Strings | s.m (✔️)

Chapter Twenty-Six

"Truth or dare?" April asks after she's finally gotten all of the Nutella off her face. I shrug, and since the only thing I'd picked was dare this whole game, I chose the first option.

"Kiss Marry Kill: Niall Horan, Nash Grier, and Shawn Mendes." I gave April a strange look at her choice, before answering. I didn't understand why she asked that until I had one more option, and one more person."

"Um, kill Nash Grier, duh. Kiss Niall Horan, and-" I give April the stink eye as she gives me a suggestive look and wiggles her eyebrows.

"Marry Shawn Mendes!" She yells, finishing my sentence. I roll my eyes at her and before I can ask if she'd like truth or dare her phone rings, and she groans before answering it. Soon she's done with the call, and gets up from the floor, grabbing her shoes.

"Gotta blast, I'll see you later though, okay?" April says, and I nod, saying goodbye as she shuts the door behind her.

As I pull my hair up I hear a faint noise coming from outside, and put on flip flops before walking outside do see where it was coming from. The sound was much clearer now, and I could tell that someone was singing, with the guitar in background.

Shawn.

I follow the sound to the backyard, and look up to find him in the treehouse. He hasn't spotted me yet, so I walk closer and grab a handlebar on the ladder, then beginning to climb up. Was it unsteady? Yes. Did I feel like once wrong move would send me six feet under? Yes. But I continued to climb up, and soon I was finished with the steps, staring at a concentrated Shawn.

"Hey." I say softly, and he looks up, surprised to see me. It was the first time we had spoken since The Summer Dance, and I wasn't exactly sure how he would react to me. However he gave me a warm smile, and I pulled myself up from the ladder, then sitting beside him, on top of a blanket.

"What are you doing here?" He asks, more in a curious way than rude. I shrug, staring at my shoes.

"I heard you singing, so I wanted to come over. Plus I wanted to see you before you leave in a week." I say, and it's silent for a moment. I look up to find him staring at me, a smile on his face.

"Well, I'm glad you came." He tells me, and I can't help but feel heat rise to my cheeks. He starts to set down his guitar and I object, shaking my head.

"No, keep playing. At least one song." I tell him, and I watch as he gives me a smile before placing the guitar on his lap. He strums a few chords before beginning to sing, and I melt at his angelic voice.

"All the strings attached girl," he begins, and instantly recognize the song as Strings. Unlike the other times I heard his songs, I actually listen to the lyrics, and my eyes widen when I realize the story behind it.

This song was written about me.

I'm not sure if April knew this, but if she did, I would slaughter her. Instead of pulling out my phone and calling her I watch him as he sings, adoring every feature of his. When the song is over he sets the guitar down and we stare at each other for a while before I lean on his shoulder and intertwine my fingers with his. He doesn't object, giving me a warm feeling.

We're quiet for a bit before he takes a deep breath, and begins speaking.

"Ari? I meant everything at the dance. And I know I'm leaving in a week and probably won't see you in a while, but I stand by those words. You'll probably be meeting lots of guys while I'm gone, which sucks, but I'll still have the same feelings for you. I just want you to know that." I can't help but freeze for a moment before squeezing his hand and smiling.

"That's a relief, because I though you would forget about me when you went on tour and hang out with a bunch of models or something." I confess, and he shakes his head.

"Arabella Stone, how could I forget you? You're on my mind daily, even when I'm not on yours."

"That was poetic." I say, thinking out loud. He laughs and I can't help but grin, watching him.

"So, just to make things official, will you be my girlfriend?" I knew it was coming, and before considering the whole long distance thing, I thought about what April said earlier today.

Grinning, I gasp. "The Shawn Mendes? Well, this is a little overwhelming." Joking, I lower my voice and look around, as if I'm about to tell him a secret. "I'm not sure if I should say yes, what do you think?" Shawn smirks, before lowering his voice as well.

"I think you should say yes."

I laugh and watch as Shawn gives me a grin before I answer him. "Well, I guess I'm going to say yes then."

"Thank God," Shawn says, before making eye contact with me. I wait for him to continue and he smirks, before getting closer, causing my heart to beat rapidly.

"Because I've been waiting a long time to do this without a reason." And with that, Shawn presses his lips to mine and I'm in shock for just a moment before kissing back. He put his hand through my hair, which makes my insides melt. After minutes that didn't last long enough we're laying in the treehouse, the blanket I was sitting on before wrapped around the both of us.

"Ari?" Shawn asks, to see if I'm awake. I have to admit that I barely was, but I answer him anyways.

"Yeah?" I ask, and he doesn't answer immediately.

"When I go on tour, promise we'll talk all the time?" He asks, and I smile, digging my head into his shoulder.

"I promise."

"Good," he starts, and I realize that we were so close I could feel his heartbeat. "Because I don't want to loose the sound of your voice in my head."

Shawn Mendes would be the death of me, I swear.

Laying down, not a sound besides our heartbeats are heard, and as my eyes begin to droop, Shawn kisses my forehead.

"Goodnight, Arabella Stone."

I feel a small smile place on my lips, and I squeeze his hand before answering.

"Goodnight, Shawn Mendes."

And as I fall asleep next to him, his hand in mine and our heartbeats in sync, I realize that I couldn't care less about him visiting new places I couldn't even dream of, or meeting new girls one hundred times more beautiful than me. All I cared about was that we were both here now, and happier than ever. Because that's all that mattered. I would deal with everything else that comes towards us, believe me. But for now I just wanted to enjoy this moment, and every other moment after. After all, I had a pretty strong feeling that Shawn and I would be together for a while, through thick and thin.

And with all the strings attached.

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