft chuckle. “I’m Shawn, by the way. What’s your name?”

“Y/N,” she frowned. “I like the name Shawn.”

“I like the name Y/N,” Shawn smiled slowly as he listened to the syllables as they glided off his tongue. “Are you a junior, too?”

“I’m a sophomore. Three semesters in,” she huffed.

“It gets better,” Shawn consoled her automatically.

“Does it really?”

“Not at all,” he replied with a chuckle. “But believe it or not, you’ll get the hang of things.”

“That’s reassuring,” Y/N hummed, rising to her feet. “I should probably let you get home. Do you live on campus?”

“No,” Shawn replied slowly. “I live with my parents since they’re pretty local.”

“Will they be worried since you’re not home?”

“They’ll be fine.” Shawn cast a wary glance at his watch before redirecting his attention to the beautiful girl standing before him. “You can stay a while longer,” he suggested. “I don’t mind.”

She eased back onto the booth beside him, swiveling her body so she was facing him rather than the table. She reached for her drink and maneuvered it to the edge of the table, pulling the straw into her mouth as she glanced away from Shawn’s enchanting honey-colored eyes.

“Are we supposed to be here after hours?” she interrogated, eyeing him skeptically.

“I’m sure we’ll be fine,” he answered absentmindedly. “After all, I’m used to locking up.”

“At twelve o’clock. Not at twelve-thirty-five.”

Shawn shrugged, shifting his attention to a small rip in the upholstery of the booth. “Do you need help studying for anything?” He felt pathetic dragging what could have been a short conversation out so long, but something inside of him longed to converse with her for a while longer.

“Actually?” She withdrew a planner from her backpack and began flipping through it. “Can you quiz me for my exam?”

“History? Sure.” He tried to hide his excitement as he held out his hand for the notepad. He examined the pages, noting their layout, before turning his body to face hers and clutching the papers against his chest so she couldn’t see. The pages were filled with events and their dates, as well as various other facts that she would need to remember for a thorough paper.

The neat rows and columns made it easy for Shawn to quiz her with. He cleared his throat jokingly, making playfully intimidating eye-contact with her before looking back down at her notepad.

The first few questions breezed by as she recited the answers confidently. But when the questions advanced into more obscure niches, her confidence began to falter.

“Try again,” Shawn urged simply as she sunk her teeth into her lip, her cheeks reddening as she scrambled for the correct answer. Shawn had flipped from the history dates to other tidbits of information she would need over the course of the next few weeks.

“What was the question?” she whined, pulling her drink closer to the edge of the table.

Shawn moved closer to her, resting his head on her shoulders as she examined her page of notes.

He read the page’s contents softly, his warm breath tickling her ear.

She took note of his gentle voice, strong arms, and complex cologne, which seemed representative of his true self.

Pulling the straw back into her mouth, she sat up. The cup tipped over, splashing its milky brown contents all over her pale gray sweatshirt.

She and Shawn pulled apart in alarm. He scrambled to the nearest paper napkin dispenser, grabbing a wad of the flimsy, white material in an attempt to soak up the lukewarm coffee as it dripped down her sweater and onto her white jeans. While they helped pull the excess liquid off of her clothing, a dark stain remained, sinking into all of the creases in her clothing.

“Shit,” she muttered as she stood. “I can feel the wet fabric clinging to me.”

“I know we have some things here to spot-treat it,” Shawn suggested. “Aprons don’t often serve their purpose in these conditions.”

“Then I’d really be wet,” she chirped, ignoring a potential double meaning that could arise.

“I have quite a few extra sweatshirts in my car.”

“Are you saying you’d like me to take one?”

“If we’re going to clean your clothes here, then yes.”

“Staying after hours with a naked girl. I can see it perfectly,” y/n quipped, glancing superstitiously out of the dark windows to Shawn’s lowly green SUV.

“I forgot, I was supposed to close these.” He stood beside y/n for a moment, giving her a taste of how tall he really was before he knelt on the side of the booth to close the blinds. He made his way around every window in the cafe before returning to her. “We have some stain removers in the back room. I’ll get you something from my car if you want to work on getting the coffee out of your clothes.”

“Thank you,” she breathed as he darted out into the snowy night. The lights switched on in his vehicle when he opened the door. She watched through the door as he rummaged around in his back seat, through the presumable mess of textbooks, calculators, and mechanical pencils. Eventually, the car door slammed shut and Shawn pranced hastily back to the front door, cautious of ice patches.

“I forgot that I cleaned out my car last Thursday. I don’t have any sweatshirts.” He paused awkwardly as he toyed with the sleeve of his black cable-knit sweater. “Unless this would work?”

Y/N hesitated. “No. That’s yours.”

“I’ve got an apron,” he reasoned. “Come on, Y/N. It’s nice and soft. And I’ve warmed it up for you.”

“You make it sound so dreamy,” she chuckled. “Okay. I’ll take it.”

He handed her the bottle of stain remover and she disappeared into the shop’s sole bathroom to work in peace. The door was locked behind her as she bent over the sink, Shawn’s sweatshirt falling to her mid-thighs even in the back. She worked at the meddlesome stains with cold water and watched hopefully as the stains faded.

A soft knock on the door alerted her to Shawn’s presence.

“I’m not naked,” she said sarcastically.

He poked his head into the room, raising his eyebrows adorably as he asked, “Is the stain remover working?”

“Pretty well,” she responded.

“That’s good. If not, I have bleach.”

“That’s not necessary,” she assured him. “Thanks, though.”

He glanced at her sweatshirt, which was drying on the coat hook and peeked over her shoulder at her pants, the garment which she was scrubbing vigorously.

“It looks better,” he said pointedly. “We can let the stain bubble out for a few minutes if you want to stop scrubbing.”

She dropped the jeans, allowing them to rest on the counter. “What time is it?”

“Just about one.”

“You had better go,” she said hurriedly, gathering her clothes into her arms. “You should have been gone an hour ago.”

“I’m not kidding when I say I have time.”

“Time for what?”

“Time for you,” Shawn breathed in response. He took a step backward, but she took a step towards him.

Shawn bit his lip as his deep, sincere eyes flicked to the provocative length of her thighs that wasn’t hidden by his sweatshirt. She could tell that he was a terrible liar.

“If you’re okay with me staying, can you quiz me again while my clothes dry?”

“Of course!” His eyes flashed back to her face as he shook the unholy thoughts from his mind. Reaching behind his back, he untied his apron, ducking out of the bathroom and behind the counter to hang it by the employees only door. Without the paisley-printed brown apron, a signature pattern of the cafe’s, Shawn was dressed in a skimpy white undershirt and tight-fitting black jeans. On his feet were minimalistic black boots, and a delicate silver chain was visible around his neck.

“Bring your books, too!” y/n called. “We can study together.”

Shawn gave her a playful salute, swinging his book bag over his shoulder and emerging from behind the counter. He set it on the upholstered bench beside her, watching in feigned dismay as she took a careful sip from her lukewarm beverage.

“I can warm that up for you,” he said pointedly. “But only if you promise to be careful.”

“I can’t make any promises,” she quipped, pulling the straw into her mouth and casting him a deliberate smirk.

“Smartass.” Shawn shook his head, picking up her cup and bringing it into the kitchen. He placed it in the microwave and covered it, his jaw setting instinctively as he punched one minute into the keypad. He pushed his sleeves up his forearms as he rested his head on his hand, which was supported by his elbow on the wall.

Y/N wasted no time opening her thick textbook to the page she had been reading when Shawn interrupted her earlier. Without moving her eyes from the page, she reached fruitlessly for her cup, which she found stupidly to be missing.

“Looking for this, sweetheart?” Shawn inquired with a genuine laugh. He set her drink down beside her book, less than an arm’s length away. She leaned towards it, keeping her eyes locked with Shawn’s as she drew in a swift sip of coffee, effervescent with heat.

“Holy shit, that’s hot,” she cursed after a painful and panicked swallow. “Burned my fucking tastebuds off.”

“Might have overheated it slightly,” Shawn grimaced apologetically.

“My lip is burning from where the straw was,” she whined with a slight chuckle as her eyes watered.

Without explanation, Shawn leaned in to bless her lips with a swift peck. “All better,” he cooed sweetly.

Her stomach fluttered every so slightly at the feeling of his lips on hers. She felt his warm breath condensing on her neck once again as he leaned over her shoulder to absorb the words in her textbook.

Every so often, he nodded his head into her neck, rosy pink lips caressing her skin gently with love. She tried to focus on the materials on the mahogany table in front of her but it was growing increasingly difficult to ignore the fire between her bare thighs. Nonchalantly, she pulled the patterned plastic cup containing her now lukewarm coffee towards her, but before she could take a sip it was snatched from her hand.

Shawn raised the straw to his lips gradually, taking a hesitant sip as his eyes bored holes in hers.

Her heart hammered inside her chest. It had been so long since a man effectively gave her butterflies.

“Just making sure it’s safe to drink,” he explained, sliding it back into her grip across the table’s smooth surface. “Wouldn’t want you to burn your taste buds off, hm?”

Swallowing hard, she agreed.

“Y/N?”

“Shawn?” Gulp. Even saying his name made her heart beat a hundred miles per hour.

“Have you ever been in love?” he inquired innocently, catching you off guard.

Her head snapped to examine his face, furrowed eyebrows and pursed lips. “I guess so.”

“I mean, have you ever been in love, in love?”

His words were met with a blank expression.

“I know I sound stupid, but… you see a cute girl…or guy… and they turn out to be really nice. Lots of common interests, good music tastes, the right mix of flirty and serious. You hit it off but know deep down inside it probably won’t work out.”

“Go on?”

“How do you tell the person? And how do you beat the odds of never crossing paths again?”

“Are you asking for my advice?”

“I guess so,” Shawn began twisting an acrylic ring on his middle finger as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.

“Tell her…or him… how you feel. What’s the worst that could happen?”

“I could be forced to live my life without her. Even though I just met her, I know that she is the one.”

She nodded slowly. Taking time to absorb his lamentation—and another sip of coffee—she planned out her next words carefully. “Take life at a slow pace. Stop to smell the flowers. And when life gives you cold coffee, don’t let a stranger heat it up.”

Shawn looked up in surprise before erupting into the most euphonious laughter she had ever heard. The whole demeanor of the room shifted.

Cupping her chin in his hand, he leaned forward so his nose was barely brushing against hers. “Well. I’d like to tell you that you are the single most perfect girl I’ve ever met. I… really like you.”

“You’re sweet,” she whispered in surprise after a moment. “I like you too.”

Her lips connected with his in one fluid motion. They parted and closed with respect to each other in a kind of routine she had never danced before.

Just as Shawn’s hand began to creep up her thigh, the sound of a key in a lock and hinges squeaking echoed through the empty building.

“What the hell, Shawn?” Hannah’s voice resounded through the air, thick with tension. “Why are you still here? And half-naked?”

~~~

a/n 2.0: It’s been a minute since I’ve seriously written about Shawn because sometimes it feels like a waste of my time. Thank you if you’re still reading and one of the people I can count on to read my Shawn fics. You guys are the ones who started my blog and the reason I’m still going 💕

~~~

Taglist: @fishingirl12 @chocochipcookie305 @monikamendes @butlerbliss @sonder444

[allwaswell16]

—Fics by allwaswell16—

[ Rare Pairs ]

but tonight (you're on my mind) [E, 36k, Louis/Nick Grimshaw, fic post]

Nick's friendship with the lead singer of Seventy Eight has come with a new circle of people including an entrancing, blue eyed drummer. But what brings them together can also tear them apart.

Need (part 2 of Until series) [E, 21k, Niall/Shawn Mendes, fic post]

Niall Horan loved his job. Who wouldn’t? He was the biggest pop star in the world, and he’d found his kindred spirit in songwriting and friendship, Louis Tomlinson. The sky was the limit now. He had the perfect place they could hide themselves away from the world and write his next album...his uncle’s horse ranch in Colorado. What he didn’t expect was the cowboy next door.

Do You Smile To Tempt a Lover [E, 18k, Louis/Nick Grimshaw, fic post]

Nick Grimshaw is entranced by Louis, his very beautiful, very cheeky new coworker at The National Portrait Gallery. He watches him day after day, wondering what he’s furiously typing on his laptop over lunch. With a little help from the very bored barista in the gallery cafe, Nick finds himself growing closer to Louis than he ever dreamed possible.

Interview with the vampire [E, 4k, Louis/Rob Pattinson, fic post]

Working at an alpha magazine wasn't always easy for an omega like Louis, but he's just landed his biggest interview yet with an A list actor who has asked for Louis especially. Unfortunately, the interview is with Rob Pattinson, the biggest pain in the arse alpha on the planet.

Inspired by Rob’s interview in GQ Magazine and not actually about vampires

One [E, 4k, Louis/Tommy Shelby (Peaky Blinders), fic post]

When omega Louis Tomlinson becomes pregnant after an unexpected encounter, he decides his only option is to flee his pack. But Tommy Shelby, pack alpha of the Peaky Blinders, might not be willing to let him go so easily.

Hesitate [E, 3k, Louis/Liam, fic post]

He’d always been in love with Louis.

From the time he was old enough to understand attraction, he’d been attracted to Louis, not that he’d been ready to do anything about it at the time. Instead, he’d just supported him like a best friend should. He was there for Louis when he came out to his mom. He was there for Louis when he landed the leading role in the school play. He was there for him when Louis didn’t have a date for the prom. He was there when Louis got his heart broken.

 And he waited. He’d waited until he couldn’t stand to wait any more.

A college au where Liam and Louis went from childhood friends to lovers to exes and back again.

Daydream [T, 2k, Louis/Zayn, fic post]

Every Thursday, Louis nods hello to her fellow regulars at Horan’s Cafe, one of whom is the woman of her dreams.

Should Have Known [NR, 2k, Louis/Liam, fic post]

Liam returns from his internship abroad ready to tell his best friend that he wants to be more than friends. But when Louis starts avoiding him, he's no longer sure the timing is right.

Next Door [NR, 2k, Louis/Rob Pattinson, fic post]

When a stray cat starts coming round Louis' garden and bothering his dog, Louis and his best friend set out to capture it.

Or a famous/famous fic where Louis and Oli embarrass themselves in front of Batman.

It's You [T, 2k, Louis/Louis, fic post]

Five times alpha Louis talks to omega Lou and one time he admits he wants more from his omega clone

Crush [T, 1k, Louis/Niall, fic post]

When Niall stops smiling around the office, his co-worker Louis sets out to lift his mood with the help of their office mates.

The Tiniest Moves [T, 1k, Louis/Nick Grimshaw, fic post]

Coffee shop owner Nick Grimshaw may or may not have come to work on his day off in the hopes that fresh-off-his-world-tour Louis Tomlinson might stop by.

[Back to masterpost]

[bookwormscififan]

Toys Need Healing, Too

Buy me a coffee?

Read on AO3!

A/N: Based on this post thread that @tracobuttons and @flower-zombie-rob made like 2 years ago, I finally wrote the toy hospital AU they were talking about. I also added a little background into Shawn's being in the modern world.

Word count: 1482 words

 “Henrik, what is a toy hospital?” Shawn asked the doctor one day during a routine check-up. Henrik looked up from his results with a frown, tilting his head at the toymaker.

“Why do you ask?”

“Jameson mentioned a place to mend toys, and I was curious,” he replied, picking at some loose threads on his shirt. Henrik sat beside him; hands folded in his lap as he smiled.

“Well, a toy hospital is really a place where people can bring their damaged toys to be fixed. It helps to prolong the life of toys for their owners.” He turned back to his results, standing to log them in the computer.

“You can go now; the check-up is finished.”

“Henrik, can you help me set up a toy hospital?” The following day, Shawn ventured into Henrik’s clinic to ask his help. The doctor looked up from his work, brow raised.

“Why do you want me to help you? Couldn’t Jameson help?”

“You are a doctor.” Shawn’s response was matter of fact, and so genuine that Henrik couldn’t say no. He sighed, and with a smile, set aside his work.

“I can spare some time today to set one up with you. Would one of the spare rooms work?” Shawn’s beam in response was far too bright for the time of day. Henrik laughed at the enthusiastic nod that Shawn gave him, placing a hand on his shoulder and reaching for his lab coat. 

“Go choose a room, and I will come and join you when I have a break,” he stated, smiling as Shawn all but bounced out of the clinic.

After lunch, as Shawn was sweeping the floor of the spare room a few doors down from Henrik’s clinic, the good doctor stepped into the room with some cardboard boxes and folding screens.

“A toy hospital requires a surgery, no?” he asked in response to Shawn’s confused look. The toymaker smiled, putting the broom down.

“Of course, but where are you going to…?” his question trailed off as Henrik moved to a corner by the window and set up the folding screens to divide the room. Beside the screens and beneath the window he placed the boxes, setting surgical papers on top of them.

“A surgery and recovery room,” he explained as he straightened up, smoothing down his doctor’s coat and looking at the toymaker. Shawn’s eyes were soft and happy, grateful that Henrik was so on board with this seemingly nonsense idea that Jameson had put into his head.

“All we need now are some patients and a reception desk,” Henrik stated, smiling at Shawn as he left the room. The toymaker looked around at the empty room, then over at the ward and surgery. Walking over, he looked at the small table behind the folding screens, lined with the tools he used to make toys, realising he’d never actually offered to fix toys before. It was all new to him, much like this world he and Jameson now lived in.

Shawn looked out the window, seeing his best friend running around with Robbie the zombie, a smile on his face as he blew bubbles for the undead man to pop. Life is so different now, Jameson, he thought, turning back to the tools on the table as he lost himself in memory.

---

Shawn had been sitting in the breakroom of the studio, thinking about the crazed nature of his boss and the strange, smiling faces he’d had to paint onto eighty-seven dolls that morning. He was exhausted and his hands were stained with black paint, but still he had to make more toys after this break.

As he thought about heading back to his small office behind the toy shop, the world around him seemed to dim, walls splotching with black ink. Shawn blinked and rubbed his eyes, wondering if maybe the fumes from the paint had finally gotten to him, when suddenly his world went black.

When the lights returned, he found himself in a sort of tunnel, with a light at the end. Walking down it cautiously, Shawn stepped into a bright room. Where was he? He suddenly became aware of voices around him, and when his eyes adjusted to the light, he realised he wasn’t in a room, but out in a park. People were surrounding him, poking at his clothes and staring curiously.

“Step back, everybody!” A loud voice called from behind the crowd, who parted to allow a man in a red hoodie and blue mask to walk up to Shawn.

“What’s your name, friend?” he asked, and Shawn tilted his head at the Irish lilt in his voice. Clearing his throat, Shawn opened his mouth.

“Shawn. Shawn Flynn.” The masked man smiled, patting him on the back with unnatural strength.

“Nice to meet you, Shawn. My name’s Jackie. I think I know someone you may know.

---

The toy hospital had been running for a week now, with Shawn mostly repairing toys that the egos brought in for “surgery”. He happily stitched back eyes, sewed closed a tear, and replaced arms. Schneep had been very helpful in sticking plasters on the toys after Shawn had finished with them, and that made everyone happy.

Once Jackie started bringing over toys from the neighbourhood children, the other egos began to take part in the “recovery” process. Marvin would cast a little spell on Shawn’s thread or on the stuffing on the toy, making it almost indestructible so that the toy could be played with again and again, revelling in the stories Jackie would tell him of the children’s reactions to the repaired toys.

“And here we have Bobby Bobcat. He was brought in by Clara with a terrible injury: his ear had been chewed off by the family dog, and his eye was falling out! Gross stuff! But now, he’s in recovery with a new ear. Shawn even managed to fix his eye and he’s in a stable condition. Clara, it won’t be long before Bobby is back with you!” Chase turned off his recording, tapping on his phone to send the video to Clara’s parents. He glanced up at Shawn, elbow-deep in stuffing as he repaired a large stuffed giraffe plush toy.

“The kids love getting little videos about their toys,” he explained, grinning as Shawn smiled and rolled his eyes. Both men turned as the door opened. Jackie came in with a new toy, something black and ratty, with a white bowtie.

Shawn stopped what he was doing, straightening up with a light in his eyes.

“Is that a Bendy doll?” he asked, barely keeping the excitement out of his voice. Jackie placed the doll on the table near the giraffe, and Shawn immediately began to look it over, noting it was one of the dolls Joey had rejected from commercial sale due to the crooked smile on its face.

“It is! I made these all the time back in the day! Look, this is the one Joey rejected; I drew it with a crooked smile and he told me to incinerate it because it was wrong. I kept it and sent it overseas to be sold here,” Shawn said excitedly, looking across the room at JJ, who was sitting at a table writing a letter, a small penguin doll in front of him.

“Jameson, look! It’s an original Bendy doll!”

---

The toy hospital was a fantastic way for the egos to connect with the neighbourhood, eventually moving onward to the city, where children would send in their toys with a small note describing the problem as well as a small tip for Shawn’s tip jar.

Shawn loved repairing the toys, humming an off-key tune as he sewed or stuffed, and just walking around with a brighter smile than he’d had since he ended up in the present day. Even seeing Jameson again hadn’t made him this happy.

Jameson smiled, leaning against the doorframe as he watched Shawn work on the tiny embroidery of a toy’s jacket by the lamplight on his table. The toymaker was focused on his work, sewing with expert precision as he hummed to himself softly.

Jameson knocked gently on the doorframe, walking inside to sit beside Shawn.

You seem to be enjoying yourself, he signed, and Shawn nodded his head with a smile.

“I haven’t had this much fun in years, Jameson. It is so nice to be able to work on toys again,” he replied, eyes shining with more than lamplight reflection. Jameson returned the smile, reaching forward to put a hand on Shawn’s shoulder.

It took me some time to rediscover my purpose here, but it is amazing to feel that way again. I am happy for you, Shawn.

As the moon shone into the toy hospital, Shawn and Jameson shared a friendly embrace, holding each other close before Jameson left to go to bed.

[lonelyreputation]

C’est Toi (coffee shop au) • CHAPTER FOURTEEN, wc: 8.2k

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Wednesday  - February 20, 2019 - 21:18

Shawn’s here. Like he’s in my dorm which is something I honestly didn’t think would happen. Since the first time I ordered coffee, I just imagined myself fawning over him from afar and watching my back account dwindle with how much I was spending on coffee as an excuse to see him.

But now I’m saving money on coffee, he wants to see me just as much as I want to see him, and he’s in my room.

WARNING: ALLUSION TO SMUT.

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“I’m just saying––”

“I don’t think you should say anything.”

With open books and loose leaf paper scattered on top of the table, Ella and I were in a stare off. Her eyes were narrowed in on me and I gripped the pen between my fingers. For the last half hour, studying had been long forgotten on Ella’s end. She kept pestering me on what happened with Shawn and I after the soccer game on Sunday.

And I repeated the same sentence I told her not even five minutes ago.

“Nothing happened,” I dropped my pen and buried my face into my hands with a sigh, “We came here, helped Niall fix something with the espresso machine, and then just spent time together.”

With both palms flat on the table, Ella leaned forward and whispered, “Bullshit.” I leaned back on my chair, raising my eyebrows as I crossed my arms over my chest. She continued on, “He was literally about to leave without saying bye to you.”

Ella’s eyes softened as I broke eye contact with her and turned toward the door.

I slumped down in the chair, “He admitted he was jealous,” Ella’s eyes perked up at the information, “And he…I asked if we were okay and he said he didn’t know what––” I uncrossed my arms and lifted my fingers to put air quotes around the next word, “––‘we’ I was talking about.”

Ella’s eyes widened, “What?!”

I nodded my head slowly, “Yeah, it wasn’t––I tried to leave, he told me to stay, said he was jealous, admitted to liking me a lot, and then we ended up here; at Brightside…” My voice trailed off at the end.

Ella scrunched her eyebrows together, “That doesn’t make any sense––He says he doesn’t know about the ‘we’, but then says he ‘likes’ you?” Her eyes shifted from mine and glared over my shoulder, presumably at the person of topic, “He’s an idiot.”

I picked up my coffee to take a sip, but frowned when I was met with cool air instead of hot espresso. I set it down on the table and shrugged, “I don’t blame him.”

“Don’t you dare take the blame for him,” Ella shook her head, “He obviously knows there’s something between you two, so for him to say that––” Her glare at Shawn intensified for a second before looking sincerely into my eyes, “Want me to beat him up?”

I tipped my head back in laughter, “I don’t think that would work out in your favor.”

“Most likely not,” Ella shrugged nonchalantly, “But he’s dumb.”

I rolled my eyes and picked up my pen, hoping to get back to studying, but Ella closed her books and pushed them aside.

“You need to define your relationship with him.”

The pen I just picked up dropped and fell to the floor, “Define the––I don’t think I can be the one to bring that up––I still––Do you remember what happened when I asked for his name?”

Ella rolled her eyes, “But you know him now,” she exaggerated her next words, “it’s different.”

“I don’t think I could do it.”

Again, Ella leaned forward, “You have to––”

“What’re we gossiping about?”

