The One After [SHAWN MENDES]

Chapter 39

Shawn and I were eating dinner together at my small table. I made spaghetti sauce with a vegan ground beef substitute which I served over some garbanzo bean pasta. Mine had tons of fresh parm, but Shawn was eating his plain. I also made us each a salad, and for dessert we were having tofu ice cream, which terrified me a little. I had a pint of the good stuff in case I couldn't deal with it.

"Remember when we talked about getting high?" he asked.

"Yes." What I remembered most about that conversation was the idea of having sex while lit.

"I brought some stuff tonight, if you're up for trying it."

I smiled at him. "I'm definitely into the idea, but this is a smoke-free building. I could get in trouble with my landlord."

"Good thing I brought edibles, too. We can smoke at my place another time since I've got a patio."

"What kind of edibles?" I wasn't super familiar with this stuff.

"Gummies. They are not very strong, so I thought you could start with one and add another if needed."

"How many do you usually take?"

"Two, sometimes three when I'm using this brand. Like I said...they aren't that strong. There's more intense shit out there, but since you said you get paranoid, I didn't want to jump right into the good stuff."

I ate a couple bites of my dinner. "What if I get weird? Are you ready for that?"

"You're already a little weird, Lulu," he said affectionately, using the name he'd started calling me.

"Okay...but I can get weirder."

"Which is why we're starting with one. If you're not into it, that's fine. Would you mind if I took some? I haven't gotten high since I got back home."

"I want to try, but I'd never mind if you did it without me when we're together," I assured him. "Just nothing harder than this. Drugs scare me."

"I'm not a druggie. I promise."

We finished our meal and did the dishes together before going to the living room. Shawn put on some music, which sounded a lot like the stuff my dad was into, and then he took a small tin out of his backpack. "I got these in California. Each gummy has five milligrams of THC. I picked indica since it's more calming." He then handed it to me to look at, though it's not like I understood what any of the terms on the label meant.

"What's the other type?" I asked.

"Sativa, but there are a bunch of different strains in each category. If you smoke much, you can sometimes identify the type by the smell. Some weed smells horrible, but that's often the best. There are other kinds that smell pretty pleasant. Most regular smokers have their preferred variety. I like one called sticky buns."

"Sounds vaguely sexy."

"It's sweet, which is why it has that name. It's a hybrid strain that leans indica," he explained.

"You're quite the marijuana expert!"

He chuckled. "It's been good for me. I prefer using an herbal remedy to a prescription."

"Maybe it'll be good for me, too," I said hopefully.

He opened the tin and offered me one before taking two for himself. We both popped them in our mouths, and I made a face at the taste, which caused him to laugh. "I should have warned you that they aren't like candy."

"I wasn't expecting it to taste like weed, but it isn't bad. How long does it take?"

"It depends on the person's metabolism. It usually hits fast for me. I'd give it an hour before taking more."