If Only You Knew

FOUR

- It does, doesn't it? he responded, his tone reflective.

Shawn nodded calmly, deep in thought. The weight of past ghosts had lifted from the room, and a sense of ease settled within me.

- I'm grateful we did this, he admitted. At least now, you won't have to run away if we bump into each other again.

A gush of warmth rushed to my cheeks at the thought of our unexpected and awkward late-night encounter. 

- Oh god, don't remind me, I said my head resting in my hand. Did your sweater recover from that stain?

Shawn shook his head solemnly, confirming that his white sweater was probably good to throw away.

- Oh no, I gasped mortified.
- Just so you know, I am keeping a tab, he added laughing.
- A tab? What do you mean?

The possibility that his sweater was either cashmere crossed my mind. It could cost me an arm to replace it.

- Well, you were so eager to escape me that you forgot to pay your bill, he chuckled.
- You're kidding right, I protested in disbelief.

Shawn's lips curled into a mischievious grin, nodding gently. I could tell he had enjoyed witnessing me losing my marbles. I brought both hands up to cover my face, attempting to hide my flushed cheeks. How could that night keep getting worse?

- Don't worry about it, Naomi. Consider it a Christmas gift. Besides, it was worth every penny just to see you stumbling away like that.

My eyes rolled automatically, a combination of his teasing and my own self-consciousness kept burning my cheeks.

- Well, in that case Mr. Mendes, I said putting on my best Essex accent, you're welcome for the entertainment.
- Wow, impressive. Have you considered acting, he joked.

We laughed together, and I was relieved the awkwardness between us had disappeared. Shawn asked about my family, especially my Grandma whom he always enjoyed visiting back then. One of our phones chimed in before I could answer, and both of us started patting our sides in search of our devices. Shawn found his first and answered the call. I glanced at my screen, realizing it had been almost an hour since we started talking. There was ten notifications from Chloe, most of them GIFs of people peeking through a window or a bush, and I sneered at her snooping.

- Sorry about that, Shawn told me. I should probably get back. Aaliyah is dropping by soon, I forgot we had lunch plans with her and her boyfriend.
- Oh, don't worry. No problem at all, I answered grabbing my coat.

I found myself a bit bummed to leave when we were just starting to learn about one another. We left the cafe to step into the winter air, and I tightened my coat around my neck, sensing this was potentially our last goodbye. Shawn and I exchanged smiles, not willing to part ways quite yet.

- How's Aaliyah by the way? She must be all grown up, I said to extend this a few minutes longer.
- She's a full grown woman now. She's mature beyond her years, it's kinda crazy, I look up a lot to her.

I remembered how, back then, Aaliyah was often annoyed, rightfully so, at Shawn's teasing her whenever she was around. Despite those memories, his words spoke volumes about the respect and admiration he held for his sister. After a brief pause, Shawn extended his arms wide as an invitation for a hug. I hesitated before stepping into his embrace, wrapping my arms around him. The feeling of his arms around me was both foreign and familiar, blurring lines between the past and the present. 

- It was nice seeing you Nao, he said his hands patting me soflty.

His use of my nickname sent an unexpected flutter through my stomach, memories of what he once meant to me rushing in.