Not expecting to hear Niall’s Irish accent, I jumped in my seat, with my elbow knocking into my empty coffee cup. It bounced a little as it fell to the ground, Niall bent down to pick it up, and then stole a chair from the empty table next to us, and then sat down next to me.

He rested his chin in the palm of his hands as he looked between Ella and I, “Hm?”

I shook my head and glared at Ella, “We were just getting back to studying––”

“I was saying how she needs to define her relationship with Shawn.”

“Ella!”

My mouth dropped as I whisper yelled at her. She just shrugged her shoulders and Niall held his stomach as he laughed. Once he calmed down and wiped a tear away from the corner of his eye, he scrunched his eyebrows together and looked at me.

“You’re basically his girlfriend.”

I shook my head and let out a sigh, “We haven’t talked––”

“That’s what I’m saying!” Ella cut me off once more with an eye roll.

I slumped further down in my chair, “But we’re not––”

“As he was leaving yesterday, I asked him where he was going, and he said––I quote,” He gave me a pointed stare with raised eyebrows, “Off to see my girlfriend.”

I blushed and looked down at my notes. I fiddled with my hands as Ella let out a loud ‘Ha’ as her way of saying I-Told-You-So.

Without acknowledging either of them, I went to flip a page in my textbook, “That doesn’t mean––”

Niall leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest, “Shawn calling you his girlfriend really pissed Lola off,” he smirked, Ella happily cackled, and my mouth dropped wide open, “She was in a mood for the rest of the shift.”

“We––”

“I’m telling you,” Ella reached across the table and closed my textbook, “You have nothing to worry about if you bring it up to him.”

I let out an annoyed breath and I ran a hand through my hair, “What is it with you two cutting me off today? You seem to be on the same wavelength.”

“Don’t change the subject,” Niall nudged my shoulder, “I know Shawn, and Ella knows you, so when you put us together…” he offered both Ella and I a blinding smile, “You get one wavelength about your relationship.”

I silently looked between them before letting out a dramatic sigh. With my eyes closed, I leaned my head back against the chair, “I wish it wasn’t this complicated.”

“It’s not.”

I peaked one eye open and glared at Niall for his response, “It’s not complicated to you,” I let out another sigh before running a hand through my hair, “But to me, it’s just…complicated.”

Ella took it as her turn to speak, “But why is it complicated?”

Yeah, I thought to myself, why is this complicated?

In theory, everything was fairly black and white; I liked Shawn and he liked me. We spent a considerable amount of time together, we both knew that the other wasn’t seeing anyone else, and I enjoy our silences just as much as the times he makes me laugh.

When he gently brushes the tips of his fingers against mine, before slowly slipping his hand into mine, it’s a feeling I never want to go away. The way he softly caresses my face, as he leans his forehead against mine, before he kisses me is another feeling I never want to go away. And the zip of electricity I feel down my spine when I hear him call out my name from behind the counter…His eyes soften, his shoulders relax, and he says my name with a little bit of relief.

It’s the same way I feel around him.

I never want that feeling to go away.

Nothing would make me happier than to call Shawn my boyfriend. But a real title meant a real relationship. And a real relationship came with commitment. And with commitment comes an extended amount of time you spend with a partner for the unforeseeable future.

Which is what made this whole situation so complicated in my eyes.

“My Visa,” I let my shoulders drop as I regretfully looked between the two people I’ve only known for about two months, but was already finding it difficult to picture my life without them, “I leave in June.”

The cheeky mood that hung around the air of discussing the possibility of a potential boyfriend quickly dissipated. It was as if they too also forgot I was only here for a few months, and not indefinitely.

Niall sucked in a harsh breath and Ella casted a look downard as she bit the inside of her cheek.

Niall drummed his fingers on the table, “He’s smitten,” Ella nodded her head in agreement, but knowing Shawn’s feelings toward me didn’t relieve the heaviness in the middle of my chest, “He…Just don’t think about that now.”

I whipped my head around to look at Niall with wide eyes, “Don’t think about it now?! How do I––That’s all I can think about.”

“Just be present in the moment,” Niall slowly nodded his head in reassurance that this was the best route to go, but his blue eyes were a bit more dull, as if he didn’t agree with his own advice, “Enjoy your time here.”

I shook my head, “I have a literal expiration date––”

“Maybe he’s right,” Ella’s voice was small, and I turned my head to look at her with the same wild look I had given Niall, “Just go for it. Don’t think.”

After a few beats of silence I let out a single laugh of disbelief, “You’re agreeing with him?” Ella’s only response was a small shrug of her shoulders. “Him––Niall? You’re agreeing that I pretend like I’m not setting myself up for failure?”

They both stayed silent. Because while they both wanted to see their respective friends happy…They couldn’t deny that this outcome would be earth shattering devastating for both Shawn and I if things were to progress further.

I shook my head, “I don’t think I can––”

“Don’t think you can what?”

Hearing another voice I wasn’t expecting––except this voice was Canadian––I felt myself jump more in my chair, a feeling of panic flooding every inch of my body.

How long had he been behind us?

But when I slowly turned around, the tension I felt in my joints melted away when I saw Shawn’s disheveled hair and a yellow cup with steam coming out from the top in his hands.

I offered him a lie that was as easy as the smile on my face, “Write this paper.”

Shawn rolled his eyes and, like Niall had done earlier, he stole a chair from the empty table and brought it around next to me. But unlike Niall, Shawn had set the chair down almost right up against my chair so we could sit as close as we could together.

“I saw your empty cup fall to the floor,” Shawn pushed the yellow cup of coffee in front of me, “So I brought you a new one.”

Even if I tried, I couldn’t hide the smile that overtook my face.

“Thanks,” I whispered as I wrapped my hands around the cup, and looked into it. I stifled out a laugh and looked up at Shawn, “That’s a nice flower.”

Shawn smiled triumphantly and nodded his head, “I’ve been practicing––”

Ella leaned over the table to look at the latte art herself. Her eyebrows were scrunched together as she picked her head up from the latte to look at Shawn, looked down into the cup again, and then back up at Shawn, “It looks like a cobweb.”

Niall barked out a loud laugh as Shawn’s cheeks turned red.

I glared at her, “Of course you wouldn’t know what a flower looks like––”

Ella’s eyebrows shot up as her soft accent rose in pitch, “I wouldn’t!” She pointed an accusatory finger at Shawn, “Because he only makes latte art for you.”

I was in the middle of taking a sip of the latte Shawn made for me when Ella hastily spoke. I set the yellow cup down on the table and shut my eyes as I coughed into my elbow. Once I felt like hot espresso wasn’t going to come up my throat, I wiped the wetness from the corner of my eyes and looked at Shawn.

He immediately looked away from me with cheeks even more red than before.

I glared at Ella. But she just raised her eyebrows in an I-Told-You-So manner as she leaned back in her chair. She was about to say something, but then the bell above the door rang, and all of our heads whipped around to see who had walked in.

It was a small group of university students with slightly hunched over backs from carrying their books and a look of strong desire for anything caffeine in their eyes. I didn’t miss the small sigh that passed through Shawn’s lips.

And it seemed as if Niall didn’t miss it either because he stood up and greeted the students with a––I’ll be with you guys in a sec––as he returned the chair to its rightful table. He clapped Shawn on his shoulder and said, “Take a little break.”

Shawn didn’t have to be told twice before he let his whole body slump forward on the table; head buried in his elbows. Instinctively, I brought my hand up and grazed the tips of my fingernails up and down his back. I felt him release a deep breath.

“Long day?”

Keeping his face hidden away, he nodded his head.

I looked down at him, and even though he couldn’t see me, I offered him a sympathetic smile. With his head tucked away, I didn’t know if he felt like talking, so I just kept lazily running my fingers up and down his back. I was about to pull a textbook toward me to read, but then I caught Ella’s stare.

She wasn’t either looking directly at me or at Shawn; she was more so looking at my hand comforting Shawn. The movement came naturally to me––I just wanted to make him feel better––it would make me feel better to see him at least a little bit relaxed. But the look in Ella’s eyes wasn’t her usual lovey-dovey know it all look she usually gave Shawn and I.

She looked somber.

Ella was the first person who I told every little detail about Shawn to. She was the first to know about my little crush on him, she was the first to know when I found out his name, the first person I told every little interaction––no matter how big or small––I had with Shawn, and she was the person I celebrated with when Shawn asked me out on our first date.

And there was no belittling Ella’s attempts at playing matchmaker either.

Ella had seen the very first encounter I had with Shawn, and she would most definitely be here to see my last encounter with him. I could see her brain churning out thoughts, debating with herself if she still thought it was a good idea to pretend like I didn’t have to legally leave the country in four months.

I continued to softly run my hand up and down Shawn’s back, but my movements had definitely slowed down a bit. I continued to look at Ella, who hadn’t caught onto my staring, as I saw her frown morph into a small bittersweet smile.

And for the first time since coming into Brightside today, Ella willingly opened up a textbook and started taking notes.

It was nearing closing time, the gray misty sky was now pitch black with street lights dotting the sidewalk, as Shawn and I were the only ones in Brightside.

Ella had silently left hours ago, claiming she had to practice a monologue in front of her mirror. And just like every time Niall’s shift was over, he clocked out right on the dot and ran out the door. Shawn ended up sitting at the table with Ella and I for close to forty minutes with his head tucked away. From the way his breathing evened out, I knew he had used the time to take a little nap.

It was only Wednesday, but I was sure Shawn had already worked a full work week already.

On Sunday, he worked the opening shift, came in to help Niall with the espresso machine after soccer, and worked up until an hour before close. Monday, he worked from opening to close. Tuesday––Yesterday––He worked the opening shift once again, and when we were at his flat watching a movie, he had to work until close because someone had called out sick.

And Wednesday––Today––Shawn had worked another opening to closing shift. And he was due to open the store again tomorrow.

Needless to say Shawn was exhausted and it was clearly catching up to him with the few times he messed up behind the counter.

Brightside hadn’t seen a customer in well over an hour, and Shawn did everything he could to complete his closing procedures early so he could leave right when the clock hit eight. I abandoned my school work a few hours ago in order to help Shawn with his closing procedures, in hopes it would help him clock out right when the store closed.

I climbed up and down the stairs multiple times to bring up stacks of cups wrapped in plastic, various sizes of black lids, napkins, and anything else Shawn rattled off to me. I helped with the easy tasks, but if there was something more specific, I would stand behind the counter for Shawn as he fetched whatever he needed.

There were only a few times when customers would waltz in, and were put off by my American accent, when I told them that the actual employee would help them shortly.

But that was nearly an hour ago, and now I was finishing off washing the last table on the main floor. There was only twenty minutes left until Brightside officially closed. And Shawn took it in his liberty to make it look like the store was already closed from an outsider's perspective.

“Is it really necessary to have all the lights off except the one above you?”

Shawn held a finger up to me, silently letting me know he’d answer my question the moment he was done counting out his drawer. I playfully rolled my eyes as I walked behind the counter to put the sanitation spray bottle in its spot under the sink. As Shawn was still busy double checking his count, I lifted myself up to sit on the counter.

And right as I fully sat down, with his back to me, Shawn said, “That’s unsanitary.”

I let out a soft laugh, “I’ll wash it again.”

The register made a noise as it printed out a slip of paper and Shawn ripped it off, scanning it over once, before turning his head around to face me with a soft smile, “You better.”

He collected the stack of money, deposited the coins in a yellow cup, and walked to where I was sitting on the counter. When he was right in front of me, he rested a hand on my knee and opened up my legs with enough room for him to stand between them.

“To answer your question,” his voice was mesmerizing, but I could only focus on his hand that was still on me, now tracing circles along my kneecap, “If the store looks empty and dark then people won’t bother coming in. And we,” he squeezed my knee which caused a smile to light up my face, “can leave early.”

I tilted my head, “Aren’t you afraid of getting in trouble?”

Shawn let out a tsk, “Not when I’m the manager.”

“Touché.”

He let out a small laugh and looked down at his hand on my knee. A soft closed lipped smile toyed at the corners of his mouth, but when he looked back up at me, I could see just how exhausted he really was. He kept having to repeatedly blink his eyes to keep them from drooping, his skin looked a little pale, the bags under his eyes were a tad more prominent, and his hair was falling a little flat.

I offered him a small smile in return and brought my hand up to run through his hair. His eyes closed and a content sigh softly passed through his lips.

“I just have to do my drop and then we can leave.”

With one last scratch to his scalp, I let my hand fall and his eyes opened, “Sounds good to me.”

He smiled again, “Be right back.”

In one swift motion, he kissed my cheek and retreated from my legs. I watched him as he took long strides toward the steps and walked down. With a smile still on my face, I hopped down from the counter, and kept to my promise of grabbing the sanitizing spray to wipe off where I had just sat.

Right when I threw the damp napkin into the empty trash bin, I heard Shawn’s footsteps, and soon I saw his mop of curls as he continued to climb the stairs. Once he was fully on the main floor, I could tell that he looked more relaxed bundled up in his soft pink hoodie and jacket, backpack over his shoulders.

“Ready?”

I nodded my head with a smile and went over to the table where I had set up shop since arriving a little before the lunch hour. Once my jacket was on and zipped up, I slung my tote bag over my shoulder and smiled at him, “Ready.”

At my response, Shawn took a few long strides over to me, grabbed my hand, and we left out the front door. We both shivered when a particularly cold gust of wind hit us, and I felt even colder when Shawn dropped my hand in order to lock the door.

Once he double checked the door was locked from the outside, he stuffed the key back in his backpack and picked up my hand, already leading us in the direction of the Temple Underground.

After a few steps of silence, Shawn spoke up, “You didn’t have to stay.”

“I wanted to,” I squeezed his hand, “I got to spend more time with you. That’s always a bonus.”

I could see Shawn’s breathy chuckle through the cold London night air. He turned his head to look down at me, “I really appreciate you.”

Breaking eye contact with him, I looked down at our feet that were in perfect sync with each other. I bit the inside of my cheek to suppress my smile, but I could feel my face redden with blush. Shawn bumped his shoulder against mine which caused me to look up at him.

“Aw c’mon, don’t hide your smile.”

And this time I didn’t.

I let the butterflies in my stomach consume me as I felt them travel everywhere from the tips of my toes to the ends of my hair. I let the smile overtake my face, showing all of my teeth, with my eyes crinkling at the corners. There was an overwhelming burst of zeal in the center of my chest that I felt course through my veins as I saw him smile down at me the same way I was smiling at him.

For once, my face hurt from my smile reaching its full potential, not from the cold London wind. And when I looked deeper into Shawn’s eyes––even though they were only lit by the dim street lamps––they shined with the same elation I knew was present in my eyes. The moment I knew Shawn felt the same burst of energy in his chest was when I screwed my eyes shut, to exaggerate my smile for him, and his laughter boomed through the empty streets of London.

The feeling was happiness.

I matched his laughter, albeit a little softer, and squeezed his hand, “You’re too nice to me.”

Again, Shawn bumped his shoulder against mine, “If it makes you smile it’s worth it.”

As much as I wanted to shield my smile away from him again, I didn’t.

The rest of our walk to the Underground station was spent in silence. The only noise on our walk came from me, when Shawn dropped my hand and threw his arm around my shoulder and pulled me close into his side. The sound was a content sigh escaping my lips when he pressed a kiss to the top of my head.

When the Underground station came into view, I momentarily shut my eyes and nuzzled my head further into his warm sweatshirt. I felt Shawn’s chest slightly rumble with a chuckle as he hugged me closer. And when we came up to the entrance, neither Shawn nor I pulled away from each other.

I shifted my body from being tucked away in his side to his front and circled my arms around his waist in a hug. Shawn let out a deep exhale as he hugged me back and traced small incoherent patterns across my back.

“I don’t wanna get up in the morning,” he groaned. I nodded against his chest and he continued grumbling, “I feel dead.”

“You look dead too.”

Shawn lifted his head up and poked my side, “Where’s the reciprocation for my niceness towards you?”

I let out a small laugh, “Just being honest.”

He pinched my waist and I wiggled out of his hold with a laugh. I opened my mouth to offer a rebuttal on how him pinching me wasn’t very nice, but then an idea struck my mind. While his flat was only about a twenty minute ride on the tube…I could get to my dormitory in fifteen minutes or less. It was only a five minute difference…The possibility of asking Shawn if he wanted to stay the night in my room made sense if it gave him some extra time to sleep in. But I didn’t know if it would make Shawn uncomfortable, or if it was too soon in whatever our relationship was.

“Are you planning on stopping by tomorrow––”

“I have a question.”

I felt my eyes double in size as the words slipped out of my mouth before my mind could comprehend what conversation I was initiating. Instead of being put off by my bluntness, Shawn’s eyes shined with curiosity as he nodded his head at me to continue.

I let out a deep breath as I felt a ball of tension form in the middle of my chest, “I know…Traveling back to your place takes a bit of time––And if you wanted––Not that you have to or anything––But I know my place is close, and you’ve had a long week,” Shawn’s eyes twinkled with amusement at my rambling and I took a deep breath, closing my eye for a second, before getting the question out, “You could stay the night at mine, if you want?”

My voice cracked with uncertainty at the end.

Silence.

With one eye squinted, I slightly leaned back from Shawn and inhaled a sharp breath. But before I could backtrack my offer in a ramble, Shawn eagerly nodded his head.

“Yeah, I could––That sounds––Yeah,” he easily smiled at me, “That sounds nice.”

“Great.”

We stood there for a moment in silence before Shawn tugged my hand, “Lead the way, I’m sleepy.”

I nodded with a bright smile and led the way into the Underground station and to my designated platform. We waited for the train in silence, and I could feel Shawn leaning more into my body as he tried to fight off his sleep. Luckily we didn’t have to wait too long until the train approached and we hastily stepped inside.

Much like our night before, the whole tube ride back to Waterloo was spent in silence, with only Shawn’s soft breathing reminding he was next to me as his head was tucked away on my shoulder.

When we got to our desired destination, Shawn was still a bit delusional from having fallen asleep for a little, but when he noticed we were almost at my place, he walked with a little more purpose. I tapped my Oyster card as Shawn tapped his phone to exit the Underground station at different turnstyles, but when we were both out, our hands reconnected like a magnet.

I scanned into the residence hall and led Shawn to the elevator. He seemed to be taking in his surroundings, but with how fast he was blinking, I was sure he was just trying to keep himself awake. Thankfully, the lift dinged right when I pressed the up button and we quickly stepped inside as I pressed my floor number.

The ride up seemed to take no time at all, and before I knew it, I was fumbling with my keys to unlock my door with Shawn standing close behind me. Once I heard the desired click and was able to push the handle down, I stepped inside and flicked the lights on.

Shawn followed my steps and he took his time examining my room more than he did with the lobby. With a small smile on his face, he slipped his hands into the front pockets of his sweatshirt, “So this is where you spend your time when you’re not at Brightside.”

I scoffed, “I don’t spend all of my time there.”

He raised his eyebrows and teased me even more, “Are you sure? You were there for most of the day today.”

I turned my back to him as I placed my bag down on the desk chair, “What were you saying about always wanting to be nice to me?”

Shawn let out a chuckle as he turned around to close the door and locked it. He shrugged his shoulders, “This is just teasing. I’m still being nice.”

“Mhm,” I hummed with a slow smile creeping up on my face as Shawn walked toward me and picked up my hands.

We were standing incredibly close, the tips of our shoes touching, as he played with my fingers and looked at a few scattered pictures along the wall next to my bed, “It’s a cute room.”

I rolled my eyes, “Thanks.” I tried to ignore the nervousness I felt in my stomach, “There’s uh, you can shower if you want.”

Shawn smiled in appreciation, “That sounds nice.”

I nodded my head and looked anywhere in the room that wasn’t his eyes. While his eyes were arguably my favorite thing about him, I felt incredibly apprehensive under his gaze now. While we’ve been alone together at his place, something about Shawn being in my room and staying the night seemed a bit more intimate.

I cleared my throat, “I think I have clothes that’ll fit you? I can check––”

His hands squeezed around mine for a second, which caused me to look up at him. His eyebrows were pulled together and I noticed his jaw was more tense than before, “You have boy's clothes in your drawers?”

I nonchalantly shrugged my shoulders, “Yeah, I stole some from my brother before I left. Figured it would help with homesickness,” I tilted my head as I looked up at him, “You guys look to be the same size.”

Something in Shawn’s eyes visibly relaxed as he let out a deep breath, “Oh that’s––I forgot you had a brother. That makes sense.”

Thoughts of Shawn’s lingering jealousy over Jack swirled around my mind at how tense he was acting. So like he did with mine moments ago, I squeezed his hands in reassurance, “You have nothing to worry about.”

I leaned up on my tip toes and kissed his cheek.

A faint tinge of red spread across his cheeks and I smiled at his bashful reaction.

“There are towels in the bathroom you can use,” I dropped his hands and pushed him toward the small bathroom that was luckily inside my single room, “The sooner you shower, the sooner we can sleep. You also smell.”

Shawn stumbled backwards, “Hey!” As he turned his head around his shoulder to playfully glare at me, “That’s not very nice.”

I rolled my eyes, “Shower.”

He was still somewhat laughing as he retreated into the bathroom. And soon enough, the door was shut and I heard the water running. With a sigh I walked to sit on my bed and pulled out my journal from the drawer in my nightstand. I tried my best to write in it daily, and right now was the only free time I had between classes and spending all day at Brightside with Shawn.

So before I would be interrupted by Shawn finishing his shower, I picked up a black pen and flipped to a fresh page. Like always, I checked the date on my phone and wrote it on the line––Wednesday, February 20, 2019––and checked the time to write that too; 21:18.

When I had all the details I needed, I started to hastily write in cursive so I could get a quick entry in.

Shawn’s here. Like he’s in my dorm which is something I honestly didn’t think would happen. Since the first time I ordered coffee, I just imagined myself fawning over him from afar and watching my back account dwindle with how much I was spending on coffee as an excuse to see him.

But now I’m saving money on coffee, he wants to see me just as much as I want to see him, and he’s in my room.

I still can’t believe he’s here. I still can’t believe I asked him to come over. Still patting myself on the back for that…Even if I did ramble on like a little bit of a mad person. But thankfully Shawn seemed to be more enamored by it than put off.

There’s just something about his presence that makes me feel calm. Something I haven’t felt with any past boyfriends––Or really anyone in general. I could be having the most stressful day, but if I were to see him, I could think about how in that moment my life felt just a little better. I didn’t have to be with him at all times during the day either to feel like that. I could see his smile flash through my mind if I was having a particularly hard day and feel content.

But all of these feelings make me more nervous about when I have to leave––

“McLane?”

I slammed my journal shut and threw it aside as I heard Shawn’s voice bring me out of my own head. I quickly lifted my head to see what he needed, but when I was met with a dripping wet Shawn in a towel, absolutely everything in my mind disappeared.

He had the towel wrapped around his hips, and I tried not to make it obvious that I was staring at him, but from the way I felt my voice get caught in my throat, I knew I failed. Just standing in a towel, I could see his slightly defined muscles and tattoos that had been partially covered by his shirt. His chest still had some water droplets that the lights were reflecting off of, and his curls were matted down on his forehead.

I gulped.

“I––Um––Yeah?”

Shawn smirked at the crack in my voice.

“Do you have your brother’s clothes by chance?”

My eyes widened in realization that I never handed them over to him and I scurried off my bed. I knew my whole face was flaming red, especially when one of my legs got caught up in a bed sheet and I almost face planted on the ground. But I quickly recovered and avoided all eye contact with Shawn.

I opened and rummaged through three drawers before I found where I had my brother’s sweatpants and sweatshirt. Pulling them out, I walked over to Shawn with my head down and held them out for him to take.

When I felt him brush his hands against mine as he took the clothes, I looked up at him to see that he still had the same prideful smirk on his face.

Taking advantage that I was actually looking at him, Shawn dipped his head down and pressed a quick kiss to my lips that left my forehead wet from his curls.

He pulled away slightly and whispered, “Be right back,” against my lips. And just as fast as the kiss was, Shawn spun around and went to change in the bathroom.

I took a deep breath before going back over to my drawers and picking out a pair of shorts and an old t-shirt to sleep in. Soon enough Shawn was out of the bathroom, wearing my brother’s clothes, and before he could get a quip out, I scooted past him and made my way into the bathroom to get ready for bed.

And to get my flustered thoughts together.

While I changed and brushed my teeth, I tried to calm myself down. There was no reason why I should be this nervous about sleeping in the same bed as Shawn. We’d spent enough time alone together that I was comfortable with him. And it wasn’t like this was my first time sleeping in a bed with someone I had feelings for.

But the nagging voice in the back of my head told me this was different.

My feelings for Shawn were different.

With a deep breath and a semi-clear head, I twisted the bathroom door knob and stepped into my room. I saw Shawn sitting on my bed, back pressed against the wall my bed was up against as he looked intently at the pictures tacked up.

When he heard me walk over, he turned his head with a smile, “You look nothing like your brother.”

