Never Be Alone//Shawn Mendes

25

The next morning I wake up to my blaring alarm. I roll over and pull the cord out of the wall. The night before, I had stayed in bed since my mom brought me home from school. She brought me up food whenever I sent her a text. She's all worried, knowing that something is up, but she doesn't know what. I hadn't told her, not wanting her to be upset, for she had just started talking to a really nice man and was actually happy, for the first time in a while. I pulled my laptop on my bed and checked my texts, still having nothing from Shawn. Mom said that he  just needs space, which is probably true. But still, I miss him so much.

Putting on a jacket, I walk outside into the crisp air. My new town is alien to me, so I thought it'd be nice to look around and see what's here. I turn a corner, and walk into a delicious smelling café, called Coffee Beans. Real creative, right? The place is surprisingly packed, the air warm with the heat of bustling people and hot coffee. Handing the cashier $5, I tell him to keep the change and grab my pumpkin chai. I gotta keep this place in mind, it's cute and sure does make great chai. Outside, the frigid air reads below freezing, and snowflakes trickle softly from the gray sky. It's an absolute perfect fall day out, and I'm glad that I wasn't locked up in my stuffy little school. Moving here for a new start? That honestly didn't turn out so well, and just the thought of Ben makes me feel sick.

On my walk home, a black car speeds by me, definitely going past the speed limit. I curse loudly, feeling the chilly water sink into my sneakers.

"Ugh!" I wipe all the dirt that I possibly can off my leggings and turn around, to make my journey home, but slam into a body. Past the person's shoulder, I see the black car had stopped, the owner must've come back to check on me. I blink a few times, focusing my sight to see who splashed mud on my perfectly nice leggings. I gasp. He grins. Standing in the shadow of Shawn fricking Mendes, my heart basically stops in my chest.
----------------------------------------------
"What the hell are you doing here!" I shout, hitting Shawn's chest. His goofy smile fades.

"I...I-I don't know. I hadn't planned on seeing you again like this," Shawn sounds confused, as he stumbles on his words. He has dark circles under his eyes, and is wearing a pajama shirt. I have the impression that he hasn't gotten much sleep the night he found my letter, and made it through hundreds of miles just for me.

"Nicole?" Shawn puts my face in his hands, worried. It feels so nice, to have him touching me, his soft warm hands on my chilly cheeks. I push away the comfort, making a sacrifice for our own good. Grabbing his hands and taking them off my face, he frowns.

"Shawn..." I start, "We aren't a couple anymore."

"But... Nicole! I...I- I don't know what I was going to say when I saw you again. All I know is that I drove through 6 states to find you. I had stayed up all night tracking clues to find your new town. I spent every last dollar on my personal savings for gas, a passport, and a lot of other crap that I would usually not want to spend my money on, but I don't care. Because it was worth every penny, just if I get to see your face one last time."

I can feel the redness in my cheeks. "Shawn...I, I don't know what to say. I didn't know you went through all that."

"Well I did! And trust me, I had a really hard time. But like I said, it was worth it. Even though I know you don't want me here, all I needed was to hear your voice, one last time."

Shawn's eyes are full of sadness. I try to think of something to say, but my mind is completely blank.

"Well... I was just on my way home. But why I'm still here, would you like a coffee? On me? I ran into the cutest little cafe down the road." I can tell that Shawn notices my changing of the subject, but he doesn't seem to argue.

"Yea, that'd be great. You know how I usually take it, I'll stay here in my car."
Thinking that Shawn had suddenly started acting weird, I try not to question it as I turn back to the shop.
I order him a small hazelnut, the way he always gets his, and use the rest of the cash I had on me. Hesitating to see Shawn, I walk slow, trying to think of conversation. I was careful to see the name of the street that I had left Shawn on, but when I get to Main Street, there's no car and no Shawn.

Okay...He ran away? What a douche. I can't believe this. I huff and stomp back to my house, angrily complaining to myself the whole walk. Why'd he just ditch me? He was the one who came all this way, just to see me! Unlocking the front door, I go into the kitchen and throw away my empty cup, placing Shawn's on the counter.

"So..." His voice comes from behind me, making me jump.

"Shawn! What the heck!! How did you get in?" I huff again and give him the evil eye, but he knows that I could never, truly be upset with him. He smirks, and I wonder how he's so confident, when every possible worry ran through my mind.

"I know your mom, and she easily gave in to my little plan. But as I was saying before you rudely interrupted me," Shawn takes my hand. "I know that we aren't a couple anymore. But what I do know, is that I'm in love with you. Not a high school crush, but a complete, deep love that I know is real. We're young, yes, but that doesn't mean we can't be together and happily in love. We've been through so much together, and I know that I want to keep going through my life, with you besides me. Say you love me, and I'll make you the happiest girl alive. Say you don't, and I'll let you go."

"I...I can't say that I don't." I stutter, taken aback by his sweet words.

"Good, because that would've been a lot of money if you said no."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

Shawn kneels down, still holding my hand, and reaches into his jacket. He pulls out a small black box, and I gasp. 'OMG!!' My mind shouts, but my mouth stays open, shocked and silent.

"Nicole Summers, will you marry me?"