The One After [SHAWN MENDES]

Chapter 45

After reading Shawn's texts several times, I tossed my phone onto the couch cushion and screamed into one of the throw pillows. I fucked up.

Again.

How on earth was I going to convince him that I wasn't ignoring him to be petty? Yes, I chose not to respond to the first couple texts that I got in the laundromat, but I had every intention of doing it after my nap. It's not like I knew I would sleep nine hours!

I glanced over at my phone and wondered if I should reply right away. I didn't want to wake him, but at least it would show that I got back to him as soon as I woke up. He'd also see that his messages hadn't been opened until now, thanks to my read receipts. I decided to go for it.

Hi. I just woke up.

I got home from doing laundry and accidentally slept nine hours.

Sorry I didn't see your texts.

I waited for the three dots to appear, hoping he was up late writing music or watching a movie. They didn't.

My stomach growled loudly, so I went into my kitchen and ate some more cold pasta after feeding Inky her dry food. "If I turn into a crazy cat lady, you'll have some friends to play with," I told her. She looked up at me, meowed, and went back to eating.

Once I was full, I returned to the living room and grabbed my phone and the book I was reading, which I took in my bedroom. I washed my face, brushed my teeth, and crawled back in bed, expecting to be up for the rest of the night. Ten pages into the steamy novel, I started yawning, and before long, I knew I was going to fall asleep. I turned off the lights and didn't wake up until my alarm chimed at seven.

I was in my kitchen making coffee a few minutes later when a knock sounded at my door. I knew who it was before I looked through the peephole.

"Hey," Shawn said with an anxious expression on his face after I opened the door. "I know it's early, but you're always up by seven on workdays, so I thought it would be okay to drop by."

"Of course. Come on in. Coffee?"

"Yeah, I'd love some, thanks."

I made him a mug and we took them to the living room. My heart was beating a mile a minute while I waited for him to confront me about ignoring him.

"Are you feeling okay?" he asked. "You're pale and you have circles under your eyes."

I'd barely paid attention to my reflection when I used the bathroom and brushed my teeth earlier, so I stood up to check my appearance in the mirror that hung over my couch. He was right. I looked like shit. "I thought I was just really tired, but maybe I'm sick." Instead of sitting next to him, I moved over to the dining area to be safe. "I slept for fifteen hours."

"Do you want me to take you to the doctor?" he asked with genuine concern.

"I don't have any other symptoms, though my throat is a little sore. I thought that was from...you know."

A smile flickered across his face. "I don't think I'm quite that big."

"Maybe I should take a sick day."

"Definitely. I'll stay here with you."

His kindness, given that I'd blown him off, was so overwhelming that I burst into tears. Shawn leapt up and squatted in front of me. "Don't cry, baby. You're going to be okay. You just need to rest for a few days."

"Th-that's not why I'm crying," I sputtered.

"What is it?"

"I ignored you and it was obvious in your texts that you were upset, and then you came here to talk about it, but now you've dropped that and you're being so perfect. It's a lot, given how I was feeling yesterday."

"I don't think we should get into everything from yesterday right now." He stood and took his hands in mine, pulling me up. "You need to get back in bed." He led me to my room and tucked me in. Then he went to the kitchen and got me a big glass of water.

"I kinda want a Diet Coke," I told him when he set the drink on my bedside table.

"That's the last thing you need. Pop isn't hydrating at all, and the chemicals are terrible for your gut flora."

"My mom used to give me ginger ale when I was sick as a kid," I argued.

"That's much better than that poison you like, since it doesn't have artificial sweeteners. Do you want me to go get you some?"

I shook my head. "I'm fine. Do you think you should put a mask on? You're going to get sick."

He sat next to me on the bed. "I kissed you yesterday, so I think we're past the point of worrying about me catching whatever you have."

I started crying again. "I'm so sorry."

"Why? You didn't know you were sick. Maybe you should text the girls to give them a heads up."

He was right. Briya especially needed to know since she worked with small children. Shawn got my phone and I sent them a message. Fallon replied right away.

Do you have a fever?

Should you get tested?

She didn't have to say what I needed to get tested for. COVID. There was the new variant, so maybe it wasn't a bad idea. I didn't have any self-test kits on hand, though. I told Shawn what she suggested.

"I'll go get a couple tests," Shawn said. "She's right; it's better to be safe than sorry."

"Can you get some ginger ale and some chicken noodle soup while you're out? You might want to get some food for yourself, if you meant it when you said you wanted to stay with me."

"Yep. I'll get us enough provisions for a few days."

Something occurred to me. "If I do have COVID, then you probably have it, too. You shouldn't go out in public, even if you're masked."

"Shit. You're right. I can place an online grocery order, right? They'll just leave it outside the door."

I nodded. "That's probably for the best. I have an account so I'll do it."

Fifteen minutes later, my order was submitted. The delivery was scheduled for later that morning, which was fine since I had breakfast food on hand if either of us got hungry.

I sent my dad and uncles an email explaining that I was sick and that unfortunately the whole family was exposed to whatever I had. All four of them replied saying that I didn't need to worry about anything, and they asked if I needed anything. There was a very good chance that mass quantities of food would be dropped off later that day. In fact, the canned soup I ordered could sit in my cupboard if Uncle Sal or Ollie made me the real deal like I hoped they would.

I got up to pee and decided to take my temp. It was above normal, but not so high that I was concerned. I then took a quick shower since that usually made me feel better. Afterwards I put on clean pajamas and crawled into bed next to Shawn who had gotten cozy while I was in the bathroom.

"I canceled my training session," he told me, "and I said I might be out awhile if I end up sick."

"Sorry."

"No more apologizing. You aren't to blame."

"But what if it's COVID and my family catches it? My grandma is eighty!" I asserted.

"She's vaccinated, right?"

"Yes. Everyone is."

"While you were in the shower, I was reading up on this new variant. It's fairly mild for vaxxed people, but for all we know, you've got the flu or some other common virus," he said.

"What happens if it isn't some random bug and you get COVID? Aren't you supposed to go to New York this week?"

"My plans can be changed. The only big event coming up is my movie premiere, but that's eleven days away. I'll be fine by then, even if it is the big C."

Tears started to burn the corners of my eyes as I marveled at how incredible Shawn was handling this.