I let out a quiet laugh and sat next to him on the bed. He was looking at a picture of William and I sitting on a boat that was taken last summer. William had an arm thrown around me while my head was leaning on his shoulder, as the wind blew my brunette hair in front of my face, and William had a hand on top of his blonde hair to keep it from blowing around.  

“Throws everyone off when they find out we’re twins.”

Shawn let out a small laugh as his fingers traced over a different picture, “Who’re they?”

I smiled at the memory as I leaned my head on Shawn’s shoulder, “My highschool friends. That was our prom.”

Shawn hummed in acknowledgement and rested a hand on my thigh, “You look pretty in your dress.”

“Thanks,” I whispered.

His fingers started to lazily trace circles on my thigh, “Do you still talk to them?”

I nodded against his shoulder with a faint smile, “We FaceTimed last week. It gets a bit hard with the time difference, but they’ve been my friends for like…ever,” I looked up at him through my lashes to see a slight frown on his face, “So it’s worth it.”

“Do you miss them?”

“Yeah,” his fingers stopped their movements on my skin, “But we all go to different universities, so being away from them is nothing new.”

Shawn nodded his head slowly, a slight frown still present on his face. His fingers slowly went back to tracing shapes on my leg, but I could sense that his mind was somewhere else. He kept a low-spirited gaze trained on my senior year prom picture, as we sat in silence and I wondered about what was troubling his mind.

My wall was only of pictures from home, only happy memories that I knew would keep me company abroad. So while I stared at them with a fond smile, Shawn stared at them with the opposite facial expression, and then something in my head clicked as to why he seemed upset.

It was my life before him.

And it would be the life I returned to after I leave London; after I leave him.

I soon felt my smile tugging down into a small frown that matched Shawn’s.

Ella and Niall’s words of ill fate wisdom popped up in my head––Just go for it…Don’t think about it…Be present in the moment––And I half-listened to them. Be present in the moment. That’s all Shawn and I could do.

“We’ll take lots of pictures and I’ll hang them up here,” I whispered into the crook of his neck, hoping he would take it as a promise that I wasn’t planning on leaving him any time soon.

I felt his hand inch ever so slightly up my thigh, as he tore his solemn gaze away from the pictures and looked down at me in an adoring way, “I like the sound of that.”

His eyes flickered down to my lips, as if he could also feel the strong pull between us. He darted his tongue out to wet his lips as I picked my head up from his shoulder. He took his hand that wasn’t on my thigh, and slowly lifted it up to reach under my hair and cup the back of my neck. With his forehead resting against mine, we stared at each other for a few seconds before I couldn’t wait any longer.

I leaned forward and caught his lips in a kiss.

Without hesitation, Shawn kissed me back slowly. The kisses were innocent as I let my hands wander to his chest and clutch the fabric of the sweatshirt he was wearing between my fists. With my hands pulling him closer, Shawn’s hand that was on my thigh continued to creep up until he slid it under my t-shirt, and ran his hand down my bare back.

He glided his palm and tips of his fingers down the expanse of my back. I shivered as he delicately touched every ridge of my spine, every bone, and every curve. He pressed his palm flat on my back, pushing me toward him as the tip of his tongue peeked out in a quick stripe across my lower lip.

An involuntary whimper left my lips as Shawn continued to press his lips against mine.

“Lay down,” he managed to rush out in between his kisses.

I was barely able to nod my head in agreement before Shawn pressed his lips back against mine and started to slowly lower me down. When the back of my head landed on the pillows, Shawn slid his hand from my back to rest on my hip. As he laid me down, he didn’t once break the kiss, and I craned my neck up to meet his lips that were hot with anticipation and need.

There was a brief moment of hesitation where we shifted our legs to intertwine and he slid his knee between my legs.

I unclenched my hands from the sweatshirt and slowly ran them up his chest, over his neck, and tangled my fingers in his hair.

While just moments ago Shawn dismally looked at my past through photographs, he touched me as if he didn’t give a damn about anything except a future together. It terrified me a bit how strong my feelings were for Shawn; I didn’t even know he existed at the beginning of the year, but now, I didn’t want to go any longer without his presence in my life.

Just be present in the moment.

It was a piece of advice that was easier said than done. Easy for two people looking in on their friends and wanting them to achieve happiness. Easy when a person wanted to forget about reality and fall into the fantasy of having their ideal life. Easy for people who lived in the same country.

And I knew Shawn was having these exact thoughts; every kiss was deepened with a fiery passion and the trail of his fingertips on my body would leave a lasting burn.

It was a silent agreement that we both wanted nothing more than to be present in our moments together.

Overcome with emotion, I had to break away.

As I tilted my head out of the kiss, Shawn didn’t lift his head up as he nuzzled his head into my neck and deposited a few kisses. He nipped at the skin as I sucked in a deep breath when he hit a particularly sweet spot right above my collarbone.

Slowly, he kissed his way up my throat until he got to the corner of my mouth, and placed another sweet kiss. He gasped for air as he leaned his forehead against mine, with his eyes still closed. I still had one hand in his hair and my other hand cupped his jaw as my thumb moved in soft circles on his cheek.

Eyes still shut tight, he gulped as if he was revealing his biggest fear.

“I really like you, McLane.”

His voice was convincing, but the smallest waver behind his tone wasn’t lost on me.

I ran a hand through the front of his damp curls, and when he finally met my stare, I offered him the softest of smiles. I leaned up to press a quick kiss to his lips,  “I really like you too.”

Shawn let out the faintest of laughs, returning my smile, as he brushed a piece of hair out of my face and tucked it behind ear. He leaned down and mumbled, “Good,” against my lips as we both smiled into our next kiss.

Both of our hands wandered a bit more freely and with a bit more certainty. Like how my hands were first clutched around the sweatshirt Shawn was wearing, they found their place there again, except this time they were clutching at the hem of the material. I wasn’t sure what Shawn was thinking, and my hands were definitely more timid than they were before, but after a few moments of indecisiveness, Shawn broke our kiss and reached behind him to pull the sweatshirt off over his head.

Unlike when I saw him shirtless in a towel, I didn’t have much time to stare at Shawn’s chest above mine before he dipped his head back to reattach his lips to mine. Carefully, I let one of my hands trail down his chest. My fingertips ghosted over his skin when I felt his stomach muscles contract. I went to remove my hand, but Shawn shook his head against mine.

“Hands are cold,” he murmured between kisses, one of his hands fiddling with the hem of my shirt, gradually pushing it up against my stomach, as his warm hand laid flat on my stomach, “‘S fine.”

I let out a giggle and nodded my head against his.

“Are you okay with this?” He momentarily broke our kiss to lean his forehead against mine, eyes fully opened and staring deep into mine.

With a hand gripping onto his shoulder, I caught my breath before answering with a swift, “Yeah.”

The corners of Shawn’s eyes crinkled with a smile as we were both on the same page with each other. We moved in sync as I slightly leaned up with Shawn so he could remove my shirt, leaving my upper half bare.

We fell back onto the mattress togher, chests pressed flat, latched in an openmouthed kiss. Before coming over to my dorm, Shawn was half asleep on the tube, but now it seemed as if he was wide awake and didn’t have to be back at work in less than ten hours. I felt jitters in my nerves and blood running hot through my veins.

Shawn gently ran his hands over every bit of my skin he could reach; his fingers skimmed my neck, over my collarbone, caressed down my sides, until his hand rested on the waistband of my shorts. His fingers stayed immobile for a few moments before he shallowly dipped his thumb just under the elastic.

He slowed down the pace of our kiss until they were just pecks as I held my breath.

“Are you still okay with this?”

When I opened my eyes, he was already intently staring down at me with attentive eyes silently saying he would stop if I wanted. But I didn’t want him to stop. I wanted to live in our moment.

I swallowed, “Yeah––I––Still good. Really good.”

Shawn chuckled at my short phrases and pressed a searing kiss to my lips, the same time his hand dipped into my shorts. I thought I knew what it was like to have my breath stolen away from me, but the moment Shawn’s fingers slipped past my underwear, I felt a sudden shiver of euphoria as my eyes closed in bliss.

After we reached a new threshold in our relationship dynamic, I was curled up into Shawn’s side in a half-awake stage as his even breathing indicated he was asleep. As I laid my head on his chest. with his arm curled around me, I could finally pinpoint why I felt apprehensive the whole night from when I asked him to stay over up until now. Because even though I’d only spent a mere two months in London, a majority of that time with Shawn, I finally felt like I truly belonged somewhere.

And I didn’t want to mess it up.

A/N: Hiiii!! It’s been a bit longer than expected…But here’s the chapter! Whoop!! Getting some progress between the two! They had their first sleepover 😌 And she stayed to help him close!! How cute 🥺

I’d love to know your every single one of your thoughts!! They make me happy happy and give me lots of motivation!! I already have the ~next chapter done and let’s just say…There’s some jealousy on both sides 

Thank you so so much for reading & staying with C’est Toi!! I am forever in debt to every single one of you who has let me share this story with you!! Love you all lots!!! 

taglist (add / remove yourself): @mendesficsxbombay, @5-seconds-of-mendes, @pupsandpucks, @musicalkeys, @madatmendes, @im-salt-but-not-salty, @shawnmendez, @determined-overthinker @lenamds, @samaratheweirdo @shawnsreputation, @ineedmorestyles, @kerwritesthings

[greekmythologyslut]

The Coffee Shop

Part 2

“We should go back to that shop. The uh, the coffee place on the corner.” Shawn mentioned as he gazed out the window, palm resting against the frame. Brian looked up, confused at his friends sudden outburst. It only took a moment for him to understand, and immediately roll his eyes.

“Are you still hung up on that cheesy one-liner? Get a grip.” The light annoyance on his face couldn't hide the amusement in the man’s voice. Shawn ducked his head at Brian’s comment, cheeks flushing a rosy red as he began to deny his friends accusations.

“What? No, no way. It’s...they had really good coffee.” Shawn’s words didn’t sound convincing even to him, and Brian only laughed harder.

“Admit that you want to go back for the, 'funny, brave, amazing,' etc etc girl and we can head over there right now.” Brian's fingers flexed as he imitated quotation marks. A sheepish smile crawled onto Shawn’s face as he turned away from the window. His hand rubbed the back of his neck in an embarrassed fashion as he chose his next words.

“Well, that’s the thing. I don’t exactly know. Who wrote the line, that is.” Brian couldn’t help but let his jaw hang open at his friends sheer stupidity. The ginger rubbed his hand over his face in an attempt to keep his laughter at bay.

“Are you kidding? You’ve been obsessing over this girl ever since we stepped foot out of that shop, and you don’t even know what she looks like? I cannot believe you - you’re about to star in your own Cinderella movie.” At this point, he didn’t even bother holding in his laughter at the hilarity of the situation. Shawn slumped in the nearby chair, pinching the bridge of his nose as Brian laughed at him.

“Yes, I am an idiot. You’ve told me many times before. But you were rushing me out the door as soon as they handed us our coffee.” At this, Brian sat up from his sprawled position on the bed, little giggles escaping his lips.

“What if it was the old woman? The one who gave us the drinks.” As Shawn’s eyes widened in slight panic, Brian collapsed onto the bed in a fit of laughter once again.

“You know what, never mind, let's just stay here. I’m sure there’s another coffee shop nearby the studio.” Brian shot up from the bed at Shawn's words.

“Oh no. Now, we absolutely have to go.” Throwing Shawn his jacket, the red-head pranced out the door, Shawn having no choice but to follow his giddy friend.

____________________________________

It was rush hour - every workers least favorite part of the day. Buyers filed in through the doorway, while workers glide from table to table in an animated flow.

Orders filtered onto the small screen, and even with the help of her colleagues, (Y/N) struggled to keep up. Each latte was filled by her hands, and delivered by another’s. As she worked, (Y/N) took short glances around the store. Worn out students and parents alike came in, searching desperately for something to keep them running for another few hours. Shop workers settled into booths for their needed breaks, and (Y/N) yearned to join them. The old couple was there again, nestled into their corner booth, oblivious to the rest of the world.

But despite all the customers leaving and entering the store, he wasn’t there. She had watched subtlety, albeit a little creepily for Shawn since her shift had started, but he hadn’t shown up. What were you expecting? She couldn’t even answer her own question.

(Y/N) let her gaze drift over the clock on the wall, and breathed a deep sigh of relief as the red numbers glared back at her. Searching around the room, her eyes landed on Natalie, and (Y/N) carefully skirted around the workers as she made her way over to her friend.

“Hey, Natalie. I’m heading to the back for my break.” (Y/N) informed, the blonde nodding and waving her off with a smile.

"You're the best!" (Y/N) grinned as her friend passed by her, heading to her new station. The blonde looked back, throwing a smile over her shoulder.

"Trust me, I know." A chuckle escaped both of their lips at Natalie's words. (Y/N) walked to the front of the shop, her gaze set on a sandwich and giant cookie that she had been eyeing all day. When she had both in hand, she made her way over to an empty booth.

Her thoughts wandered from one stupid thing to another as she ate, the minutes of her break flying by. For a minute, she watched the couple in the corner as they conversed with each other, before her gaze hooked on another familiar figure. The recognizable features had her choking on her food, drawing the unwanted attention of more than a few tables. (Y/N) quickly slid to the window, pushing until her back pressed tightly against it and she could no longer see Shawn.

Desperately needing an excuse to get up and go, (Y/N) checked her watch. A sigh of relief passed her lips as the time switched and her break finished. With hands that shook slightly, she gathered her trash, downing the rest of her water before standing. But at the sight that greeted her, any comfort that she previously had had dissipated. Shawn was, in an intimidating stance, standing next to the trashcan while he waited in the line.

It's too late to back out now, She thought, You're already standing, people are looking, if you sit down it will be weird and obvious. The conversation with herself continued in her head as she began walking towards him, head tilted down so the hat covered most of her face. Luckily for her, the man's attention was focused entirely on the menu.

"Probably just the same thing as last time." (Y/N) caught the end of his sentence, and her heart skipped a beat at the silvery voice. Quickly, she passed by him, circling around to head back to her station.

Last time. What did he get last time? Am I doing this again? She pondered the idea for about 2 seconds before deciding that yes, yes she would.

Reaching the large machine, (Y/N) stared at the screen hanging above her head, waiting for Shawn’s name to pop up. She was sure she looked pretty odd after a few moments of nothing showing, and glanced at the front of the store. The two men had hardly moved from their position against the wall. Eyes shifting to the cashier, she could see the long order of the customer in the front. It took some effort, but she contained the groan threatening to spill out. The annoyed look on her face, however, she couldn’t do anything about.

“(Y/N), go join Amy at the register, get the line down.” Leia swept past her, hardly pausing to say those words to (Y/N) before continuing on her way.

“Oh, no that's ok, actually. I can get a few more customers in.” (Y/N) silently wished for her boss to humor her just this once, and for the man in the front to finish his order quickly, and leave. Leia caught her with a non blinking stare, and pointed to the front.

“Cash register, now.” With that, she turned and walked away, leaving no room for any argument. (Y/N) spun around slowly, and reluctantly made her way to the front. She stared at the line, taking into account the people nearest her. With steady steps, she reached the counter and called out to the line.

“I can help who's next.” Customers came and went, and to both her relief and disappointment, Shawn ordered at the register next to her.

As the customers dissipated, (Y/N) turned just in time to see Shawn's order disappear off the screen. She looked around at her coworkers, attempting to determine which one had the tall man's drink.

“Natalie!” Her managers voice caught (Y/N)’s attention as she began making her way to the back of the shop. Leia waved to Natalie, in a gesture that obviously showed that she was needed. Noticing her friend pointing out the cup in her hand to their manager, (Y/N) swept in.

“Hey, I'll take this. Go ahead and see what she needs.” (Y/N) gently pulled the cup from Natalie and nodded her head in their managers direction. The girl shot a grateful smile, and a quick thanks at (Y/N), before heading over towards Leia. She couldn't help but laugh at the slightly crazed look on her boss’s face. Turning toward the pickup station, (Y/N) spun the cup around.

She blinked at the sight of Shawn's name staring back at her, Natalie's fancy font making the name stick out. The amount of luck she had today was suspicious, if she was being honest. Even so, a small delighted grin slipped onto her face, and she pulled a marker from her jeans pocket. It only took a moment for the words to pop into her head.

(Y/N) set the cup onto the counter, called out Shawn's name, and disappeared before the man could show up.

-------------------------------------

Brian leaned against a bench, waiting patiently for his friend to exit the coffee shop. However, when said friend appeared, he had the stupidest grin on his face.

Brian's eyes shone with confusion, and his eyebrows furled as he questioned Shawn. The man did nothing but hand his drink over, and begin walking merrily along the sidewalk. Brian was right on his heels, reading the sentence before rolling his eyes.

“Now she's done it.” Brian muttered as he caught up with his giddy friend. Shawn's eyes drifted down to the writing once more, and the smile that hadn't left his face grew wider.

Do you like Harry Potter? ‘Cause I a-Dumbledore you.

[devillzchild]

Rose Madder

shawn mendes x reader

first blurby dont judge!

coffee shop shawn is too cute so this is what i did 🥺

“Finally.”

I sigh in contentment as my feet step into the vintage based coffee shops’ tile floor. The smell of cinnamon and sugar immediately kisses me in the face as I venture further in.

Now, this is exactly what I needed to end the day.

It’s 10:23pm and the line appears to be nonexistent as I lean towards the counter, waiting to enlighten a worker on what drink I will be having. The only sounds that seem to be heard is the coffee machine filling another cup for an elderly man, and a cat meowing just outside the small place.

I appreciated having time to myself after my late night college classes. College can be overwhelming, and to make sure i can cope with it, I like to read so my mind could run free without school in the back of my mind- especially in a cozy environment.

The coffee shop around the corner from my apartment did just the trick. So naturally, right when i got home from class, my body changed into cozy leggings paired with a vintage band t-shirt, cozy uggs warm on my feet, getting ready to fill my insides with words and mocha.

Suddenly, a gorgeous man pops up from the backroom with a wide, toothy grin.

He must be new. I’ve recognized all the soft faces that come and go here, no way i could forget his.

He appeared to be the same age as me as his pale face did not have a single wrinkle. Just a cute scar on his cheek. I wonder what the story is behind that. His tall frame is wearing a plain black crew neck shirt, black skinny jeans, and-of course-a red apron signaturing the place’s logo.

The closer I stare at it, the more I notice crumbs surrounding the bright red cloth from the various types of scones he must’ve wrapped up for other hungry customers. His chunky chocolate curls are all messy, but not the type of messy where you think he doesn’t tidy himself up. The perfect type of messy. His dimple is prominent with the toothy grin he’s offering me.

“Hey, are you ready for me to take your order?” Is what snaps me out of my teenage love gaze. The mans friendly voice matches his soft, hazel eyes staring back at me patiently. Since when did the coffee shop hire these type of people?

Suddenly, my mouth runs on its own. “Are you new here?” Word vomit. As soon as those words come out, I scrunch my face up in embarrassment and look down at the granite countertop like it was way more interesting than the greek godess in front of me.

Who asks a person if they’re new here? Why do people even care if they’re new? Just get your drink and go. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. That was certainly a great first impression.

I hear him breathily chuckle which makes me want to run out of the shop even more. God, why must I always embarrass myself in front of the cutest of guys.

“Yeah, I actually am new here. Is it that obvious?” I notice the playful tone in his fruity noice. My head snaps up immediately, relief flooding through me knowing he’s not bothered by my unexpected question.

“I’m sorry, I just come here a lot and I wasn’t expecting to see a new face. That was kinda embarrassing of me to do.” I admit hastily, his bright smile falters a bit, noticing my fragileness at the moment.

“It’s totally fine. No worries. My mom runs this shop and I really needed a job before summer starts to start saving up for a car. She offered me a job and-bam-now im here.” He shortly explains the story of how he ended up behind the golden counter. I notice his cheeks got rosier like a strawberry while explaining the story, probably embarrassed at his reasoning.

I giggle, regaining confidence, “You didn’t need to explain, but I hope to see you around more...” I extend the last word, expecting the tall worker to gift me his name.

“Shawn. You come here often?” He smirks. I hear the door shut right after, announcing the elderly mans’ leaving.

And then there were two-plus the cat outside.

“Well, Shawn, this is my favorite place to read from, so i try to come every other day.” I hold up the dry aged book i bought from my dorm to emphasize: Rose Madder.

“Rose madder? I remember reading it in high school for my english class. Sorry to say, but i think that was one of the worst books i’ve ever read.” His nose wrinkles in distaste as he reads out the title, like he just smelled a baby’s diaper after it had its dinner. I would love to have babies with him... I snap back and realize his sour words.

“There’s no way! I read this book a billion times and i’m completely in love with it, starting to think this book is my soulmate that god sent to me from heaven.” Hair strands release from my yellow corduroy scrunchie as I playfully scowl. Shawn whips his face towards the popcorn ceiling, letting out a beautiful genuine laugh. I laugh along with him and the cat must think we’re insane.

He settles down from his laughing fit when he replies, “Okay, okay. How ‘bout after I give you your coffee of choice, I sit down with you and you can explain to me why the book is just so good and maybe-just maybe-i will reconsider my thoughts on it.” His honey eyes fall into my gleaming ones, i can practically read the word please coming from them. His golden irises make it really hard for me to say no.

“I guess I could take you up in that offer.” I roll my eyes playfully when starting the sentence. My smile grows 3 times larger to match his after he comprehends my answer; exactly how the grinch’s heart grew 3 sizes at the end of the iconic christmas movie.

“Lets speed this up then, what would you like?”

“White chocolate mocha-extra mocha, please.”

“Anything for you.”

My cheeks are now the ones to match a strawberry.

“Name to match the extra mocha lady?” How could i not have mentioned my name to this gorgeous man yet?

“Y/n.”

“Y/n.” The vibrant smile that extends to his gentle eyes will have to be the prettiest smile i’ve ever come across in the entirety of my 21 years of life. This smile was one of happiness growing, much as a spring flower opens. It was pure. It was beautiful.

I knew then: this was just the beginning.

•

I am not proud of that but it will do.

[randxmthxughts]

First Masterlist

Long story short: 

Three part series of Y/N meeting, getting to know and going on a date with Shawn.

part 1

part 2

part 3

The fic is finished :)

Masterlist

[shawning-tomblr]

lip rings got me, I swear

Sugar and Spice | Shawn Mendes AU

Summary:..and everything nice. Shawn is a barista and you’re trying out new coffee shops trying to find a new favorite. Will you pick this one for him or the coffee?

Word Count: 2.1k

Masterlist

When your favorite coffee place shut down you had to find a new one. You don’t particularly care for change because you had particular taste for how your coffee was made. The owners of the Beans and Beats that shut down knew just how you liked it.

As you step into the doors of a place across the street from work you glance at the name on the window. SM and Co. Alright, not a tacky name but still not very catchy for a coffee place.

You sigh, expecting this place to disappoint like the last two you tried nearby. Each shop got three days. Three days of your usual order before you decided you like it or not.

The line is fairly short, only three people ahead of you. Soft music plays over the speakers and you are surprised to hear it’s a fairly new song, sort of a pop rock vibe. It’s a change from the usual smooth jazz or classical music other places played.

You catch sight of the barista taking the order of the person at the counter next. You raise your eyebrows, doing a double take because he had to be the hottest guy you’d ever seen behind a coffee counter. Your eyes flick down to his name tag and you can make out Shawn in slanted handwriting.

Seguir leyendo

[ao3feed-larry]

Not a Temporary Fix

by KatrinaWritesLove

the one where Harry is a barista/baker/bookstore employee and has a huge crush on his customer, or the one where Harry seduces said customer into a one night stand and wants more, the one where Louis has also been crushing and also wants so much more, or the one where Harry thinks he’s too much and Louis is afraid he’s not enough Adorable butterflies, first rush of new love, all the insecurities that come with and a good group of gay friends always ready to support plus one crazy karoke moment that gave me goosebumps

Words: 14089, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: One Direction (Band)

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: M/M

Characters: Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, Shawn Mendes, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne

Relationships: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan/Shawn Mendes, Zayn Malik/Liam Payne

Additional Tags: Fluff, Smut, Gay Sex, Anal Sex, Oral Sex, Everyone Is Gay, Adorable, AU, Harry is a flirt, Harry is a hoe, but damn cute, past mention of SA, past Narry hookup, past lilo hookup, No Cheating Though, please don’t mind, southern US setting, coffee shop/bookshop, mention of a gun

via AO3 works tagged 'Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson' https://ift.tt/Uf5pJeb

[5-seconds-of-bucky]

Glad It’s You (Shawn Mendes Soulmate!au)

A/N: We got all kinds of classic tropes and au’s in here. Coffee shop, friends to lovers, soulmate. Also, let’s appreciate the fact that it’s actually of decent length this time :) My longest fic yet! 

Also, I’m aware that the timeline of some events that correspond to real life aren’t perfect but for the sake of my sanity please go with it 

Summary: Shawn lives in a world in which he believes he doesn’t have a soulmate until he starts feeling the emotions of someone else. You live in a world where undiagnosed social anxiety prevents you from finding yours. After not seeing each other for three years, the bond you once had is no longer as strong. How does Shawn tell you that he thinks you’re his soulmate when you’re still scared to talk to him like you once did? 

