Crookedly in Love {a Shawn Mendes Fan Fiction}

17. Truths and Lies

I sat by myself in my hotel room, flipping through a magazine. It was a picture of Shawn kissing me at the fundraiser event. I took in a deep breath—I looked surprised but happy, and he had a winning smile on through the kiss. It looked quite lovely, and now it was two-page spread on page 6 of People Magazine. I couldn't believe it. I was surprised how much people cared.

The article read:

Take a look at Shawn and his new girlfriend, Julia Peters. The musician had no trouble showcasing his love for her by planting a long kiss on her lips at the Heart and Stroke Benefit last night. What we want to know is when this all blossomed, since Shawn was photographed not a week ago kissing two girls in one night. Looks like he's back to being a one-girl kind of guy. That's what we like to see.

I tapped my chin, rereading this for the third time. I heard a knock at my door. I got up from off the bed to answer it, and there stood Shawn.

"Hey," he said, smiling.

"Hi," I greeted, giving him a light kiss.

He walked into the room, with a slight smile on his face.

"You reading the tabloids? Since when?" he asked, laughing.

"Since I started showing up in them," I replied. "Did you read it?"

Shawn shook his head quickly. "Nope."

"Well, you can take this one if you want," I offered.

"Who care what they say? They don't really know the true story," he shrugged.

I nodded, confused. He usually would've loved to see himself on the cover of a magazine. We could've laughed at the contents, but he seemed adamant not to look.

"So, what are you up to today before the concert?" I wondered.

"I, um, I have an interview at the Today Show," he said.

"Cool. Can I tag along?"

"No," he replied quickly. I furrowed my eyebrows. "I mean, I don't think they like guests."

I just simply nodded. That was weird.

"No guests at this one?"

"No," he confirmed. "Sorry."

He didn't seem all too sorry, but before I could even question it, he changed the subject.

"So, before then, I thought I could buy you breakfast," he suggested. He grabbed my hand, and I nodded.

"Okay," I said. "Let's go."

I grabbed my purse and we went to the hotel restaurant downstairs, and I followed him to a table. His interview was still on my mind.

We sat down, and he started to stare at me smiling.

"What?" I asked, self-conscious.

"Nothing," he shrugged.

"No, what?" I pressed.

He started to smile again. "I don't know. Jules, I can't stop thinking about last night."

"What about it?"

"Just...I guess I never realized...I don't know," he started.

I smiled at his attempt.

"Shawn, you okay?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I'm good. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I couldn't believe you remembered that gray sweatshirt story. And, I guess it just put a lot of stuff in perspective for me."