The One After [SHAWN MENDES]

Chapter 137

We'd just gotten settled in our first class seats, and I was watching the passengers walk past us down the narrow aisle. Only maybe one in ten recognized Shawn since most were focused on getting to their own row. The people who happened to notice who he was got a surprised look on their faces but kept moving since this was hardly the situation to stop and chat or ask for a pic.

"Are you a nervous flyer?" I asked my boyfriend after everyone finished boarding.

"Are you assuming I might be since I have anxiety in general?"

"Maybe that's a little part of it," I admitted.

"I have zero nervousness on planes, and I've conditioned myself to fall asleep before we even reach our cruising altitude, so if you're a chatty traveler, you are out of luck."

"It's a ninety minute flight! Why would you sleep?"

"I sleep because I can."

"Okay, Descartes, but you'll miss the in-flight beverage," I said as I buckled my seatbelt. "Diet Coke tastes extra delicious on an airplane."

"I noticed that you put a bunch in our fridge. I hope that poison doesn't infect my kombucha," he teased.

Our fridge.

I'd moved in few days ago, so I was adjusting to the idea that his condo was also mine. My apartment still had all my furniture, but my clothes and shoes were on my side of the condo's master closet, my kitchen necessities were merged with his, and we each had our own sink and counter space in the large master bath. On Monday, a moving company was bringing over his bed along with the items we'd selected to add to his furnishings, and then everything else of mine was being put in storage.

A tiny part of me lamented relinquishing the independence I'd cherished for years, but I knew that feeling stemmed from fear. It was scary to take this step with someone, especially when we'd had a fairly rocky start. Shawn, however, was calm, cool, and collected about the transition. After unloading my boxes and suitcases, he encouraged me to start rearranging things in ways I liked. The kitchen got a complete overhaul since his organization method had things placed on completely illogical shelves or in impractical cabinets, and even though he had to relearn where things were, he didn't mind at all.

In spite of the fear, I was very happy that we'd taken this leap forward in our relationship. Sleeping side by side each night felt significantly different now that I knew it was a permanent arrangement. It gave me a warm sense of security that I hadn't felt since my mother died, and I wasn't even fully aware I was missing that feeling until I had it again.

Ten minutes into our flight, my man was out cold, so I used the time to make a list of things I needed to do for the girls' wedding, which was a week away. They'd met with my dad to discuss their vision for the cake, and then we'd had a video chat with my uncles who were working together on the food, which was going to be a mix of Fallon and Briya's favorite foods. I wasn't sure how they'd handle making South Asian dishes, but they insisted that after years of cooking, they could make anything.

Shawn's eyes opened right as the wheels hit the tarmac. "We're here already?"

"I honestly thought you were kidding about sleeping."

"I can't help it. Was there any turbulence?" he asked.

"None at all. You might want to wipe that drool from the corner of your mouth before someone takes a photo of you."

We were met by a driver at the luggage carousel, and after being stuck in New York traffic for forty-five minutes, we made to to The Williamsburg Hotel in Brooklyn where he'd booked the Skyline Suite.