Word count: 8.9k+

Warnings: Reader is heavily implied to have social anxiety, swearing, descriptions of an anxiety attack  

*Disclaimer: The depiction of social anxiety is based off of my own experience and research and may or may not accurately reflect the experience of other people with SAD* 

It was hard to tell if soulmates made life infinitely better or perpetually more difficult.

The discrepancy probably stemmed from the fact that not everyone had the same soulmate indicator. Some had the tattoos of the occupation of their soulmate. Some couldn’t see color until they met theirs. Others could feel the emotions of the other person. There was an endless array of indications. Oftentimes, soulmates had different indicators. It wasn’t rare for someone to have a tattooed name while their soulmate could feel the other’s emotions. 

Since the day you were born, the initials S.M. were tattooed on the inside of your wrist. As a child it was a game. You asked every person you met what their name was, your mind consumed with the idea of eternal love that had been ingrained from a young age. There was always a moment of disappointment when they would tell you “Sammy Jones” or “Eric Miller”. With all the adults romanticizing the idea of soulmates, it was hard not to look for yours in every place you could. 

For a long time, Shawn thought he didn’t have a soulmate. There were no indicators while he was growing up to show that he could have one. He could see color and there were no special tattoos marking his body. It was a source of shame when his friends would ask, “What about you?” after telling him about theirs. Watching his friends talking about their indicators and finding their soulmates was frustrating. He was a normal kid. What did he do to deserve a life of loneliness that only a soulmate could fill? 

Even when his career as a singer launched and he started to understand why it was possible that he might never find love, it was hard to comprehend that he was destined for no one. Was he really that undeserving of love?

He was twenty when he started feeling someone else’s emotions. 

It came out of nowhere. He was celebrating the release of his third album and he couldn’t have been happier. He was on cloud nine, meeting everyone at the party with an enthusiastic smile and hug. He felt complete, even. He had stopped dwelling on his lack of soulmate and instead focused on putting everything he had into his songwriting. 

It was the best choice he’d ever made. His music blossomed and his mental health was better than ever. All the anxiety of being alone and hoping that something, anything, would pop up to show him that he was meant for someone had started to fade to the background. Maybe he would never truly be over the fact that there was no perfect match for him but he could try to block it out of his mind. 

There was a point in his life when he thought that maybe he did have a soulmate. That the system was screwed up and he did have a person. He was 16 and his career was already taking off but he couldn’t help but think that he was falling in love with you, his best friend, while he also fell in love with making music. 

You were by his side through it all: random nights when he’d ask you to come over to help him come up with lyrics, days when it started to get a little too much, evenings when he just needed a quick break. You were the best of friends and there was a bond you thought would never be broken.

One day, he realized that he didn’t need some tattoo or the ability to read your thoughts; you were meant for each other. Neither of you could deny the pull you felt when you were together and random people who didn’t know better often mistook you for a couple. 

But he realized too late. He went on his first world tour and wasn’t sure how to tell you his feelings when he was constantly so far away. You liked plans and stability; his life didn’t offer that in any capacity. 

And then it was too hard to stay connected. He was touring and you were still trying to finish school. There just wasn’t time for you to talk to him at 3:30 in the morning. So you lost touch. There was a text every once and awhile. An empty promise of “we need to meet up” or “wanna talk?”

You both decided in your minds that it wasn’t meant to be. That you had a different soulmate and he had none. It’s been three years now since you were together to have a real conversation. You were beginning to grow frustrated with the search for your soulmate and Shawn had given up all together. 

That was, until he felt a surge of anxiety hit him like a truck in the middle of his party. It lasted no more than three seconds but he couldn’t quite shake the feeling after it passed. He had no idea where it came from. One second he felt on top of the world, the next like he couldn’t stoop lower. 

~

It had only been an hour and a half but you were ready to leave the party. It had been an eventful night by your standards. You had talked to two people besides your roommate, which was two more than usual. Your roommate, Alana had been by your side the whole night, a promise she had to make before you agreed to come, but she eventually had to go to the bathroom, leaving you leaning against a wall by yourself. She had only been gone for three minutes, you could feel all the anxiety creeping up on you. 

Do they think I look lonely? My friend will be back in a minute, I swear!

If I look at my phone they might think I’m just chilling.

They probably think I’m that weirdo that stands against the wall the whole time and doesn’t talk to people. 

Calm down. Nobody cares what you’re doing. They’re all doing their own thing. 

. . . They looked at me funny. They think I’m weird. 

Oh can we just go home? 

As much as you tried to tell yourself that no one cared that you were standing against the wall by yourself, there was that part of you that convinced you that they cared a lot. You were already exhausted purely from being around all the people and loud music. Alana had been gone for three minutes and in those three minutes you had begun to shake and sweat just the slightest bit. You knew that nobody was judging you, it was irrational, but in the back of your mind told you otherwise. 

~

Shawn excused himself from the room, taking a minute to gather his thoughts. While it wasn’t completely abnormal for random bouts of anxiety to hit him, this one felt different. Foreign, as though it wasn’t his own emotions, rather, someone else’s. 

He wiped his hands on his pants, confused as to why they were so sweaty all of a sudden. It wasn’t particularly hot yet he felt warm. Maybe he was worrying too much. It was probably nothing. He ran a hand through his hair before going back to the party, putting a smile on his face and the past ten minutes behind him. 

“Hey man, you alright?” Brian asked as he approached him. 

‘Yeah, just needed to go to the bathroom.” 

“You sure? You look a little shaken.” He wasn’t blind to how Shawn’s eyes were darting around and how he appeared a little more closed off than usual. 

“Yeah, I’m fine.” He turned his head when someone else called his name and nodded to Brian before heading over to them. He spent the rest of the night doing his best to look excited, but those three seconds plagued his mind the whole time.

~ 

While Shawn struggled to keep his hopes of a soulmate under wraps, you were more desperate than ever to find yours. It seemed like all of your friends were finding theirs and you were perpetually alone.  

With the way you tended to shy away from meeting new people, most people assumed you didn’t want to find your soulmate. That you would rather live a life alone, or that maybe you were never assigned a soulmate to begin with.

You had met a few potential soulmates after losing touch with Shawn. Every time you heard an S.M. name your heart stopped. Maybe you had finally found them. You pushed past the fear of approaching them, rationalizing it with the thought that this could be your only chance to find them. It never worked though. They all had an indicator pointing towards someone else, leaving you upset and embarrassed.  

There was always a small part of you that thought Shawn could be your soulmate, even if he didn’t have any indication of one. You were sure he thought the same way but you lost touch before either of you could really say anything about it. 

You thought about asking him to meet up when he was in town a few times but something stopped you every time. The thought of what if he doesn’t remember me? or worse, what if he doesn’t want to talk to me? was enough to keep you from sending the text. 

It was easy to ignore your loneliness when you could bury yourself in schoolwork, which you had a tendency of doing. It was the easiest excuse to get out of everything. Don’t want to go to a party? Oh, I have to finish editing my essay. Alana tried to set you up on a blind date? I have tests coming up I need to study for. 

Alana was determined to help you find your soulmate, even if you didn’t want to cooperate. 

“Come on, Y/N. Maybe they’ll be at this party! I promise there won’t be a ton of people there and I know you finished that essay last night cause you told me about it and said that you were looking forward to a work free night,” she said, closing your laptop so you couldn’t “work” on your already finished essay. 

“But I want to go over it a few more times to make sure everything is right,” you replied. “Besides, we went to a party last month.” 

“Exactly, last month. Let’s go.”  

“I don’t want to go.” 

“You’re never going to meet your soulmate just sitting at your desk and pretending to work on an essay.” 

“It’s not entirely impossible.” 

“Y/N.” 

So that’s how you ended up at the party, looking around for a potential soulmate. You insisted that they wouldn’t be there; they never were, but Alana insisted that a night out would be good for you, no matter the soulmate circumstance, and dragged you along. 

Truth be told, it was a good thing she forced you to attend. If you had it your way, you would spend most nights in your room, ignoring the rest of the world and sitting on your phone. You were fine hanging with close friends every once and awhile, but a night in was always more appealing. 

According to Alana, however, that wasn’t normal, and you needed to go out in the world and talk to people, unless you wanted to be alone forever. 

You would say, “But I do want to be alone forever. If you haven’t noticed, I don’t even like going to the bank, much less a party filled with people I don’t know.” 

And she would say, “Please, I know that you want to find your soulmate and the only reason you don’t like going to the bank is because it makes you nervous and you’re worried that the people working there are going to be mad at you for no reason.” 

So you would say, “I’ve probably met all the potential soulmates already. What’s the chance that some random person is going to show up to the party and just happen to be that person?” 

And she would tell you, “People randomly meet their soulmates all the time. Yours isn’t going to walk through this door without knowing you first. If you don’t at least leave this dorm you’ll never meet them. Think of how lonely they must feel, waiting for you to come out of hiding.”  

And, as much as you wished you could, you couldn’t really argue with that. The real problem after that was talking to people. You argued that you’re already there, so there’s no reason that if your soulmate was at the party, they couldn’t come find you. Alana tried to get you to socialize by walking around with you and introducing you to new people, but they were usually more interested in talking with her than you. 

That’s how you ended up against the wall, allowing yourself to overthink while Alana went to the bathroom.

~

Shawn continued to experience those random emotions throughout the tour. Random flashes of feelings that weren’t quite his. He would be lounging around when he would suddenly feel excited and energetic, only for it to pass by within a few seconds. One time, he was feeling particularly miserable when a surge of adrenaline and anger came through him. 

He had no idea where the feelings were coming from. He was starting to think that they were somehow connected to his soulmate. 

A glimmer of hope after years of desperation and disappointment. 

Part of him wanted to dismiss it, thinking that no, I can’t have a soulmate. I’ve worked way too hard to get past this to dwell on it again. The other part wanted to take the idea and run with it. 

He tried to argue with himself that it couldn’t be soulmate related.

It’s not like it happening all the time or constantly in the back of my mind.

How would this help me find them anyways? 

It’s all in my head. 

Still, it did little to block the thought that maybe, just maybe, it was related. 

~ 

It was a quiet day at the coffee shop. Granted, most days were fairly quiet, as the shop was located in a secluded area, but still. You assumed it was mainly attributed to the fact that exams were coming up and people didn’t have time to drive down to the shop when there was a Starbucks much closer to the dorms. You were in the same predicament, having your books splayed out on the counter to study in between customers. 

You and Shawn used to come to the coffee shop every Friday after school. Even after Shawn left to go on tour and live life as a rockstar, you made sure to visit the shop at least once a month. Afterall, you were friends with the owner, Eileen, and you would hate to just stop coming and never see her again. 

You eventually landed a job there. It was a little bit of a drive from the dorms but you knew that when Eileen offered you the job, you wouldn’t be able to find one with as good pay and flexible hours anywhere closer. Sometimes being friends with the owner for a long time has its perks.

There was a collage of photos on the wall behind the register that made the place really feel like home. There were tons of random photos ranging from when the shop first opened to when Eileen took a picture of a slice of cake she insisted had a face in it. 

You appeared on the wall a few times, but your favorite picture was the one of you and Shawn right before he left for tour the first time. You were both laughing in the picture, Shawn’s arm around your shoulders as you leaned into him. It was the last time you went to the shop together and you remembered just how fun of a time it was. It always left an ache in your heart when you looked at it, remembering all the good times you had together. 

You didn’t have many other close friends, so once Shawn left for tour you felt a lot lonelier. Your mom tried to get you to make new friends, but it wasn’t as easy for you as she insisted it was. 

“Why can’t you talk to the people across the road? They have  a girl your age.” 

“But she already has a friend group. We’ve lived across the street from each other for years. It would be weird if I suddenly introduced myself and tried to break into her friend group.” 

“You’re never going to make friends if you don’t talk to people.” 

“I have friends.” 

“But don’t you want to hang out with more than two people?” 

“No, I have my friends. That’s all I need.” 

More often than not, you did wish you had more than two friends, or that Shawn would come back and eliminate the need to make new ones, but wishing did nothing to help your loneliness.  You made a few more friends once you went to college, and you were completely okay with your small group, but it never satisfied the longing to see Shawn again. 

~

“What are we doing here?” Brian asked as Shawn pulled into the parking lot of a worn down but homely looking building. “And what is this place?” 

“It’s a coffee shop I used to come to every week. I haven’t seen Eileen in years,” Shawn said with a wistful look as he parked the car. 

“Eileen?” 

“The owner.” 

Brian huffed, realizing that they would be stuck there for a while if Shawn knew the owner. He liked to talk to people. And when he talked, he talked and talked and talked.

“Relax, I’ll buy you a coffee.” 

They both got out of the car and walked into the shop, Shawn smiling when he heard the bell above the door ring. He looked around for a second, noting how almost nothing changed since he’d last been there a few years ago. The chairs and tables were still in the same places, same coffee smell, even that stuffed cat that Shawn gave Eileen as a joke was still sitting on the windowsill. 

The only big change he noticed was the photo wall. There were a lot more photos than he remembered. He wondered if he would still be able to find that picture of you and him. 

He looked to the counter and saw a girl with Y/H/C hair, her head buried in the textbooks that were scattered across the counter. 

“Dude, we getting coffee or what?” Brian said with a teasing smile, walking closer to the counter to read the menu posted on the wall behind it.

You were so invested in studying that you didn’t even hear the bell ring when they came in, only looking up when you saw someone approaching the counter out of the corner of your eye.

“Oh, hi, sorry ‘bout that. How can I help you?” you said as you looked up, met with the face of an oddly familiar young man. 

“Can I get a-”

“Y/N?” Shawn questioned from behind him, confusion painting his face. He hadn’t seen you in three years but you didn’t look all that different. A little more mature, sure, but he could tell it was still obviously you. 

You furrowed your eyebrows at the familiar voice, glancing behind Brian to see Shawn. Your eyes widened at his appearance, no longer a boy but now a man. “Shawn?” 

“Hey, Y/N, can you empty the garbage and put it out back?” Eileen asked as she walked out of the small kitchen area that was closed off from the rest of the store. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Shawn, a smile taking over her face as she took in how he’d grown up over the years. “Shawn Mendes, is that you?” 

“Indeed, it is,” he said with a shy smile. “How are you Eileen?”  

“Pretty good if I do say so myself. How are you? How’s the rockstar life treating you?” 

“It’s pretty great.” 

Meanwhile, you were still staring at your former best friend, mouth slightly agape as you took him in.   

“Well why don’t we get you two some coffees? On the house of course. Y/N, stop staring at the poor boy. It’s not like you’ve never met him before.”  

You looked at the ground for a second and blushed, smiling at the sound of Shawn’s giggle. 

“Alright, what can I get you guys?” 

They gave you their orders and you got to work, denying the ten dollar bill Shawn offered you to pay for them. 

“On the house, remember? Or are you Mr. rich guy now?” you asked with a slight surge of confidence. You hadn’t seen him in years, but the urge to tease him every chance you got was still there.

“Ooh, okay. You think I’ve changed that much?” 

“A little bit. It’s been a while.” 

“That’s where you’re wrong. I am the exact same person as I was three years ago.” 

“I’m not too sure about that, but okay.” 

Shawn rolled his eyes and put the bill in the tip jar. “Alright, coffee girl. I would like my coffee in two minutes flat. No more no less. Brian is on a very tight schedule so we have to get him home in time for his nap.” 

So Brian was his name. “Your wish is my command, good sir,” you said, bowing at him before turning around to start the drinks. You could hear Shawn giggle behind you, sending an eruption of butterflies to your stomach. 

Shawn felt a slight nervous tinge as well. One that wasn’t quite his. He felt completely natural around you but maybe his soulmate was somewhere else feeling nervous about a presentation or something.  

You gave the boys their coffee, sticking your tongue out at Shawn when he commented on how it took three and a half minutes instead of two and demanded his money back. You returned to the counter, trying your best to focus on studying. You kept getting distracted by Shawn’s voice, which carried across the shop, as he talked to Eileen. He was sitting in the same two person table against the wall that you used to sit in during your weekly visits.  

“You need to go talk to him.” You jumped slightly when you noticed Eileen next to you. 

“I don’t think he wants to talk to me,” you replied tentatively, flipping the page of your book in hopes that it would make it look like you were actually studying. The burst of confidence was gone and you came to the reality that you were both no longer the same person you used to be, therefore, you couldn’t keep that same dynamic. 

“What makes you say that?” 

“I dunno. Just a feeling.” 

“Go talk to him. I know you want to.” She gave you a knowing look and you sighed. “I’ll take over for you for a bit. Go talk to your best friend.” 

“But he’s with Brian and I don’t really know Brian and what if they don’t want to talk to me they just wanted to hang out and-” 

“Y/N.” 

Suddenly, the butterflies grew, and it became more of bird wings than butterflies. You took a deep breath and made you way over there, praying that it would be over quickly and you could go back to studying by yourself. 

You quietly pulled up a chair and sat in it, waiting for Shawn to finish whatever story he was telling Brian.  

“Y/N, just in time,” he said with enthusiasm. “I was just telling Brian the story about Willy the window cat.” 

“Ahh, a classic.” Shawn could sense your unease and quickly introduced you to Brian. He was well aware of your lack of people skills and how uncomfortable you got around new people.  

You spent the better part of the rest of the hour catching up with each other, Shawn doing a lot more talking than you, which you were completely fine with. You tried your best to not show how nervous you felt. 

Even as you tried your best to hide it, Shawn was picking up on the nervous habits. Your lifestyles might’ve changed but you were still the shy girl who subconsciously picked at the inside of her elbow and bounced her foot excessively when nervous. It didn’t matter if you hadn’t seen each other in years, he still knew you like the back of his hand. 

There were days, back when you were really friends, where he would reach over and grab your hand so you would stop picking, or place his hand on your knee to stop the bouncing. He chose to ignore it now, realizing that you had grown apart, and now wasn’t the time to jump back in so intimately. You were always self conscious about the habits and he didn’t want to make you more nervous by pointing them out. 

Even though he was more focused on you throughout the conversation, he noticed how Brian was seemingly getting more and more bored hearing him talk. As much as he wanted to stay and talk to you, he knew he should probably get going. This was supposed to be a quick pit stop to drop in and say hello, not an hour long catch up with the girl he used to be sure was his. 

“We should get going. I think Brian is going to walk home if I stay here much longer.” Brian’s head perked up at the mention of his name and Shawn chuckled. 

“Meet you at the car. Nice meeting you, Y/N.” He was up and out the door in a matter of seconds, causing Shawn to chuckle again.  

It didn’t sit all that well with you though. 

Oh no, he doesn’t like me. 

He thinks I’m some weirdo who doesn’t talk. 

I barely know the guy and he already hates me. 

“We should meet up, just the two of us, sometime. I’m on a break from tour if you’re free anytime soon,” Shawn said, breaking you out of your thoughts. “And don’t worry about Brian. I think he’s just tired.” 

It did little to ease your fears but you smiled like it did anyways. Were you that easy to read? “Uhh, yeah. I have exams next week but we can meet after that.”

“Alright, how does the eighteenth sound?” 

“That works.” You stood up and put your chair back at the table it came from, turning around to find Shawn closer than you expected him to be.  

“Awesome. Text me your address so I can pick you up and take you somewhere.” 

“Okay.” He threw you his signature smile and it made you melt a little. 

“It was great seeing you, Y/N. Tell Eileen I said bye.” 

“Good seeing you too and you got it.” 

He pulled you into a quick side hug and left. 

As much as you tried, you couldn’t study for the rest of your shift. Only three more customers came in within the two hours you had left, so you spent a decent amount of time staring at the wall and stressing about meeting up with Shawn. Two weeks gave you plenty of time to stress about it, which led to thinking of ways to get out of it. 

~

Maybe if I don’t text him the address, he’ll forget, you thought as you stared at your phone the next day, messages open to Shawn’s name, your thumb hovering over the keyboard. It could work. That was enough to convince you to turn off your phone and worry about it later. You went back to working on the presentation you were working on, only pausing when you felt the buzz buzz of your phone telling you that you got a text. 

From Shawn: Hey, what’s your address? What time do you want me to pick you up? 

You panicked slightly, upset that your plan had already fallen apart. You decided to ignore it for the time being. You would worry about it later.  

“Hey, Y/N, can I borrow your phone for a second? Mine’s dead,” Alana asked as she came into the dorm. 

“Sure,” you said as you handed her the phone, not bothering to look away from your computer. 

“Who’s Shawn and why is he asking where you live?” 

Your eyes widened as you realized you forgot to clear the message. “He’s just an old friend. We’re uhh meeting up since we haven’t seen each other in a while.” 

“Well are you going to text him back or do I have to do it?” 

“I will, later.” 

“You’re actually going to do it?” she asked with a curious smile. “And you’re actually going to meet up with him?” 

“Yeah . . .”  

“I’m holding you to this.” 

“What, why? I’m capable of handling my own social life.” 

“Sure you are. You’re not getting out of this though. I know that look.” 

You sighed and glared at her. She knew you too well. “Do you actually need my phone?” 

“Yes, I need to call my mom.” She sent you a sweet smile and you shook your head. “Thank you.” 

You texted Shawn at 9:12 that night, six hours after he sent the original message. 9:12 specifically so it looked like you just saw it and responded as soon as you did, not like you ignored it and were planning to send it at  a specific time, like 9:15. 

He responded thirty seconds later with a thumbs up. 

~

The day of the meetup was stressful. You had already been in your head about it for the past two weeks, but you really started worrying when you realized you had no idea what was going to happen. 

Shawn refused to tell you where you were going, only telling you to dress comfortably and that you would only be gone for a few hours. Being a person who liked schedules and knowing exactly what was going on, this didn’t make you too happy. It sounded a lot like a date, which only made you more stressed. 

“Do you think this will be okay?” you asked Alana. You were wearing jean shorts and a semi-cute top. Not too fancy but not too casual. 

“Is this a date or friend meetup?” 

“Friend meetup.” 

“You look great.” She could sense the hesitation as you looked in the mirror, deciding if you agreed with her or not. “You’re gonna be fine. From what I’ve heard, you were best friends for a long time. You’ll be back to that in no time.”  

“I don’t know. It’s been so long and-” You were interrupted by a text from Shawn telling you he was there if you were ready. 

“Go have fun. Take a deep breath and stop worrying about it, alright?” 

“Okay.” You gave her a smile before putting your phone in your back pocket and leaving. You could see Shawn leaning against his car and looking at his phone once you left the building.  

Shawn had been quite excited to hang out with you again. There wasn’t any part of him that was nervous until he went to get drinks for the two of you that morning. It had been slowly building up all day, but it felt more like his soulmate’s than his own. 

“Hey, you,” he said with a smile. “Ready to go?” 

“You bet,” you smiled back at him, walking to the other side of the car to get in. 

“I got you a frappuccino.” He gestured to the cup holder. “I don’t know if what you like has changed but it’s what you used to get so I hope it’s okay.”  

“My taste hasn’t changed a bit,” you chuckled. “Thank you. That’s really sweet of you.” 

“Of course. What better way to rekindle our friendship than by reliving the old times?” 

“True, true.” You discretely wiped your palms on your shorts, unsure if it was from nerves or the heat. “Want to tell me where you’re going?” 

“Nope. It’s a surprise.” His eyes had a mischievous glint to them. He knew how much it was bothering you.  

“This feels like a first date,” you mumbled, avoiding eye contact. You knew that Shawn was like this by default, but you couldn’t help but feel a little extra awkward anyways. 

“Not my intention,” he chuckled. “I just wanted to be nice.” 

“I know, I’m just awkward.” 

Shawn laughed and shook his head.  

You didn’t drive for much longer, arriving at a small park no more than fifteen minutes after you started. 

“I figured we could walk and catch up, if you’re good with that.” 

“That’s good. Why didn’t you just tell me we were going to the park though?”        

“Wanted you to get worked up about it.” 

You gasped. “That’s mean.”  

“Gotta balance the niceness out somehow.”  

You spent two hours walking around and catching up. You felt yourself ease up as you talked. He was still your Shawn and he barely changed from the last time you talked. The evening ended with a hug and promise to hang out again soon. 

“See,” Alana told you when you told her how well it went. “Sometimes you need to just give yourself the push.” 

The more and more time you spent together, the more and more Shawn became sure that you were the mystery soulmate whose emotions he had been feeling. 

He would feel a twinge of extra excitement before you hung out or right before you texted him I got an A on that essay!!!!!

He was never completely sure though and never told you about it. He wanted to test the theory but wasn’t sure how he could do it without you knowing. 

Meanwhile, your search for your soulmate slowed. You came to terms that they would come when the time was right and that you needed to enjoy life as it was. Your best friend was on a break from his hectic life for the first time in a long time and you wanted to spend all the time you could with him. You felt a little less anxious when you were around him, which could also be attributed to the lack of school work due to summer break, but you liked to believe he was helping. 

