Perfectly Wrong

Bonus Chapter: Parenting

 “ Well, I wasn’t going to object if that was the case.” She says, and even though she’s blushing, he loves how straight forward she can be sometimes.

 Camila watches as Shawn finishes his food and stands up, taking both of their plates back to the kitchen.

 “ Come on.” Shawn grabs her hand and helps her stand up, pulling her to his bedroom.

 They walk in and Camila is about to pull him in for a kiss when she notices a box sitting on the middle of his bed. She walks over to it and runs her hand across the wrapping paper. Shawn sits down on the bed and motions for her to do the same.

 “ Is this from my mom?” Camila asks in a whisper when she sees both their names written down in her mother’s handwriting. There’s a card too, but they’re not supposed to read it until they open the gift. “ Shawn, why didn’t you tell me there was something else? Is this the last one?”

 Camila has tears already forming in her eyes, so Shawn reaches over and wipes it away with his thumb.

 “ Last one, I swear.” Shawn says. “ She wanted us to open this one together.”

 “ Do you want to do the honors, or should I?” Camila asks.

 “ That’s a dumb question.” Shawn says.

 “ There’s no such thing as a dumb question.” Camila says teasingly. “ You should know that, Mr. Mendes.”

 Shawn chuckles and Camila leans forward, kissing his lips before she starts opening the gift.

 “ My god, there has to be six layers of duct tape on here.” Camila says, looking up at him and giving him a sly grin. “ Kind of like your car.”

 “ Very funny.” Shawn says.

 Shawn strokes her knee as Camila fights with the tape, finally pausing before seeing what’s inside.

 “ Thank you for doing this for her. For keeping the gift.” Camila says. “ Do you know what it is?”

 “ No clue. I’m hoping it’s not a puppy. It’s been under my bed for four months.” Shawn says, making her laugh.

 “ I’m nervous.” Camila tells him. “ I really don’t want to cry again.”

 Camila hesitates before opening the top of the box, revealing a clear glass vase filled with geometrical stars in a variety of colors. It looks like origami.

 “ What is it?” Shawn asks.

 “ I don’t know, but it’s beautiful.” Camila says as they keep staring at the gift, trying to make sense of it. Camila opens the card and looks at it before handing it to Shawn. “ I can’t read it, Shawn. You’ll have to read it.”

 Shawn opens the card and reads it out loud.

Shawn and Camila,

 Love is the most beautiful thing in the world. Unfortunately, it’s also one of the hardest things in the world to hold on to, and one of the easiest things to throw away.

 Neither of you has a mother or a father to go to for relationship advice anymore. Neither of you has anyone to go to for a shoulder to cry on when things get tough, and they will get tough. Neither of you has someone to go to when you just want to share the funny, or the happy, or the heartache. You are both at a disadvantage when it comes to this aspect of love. You both only have each other, and because of this, you will have to work harder at building a strong foundation for your future together. You are not only each other’s love; you are also one another’s sole confidant.