PERFECT [SHAWN MENDES] [1]

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: NEGLECTED?

PERFECT
TWENTY ONE- NEGLECTED?
"YOU THINK I NEGLECTED HIM?"
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LAUGHTER FILLED THE LOUNGE room of the Adams household. Lauren lay on the couch with her legs resting over Jack's lap, with the twins on the other side of the tall blonde.

They were happily conversing between one another, laughing at the stories that were being shared. Lauren gave the two twins a muffin each - once they had cooled down - to keep them occupied.

Lauren, nor the twins, had taken an acknowledgment to the fact that Shawn had disappeared. Not even when Lauren made her way into the kitchen to check the muffins that were in the oven, and instead, she found them on the stove top cooling down. It was like she had completely forgotten about his existence entirely.

The back door opened, and then closed again. Lauren and Jack both looked up upon hearing footsteps making their way over. There, at the entry by the lounge room, was Lauren's father Daniel, an angered expression on his face.

Lauren frowned upon seeing the expression on his face, but figured he was just angry at something that went wrong in the shed. Jack smiled upon seeing Daniel, and he gave the older man a wave.

"Hey Daniel!" Jack said.

"Hi Jack. How was the trip?" Daniel asked, still glaring at his daughter.

"Great, thanks. How was work?"

"The usual," Daniel and Jack both chuckled.

Daniel locked eyes with his daughter. "Lauren, could I please speak to you for a moment?"

Lauren nodded, rising from the couch. The strawberry blonde kissed Jack on the cheek, before making her way over to her father. Daniel grabbed Lauren by the arm and tugged her down the hall towards the spare bedroom where nobody could hear them.

"Dad? What's going on?" Lauren asked.

She was confused as to why he was acting this way. The tone of his voice alerted Lauren that he was not happy at all. The way he crossed his arms intimidated Lauren, and she knew that it wasn't the best time to screw with her father. But she was going to do it anyway.

"You tell me Lauren-Lee. Please elaborate on why you ditched Shawn for Jack," Daniel said.

"You think I neglected him?! I didn't ditch Shawn for Jack! Where the hell are you getting this from?" Lauren exclaimed, quietly so nobody would hear.

"Then why is Shawn - the teen you brought to visit, and to meet your mother and myself - walking around the block with nobody to talk to?"

"What? I didn't know he left. I thought he followed behind us. Why are you blaming this all on me?"

"Because it's your mistake Lauren-Lee. He hasn't done anything to be treated like that. Now, find him, and apologise."

The blonde nodded in response to her father's request. She walked out of the spare bedroom, making her way to the lounge room. She told Jack that she'd be back soon, and went looking for Shawn. The first place she looked was her bedroom, and that's where she found him.

He was using the spare bed that she'd set up for him in her bedroom. He had his guitar resting beside him, whilst his phone was ringing out loudly. Which was oblivious to the sleeping teen, due to obvious reasons. The guitarist had fallen asleep accidentally whilst playing on his acoustic guitar, hence why his guitar was resting beside him.

Lauren made her way over, sitting down on the bed beside him quietly. The blonde picked up the guitar and hung it up on one of the spare guitar hangers on the wall out of the way, before sitting back down beside the sleeping brunette. She ran her hand through his hair gently, a small smile tugging at her lips.