The great thing about Shawn was that he knew not to push too hard. Alana didn’t always know when to stop pushing you towards doing things out of your comfort zone. You’ll admit, it was sometimes good for you. Other times, it caused way more anxiety than necessary  and you would be out of it for the rest of the day. Shawn, on the other hand, could tell when something really could be too much and would stop. 

There was only one time when he knew he was pushing too hard but continued anyways. 

“You wanna be my date to the Grammys?” You had discussed his nomination earlier that day, but he never mentioned bringing someone with him before. 

“Date?” You had a playful smirk on your face and Shawn just rolled his eyes and nudged your shoulder. 

“Do you wanna be my extra person who’s my best friend, not date, cause I don’t have a date, date? 

“As amazing as that sounds, I don’t think so. Way too many people.” You hoped he would just drop the subject. 

“Come on, it would be fun. Besides, how often do you get an invitation to the Grammys?

“Never . . . because I don’t want to go.” 

“Please, Y/N. I don’t have anyone else to take and we would have such a good time.” 

“Take Aaliyah.” 

“She probably has stuff going on.” 

You have tons of other friends. Take one of them.” 

“Yeah but you’re my best friend and I want to take you.”

“Shawn I really don’t think I should. There’s gonna be a ton of people there and I don’t have the money to buy a fancy dress-”

“I’ll buy you a dress and stay with you the entire night.”

“I can’t ask you to do that. Besides-” 

“Please, Y/N. I will beg you every day until you say yes. Just this one time, then I promise I will never ever make you go to a party or awards show of any kind.” 

“Fine,” you sighed. You knew that it was a bad idea but you also knew that Shawn would hold true to the begging. 

“Thank youuu.” He reached over and pulled you into a hug 

“You owe me.” 

~ 

The week before the Grammys was more anxiety inducing than anything in your entire life.  

You got your dress a month ago but was starting to have second thoughts on it. Was it fancy enough? You had scrolled through endless pictures of past Grammy looks and everything looked so much more elaborate than your midnight blue dress. Tiffany had picked out the dress for you, noting how you wanted something elegant but nothing that would make you stick out. 

You had to admit, you loved the dress. It fit you perfectly. You were yet to show Shawn but you knew he would love it. There was just one part of you that thought that everyone would think it was too simple and know that you had no business being there. 

Shawn was doing his best to help you through the anxiety. 

“Think of the best possible situation,” he told you. 

“Nobody notices me and I stay completely under the radar or they note that I’m your friend who’s been seen with you before and leave me alone.”

“Now tell me the worst possible situation.” 

“I do something embarrassing and stick out so that everyone notices and realizes that I’m obviously not supposed to be there.” 

“See how the worst case scenario is so much more unlikely to happen?” 

“Shawn, I know it’s irrational but I can’t help it. No matter what, I’m going to have a worst case scenario.” 

“I know you are. Y/N, I do too. But think for a second,” he said. “Everyone else is too caught up in their own affairs to give a flying shit about what you’re doing. Unless you walk the red carpet with me, they probably won’t even notice you.” 

You knew Shawn was right. You knew the worst case scenario was irrational, you just couldn’t help but dwell on it; you were so scared of embarrassing yourself. You were once again planning excuses for not being able to go. I’m really sick and throwing up everywhere or There’s a family emergency. I can’t go. 

But even as you worried more and more, you knew how much you needed to do it for Shawn. He had done so much for you. You could do this one thing. 

~

“You ready?” Shawn asked with a huge grin. He had been getting more and more excited by the day. The happiness blocked the intensely anxious feelings of his soulmate to the slightest. At this point, he was almost positive you were his soulmate. Of course, anyone could be this anxious for a long period of time and it just coincidental to yours. He wanted more time to think about it though and if it was true, to tell you at a time when you were in a better mental state. 

“Not really, but I don’t think I have a choice,” you said through the door. You had to admit, you felt absolutely beautiful. Your thoughts of sticking out because of your dress were fading with every look in the mirror.  

“I’m sure you look absolutely fantastic.” 

“That’s not the problem but thank you.” You both giggled at that and you wished you could get over yourself and go out there. 

“You know I’ll be with you the whole night, right?” His tone changed to a more serious one, and it was comforting to know he cared so much. 

“I know, but still.” 

“Can I see you now? This is easier when I can see your face.” 

“Yeah,” you chuckled, opening the door slightly before taking a deep breath and stepping out. You grasped your hands behind your back and smiled shyly as Shawn stared at you in awe. 

“Wow,” he whispered. “You look absolutely stunning.” 

Heat rushed to your cheeks and you looked down to your feet. 

“Come here.” He pulled you into a hug, his head resting on your head as yours was on his chest. “You’re going to be amazing tonight, okay? So stop worrying so much and enjoy it as it comes.” 

“I’m trying.” 

“I know you are, I just wanted to remind you.” He squeezed you tighter for a second and drew back, smiling widely before completely letting go. 

You both said nothing as you got into the car to go to the show, allowing yourselves to try to relax before the long night ahead of you. 

“Good luck,” you grinned as he prepared to get out of the car for the red carpet. 

“Thanks, see you soon.” He took your hand and squeezed it, causing the butterflies in your stomach to explode. He stepped out of the car and winked at you, laughing at the finger guns you sent him before he closed the door. 

You both agreed that it was best for you not to walk the red carpet. You didn’t want to be bombarded with questions asking if you were in a relationship and Shawn didn’t want to have to deal with the drama it would cause afterwards. You decided to meet inside, which led to you awkwardly standing around and waiting for him to come in. 

After what felt like a lifetime and a half of avoiding eye contact and trying to look like you belonged, Shawn appeared at your side. 

“How’d it go?” 

“Good. Took some really hot pictures I think people will enjoy.”

“How is that possible? You can’t take hot pictures.” 

“As if I haven’t caught you ogling over pictures of me before.” 

“As if,” you scoffed and Shawn let out a loud laugh, which made you laugh as well. 

“Alright, sassy pants, let’s find our seats.” 

The show went well and you eventually realized that you got worked up more than you needed to. You didn’t have to interact with many people and you were able to sit in a seat and enjoy the show more than you thought you could. 

What you should have been worried about though, was the afterparty. 

Shawn said you didn’t have to go but you could see how much he wanted to. You also knew that if you told him you were going to go home but he should go to the party, he would opt to go with you. So, against your better judgement of what you were up for that night, you decided to go under the condition that Shawn would stay with you the whole time. 

It was a little too loud and crowded for your liking but you did your best to hide the discomfort. The faster you got out, the better, but you were going to try to enjoy the party the best you could. 

Unbeknownst to you, Shawn could definitely sense your discomfort. Something inside himself was telling him he should take you home, but everytime he suggested you leave, you insisted that you wanted him to have fun and that you would stay until he wanted to go. You knew he came with intentions of talking to other people and refused to leave until he did so. 

“But I’ll have fun with you.” 

“Shawn Mendes, if you do not socialize tonight, you will spend the rest of your life regretting it so I suggest you start mingling.” 

“I feel like that’s an overstatement, but fine.” He started walking away but turned around when he noticed you weren’t following. “Come on, wallflower, I’m not allowed to leave you by yourself.” 

You rolled your eyes but pushed yourself off the wall and made your way towards him anyways. 

He made his way around, talking to friends and a few people he didn’t know, making sure you were close at all times. You were quiet the whole time, only speaking when asked a question. Like with Alana, people tended to be more interested in the person you were with than you yourself. 

Shawn caught you picking at the inside of your elbow a few times. Part of him wanted to scold you for doing it, but he knew it was a subconscious habit and that you couldn’t do much about it unless he pointed it out. He would wrap his arm around you, gently placing his hand over the spot so you couldn’t pick at it. You would sigh once you realized you were doing it again and Shawn would squeeze your upper arm lightly, as if to say, it’s alright.

He eventually gave you a water bottle to keep your hands busy and you accepted it graciously, secretly in awe of how he knew you so well. He was about ready to go after that, drained from the long night, when someone called his name. He made his way towards them and you tried to follow but got blocked off by someone walking in between you. In a split second he was gone, and your anxiety only grew as you struggled to find him. 

You found yourself standing next to a table, texting Shawn to tell him where to find you once he was ready to go. You hoped it wouldn’t take too long, but the voice who called him sounded like Niall’s, and you knew they would want to talk for a while. 

Shawn was too busy talking to Niall to notice the growing anxiety coming from his soulmate. He didn’t even notice that you weren’t next to him. 

You tried your best to blend in, something you thought you were doing a good job of, when someone who looked very vaguely familiar tried to talk to you.  

“That dress looks quite lovely on you,” he said. 

“Thanks,” you said rather quietly. There was an awkward pause for a second and you wondered if he was waiting for you to say something else. 

“Enjoying the party?” He stepped slightly forward to let someone pass behind him. 

You stepped back to keep the space, forgetting about the table and knocking into it full force. A loud clanging noise could be heard as a few platters flew off and your eyes grew wide at the realization of what you just did. 

The man in front of you laughed but his attention was quickly called elsewhere.The people around you looked behind themselves to see what was going on. The looks of confusion and giggles probably lasted no more than a few seconds, but it was enough to send you into a full panic. 

The lights were suddenly too bright and all the noises around you jumbled into a muffle. You pressed your back against a wall as you tried to gain your composure, panicking more when you couldn’t. The music was too loud for anyone to hear your rapid breathing but you wanted nothing more than for someone to come help you; for Shawn to come help you.

“Yeah we definitely need to meet up sometime soon,” Niall said to Shawn. 

“Totally. I’m-”  He was cut off by a paralyzing burst of panic. He didn’t even have to think to know it was you. The urge to protect you came over him and he quickly excused himself from Niall to find you. 

It didn’t take long to see you standing against the wall and curling in on yourself. He felt like he couldn’t get there fast enough. There was nothing he wanted more than to take the worry away from you but it felt like there were a million people in between you. 

“Breath, Y/N, breath,” he said once he finally made it to you. Your eyes locked with his and he could see the absolute panic in them. “I’m going to take your arm so we can go outside, okay?” 

You nodded frantically, allowing Shawn to guide you to outside. The cool air was a relief but did little to calm you down. Shawn gently leaned you against a wall and put one of your hands on his chest. 

“Breath with me, sweetheart,” he said, exaggerating his breathing to help you. “You’re okay. Just focus on breathing.” 

“I’m sorry,” you muttered once you calmed down and your breathing returned to a normal rate. 

“Y/N, no. You have nothing to be sorry for.” 

“But I messed up your night and-” 

“It’s not your fault. I know exactly how you feel and I promise you, it’s not your fault.” He could see from the look in your eyes that you didn’t believe him and it broke his heart. “Come here,” he said as he wrapped his arms tightly around you, one around your waist, one pressing your head to his chest. 

“I know you think it’s your fault, but you did absolutely nothing wrong,” he said lowly, leaning his head down close to your ear so you could hear him. “If anything, it’s my fault for not realizing you weren’t with me.” He felt you tense up and rubbed his hand up and down your back. “You are amazing and wonderful and so strong, Y/N. We all have our low points. Nobody is blaming you for anything.” 

You didn’t say anything and Shawn took that as a sign to stop talking. He held you in his embrace for a few minutes longer, relaxing a little when he felt your arms wrap around him. 

“Let’s get you home.” 

“You should stay.” 

“Y/N.” 

You dropped it and let him call an Uber, hugging him again once he finished. “Thank you.” 

“Anytime.” He pressed a kiss to the top of your head, and you felt yourself once again wishing he was your soulmate. 

~ 

After a long talk with Shawn the next morning, you decided to go to the doctor to get an official diagnosis. The social anxiety diagnosis also came with the recommendation of therapy. It was time to take control of your anxiety and your life.

Shawn was there for it all. Helping you through the bad days and celebrating the good ones. You were celebrating a good one today and Shawn could feel your happiness before you even walked through the door. 

“You won’t believe what I did!” You exclaimed once you were seated on the couch. “I needed this tomato sauce but I couldn’t find it anywhere in the store but I knew they had it somewhere. So instead of not getting it, I actually asked one of the people working there where it was.” 

“Good job!” The smile on his face was huge as he gave you a high-five. “Was it really that scary?” 

“Yes, but I did it, which is more important than if it’s scary.”  

He was so proud of you. It had taken a few months, but therapy was doing wonders for you. It might have been small progress, but even small progress was big progress. 

He had held off on telling you about the soulmate situation, wanting you to be in a better space before he dropped the bombshell. Now felt like a good time to do it. 

“Not to take away from you, but I have some good news myself.” 

“Tell me!” The eager look on your face made him even more nervous for some reason, but he knew he needed to do it. 

“A few months ago, I started feeling these feelings.” 

“Oh wow.” 

“Shut up,” he giggled. “They were emotions that weren’t mine. Like, they felt like someone else’s.”  

You nodded your head, having an idea of what was coming: he finally found his soulmate and it wasn’t you. 

“And at first I couldn’t figure out who they belonged to but then I met you again.” He looked up at you but your face was blank. “And then I was starting to feel feelings you were experiencing. Like you would text me about being happy and that background feeling of extra happiness would be there but I wasn’t sure if it was really you.” 

“Are you trying to test it out now?” He could see you trying to put the pieces together. 

“No, I kinda already did in a way?” You looked even more confused so he kept going. “When we went to the Grammys I could feel how anxious you were. And then we went to the party and I could feel it but it wasn’t anything that was too overwhelming. Then, I went to talk to Niall, which is when you had that panic attack, right?” 

You nodded. 

“And I was fine but then there was this really really intense second of pure panic and I just knew. Some kind of protective instinct went off in me and I just had to get to you.” 

There was a pause as he let you process what was happening. 

“Y/N, I think you’re my soulmate.” 

There was a deafening silence but Shawn was too scared to look at your face to see your reaction. 

“You really think?” 

“I know it sounds crazy but-” 

“Could we really be soulmates?” 

“. . . yes?” He finally looked at you to see a smile creeping its way along your face. 

“Holy fucking cow.” You both burst into laughter, leaning into each other as you did. 

“I’m glad it’s you,” Shawn said once your laughs turned into tiny giggles. He looked at you with a glimmer in his eyes. 

“I’m glad it’s you too.” 

[forever--darling]

mine - s.m.

ceo au

a/n: I suggest listening to I put a spell on you by annie lennox while reading this

warnings: 8.3k words of slight curse words, innuendos, and ceo shawn mendes

Ding

Surrounded in the sweet smell of pastries and bread, you had been so caught up in the comfort that the building provided while your nose was stuck in a textbook, you had failed to notice that you were still in the middle of a shift. Your eyes were tracing over the same line over and over as a small feeling filled your gut like you were missing something, but you tried to write it off and continue studying. You had a huge test the next day that was worth a large percent of your grade and you couldn’t afford to fail it, so any distractions had to be rid from your mind. And, they had but it wasn’t until the loud beep went off again that it alerted the attention of the man stood at the front counter who had been ringing up another customer. 

The older man poked his head into the doorway to see you bent over the counter, eyes trained onto the thick book and zero perception of where you were. He sighed before beginning to yell your name over and over into the back room. Seconds later, your head tore away from the book, startled and brought back to the fact that you were still at work. 

Pushing yourself away from the counter and away from the textbook, you grabbed two oven mitts. “Oh, shit!” 

You opened the door to see the smoke rising from the baked treats and quickly reached for them hoping that you hadn’t burnt the last batch of the day. Slipping the hot pan onto the wood counter, you slipped the oven mitts from your hands as your eyes fell back to the still open textbook. Your neck was twisted to the side in a desperate attempt to analyze the words and have them stick into your brain. 

“Y/N,” he called again, taking your attention away from your studies for the second time. 

“Right,” you replied, slamming the book closed, making sure to mark your page before you continued to prepare the muffins for their basket. You sighed with relief that not one of them appeared to be burnt black.

Minutes later, you appeared from the back room and approached the front counter with a brown wicker basket sat neatly into your palms. Covered in a clear plastic bag tied at the top with a pink ribbon to ensure that the muffins stayed in the basket when delivered, you slid the basket onto the counter next to the other one. It appeared to be the same despite the different flavored muffins and the grey ribbon tied tightly at the top in comparison of a pink. 

You sighed in a way to prepare yourself to face your boss, “Here you go, Oscar. The last batch of the day, all made and ready to go.” 

Oscar, your boss and owner of the building, nodded sparing a glance towards the basket as he continued to jot down words on a notepad with a black pen. “Not burnt?” he asked raising an eyebrow his words soft but serious. 

“Not burnt,” you replied, hands running along the plastic wrap before falling onto the ends of the ribbon tightening them. “Luckily. I’m sorry.” 

“It’s alright, hasn’t been the first time.”

“And probably won’t be the last,” you admitted teasingly. 

Oscar nodded knowingly as laughter bubbled from the back of his throat, “Probably not but it’s okay, you’re a college kid. I knew what I was getting into when I hired you. So what class is it this time?” 

You sighed, crossing your arms over your chest as you leaned back against the counter, body facing the back wall at the chalkboard menu you had written on with new pastries that morning. “Physics, which I don’t even know why I’m taking in the first place. Anyways, I have this huge test tomorrow and it’s a large part of my grade. I’m struggling enough as it is so I can’t fail.” 

“I see,” Oscar responded, already able to feel the stress seeping out of you, “And have you figured out what you want to major in yet?” 

“Nope,” you replied popping the “p” as you began to rock back and forth on the balls of your feet, “Not a clue.” 

He smiled, placing a comforting hand on your shoulder, “Well, I’m sure you’ll figure it out, and if you never do and college doesn’t seem like the place for you, there will always be a place for you here.” 

“Thank you, Oscar. I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me,” you said sending the older man a warm smile. 

“Anytime, kid,” he mumbled, returning your smile with a wink.

Oscar Wheeler had been the owner of Sensationally Muffin for almost three years now and had opened the bakery after leaving his former job as a salesman. At rolling in at the height of around six foot, Oscar Wheeler was a broad shouldered man that had a strong large build at the age of forty-five. He had umber colored skin, with warm yellow and copper undertones, that wrinkled at the corners of his mouth and around his eyes. Grey hair rounded the edges of his head, standing out against his black buzzed head while also being shown present around his facial hair that ran along his chin and upper lip. 

Besides his handsome middle aged features, Oscar was a sweet man that would spread kindness wherever he went and found a comfort in the bakery business. He loved the happiness that was brought from making the baked goods and found solitude in his small quaint little shop that bursted with warmth. From his presence, he provided a kind of compassion that no one could fake and because he was so nice and talked to anyone that walked through those doors, the small bakery became a place of support and love for many people. 

Oscar had built the life he had always hoped for in the last three years and it always warms your heart at the business he had created.  As a previous salesman before, all he had ever done was work. Day after day, chained to that desk, losing the feeling of what it felt like to actually be living. One day it had gotten to be too much and he quit on the spot, invested his savings into a dusty old building sat on the corner of first avenue. 

He built this place out of nothing all by himself and because he had always been working he wasn’t married and he had no kids. He didn’t have a family like many men did his age and instead created his own family, here. He had formed friendships here and as corny as it sounded, you had found your own little family within these four walls. 

Even though the bakery had been up and running for three years there were still not many workers that had settled here. Oscar was a man who relied on honesty and selflessness. He was picky when it came to who he hired. He had rejected many college students the moment they walked in through the doors begging for a job, and it came to quite a shock when he finally had hired you. It was over a year ago when you had just gotten done with what ended up being one of the worst classes you had ever had and along with that had been stood up on a date. 

It was snowing and the wind was blazing and you couldn’t bare the idea of moping all the way back to your apartment to only get pitied for the rest of the night by your roommate. Instead, you wandered the streets, which seemed almost empty due to the storm, trying to busy yourself until the time seemed acceptable to return home. 

However, it became difficult to stay out in the cold any longer when the wind picked up and you stumbled into the first warmest building you could see. If only you knew that when you walked into the bakery that day, snow falling from your clothes, that it would be the start of meeting some of the best people of your life. From then it was the easiest decision Oscar had made, from seeing how you longed to get warmth from the small fireplace and offered to help with anything. So when the time had came that you finally asked if there were any jobs in the small building, you had instantly grown to love, he had said yes without even giving you an interview. 

That was how the little Sensationally Muffin family started and despite the sadness that took up the man of never getting married or having children, it was quickly replaced by the happiness of your presence and the bakery’s presence. Because at the end of the day, you were his daughter whether from blood or not. 

“So, are you still okay to deliver these tonight or do you have to get home,” you were brought out of your thoughts by the man of the hour himself who was reorganizing some of the pastries in the box placed near the counter. 

“Only two stops?” you asked, looking towards the two baskets on the counter. 

“Yes, two stops,” Oscar confirmed adjusting a piece of coffee cake before sliding the small plastic door shut. 

“Then yeah I can. Suppose I can take a break of studying for a little while, which I’m guessing since this basket is all blueberry muffins and it’s a Thursday that we have yet to deliver Mrs. Crenshaw's basket of muffins,” you stated, eyes looking towards the pink bowed basket that was filled to the brim of just blueberry muffins. 

“You’d be right.”

“Of course, I know how much Mrs. Crenshaw loves her blueberry muffins,” you laughed.

Oscar smiled as he moved the two baskets towards the other end of the counter so you could just grab them on your way out, “She does. Anyways, I got a call from Roxy one of the head nurses of the nursing home. She said that they’ll be at the park again like they are usually on Thursdays. She says today they got some college kid to sing to them with his guitar so they’re just hanging there until six, when they’ll have to get everyone back.” 

“That’s nice, I’ll head there first. Won’t want to miss them,” you replied, untying your blue apron from around your waist and folding it up in your hands, “So where’s the other delivery supposed to go?” 

“Uh, it’s a large company building near the center of the city. I attached the address to the basket so you know where to find it and put the man’s name so you don’t get lost once you’re in there.”

Your eyebrows knitted together in confusion at his words as your fingers knotted into the apron in your hand, “A company building that’s different. We don’t usually get orders from places like that.” 

The older man nodded but couldn’t help the small smile on his lips, “Yes, but I have to say I’m not complaining. Business is business and I will take as much of it as I can get.” 

Your expression softened and chuckled knowing he was right. Walking into the back room, you placed your apron down on one of the bottom shelves and began to place all of your notebooks and your textbook back into your backpack. Still curious of the journey you were about to take, you continued the conversation to see if Oscar knew anything else. “So, with this company building do you know anything about them or about who made the order?” 

“Uh, yeah. I believe it was some assistant or someone like that. Ms. Bloom, I think it was. She was calling about placing an order of muffins for her boss. Heard from a friend that we have the very best. Said that her boss has a thing for muffins and would probably like the small surprise from all of the meetings he has been having the last couple days non stop,” he said now starting to tidy up the counter. 

“Hmm busy man,” you commented pulling the backpack over your shoulders before you clock out of your shift, “Is it a big company?” 

He nodded, turning his attention away from the front counter towards you as you approached the basket of muffins, “Yes, very. Like muli-million very, I think, but you shouldn’t have to worry about that. You have enough on your plate as it is.”

“Funny,” you thought out loud as your fingers began to trace around the white card that was pinned to the basket, the words hidden on the other side, “A multi-million company is buying a fourteen dollar basket of muffins. You would think they would at least buy some that are sprinkled with bits of gold, but hey lucky us. Business is business.” 

Oscar chuckled at the way you quoted him and couldn’t help but to walk over and pull you into a side hug, “That’s right, so I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

“Definitely.”

“Okay, be safe. Text me if you need anything and good luck on your test,” he said, hand placed comfortingly on your shoulder. 

“Thanks,” you mumbled out, grabbing both baskets and turning to walk towards the front door sparing a small wave over your shoulder, “Bye!” 

He waved back a smile pulled across his face, causing his eyes to wrinkle like they tended to always do. Squeezing past the glass door, you ended up on the sidewalk that wasn’t as busy as it had been previously in the day since most people had made it at home by this time on a weekday. You smiled at the feeling of wind dancing across your skin and the sight of the sun starting to fall from the sky as you moved towards the side of the bakery to locate your transportation and one of the things you loved the most in this city. Your bike. Hating how crowded the streets would get for driving, you would rely on your beautiful bike to get you from one place to another whether it’s to deliver muffins, or get you across campus as fast as possible. Gosh, you really loved that bike. 

It was a light blue Schwinn bicycle that had a white seat and a metal basket hanging in the front off of the handlebars housing a place to hold the muffins. Unlocking the bike from the bike ramp, you placed both orders of muffins into the hanging basket and swung your leg over the seat. Situating yourself onto the bike, you set out to your destination, one of two until you were able to go home and crawl into the bed of your apartment.

-

By the time you had managed to drop off the basket of muffins in the park for Mrs. Crenshaw and get out of the park, it had taken you almost a half an hour. You didn’t think that when you got there that Mrs. Crenshaw would insist that you stay and continue to argue over it for the next fifteen minutes. Even when you had mentioned that you had another stop to make she would just interrupt you by talking about how great the music was this college boy was singing, or go on about how cute he was as if that would make you stay and visit with them awhile. You thought it was sweet that she wanted to talk to you and you felt a little guilty about leaving in a rush, but knew that you could just visit another day. 

Another day when you didn’t have to go deal with multi-million company people and have to study for a huge Physics test. When you somehow had managed to slip away from Mrs. Crenshaw because she was stuffing her face with muffins and dancing to the music, you quickly grabbed your money from Roxy, the head nurse that Oscar said made the call, and hot tailed it out of the park before any of the other elders could pull you into a conversation. 

You were walking your bike down a sidewalk that went out of the park, waiting to get out towards the street to hop back on and get going. Knowing that the road was approaching, you stopped your bike for a second to take a glance at the address written on the card of the basket. Reaching over and into the bike basket you flipped the card over and read over what it said. 

Mr. Mendes

Mendes Corporations 

982 Edgefield Drive 

Toronto, CA R1A K3G

The bike ride from the park to the company building took exactly seven minutes give or take and luckily it was a place you couldn’t get lost finding. From a few blocks away, you were able to spot it and it’s crystal glass walls. By the time you had actually arrived outside of the building, your jaw had hit the floor. When Oscar had said company with an office building, you never expected this. Even when, he said “multi-million” you wrote it off thinking that he was just kidding. Yeah, you thought “oh it will just be a small brick company building that was two or three stories high” - yeah no. This was not the case.

This company had to have been large and very much a multi-million maybe even billion. The building was tall coming up to maybe being the height of a small skyscraper that went up multiple stories, made out of clear glass, accented with silver steel to add detail to the building. With windows surrounding the whole building, it no doubt had a lot of light pour in during the day. Or maybe the windows reflected the harsh light to hit back at the streets, considering you couldn’t see within the building through the windows. Either way you couldn’t know until you actually stepped in. The front was fitted with two sets of doors on either side of a silver large revolving door and above the door were the words Mendes Co. splayed across in thick black letters that no doubt lit up at night. 

To accompany the doors there were two doormen dressed in black fitted suits and white earpieces on, standing on either side of the regular doors. They looked more like bodyguards and could be for all you knew, but with them opening the sets of doors they stood by, it gave you the impression they were just very well dressed doormen. As you looked up at the building, it seemed to go up forever before being cut flat by the open styled roof, that no doubt probably had access to it from a door and stairs. 

Surprisingly with a place that looked so high class and well done, there was a metal bike rack sat near the road. Even that seemed to be better than the other streets you found bike racks at. It was clean and reflected off the lights of the city, not one speck of dust or rust. You somehow found yourself standing outside, looking around to see if the people walking near the building were better dressed and looked ready for a business meeting, but they all appeared like you. Casually dressed and not paying attention to the gorgeous building, they were passing as if it were a normal thing. 

Noticing that the sun was setting more and more behind the city the longer you stood there gaping at the business building, you quickly tore your gaze from it to lock your bike against the bike rack. When secured and sure that it wasn’t going anywhere, you took the basket of muffins in your hand and made your way towards the revolving door. Both doorman/ bodyguards looked you up and down as you reached the door and no doubt if you hadn’t been holding that basket of muffins they probably wouldn’t have let you walk in just by the way you dressed. 

As soon as you laid eyes on the bustling building from the inside, you knew they definitely wouldn’t have let you in. The inside was the nicest place you had ever seen. The walls from the ceiling to the floor were white and smooth showing a faint reflection as you walked by it. Anything else was silver or black causing the whole room to appear sleek and smooth leaving you with the question of what the hell this company really did and was. And if that wasn’t it, the lobby was filled with people fitted like they were made of money. 

From the tight suits that clung to each man to the women that dressed in short pencil skirts or dresses paired with a blazer, their hair all pulled up out of their face and showing their beautiful soft features. Plus, every women had a pair of heels at least six inches tall on the bottom of their feet making them look even more business sexy and tall. Like extremely tall. You weren’t exactly a very short person but next to all these women, they made you look like the size of a twelve year old next to a bunch of NBA basketball players. In that moment you had never felt so out of place before with your ripped skinny jeans and sneakers. 

Your hair was messily pulled into a ponytail with pieces framing your face and along with the jacket and backpack you had on, a grey long sleeve shirt that hugged your chest tightly. Your face barely had any makeup thinking that for work all you needed was some mascara but now you wished you had put on some lip gloss or something because compared to all the other women who supported a lipstick your lips just looked dry and cracked. You knew you didn’t belong in that building and so did everyone else. They all followed you with their gaze and probably felt relieved that there was a basket of muffins in your hand meaning you weren’t actually here for something important. It was funny that the basket provided you with protection from the well dressed vultures and you knew that it would be a whole different story when you had to leave basketless.   

Tucking a piece of hair behind your ear, you moved your way through the lobby towards the front silver desk that appeared to be just as smooth as the walls. A woman sat behind the desk her blonde hair pulled into a tight bun at the back of her head with a tight black skirt and white blouse with the top buttons undone. She looked up from the computer but instead of giving you a harsh glare like everyone else, she offered a soft smile not enough to show her teeth but enough for it to be a smile. 

You took a deep breath never feeling this nervous to deliver a basket of muffins before. Raising the basket, you gestured to it as you explained why someone like you would be in a place like this, “Uh, I have a delivery for a Ms. Bloom which is really-- uh, for a Mr. Mendes.” 

As your words came out stuttered and fast, you mentally groaned at making yourself look like an actual idiot. Now you made yourself look even more out of place if that could even be possible. At embarrassing yourself in front of a woman who was basically a model, you could feel the heat rush up past your neck settling onto your face. You tugged at your jacket mercilessly, worrying that you might actually be escorted out of the building, but a sigh of relief flew past your mouth at the small chuckle made from the model worthy receptionist. “Yes, Mr. Mendes’ office is on the twelfth floor and as soon as you walk out of the elevator there should be a large desk where Ms. Bloom sits.” 

“Alright, thank you,” you replied, raking your fingers through your hair anxiously before making your way towards where the woman was pointing that held the elevators. As you rounded the corner towards the elevators you found people bustling in and out not caring about bumping into you along the way. 

There were a total of six elevators all with large silver doors and blue buttons off to the side. You had managed to slip past a sea of people that were just leaving elevator two and enter into elevator four which only held a couple older men dressed in black suits and a small group of women who were whispering to each other in the corner while sneaking you glances. They were tall like every other woman in this place and dressed in tight business clothes as usual. You were lucky to get an elevator that wasn’t full of people because that might not have set too well with you if you had. 

The elevator itself was lit with white and had lights showering down from the top as the walls were cut into squares all around, bouncing your reflection back at you. Again the nicest elevator you had ever been on and wished more than anything that yours back at your apartment building looked as good as this.

“Floor?” one of the men asked who had white slicked back hair and was carrying a brown briefcase. He didn’t spare much of a glance to you which you felt relieved to not have to face his judging eyes, when you could already feel a hole being burned in the back of your head from the women. 

“Uh, twelve,” you mumbled, hearing the whispers stop behind you for a few seconds before starting up again. 

You weren’t even surprised probably anybody and everybody in this building knew that the twelve floor belonged to the owner of this whole corporation. Which meant that if the lobby were as dressed as they were, walking out of this elevator and onto that floor probably looked liked visiting royalty, and you were not one to walk through the doors and be among royalty. Because of the women behind you, you couldn’t help but dig your fingers into your side while trying to take smooth sturdy breaths but it became too much when you heard one of them say something about how you looked. 

It was muffled and you couldn’t hear much of what she said but it was enough to know it was about you. It caused your stomach to sink further than it already had for being required to be in this building, so it made you a little less fidgety when you reached back and pulled your hair loose from the ponytail letting it fall. Your shiny unbrushed waves laid across your shoulders and you smoothed them down at the top, hoping that it looked a little more put together than it had in the ponytail. 

Luckily, the twelfth floor was the lowest floor selected so you were able to be the first one off the elevator. When the awful ride finally came to a stop at your floor, you spared the men a small smile. “Have a nice day,” you said before walking out of the elevator.

The doors closed behind you and instead of walking forward towards the desk, sat a few feet down the hallway tucked up against a wall, you stood still. Clutching the basket to your chest, you gaze across the most important floor of the whole entire building. As expected, its lined with white from Ms. Bloom’s desk to the chairs that sit tucked into the few other smaller desks sat abandoned in the hallway to the walls. Also, right above Ms. Bloom’s desk was Mendes Co. in the same way it was on the front of the building. Block letters in dark black, concluding that this was in fact his floor. It was modern and sleek and made you wonder to no end about who this man was. Mr. Mendes.

He must have held so much power, in whatever the hell he did, to build a building so large and so high class. You had no doubt that he had a lot of money and from how expensive everything was and set out to be there was no doubt in your mind that Mr. Mendes had to have been older. He had to have built this company up over courses of years to get it to where it is now. It didn’t make much sense to you though that if this company seemed to have so much money and was so well known why you had never heard of it until now. It made you think that if had been around a while that you would have heard about it at least once or twice. Maybe you hadn’t heard of it because you were just some college kid that had her head stuck in a pile of books. 

Within the nice floor, you could hear the faint sound of voices, phones ringing, and the sound of heels clicking against the floor, along with music that had to have been John Mayer but you couldn’t be sure. It smelled faintly of rosewood and spices mixed with some kind of cologne which instantly sent your mind in a frenzy at how good it smelt passing through your nose. It made your body sway and your head swell from how much you were beginning to like it, and knew that all the women that worked here most swoon in the presence of the masculine smell. They probably had fallen to their knees, once or twice, for their boss if Mr. Mendes smelled anything like his floor. 

You were brought out of your thoughts at the sound of a high pitched voice that appeared very annoyed, “No, Mr. Mendes is in a meeting I told you that a half an hour ago and he will still be in a meeting a half an hour from now. I will let him know that you called like I said I would before.” 

You looked to find the voice coming from where the large white desk was set against the wall, being no doubt Ms. Bloom. Approaching her and the desk, you watched as she yelled something into the phone before slamming it down back onto the desk, hanging up the call all together. She sat down in the grey plush chair at the desk and began to fiddle with the computer as if she hadn’t noticed you. You took that small moment to analyze her from head to toe and wasn’t surprised at all with what you were seeing. It was as if there was a pattern for the women that worked in this office or even set foot on its expensive tiled floors. 

She had tan skin that looked like she had just come back from vacation and sleek caramel hair braided back into a low bun with not a single piece of hair out of place. She had piercing blue eyes that matched the colors of the ocean and stood out even more against her dark eyeshadow and winged liner. She had a small button nose that was contoured to perfection and plush pink lips that looked glossy in the light. She was dressed in a tight black dress that fell to right above her knees, showcasing her long freshly shaved legs, and it was so tight against her body that she couldn’t have been wearing a bra or any underwear. It was clear that if it was that tight and she still decided to wear it to work that it probably didn’t bother her. 

And, from the way she ordered the basket of muffins to surprise her boss, dress skin tight with a face full of makeup, and be so defensive on the phone about him it was not hard to realize she had something for Mr. Mendes or maybe with him. You weren’t entirely sure but it wouldn’t be a surprise that with what money he appeared to have he could afford to sleep with his assistant and hire every beautiful person that walked along Toronto. As you thought about it all, you made sure to make a mental note to ask your roommate later that evening about the corporation because with everything you had discovered in the last ten minutes you had never been so curious in your whole entire life.

“Yes?” her high pitched voice snapped from behind the desk, not bothering to look up.

“Oh, uh I have the basket of muffins you ordered from Sensationally Muffin,” you whispered softly, slightly worried she would bite your head off if you said something wrong. 

Instead, though at your words, her eyes lit up and a small smile feel on her face but that all slightly faltered as she looked up and locked gazes onto you. She frowned as she looked you up and down before letting out a distasteful noise that sounded much like an ew. She covered it up though with a small cough and turned her eyes to the basket in your hand. It was a mixed batch between one's like chocolate chip and blueberry to apple cinnamon and pumpkin. In fact the basket had almost every flavor except lemon which was requested to not be added. 

You even added in your favorite muffin creation; a triple chocolate craze muffin that was filled with chocolate syrup. Of course it was delicious and drool worthy but something you could only have one of. They weren’t ordered very often and because the basket required almost every muffin you had on the menu, you thought you would sneak it in because it really was made for the high class. Now that you are standing with the basket in your hands, you’re happy that you added it, or maybe you weren’t because this man seemed to have everything except for your muffin. Which thanks to you, the triple chocolate craze will bless his taste buds though he has probably tasted the grandest of things compared to a chocolate muffin. 

You felt the basket get tugged from your hands and set down onto the desk. It was funny, how much that delicious basket of muffins blended in with the rest of the building because of that stupid grey ribbon. No one would even be able to tell that it was fourteen dollars and came from a cheap bakery a few blocks away. It was sad that something so delicious would have to be given to a man that seemed to be screwing his assistant, but like Oscar always says business is business. 

“How much do I owe you, for the muffins?” she asked picking out a black leather wallet from within a desk drawer.

“Uh-” 

“Wait,” she holds her hand up cutting you off and at first you have no idea why. Then you realize that she has stopped you because of the voices that are coming from down a hall near the elevator that you somehow had missed when you exited and looked around the floor. They were getting closer and one obviously stood out towards Ms. Bloom when she quickly grabbed the basket of muffins from the desk and gave you a pointed look. “I’ll be right back.” 

She turned away from you and fast walked, almost a jog, away from the desk in the opposite direction of where the voices were coming from. Her heels clicked against the floor as she went in a fast set of twos as she made it down the hallway towards a pair of double doors that went all the way up to the ceiling. 

They were made of wood and stained dark almost to the color of black and had rusty red undertones that were seeping past the dark hue. The handles were silver rods that hung off the door and went up past the height of Ms. Bloom even in her heels. Probably stainless steel from the way they looked. She tore open one of the doors and slipped in, disappearing behind it with the basket of muffins in her hands.  

You stood and took a deep breath, running your fingers through your loose hair tugging at the ends. Closing your eyes with the exhaustion kicking in, you could now hear the multiple pairs of footsteps echoing within the floor and the voices becoming more clear. As they seemed to be just around the corner, you could now identify that it was definitely a group of men. All low and deep, shouting multiple things at once, clearly arguing. However, there was one that stuck out like a sore thumbs amidst the others. It was higher and soft to the ears. 

He seemed to be the one centered in the attention because though the rest of voices were jumbled together you were able to hear his words clear, “Enough, enough. I answered everything in the meeting, now stop because I have other things to attend to.” 

Though his voice was demanding and sent a shiver down your spine it did not ward off the other men and only made them yell louder down the hallway as they rounded the corner. Hearing the muffled shouts burst from no longer being a wall away, you turned in the direction of the voices, that sounded clearer then they had before, faces being matched towards the rowdy sounds. Sure enough, walking in your direction was a group of what appeared to be six middle aged men dressed in suits and surrounding the very person that caused their shouting. They trailed behind him and as they only got closer to where you stood it was not hard to spot the man out who stuck out among them. He was tall. Taller than the rest of them which proved to be the first thing that made him stick out. 

The next thing was his age. You easily noticed that he was half of their age at most and very handsome. Possibly the most beautiful man you had laid eyes on and that said a lot, since every young male worker in this building could make your knees weak, but him god he was something else entirely. He had dark curls sat at the top of his head that looked all messy and hadn’t been styled which only made him look more gorgeous. Which seemed impossible since he had a sharp jawline, pretty brown eyes, and pink pillowy lips. He also obviously was fit, you could tell from the way the dark blue suit hugged his long body. It made you wonder what someone like him was doing in a place like this instead of on a billboard somewhere but when the rest of the building was also good looking it kind of wasn’t a surprise that he was here either.

“Gentlemen,” he announced, revealing his soft silk like voice, making it evident that he was the one that had stuck out among their constant rambling down the hallway, “The meeting is over, I appreciate your time but this shit’s done.” 

He continues to walk down the hallway towards you and the men still refuse to give up despite how cold it sounded. He tries to ignore them, looking elsewhere than the six men around him. In doing so his brown eyes fall onto you, stood abandoned at his assistant's desk with flushed cheeks, looking so out of place. At first you thought he would glare at you or laugh at the sight of you in a place like this. Which wouldn’t have been all bad if his laugh ended up to be just as beautiful as he appeared to be, but instead he cocks his head to the side looks you up and down with a curious glint in his eyes. 

You shuddered under his gaze and can feel your cheeks become even more red from his intense stare. He refused to look away from you and as he looked you up and down once more, he began to lick at his lips. You didn’t know at all what it meant the way he was looking at you or why, when there were plenty of more attractive women to drool over, but felt slightly appreciative of it anyway because he was very hot. However, that turned from just a hot man in a suit staring at you into something much more real fast. 

“Mr. Mendes!” 

His eyes broke away for a second at the sound of his name and your blood had ran cold. Your eyes widened at the name and soon realized that this tall man with curls who stood in the middle of the men was the man of this company. He was younger than you had ever expected and now it didn’t appear such a surprise that all the women dressed the way they did especially Ms. Bloom. Any woman would want a man like that who owned what he had. In fact, I’m sure many women did. That’s why you were as shocked as you were to see his eyes on you. 

He noticed your expression as soon as he moved his eyes away from one of the men back to you and realized at the mention of his name that you were startled. You looked like a deer in headlights, innocent and doe eyed. It made his stomach burn at the thought of being with someone like you. A woman pure and not invested in a world of money. It turned him on in a way it never had before, and though you were a complete stranger, if the hall were empty he would have you bent over that desk within seconds, right under his company’s name. 

You broke away from his gaze at the sound of Ms. Bloom returning back to the desk and you had never been so relieved to hear the sound of her heels clicking against the floor. You noticed the way she spared a glance over your shoulder towards “Mr. Mendes” her boss before looking back towards you smugly. “How much?” 

“Uh, um…” 

“Excuse me,” she snapped, “Are you def, how much?” 

“Fourteen dollars,” you replied swallowing the lump in your throat. 

She picked through her wallet and handed you a twenty before shoving the wallet back into the desk. “You can keep the change save up to buy something that isn’t…  well that,” she sneered gesturing to you up and down. 

“Thanks,” you mumbled softly too focused on the gaze still locked on the back of you to even defend yourself against the snippy comment from the assistant. 

Not sparing another second, you turn on your heels and head straight for the elevator. Walking by his tall figure and the other men, you can feel his eyes follow you all the way to end of the elevator. Even when you enter into the small moving box, when you look back out towards the floor you can see his brown eyes disappearing behind the silver doors as they come to a close, leaving you alone and in complete relief to be on your way out of here. As you ride down in the elevator back to the lobby, he on the other hand clears his throat and fixes his black tie before scurrying away to his office behind the large dark wooden doors. 

When he is safely behind them, the men no longer are able to bother him and eventually disperse given up. Shoving his hands into his front pockets, he walks across his office, hands tracing along his desk, stopping at the basket of muffins on his desk. It being the very reason why someone like you were in his building and why you had wanted to leave in such a hurry. He chuckles softly to himself before he continues forward to one of the wall clad windows of his office. He leans against it, gazing down towards the sidewalk in front of the building that appears so much smaller from where he stands. It’s minutes later by the time he notices you bolt from the building and head straight for your bike and though he has to squint to see from how small you appear he knows it’s you from how frantic you are.

He is interrupted by a small knock on his door and the sound of it opening. He doesn’t even have to turn around to know who it is. It was going to happen some time today, he knew from the way she dressed in that skin tight black dress that hugged her whole body leaving no room for undergarments. Other days, that dress would have him locking his office and taking her onto the top of his desk where she would scream for his mercy but today his sight was too focused on something else to give into her. 

“Mr. Mendes,” she said seductively, knowing how much he liked to be addressed that way in the office by her. “I got you a basket of muffins. Your favorite. With how many meetings you’ve been having, I thought it would make you feel a little bit better or just cheer you up. I know how those meetings can be.” 

He didn’t turn around or even acknowledge her words at first too focused on you as you unlock your bike from the bike rack, climb on, and ride away down the street. It finally registered that she had been talking when you were no longer in sight. “Oh, yes. I see.” 

That was all he had said and he still hadn’t turned around. She was pushing out her chest and rubbing her thighs together waiting for him to turn and look at her. She had gotten him a basket of muffins and instead of shoving her face down onto his desk as a way to express his gratitude, he was just staring out the damn window. It had been a week since he had devoured her on his grey couch sat in the corner of the room and she was dying to feel his burning touch again. 

Usually by now, he would have been hot and horny to do a couple rounds from his desk to the couch or even on the floor. Anywhere he could just to relieve the throbbing that would appear between his legs from her in that skin tight dress but clearly that wasn’t the case now and she could see that. See that something else was taking up his mind or perhaps someone else. She was getting nervous that he wasn’t going to turn around, that he wasn’t going to acknowledge her in that dress, and wasn’t going to finish off the ache that her thighs couldn’t do on their own. 

“Is that all, Ms. Bloom?” his voice broke her from her thoughts and she felt her heart drop into her stomach. 

She was shocked that he was denying her and denying any moment to pleasure himself. With realization of what he really was saying that shock turned into anger. Her blood began to boil and now she was beginning to feel hot in more than just one place. Waiting another second, thinking he was going to change his mind, she lost it fully when he sent her a glance over his shoulder and raised his eyebrow clearly annoyed. His eyes showed no trace of lust or need and instead was emotionless not even giving her a once over like he always did. At his small glance, her eyes narrowed and sent him the coldest glare she could muster as her lips curled into a snarl. 

“Yes, Mr. Mendes that’s all,” she spat, the words sounding like venom dripping from her tongue as she turned on her heels and stomped out of the office making sure to slam the door on the way out. 

He sighed at the childish behavior, pissed at her response to him refusing to have sex with her. Sure, she was hot or whatever but clearly she didn’t understand that it was going to happen sooner or later. That he was going to get tired of her and toss her aside. He can only stick with one woman for so long before it starts to taste the same on his tongue. 

Since she was his assistant, she should’ve known this out of anybody with how many women, who worked under him, that he would bring in this office to fuck. Each only ever lasting a few weeks at most, she should have easily known this was going to happen. It was just the way he was and no woman could change that. He knew that if she continued to be upset about the whole thing that he would have to fire her, leaving it only being five months since she’d been hired and even if he did have to, it wouldn’t be a problem. 

Many women wanted this job and would kill to wait on his hand and foot at every hour of every day. It would be easy to replace someone like Ms. Bloom. Plus with her now tossed to the side, he had his eyes set on something else. Something that he was going to get no matter how hard it was because he never got refused. Turns out this something was just a college girl who worked at a bakery making muffins.

next part

[violetsandfluff]

This is the fic I promised everyone on Christmas Eve. I finally finished it, but I won’t bother posting it unless people will actually read it. Are we thinking yes or no 👀

[allwaswell16]

This is a fic rec of One Direction fics where at least one of the main pairing is of an older age than they are in real life as requested in this ask. You can find my other fic recs here. If you enjoy the fics, please leave kudos and comments for the writers. Happy reading!

Larry

💛 The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, @kingsofeverything (E, 109k, cheating au, married Louis, Louis/ofc, Harry/omc, sexuality crisis, chance encounter, silver fox Louis, older Harry, beach, surfing, hotel sex, falling in love, bad decisions, angst with a happy ending, smut)

💛 You Make Lovin' Fun, @homosociallyyours (E, 109k, girl direction, cruise ship, silver fox Louis, age difference, strangers to lovers, polyamory Harry/OC, butch/femme, based on a true story, journalist Harry, vacation, Lesbian cruise, NYC, long distance relationship, light angst, masturbation, smut)

💛 Say Something, @kingsofeverything (E, 105k, a/b/o au, alpha Louis, omega Harry, older Harry, mpreg Harry, heat/rut matching service, age difference, unplanned pregnancy, insecure Harry, lawyer Harry, actor/theatre manager Louis, lactation kink, hurt/comfort, scenting, smut)

💛 Lightning Strikes Twice, @dinosaursmate​ (E, 104k, famous/not famous au, famous Harry, rock star Harry, groupie Louis, book store owner Louis, time jump, second chance, drug use, depression, light angst, smut)

💛 Don't Want Shelter, @kingsofeverything (E, 76k, enemies to lovers au, fwb, silver fox Louis, drinking, drug use, older Louis, older Harry, beach house, home repairs, bed sharing, hurricane, miscommunication, smut)

💛 That's What I'm Here For, @taggiecb (E, 46k, farm au, farmer Louis, older Louis, divorced Louis, age difference, boss/employee relationship, Canada, small town, demi Louis, sexuality crisis, grief/mourning, depression, self care, silver fox Louis, smut)

💛 we should open up (before it's all too much), @disgruntledkittenface (M, 43k, vampire au, vampire Louis, older Harry, grief/mourning, depression, emotional hurt/comfort, support group, loss of parent, dementia, strangers to lovers, falling in love, baker Harry, flirting, banter, smut)

💛 Someone to Fly Home To, @kingsofeverything (E, 34k, exes to lovers, post divorce, older Louis, older Harry, pilot Louis, kid fic but kids are adults now, professor Harry, weddings, travel, infidelity but not between Larry, smut)

💛 One Minute to Midnight, @becomeawendybird / QuickedWeen (E, 29k, curses au, finance guy Louis, actor Harry, older Louis, aging, Seeking Arrangement, sugar baby Harry, sugar daddy Louis, Boston, holidays, holiday parties, NYE, angst with a happy ending, smut)

💛 Moments of Memories, @gaycousinlarry / momentofclarity (M, 17k, reunited au, older Harry, older Louis, nostalgia, romantic soulmates, fate/destiny, fluff, smut)

💛 The One Who Holds My Heart (series), @phd-mama / phdmama (E, 13k, established relationship au, librarian Louis, professor Harry, long term love, marriage, older Harry, older Louis, kissing, angst, smut)

💛 Thought The Song Was Sung, @100percentsassy (E, 12k, famous/not famous au, famous Harry, not famous Louis, ex-boybander Harry, older Harry, older Louis, online dating, phone sex, teasing, flirting, fluff, smut)

💛 a garden in bloom, @gaycousinlarry / momentofclarity (G, 10k, bed and breakfast au, writer Harry, bed and breakfast owner Louis, older Louis, older Harry, platonic soulmates between Louis and Niall, silver fox Louis, bickering, fluff, gardening, pining, insecurity, falling in love)

💛 Silver Fox Harry (series), @softloubabie (E, 8k, older Harry, age difference, jealous Harry, long hair Louis, daddy kink, lingerie, subspace, wall sex, smut, each fic is stand alone)

💛 sweet like cherry vodka, dilfrry (NR, 8k, older Harry, sugar daddy Harry, sugar baby Louis, age difference, college student Louis, CEO Harry, fluff, smut)

💛 'Sup, @mediawhorefics / MediaWhore (G, 6k, coffee shop au, older Harry, older Louis, awkward flirting, disaster gay Harry, embarrassment, fluff, pushy Gemma, Starbucks, lawyer Harry, divorcee Harry, writer Louis, pining Harry)

💛 Have Me And Hold Me, @letsjustsee​ (NR, 5k, established relationship, wedding, wedding day, rain, fluff, no smut)

💛 I Want to Write You a Song, @phd-mama / phdmama (G, 5k, established relationship au, older Harry, older Louis, kid fic, parenting, reverse chronology, America, snippets/vignettes)

💛 You Drive Me Wild, @jacaranda-bloom / jacaranda_bloom (E, 5k, older Louis, silver fox Louis, executive Louis, chauffeur Harry, age difference, masturbation, dirty talk)

💛 may we all have a vision now and then, @gaycousinlarry / momentofclarity (M, 4k, older Harry, age difference, America, bar, one night stand, insecure Harry, strangers to lovers, feelings, vulnerability, kissing, smut)

💛 Empty Nest, @loaded-gunn / LoadedGunn (G, 3k, canon, older Louis, older Harry, kid fic, grown kids, empty nest syndrome)

💛 It’s About Time, @kingsofeverything (G, 3k, friends to lovers, older Louis, older Harry, roommates, marriage proposal, lawyer Louis, chef Harry)

💛 When I leave you / When you leave me / When we leave, @sweariwouldnt (NR, 3k, canon, three scenes, leaving, xfactor era to present era to older Harry/Louis, feelings)

💛 The Depth and the Breadth and the Height, @phd-mama / phdmama (M, 2k, long term relationship au, vignettes, grief/mourning, depression, loss of parent, healing, therapy, hopeful ending, smut)

Shiall

💛 A True Love of Mine, @myownsparknow / myownspark (T, 2k, Niall/Shawn Mendes, older Niall, older Shawn, established relationship au, beach, past Niall/Zayn, funeral, friends to lovers)

Zouis

💛 Pretty Little Plaything (series), Phillipa19 (E, 55k, Zayn/Louis, older Zayn, sugar daddy Zayn, sugar baby Louis, age difference, insecure Louis, jealousy, miscommunication, dom/sub, past relationships, angst with a happy ending, emotional hurt/comfort, wedding, marriage)

[ontowanderlust]

Animanga

Jujutsu Kaisen

❅ Rewritten Fate : Platonic!Junpei & OC; First Year!Junpei Yoshino

What would’ve happened if the events that night changed? What if an anomaly showed up just when he needed it and completely rewrote his fate?

Sword Art Online

❅ Let’s rewrite history, shall we? : Eugeo/OC

Eugeo Headcanons no one asked for. That may or may not be a story later on. So what happens if Eugeo’s already an established character from the start?

❅ A Forewarning : Eugeo/OC

Second part of Eugeo headcanons where he and Kirito meets the guild, and a potential ally...

Imagines

Robbie Kay

❅ Smile, for me?  

POTC Co-stars!AU. Can you describe your perfect guy? 

Shawn Mendes

❅ 2 AM

Two insomniacs going for an adventure of their own 

❅ I Love You  

How does one try to confess without the person ever knowing it? 

❅ Let’s play a game!  

“You’ll pretend you don’t know how I feel, and I’ll pretend I’m not breaking inside.” 

❅ Only a Moment  

You say you’ve already moved on from him but why does he still have this effect on you? 

Tom Holland

❅ Hogwarts AU  

Remind me, whose fault was it why we’re not talking anymore? 

Ian Nelson

Supernatural School Series

The idea behind this story sprouted from my daydreams after reading this story. However, this series focuses more on the relationship between Ian Nelson (The guy who played young Derek Hale in Teen Wolf) and the reader where they happened to be co-stars and Ian had always harbored a crush on the Reader. This series may also known as the Party Games series.

❅  Two Truths and a Lie ❅  Twenty Questions ❅  Would you Rather?

Marvel

Loki Laufeyson

❅ Loki Dictionary

Loki Laufeyson., n.

Prince of Asgard., Rightful ruler of Jötunheim., Master Magician., Sorcerer., Trickster., Silvertongue., Agent of Chaos., god of mischief., god of lies

But there’s so much more to him than what meets the eye, isn’t there?

❅ 1 AM

Established!Loki x Reader where Reader is an Enhanced whose ability is to foresee and experience a stranger’s death

❅ I can’t lose you  

Sometimes, you need to know when to step back or walk away

❅ Is this what [love] feels like?  

Because of a misunderstanding, Loki expects his relationship to burn down in flames but Reader kept on surprising him

Peter Parker

❅ 5 Times Peter thought Tony was hugging him and that one time he actually did  

Based on this fanart, fanfiction about Tony Stark and Peter Parker’s relationship

Musicals

Newsies

❅ Spring time : Jojo Dela Guerrera/Reader

Spring time madness for our lil ray of sunshine  

❅ Party Games Series : Racetrack Higgins/Reader

How do you admit to yourself that you’ve fallen for someone? Through party games, of course. ❅ Truth or Dare

Otome Games

Mr. Love Queen’s Choice/ Mr. Love Dream Date

❅ MLQC Dictionary

It is after all, a love story in the form of dictionary, with entries from dialogue to epistolary, from aberrant to zenith, only a handful of which are longer than a page.

Mystic Messenger

❅ Bright like you

A Luciel entry for @/gureishi’s June event for the Choi twins: #More than words 2021. There are more than enough meaning for your name but I think this one is the best meaning out of all...

❅ Give me the stars

Another Saeyoung entry for @/gureishi’s June event for the Choi twins: #More than words 2021. He loves her... and that scares him the most. 

Potterverse

Felix Rosier

❅ Soulmate AU 

Felix week ‘18 entry. Inspired by a friend’s dream where one bears a burden while the other bears hope.

❅ HPHM MC

A little background of Lillian Sanguine, a character in Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery

❅ HPHM Veela!MC

Headcanons about MC being a veela

❅ HPHM Jacob

Hogwarts Mystery Event Day 5. MC’s dear old missing brother.

❅ HPHM Actor! AU

A little fun idea between writers

❅ HPHM Angst! AU

What’s life without little angsts?

❅ Centerfold  

Coffee shop AU for Felix week ‘18. A single photo can convey what the heart can’t say.

❅ E correi  

5 instances Felix called you those words and the one time he meant it.

Sibling!Jacob

❅ See you again  

This isn’t an illusion isn’t it? This isn’t a dream of a dream where your brother is right there, right within your reach, is it?

TV Series

Once Upon A Time

❅ Fascination : Peter Pan/Reader

“Why can’t I read you?”

❅ The Boy who could’ve been : Peter Pan/Reader

“Is this who you’ll be?”

❅ What is Happiness? : Henry Mills/Reader

“How do you define happiness?”

❅ Scars : Emma Swan/Reader

Established Relationship! Where Emma asks for the meaning behind the scars

❅ It’s a mad, mad world : Peter Pan/Reader

Cursed!AU where Reader and Peter can’t stand each other

❅ Goodbye means : Peter Pan/Reader

Hero!AU where Peter Pan is one of the good guys and Reader sees the world in grey who happens to like Peter but does he like you as well?

❅ Jealousy Series : Peter Pan/Reader

Cursed!Peter Pan x Reader where Peter learns that there are different types of jealousy existed...

❅ The First Type: “I’m jealous but I’ll live,”

❅  Seven Kisses Series : Peter Pan/Reader

Cursed!AU where Reader and Peter Pan was swept by the curse just like everyone else. Reader is the princess of the Underworld whose True Love happen to be the Prince of Lost Boys.

❅ First Kiss (On the back of her hand) ❅ Second Kiss (On her knees) ❅ Third Kiss (On the nose) ❅ Fourth Kiss (On the forehead) ❅ Fifth Kiss (On the cheek) ❅ Sixth Kiss (On the neck) ❅ Seventh Kiss (On the lips)

The Flash

❅ Even if it hurts? : Barry Allen/Caitlin Snow

“You pause for a minute and two then try again”

The Umbrella Academy

❅ 7 times he confessed and the 1 time she accepted his confession : Five Hargreeves/Reader

For all it’s worth, he just want to confess his feelings, dammit!

❅ When he’s drunk ❅ When he’s overwhelmed ❅ When he’s trying to apologize ❅ When there’s only one bed  ❅ When they’re dancing  ❅

Original Works

❅ 5 Stages

The rollercoaster of emotion called love

❅ 12:12  

‘Tis a story of a guy trying to slip through the cracks of a broken girl

❅ I grew up

At what cost?

❅ I wonder

It’s all fairytales and stories until...

❅ That Kind of love  

It’s not unrequited love, but it isn’t a requited love either...

Inner Musings

❅ Rain  ❅ Writers ❅ Comfort ❅ Notebook ❅ Hands ❅ Affection  ❅ Play Pretend  ❅ Tell me  ❅ How’s it like?  ❅

Poetry

❅ Don’t tell me ❅ Vulnerable  ❅ What I truly mean  ❅ I only love three things  ❅ Melody  ❅

❅ None yet ❅

❅ None yet ❅

❅ None yet ❅

❅ Forget the Past Series

An original story of mine created back in high school which depict the story of five girls who experienced the same heartbreak, created a band to forget what they’ve been through while doing so, they had forgotten what it really means to live their lives....

❅ Fall

“What’s gonna make you fall?”

❅ If Only  

“Should I let my heart keep listening?”

❅ The 72nd Hunger Games Series

Before Katniss Everdeen volunteered for her sister’s place in the 74th Hunger Games and eventually igniting the flame of rebellion, there had already been several unfortunate children who had been fighting for their own little sparks.

❅ District 1 Female: Reaping Story

[lonelyreputation]

C’est Toi (coffee shop au) • CHAPTER ELEVEN, wc: 7.6k

previous chapter | let’s chat | C’est Toi Index

Monday  - February 11, 2019 - 18:36 

Holding hands is nice…Really nice.  But nothing will ever compare how nice a first kiss feels.

__

While the sun was hidden behind an array of gray clouds, and the wind was a bit more breezy than usual, I still found some sense of peace sitting out in the courtyard of Somerset.  Students milled about with coffees in their hands either rushing to their next lecture or chatting with friends.

I sat on one of the benches with my journal, appreciating the day, when I heard a familiar––usually friendly––voice cut harshly through the whistling wind.

“You still haven’t told me.”

I closed my journal and looked up at her with a smile, “Afternoon, Ella.”

She rolled her eyes, shoved my legs off the bench, so that I was now sitting normally instead of lounging, as she took the spot next to me and glared, “You got back at ten on Saturday and have yet to tell me about your date.”

Slipping my journal into my bag, I couldn’t hide the smile that slowly made its way onto my face as I replayed everything that happened on Saturday, “It was nice.”

She elbowed by side, “I think I have a right to know everything that happened.”

I let out a laugh, “You have a right?”

Ella nodded her head as if it was obvious, and I only raised my eyebrows, waiting for her explanation, “If it wasn’t for me dragging you into Brightside the first day, you never would’ve stumbled upon it.  And if it wasn’t for me coming up with Operation Sketchbook, you wouldn’t have his number.  And if you didn’t have his number you wouldn’t have gone out on a date.”

Blankly, I stared at her with my mouth open before I let out a laugh, “You can’t take any credit for the first day we went in. It was raining.”

She rolled her eyes before standing up and looking down at me, “I need to know something! I know you’ve been texting him since your date,” she wiggled her eyebrows, “Did you kiss him?”

Embarrassed with what I knew her reaction would be, I looked down at the pavement.  I curled my hands in fists around the ends of my sweatshirt to fight off the cold wind, even though I felt as if I was running a fever with how embarrassed I felt.

“Mick!”

Ignoring her, I stood up and grabbed my bag, turning away from her so as to not feel any more embarrassed.  I was a few feet away before I heard her call out my name again, but this time, it was soft and apologetic.

She offered me a small smile and walked towards me, “Where are you going?”

“Off to finish a paper back in my room.”

Ella let out a small laugh, thinking I was joking, but once she saw my serious face, she scrunched her eyebrows together, “Why not Brightside?”

I shrugged, “I just saw Shawn on Saturday.  I don’t want to seem annoying––”

“You literally went into Brightside every single day before your date,” Ella smirked, “I’m sure he wants to see you just as much as you want to see him.”

I looked down at my shoes and kicked a small pebble.  I had an inkling that he might want to see me, but I was still nervous.  Saturday was such a good day and I didn’t know if it was too soon to see him.

Was there a rule having to wait a certain number of days before seeing the person you went out with? Even though we’d been texting since he walked me back to my dorm on Saturday, would it be too desperate to stop in and see him?

With a deep breath, I tried pushing all the nerves I felt in my chest down, and looked up at Ella, “Want to go to Brightside with me?”

Ella vigorously nodded her head with a smile as she took a step forward, looping her arm around mine.  She started walking toward the direction of Brightside, “Don’t think I noticed how you still haven’t told me about your date.”

I ducked my head and felt my cheeks heat up as Ella squeezed her hand around my bicep.

I failed miserably at concealing my smile, “He took me to Columbia Road Flower Market.”

Ella’s hand around my bicep fell limp as her eyes widened, “He took you to see flowers?!”

I nodded with a hum, as I made sure she kept her walking pace up, “Then we went to Brick Lane and went to a coffee shop in Shoreditch.”

With a sight and a small squeal, I slightly turned my head to look at Ella, who smiled, “Bit of a busy day in East London,” her smile slowly transformed into a smirk, “But you didn’t come back until ten.”

I hummed in acknowledgement of her observation and just kept walking down the street.

“I’m still waiting,” Ella said in a singsong voice.

Figuring I wouldn’t get away from her pestering, I answered her before she badgered me with questions while we were in front of Shawn, “His friends had a little party so we went there.”

“Meeting the friends already?”

Her voice was smug and I rolled my eyes, “Nothing like that.”

“Okay, but did you kiss?”

I pretended I didn’t hear her question again as a gust of wind blew both of our hair back.

Instead of answering her, I let my mind be consumed with thoughts and memories of how the night went after Shawn sang I Want To Hold Your Hand by the Beatles.  There was the obvious applause, people trying to go up and talk to him, but he politely declined their advances, as he weaved his way toward the back wall where Niall and I stood.

Niall shoved Shawn’s shoulder––letting out a low and drawn out smooth––before he left to refill his drink in the kitchen.  We stood on the back wall for a little bit longer, talking about nothing in particular, with his arms seemingly glued to his sides and my arms crossed in front of my chest.

It seemed as if he gained the courage out of nowhere, because I was in the middle of saying something when he reached out one of his hands.  His movements were fast, but it felt as if I experienced the whole ordeal in slow motion.  He reached his hand forward, picked up one of my hands––successfully uncrossing my arms from my chest––and then threaded our fingers together.

I was left a bit stunned, my sentence long forgotten in the back of my head.  But it was alright because Shawn picked up the conversation as if nothing had changed.

And for the rest of our time at his friends house he held my hand.  

He held my hand as he waved a goodbye to his friends, he held my hand as he walked me to the tube station––and held it even tighter when I tried to pull away when I told him I was fine taking the night tube alone.  For the whole tube ride he held my hand, and it was then I was struck with the idea of him maybe wanting to kiss me.  My hand wasn’t clammy all night, but the moment we walked out of Waterloo Station, I knew it was beginning to feel warm.

And when we were at the lamp post he was leaning on when I walked out to greet him…It was silent.  It was silent and I saw him leaning in.  

I wanted to kiss him just as much as he probably felt, but my mind couldn’t ignore the salt and vinegar crisps I had earlier in the night.  Sure, he stole some too, but it was the only thing on my mind as I saw him slowly lean in.

And in a moment of panic, my eyes widened and I held my hand up…Offering him a high-five instead.

He stopped, scrunched his eyebrows together as he let out a small laugh that covered up his disappointed sigh.

He high-fived me back.

“We held hands,” I said dreamily, purposefully avoiding her question again.

“Cute,” Ella said with a tight smile as the door to Brightside came into view, “But did you kiss him?”

I used the closeness of the coffee shop to my advantage, because while Ella was curious and persistent, I knew she wouldn’t embarrass me with that question in the coffee shop.

So, I ducked my head in embarrassment and unlooped my arm from hers, “No.”

“Mick––”

I shushed her and pulled open the door, quickly walking through to stop her interrogation.

“There she is,” I looked up to see Niall beaming behind the counter, “Was wondering when you’d show up.”

Ella smirked at me as we walked up to the counter, “Told ya.”

I rolled my eyes at her and stopped right in front of the register, “Hi, Niall.”

He crossed his arms over his chest and smiled wickedly, “Still tired from the party?”

“I––”

“He was there?!” Ella’s jaw hung wide open as I stared at her with wide eyes.  She then faced Niall, who barked out a laugh, and pointed a finger at him, “You were there?!”

Niall nodded proudly, “Seeing those two together warmed my heart,” he uncrossed his arms and placed both hands over his heart, “He even serenaded her––”

Ella’s eyes doubled in size as she whipped around to face me again, “He sang to you?!”

I quickly glared at Niall, who looked like he was enjoying knowing more than my best friend, before I let out a sigh, “Ella––”

She dramatically threw her hands above her head, “I can’t believe you left that part out––”

“McLane.”

All talking stopped as all of our heads slowly turned to the left where Shawn was standing, holding stacks of paper cups.  His eyes darted back and forth between all of us in confusion, but then he let his eyes linger on me for a second, and I felt my shoulders droop and couldn’t help but smile.

His hair was a bit disheveled, black shirt wrinkled, and one of his shoelaces was only loosely tied together.  Even though he was partially hidden behind paper cups, I still melted at the sight of him.

“Shawn,” I let out a breath to try and control the nerves that bounced around in my stomach, “Hey.”

Niall smirked, “I’ll let Romeo make your coffee.”

And right after Niall excused himself, so did Ella, “I’ll get us a table.”

Both of our friends scurried away and it left us alone for the first time since Saturday.  

What was I supposed to say?  What was I supposed to do?  He was at work after all, so we couldn’t do much, but was there something I was supposed to do? He still held stacks of cups in his arms, so I wasn’t able to hold his hand.

I wish Ella hadn’t ran off so fast.

I rocked back and forth and let out a small breath, “So…The morning shift.”

Shawn sighed and closed his eyes momentarily before opening them back up.  He was still in front of the counter, and didn’t look like he wanted to move behind the barrier anytime soon, “Not ideal.  But I’ll get off when Lola comes in at two.”

As if on instinct whenever I heard her name, I held my breath and felt my jaw tighten just a bit.  I hadn’t completely forgotten about her since her rude remarks about me at the party, but I tried my best to push her away.

“Have some studying to do?” Shawn eyed my bag.  I was about to answer, but both of our attentions were pulled away when we heard the distinct chime of the bell.  I saw Shawn tense up in frustration, eyes narrowing at the customers who walked through the door, as he let out a huff.

But Niall gave Shawn a look––I got this––he said as he walked up to the register and took care of the orders.  Shawn let out a sigh of relief and turned to face me, and his frustrated eyes were now full of light.

“I have another reading,” I answered his question with a roll of my eyes, “But that shouldn’t take too long.”

Shawn nodded his head, “Longer than––” he looked at the clock that was behind the counter, whispering numbers to himself, “Four hours?”

I shrugged my shoulders, “I would say no longer than two––maybe three hours.”

Shawn’s shoulders fell a little, and while he smiled, the corners of his eyes didn’t crinkle like they normally did, “Oh, well I was––I get off in like four hours if you wanted to do something.”

Oh.

My eyes lit up in understanding and I nodded my head, the butterflies I felt in my stomach whenever I was around Shawn felt as if they were making a home, “I can wait.”

Shawn looked relieved as he smiled, with the corners of his eyes crinkling, “Cool––That’s nice.” He shifted around the stacks of cups, so he was securely cradling them in one arm, as he held his other hand up.

I felt the heat rush to my cheeks as I raised my hand up to meet his in a high-five.  But unlike the first time we high-fived outside of my residence hall, he curled his fingers between mine, as our intertwined hands fell between us.

Shawn held a proud smile on his face as he slowly swung our hands in between us, “I’ll bring a latte over to you.”

I shook my head, a smile present on my face, “I can come to the counter.”

He squeezed my hand and I felt the butterflies swarm around every part of my body, “You’re wasting precious time.  I expect that reading to be done before our date.”

Date.

I tried my best to keep eye contact with him, but in the best way possible, I felt nervous about our second date, so I looked down at the hardwood floor, “It’ll be done.”

Once again, he squeezed my hand, and I picked my head to look up at him.  He had a soft smile on his face as he looked at me, and I knew I reciprocated the dreamlike stare.  I didn’t want to stop holding his hand––I wanted to hold his hand for the rest of eternity––but he did have a job and I had studying to do.

In response to his hand squeeze, I returned the squeeze before regretfully dropping our hands.  His eyes immediately snapped down to where our hands previously dangled between us, before he lifted his head and pouted.

“Sadly, we both have responsibilities.”

Shawn sighed and slowly nodded his head, his eyes glancing back down at my hand every few seconds, before he locked eyes with me, “I’ll be right over with your drink.”

It looked like he was restraining himself from stepping toward me, but I made sure to squash any ideas in his head by taking a step back, “I’ll be over with Ella.”

He nodded his head, smiling one last time, before he walked behind the counter.  

It didn’t take too long to find Ella at a table that had plenty of room for two.  I set my bag on the chair, pulling out my notebook and textbook, setting them on the table, before I placed my bag on the ground.

And right as I slid into the seat across from Ella, my back facing the front counter, she looked up from scrolling on her phone, “Did you two really high five?”

I shrugged and flipped open the textbook to a reading I knew I would dread.

Ella took hold of the ends of the book I was reading, and pulled it towards her, which effectively gave all of my attention to her.  I glared as she started talking, “That would’ve been such a cute time for him to sneak a quick kiss in before he went back to work and––Mick…”

She said my name slowly as I avoided her gaze.  I could feel it inside of me that Ella knew.  Ella was the master at piecing together small details and I knew that she knew.

“Did you high five him on Saturday?”

I yanked my book back from her and tried to do my best to concentrate on the words.  But I knew that was a lost cause, especially when Ella continued to talk, “Are you serious––”

“Hey…” I lifted my head up from the textbook as I saw Shawn walk up to the table with a yellow cup.  He placed it down in front of me and I smiled up at him, “Let me know if you guys need anything.”  He placed a hand on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze, “Just call out for me or shoot me a text.”

And with one last shoulder squeeze, I noticed that he had the same look in his eyes that he had on Saturday night.  And it was the same look in his eyes he had just a few moments ago after we stopped holding hands.

Ella smiled wickedly at me, “He so wanted to kiss you before he left.”

“Shut up,” I dismissed her comment and lifted my head up to peak inside the cup.  I’m not sure what kind of latte art he was trying to create, but I knew he had something in mind, and it still made me smile.

Ella rolled her eyes at my comment and opened her textbook, “At least Niall remembered my name when I asked for a coffee,” I looked up at her and let out a small laugh, “He’s a bit loud, but at least he has a brain.”

I raised an eyebrow at her, “You’re complaining about someone being loud?”

In response to my quip, Ella balled up a napkin and threw it at my forehead.  I scrunched up my nose and she flipped me off.  With a shake of my head at her childish behavior, I went to studying.

While Brightside was my absolute favorite space to study, it was increasingly becoming harder and harder to concentrate.  It was always hard to concentrate here, but ever since Shawn asked me out and we went on our date…It felt absolutely impossible.

I was more tuned into hearing his laugh than I was to whatever Ella said.  I found myself sneaking glances at him more than I was looking at the words on the page I was meant to read.  And my mind was preoccupied with how soft his hand was curled around mine.  I was already enamored with every little movement of his before he asked me out, and all of my feelings intensified around him now.

Not that I was complaining.

“Mick,” Ella’s soft voice caused me to blink back into reality.  She smirked, no doubt knowing that she caught me daydreaming about the barista behind the counter, “Wanna head back?”

I shook my head with a smile, “Shawn and I actually have plans for when he gets off.”

Ella’s smirk widened as she started packing up her bag.  I cringed at the loud sound of her chair scratching against the hardwood floor.  As if I could feel his stare at me, I slowly turned my head to peer over my shoulder and saw Shawn’s eyes glued on our table.  His eyebrows were furrowed, almost as if he was worried I would leave––even though we had plans in a few hours.

His worried eyes found mine and offered him a small smile and a wave.  I saw the blush on his cheeks before he waved back and turned around to clean the espresso machine.

“You got him wrapped around your finger,” Ella laughed as she slung her tote bag over her shoulder, “I’ll see ya later.”  

And before she left the table, she blew me a kiss and winked.

If I wasn’t nervous about hanging out with Shawn after he got done with work, I was sure as hell nervous now.  I liked Shawn a lot––more than I’ve liked anyone in a long time––so of course I wanted to kiss him.  But he just made me so…I don’t think I have the words to say what he makes me feel like.

I do know that he makes me feel all light and fluttery, as if I’m floating through a dream.  And I know that while I still rambled uncontrollably around him, his presence was calming.  His smile used to be my favorite thing about him that calmed me down, but since I now knew what it was like to hold his hand…

The way he gently rubbed his thumb along the top of my hand made me feel more calm than anything else in the world.

There was still an hour left until Shawn got off from work, but I was all done with the work I brought.  While I could’ve gotten ahead on other school work, I knew it would be useless.  So I took out my sketchbook––still grateful it was at Brightside and not somewhere in the city––and started to draw.

I tapped my pencil a few times, not really feeling inspired by anything, as I turned my head to look around the coffee shop.  I already had countless doodles of patrons at their table, stacks of cups, and a few versions of the espresso machine.  

With a sigh, I was about to close my sketchbook and call my brother out of boredom, until I heard his laugh.

I don’t know what he was laughing at, but it made my ears perk up and caused a small smile to spread across my face.  Along with a smile, and all the other times I heard his laugh, a small swarm of butterflies erupted in my stomach.  I felt as if I was in the middle of a warm spring day, instead of in the middle of a dreary day in the beginning of February.

The butterflies in my stomach reminded me of a particular butterfly Shawn had tattooed on his arm.  From the countless times I stared at his arms, I had every detail of his tattoo etched into my mind.  And before I knew it, my hand started drawing the outline for the butterfly.  

I was in the middle of drawing one of the flowers when I heard the chime of the bell.

The moment I looked up, I regretted it and wished I stayed concentrated on the butterfly I was drawing.  Lola pranced in, a bright smile on her face as her eyes only looked at Shawn.  She obviously didn’t see I was sitting at a table because her smile hadn’t faltered one bit.

I turned in my seat––pencil still gripped between my fingers with the tip on the page––so I could blatantly watch her.

“Hi, Shawn,” She said happily, completely ignoring Niall who scrunched his nose up.

It was when Shawn smiled back at her––with the same gleam of fondness in his eyes that she had when staring at him––when I felt the butterflies in my stomach slowly disappear.  Even though Niall said that they had no history between them…I didn’t believe him.  

I felt my jaw clench as tight as I gripped my pencil.

“Lola,” Shawn let out a sigh of relief as he went over to the register, punching in some numbers, “I’m so happy to see you.”

The tip of my pencil broke.

It was as if Niall could feel the jealousy radiating off me that he gave me a reassuring smile and secretly shook his head.  He was telling me not to worry.  But how could I not worry when Shawn was looking at Lola the way I wanted him to look at me.

“You know I’m always happy to see you,” Lola smiled wide at Shawn as she walked behind the counter, trying to stand as close to him as possible.

But once she stepped behind the counter, Shawn quickly rounded to the opposite side, leaving Lola standing with her mouth hanging wide open in shock.  Niall let out a laugh and Lola glared at him.

As if Lola wasn’t even on his mind anymore, I saw Shawn walk toward me with a smile on his face.  And even though I was the one waiting for him to be done, I still felt surprised that he walked up to the table I was sitting at.  

He stopped in front of me and shoved his hands into his front pockets, “Let me just grab my stuff and we can go.”

Still feeling a bit dazed, I just nodded my head as I watched him turn on his heel and walk down the stairs.  Before I started packing up my stuff, I quickly glanced behind the counter.  And just like I expected, Lola was sending me a death glare, eyes more narrow than I’d ever seen them before.  But looking a bit deeper, I saw a hint of despair as she looked away from me and watched Shawn walk away from her.

I quickly shifted my eyes to look at Niall who looked like he was trying to hold in his laughter.

I slipped all of my books in my tote bag just as Shawn came up the stairs––taking two at a time.  He didn’t spare a glance at his co-workers behind the counter as he headed straight to my table.  Instead of just a black shirt, he had on a pink sweatshirt under a black jacket, prepared for the London air.

“Ready?” He asked.

Nodding, I stood up and slipped on my own jacket.  And right when I had my jacket on properly, Shawn instantly grabbed my hand and pulled me away from the table.  I let out a small laugh, making sure to grab my bag, as he practically dragged me toward the door.

“See you guys tomorrow!” Shawn said in a cheerful voice, waving at Niall and Lola.

Lola’s arms were crossed over her chest.  And every ounce of sadness in her eyes disappeared as her eyes were locked on Shawn’s hand connected with mine.  Once she lifted her eyes to look at me, I knew I would much rather be stranded out in a snowstorm than have her icy glare on me for a second longer.

And with a smile that I couldn’t contain, Shawn pushed the door open, and we were out on the sidewalk.  

Shawn looked down at me, “What’re you hungry for?”

I shrugged, because while I should probably have something solid in my stomach other than coffee, I wasn’t all that hungry, “Whatever you want is fine.”

Shawn hummed and furrowed his eyebrows in concentration.  We stayed in front of Brightside for a few seconds until a slight gust of wind hit our faces and I shuffled into Shawn’s side.

“C’mon,” he squeezed my hand and started walking up the street, “I know a place.”

The walk wasn’t long, we only had to brave the cold wind for about three minutes before I saw a black building with large yellow writing; EDITOR’S TAP.

Shawn let our hands drop as he held the door open for me, and while I was sad to lose physical contact with him, the warmth of the restaurant was a little more inviting.

Once I was fully in, Shawn stepped next to me, and the tips of fingers touched the inside of my palm.  Slowly, he slid his palm against mine, spreading out my hand as he slid his fingers between mine.

I lied; Shawn’s hand was most definitely warmer than the inside of this restaurant.

He smiled at me before tugging on my hand and walking further in, “Sometimes it’s best to reserve a table here, but it’s never busy on a Monday afternoon.”

And he was right, it wasn’t busy at all.  While there were some people scattered around the place, enjoying a drink, it was practically empty.  Shawn led us to a high rise table for two and plucked the menus out of the holder.

He handed one to me, and I scanned it for a few seconds, before looking up at him, “What do you usually get?”

Shawn looked up from his menu, “Usually just a pizza and a drink.”

I placed the menu back in its holder as it rested on the white tile wall, “Then a pizza and a drink it is.”

He let out a small laugh, “But you’re lactose intolerant.”

I rolled my eyes and brought my bag up to my lap, digging around for the little white square package that was a lifesaver on more than one occasion.  When my eyes found a stray one at the bottom of my bag, I smiled, and lifted it up to show Shawn, “With this I can eat any dairy.”

Shawn smiled as he put his menu aside, “Aren’t you lucky.”  He pushed his chair back and stepped down, “Is it okay if we split a pizza? I don’t think I can eat a whole one right now.”

I nodded my head, “Works for me.”

He nodded, about to walk off, but stopped in front of me, “What do you want to drink?”

I shrugged, “Whatever you get.”

Again, he nodded and he continued to stand in front of me.  His eyes were focused on mine, but his eyebrows were furrowed deep in concentration, as if he was having an internal debate in his head.  I tilted my head, wondering if he was having an internal debate with himself on what drink to order, but my eyes widened when I saw the familiar look in his eyes.

It was the same look he had on Saturday night when he dropped me off at my residence hall.

The same look he gave me a few hours ago when we held hands in Brightside.

And it was exactly how he was looking at me now.

I felt my throat tighten up, hands start to sweat, and I knew my eyes grew just a teeny bit larger in size.  He was just staring at me.  And I knew exactly what he was thinking about doing.

So naturally, I held my hand up to high five him.

That seemed to bring Shawn out of whatever he was thinking about.  A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips.  He brought a hand up to return the high five, “Be right back.”

When he finally left, I let out the breath I’d been holding in.

While it felt nice to know that Shawn wanted to kiss me…I don’t think any person would want to have their first kiss––with someone that they really really liked––when the person was about to order beers for them.

It didn’t seem…romantic.

In no time, Shawn walked back to the table––a pint glass in each hand––as he set one down in front of me.  

The glass was a bit cold when I pulled it toward me, as I looked at the golden amber color that was below the white foam that reached the brim of the glass.  The color of the beer was similar to the golden flecks in his brown eyes.  And with thinking about his eyes, I looked up and saw that he was already looking at me.

“It’s a Camden Hells lager,” Shawn answered the question that I was about to ask, “It’s on the lighter side so I thought you’d like it.”

I smiled in appreciation and lifted it up to take a sip, “How much was everything?”

Shawn rolled his eyes as he placed his pint glass on the table, “Do you really think I’m going to let you pay?”

“It’s only fair if we split half,” I leaned my forearms on the table, leaning in toward the middle of the table, “Please?”

Shawn laughed as he copied my movements, forearms on the table and leaning in close to the middle, “I have a job. I’m more than happy to pay for you.”

With a roll of my eyes, I leaned back on the chair, “If only my visa let me work.”

It was meant to be a joke, something lighthearted about the restrictions that were placed on me with my student visa.  And even though Shawn gave me a weak smile––trying to find the humor in the joke––I could sense that it didn’t make him too happy that I reminded him of my expiration date in the United Kingdom.

We both took a sip of our beers and ignored my poor attempt of a joke.

After a prolonged sip, I placed the glass on the table, and rested my elbows on the table.  With my chin resting on the inside of one of my palms, I looked at him like he was the most interesting person on the planet, “I still can’t believe you told me that you only sang in the shower.”

At the change of subject, Shawn bowed his head as his cheeks turned red, “I wasn’t lying.”

“You sang in front of all those people,” I raised my eyebrows at him, “And it seemed like you sang in front of a crowd before.”

Shawn shook his head, taking another sip of his beer to avoid the question.  But I patiently waited until he set the glass on the table with a sigh.

“Just a few times at parties,” Shawn shrugged, “Nothing special.”

I scoffed, “Nothing–––”  My words were cut off when someone quickly came up to our table and placed a pepperoni pizza in between us.

We both said thank you as two individual plates were set in front of us and Shawn started cutting into the pizza.

“Shawn, you’re really good,” I reassured him as I held up my plate for him to put a slice of pizza on, “You could really be––”

As if he knew what I was going to say, he shook his head and took a bite of his pizza, “I’m more into producing.  Maybe some songwriting, but I don’t want to perform or release my own stuff.”

Even though I thought he had all the potential to be a performer, if his mind was set on producing, I knew there wasn’t anything I could say to change his mind.  I lifted my own slice of pizza, and just when I was about to take a bite, Shawn interrupted me.

“Lactose pill,” he chided me, “You made a whole ordeal of digging around your bag for one.”

Embarrassed that I almost forgot about the pill that would save my intestines, I picked it up from the table, and tore the wrapper.  Shawn looked at me with a proud smile on his face as I popped the chalky pill into my mouth and washed it down with beer.

“Happy?”

Shawn nodded his head, speaking with his mouth full, “You’ll thank me later.”

I rolled my eyes as I took a bite of pizza.

We spent more time talking about the kind of music Shawn liked to produce, I complained about some of my lectures, and we both laughed when Shawn missed his mouth as he took a sip of beer––that spilled down the front of his sweatshirt.

The pizza was finished before the beer; and while I always had a hand around the pint glass, my free hand slowly inched toward the center of the table.  I thought my movements were subtle, but I did see his eyes flicker down whenever my fingers creeped forward.  

If he was as in tune with my movements as I was with his, then he definitely knew what my intentions were.

I saw him nonchalantly itch the bridge of his nose and drop his hand on the table.  And, just like I had done moments before, he carried on our conversation without missing a beat.  And while he kept steady eye contact with me, I saw the corner of his mouth slowly upturn every time his hand moved closer to mine.

And even as the tips of his fingers brushed mine, he still continued talking as if nothing important was happening.

He seemed to be acting so cool, calm, and collected when I felt the exact opposite.

The moment he slid his fingers between mine, I felt hot.  And when our hands were connected, I briefly looked down at them, and my stomach flipped with nerves.  But when I looked up and into Shawn’s eyes, who had the softest smile on his face––with the corners of his eyes crinkled––he gave me a squeeze and I felt myself come undone.

Even after our beers were finished, we continued to talk with our hands intertwined across the table.

I didn’t want to leave, and I know Shawn didn’t either, but the restaurant was starting to fill up and we knew we had extended our stay.  With a sigh, I regretfully pulled my hand away from Shawn’s––who looked just as sad as me––and slid off the chair.

Once I had my jacket properly on and my tote bag over my shoulder, Shawn took two steps to where I was, and reconnected our hands.

We walked out of the restaurant and the air didn’t seem as cold as before.

“What’s on your schedule for the rest of the day?” Shawn bumped my shoulder.

I leaned into his side to bump his shoulder back, but the warmth that radiated from his side kept me pressed up against him, “I’ve been putting off laundry.”

Shawn let out a laugh, “You and me both.”

“I also have to study, but I don’t want to,” I smiled when I felt his thumb rub up and down my index finger, “What about you?”

“Well, I don’t have to study,” Shawn smirked as we stopped at a corner of a street, waiting for the go ahead to cross, “But I do need to do laundry. I’m out of clean black shirts.”

I scrunched my nose up in disgust, “Are you wearing a dirty shirt?”

Shawn shrugged, “I’ve only worn it twice.”  Even though his shirt was under his sweatshirt and jacket, I still leaned away from him.  “Oh, come on,” Shawn tugged on my hand to pull me back into his side as we crossed the street, “It’ll get washed today.”

I rolled my eyes as we came up to the familiar Temple Underground Station and I felt my heart sink that we’d have to part ways.  I was ready to dig around in my bag for my Oyster card, but Shawn seemed to have other plans.

I felt a tug of my hand, and I was only able to make out a devilish smirk on his face before he started to run.  And when he ran, my hand connected to his was pulled along.  We ran past the Underground station and across the road behind the station.

Once we made it to the other side, and stood by a small wall that kept people from falling into the Thames River, we tried to catch our breath.

“There was a red double decker bus coming at us full speed,” I brought my free hand up to my chest to even out my breathing, but Shawn’s laughter made it hard.

He squeezed my hand, “We made it.”

“Barely.”

As both of our laughing simmered down, we continued to stand in front of each other, hands still connected.  I had no idea what his intentions were with running across the street when we were literally at our destination, but I didn’t have to think much longer when I saw it.

It was the way his shoulders looked slightly more relaxed.  The subtle tilt of his head with an easy closed lip smile on his face. It was how his eyes looked as if they were captivated by the most interesting thing in the world.

It was the same look he had on Saturday night when he dropped me off at my residence hall.

The same look he gave me hours ago when we held hands in Brightside.

The same look he gave me right before he was off to order us food.

And it was exactly how he was looking at me now.

I gulped, “Do you work tomorrow?”

Shawn let out a relaxed breath and I didn’t miss how he slowly took a step closer to me, “Yeah. Afternoon.”  He spoke shortly.

I nodded, and looked to my right to see a boat going down the Thames.  When I turned my head to look back at him, it was the same moment he took another step forward.

“I’ll stop by––”

“You have class.”

I nodded my head, becoming all too aware of how close we were actually standing together, “I can always be a little late.”

And even though he rolled his eyes at my statement, his eyes still shined bright, “We both know you hate being late.”

“I can stop in after class,” I rushed out.  And while I wanted to avoid his intense stare, there was still a calmness held in his eyes that I couldn't tear myself away from, “Or maybe Wednesday? Do you work this Wednesday?  I’m done in the afternoon––”

“McLane.”

It was like he knew I was going to hold my other hand up to high five him, because with his free hand, he tangled our fingers together.  

“I can even just come to hang out,” I started rambling, something I hadn’t done in quite a while in front of him, “I can get some work done––Because now that I––I think I have a lot of work to catch up on?  I’ve been putting off lots of work–––

I effectively cut myself short of my own rambling when he let go of one of my hands, and brought one of his hands up to tuck a piece of hair behind my ear.  And instead of letting his hand either fall down to his side, or go back to holding mine, his hand softly touched my cheek.

I sucked in a breath.

While his thumb stayed on my cheek, his other fingers curled around behind my neck.  I lifted my head up slightly to look into his eyes.  The same look was still there as he started to rub soft circles against my cheek.

“I––”

“McLane,” he whispered my name with a bit more significance.  And even though I could sense the seriousness behind his tone, he still sounded happy…like all the times he called out my name when I walked into Brightside day after day.

I felt the butterflies slowly build up in my lower stomach as he leaned his forehead against mine; both of our eyes still open and staring into each other's eyes.  I knew Shawn’s eyes looked soft.  But my eyes? I was sure they were wide and wild with anticipation.  Because while there was nothing else I wanted to do more than kiss him…My thoughts always seemed to get the better of me.

Was this really happening? I knew that Shawn liked me…And I knew he wanted to kiss me…But thinking that it was possibly––most likely–– going to happen now?  Was he about to kiss me after we barely escaped being hit by an iconic red double decker bus?

There was no way I could interrupt this with a high five.

“I really want to kiss you right now,” He breathed out as he brushed his nose against mine.

My eyes went wide at his confession, “I––Yeah. Okay.”

And before my mind could scold itself on why that was my response instead of––Yeah, Shawn, I really want to kiss you too––he closed his eyes and pressed his lips against mine.  

His lips were soft and gentle as he hesitantly brushed his lips over mine again. I could feel the nervousness behind the barely there kiss.  But after noticing that I wasn’t recoiling away from him, he bent his head and gave me a real kiss.

The moment he pressed his lips against mine, he dropped our connected hands and wrapped an arm around my waist.  I was highly aware of the way his fingers curled around behind my neck, very aware of how close I was pressed up against him, and very much aware of how slow his kisses were––even though I could tell he was trying to restrain himself.

With my eyes closed, I heard the distant sounds of traffic, smelled espresso beans off of Shawn’s clothes, finally tasted his lips against mine, and even the softness of his sweatshirt I felt under my hands couldn’t conceal the rapid pace of his heartbeat.

While the kiss never picked up speed, he still slowed down his movements to the point where his lips met mine in an agonizingly slow pace.  It took everything in me not to kiss him back with every ounce of passion I felt for him.

Like every time I was around him, I couldn’t help but smile.  I tried to push my smiling to the back of my mind, but there was something so…so alluring about his presence that made me want to smile.  And with my eyes still closed, as I felt Shawn try to continue to kiss me with my smile, I felt a shiver race down my spine.

Every poor latte art design, every time I suffered getting stuck in the rain, everytime Niall teased one––or both––of us…It was all worth it because it led to this moment.  A moment where I felt nothing but pure bliss as the wind picked up.

A/N: Finally…After one too many high-fives…A first kiss! And it won’t be the last of kisses between them 😊 And we saw a bit of jealousy in Mick…Wouldn’t it be a shame if that jealousy kept coming back?? Hmmm ✨✨✨

Anyway, it’s been a crazy past few weeks, but I’ve done lots & lots of C’est Toi planning and finally finished chapter 13 in my docs 🥳 So weekly updates will continue ! Thank you all so so much for your kind words, they really mean the world to me and give me so much motivation to continue writing!!

I love you all more than I can put into words! I’ll forever cherish each and every single one fo you!! Make it a good week, I’ll be sending good vibes your way 🥰✨💗💥

C’est Toi Taglist: @mendesficsxbombay​, @5-seconds-of-mendes​, @pupsandducks​, @musicalkeys​, @im-salt-but-not-salty​, @shawnmendez​, @crossedties​ @lenamds @samaratheweirdo​    @shawnsreputation​ @ineedmorestyles @kerwritesthings​

(send me a message if you want to be removed / added!!)

[greekmythologyslut]

The Coffee Shop

Part 1

“I write a bad pick up line on your cup every time I’m your barista.”

        It was a quiet hour when he came in the first day. There were no businessmen in suits rushing for their drinks, and only a few chairs had students from the nearby college. An old couple, regulars who came in so often that the waiters had memorized their orders, sat in the corner while chatting lightly. The soft buzz of the café was comforting to (Y/N), as was the jingle of the bell which interrupted the quiet music every so often. She loved this place.

“(Y/N), Amelia’s coming to take over the cashier. Head back to make the coffee.” Leia, her manager grumbled as she walked past (Y/N). (Y/N) nodded, abandoning the counter with a chuckle at her friend’s instruction. She looked up at the displayed orders on the screen, the gentle shoving from her coworkers not deterring her from her task. Order after order she completed, her hands hardly ever leaving the coffee machine. She was in quiet thought, her surroundings noticeable, but not prominent. Until, just once, she let her gaze drift back up to the front of the store, and her eyes landed on him.

Him. She would have glanced right over him had he not been the most interesting thing she had seen all day. Or all her life. He was beautiful, as cliché as it sounds. Dark, wavy brown hair messed enough that it almost seemed styled, with eyes that shined like molten gold when caught in the sun’s rays. The man at his side leaned over, saying something that brought forth a smile onto his face. And his smile - anybody would be jealous of the grin of an angel.

He was beautiful.

And she was terrified.

Instantly, she ducked behind the espresso machine, doing her best to get out of his line of sight. Her hand shot up to her messy bun, suddenly very conscious of her wild look.

Breathe, She thought. It’s just a guy. A highly attractive guy that is making you sweat and panic. But you never see him again after this, so breathe. With a sudden intake of air, she pulled out from the large machine, a quick peek around the café assuring her that no one had seen her disappearing act.

After a few moments of waiting, a new order popped up on the screen, and she set to work. There wasn’t much to it; a caramel iced coffee was simple to brew. And yet, her hands were shaking at the thought of her next step. She picked up the cup, and in her nicest font, copied his name onto the tag.

Shawn. She glanced back at the front, her eyes directed at the dark haired man. It suits him. With a half-smile, she ducked her head and continued. Now, she wasn’t the bravest person when it came to new people, or people in general, but her small amount of spunk took her a long way. She stole another quick glance at the front, her mind urging her to get his attention. And so, in an unfamiliar burst of confidence, she wrote down the first pick up line that came to her head.

Are you a knight? ‘Cause you slay.

She grinned, and for a second, she was proud of the line that she had written on his cup. Clicking the lid into place, she turned to bring the drink to the counter. But, as quick as it had appeared in her, the sudden boldness was gone, leaving her in a silent panic.

What am I doing? That sounds dumb, and cheesy. Oh, God he’s gonna think I’m a creep. She was yanked out of her thoughts by Amelia, a sweet, gray-haired coworker who swept by and gently pulled the coffee from her hands.

“I’ll take that up to the counter for ya, sweetheart. You've got a large group comin’ in right now.” Amelia gave (Y/N) a kind smile, making her way up to Shawn and the other man before (Y/N) could object. A quiet noise of panic left her mouth, but she quickly turned around, busying herself with the new customers. Still, she watched out of the corner of her eye as Amelia called out his name. As Shawn reached out to grab his order, (Y/N) dusted off her hands, walked calmly to the back, and dove behind the extra boxes.

She sank to the floor, back pressed against the uncomfortable cardboard. Her hand clutched harshly to her forehead, palm continuously coming down on the skin as she scolded herself. For a short moment, she sat there, listening for any sign that embarrassment was heading her way. But the only sound that rang out was the chime of the bell above the door. (Y/N) peeked around, seeing a flash of hair before he turned the corner, and disappeared from her view.

The loud sigh she let out resounded in the small space, relief over the lack of confrontation welling in her. A moment later, still sitting on the floor, a small chuckle erupted from her chest as she blew out her cheeks. A shaky hand ran through her hair as she suppressed a grin. It didn’t seem like much to her friends and coworkers, but the daring move left her breathless.

Little did she know that, walking along the sidewalk, Shawn was grinning wildly at the sentence on the tag of his cup.