New Beginnings | Shawn Mendes

Chapter Six

You look towards the shadow above you and catch Brian's eyes. He seems slightly worried as he drops down next to you. You blink a few times to hide the tears in your eyes and you force a breath into your lungs to calm down. 

"Are you okay?" Brian ask you and puts his hand on your back for support. 

His palm moves in small circles to comfort you while he waits patiently for you to answer his question. You force a smile but you're fully aware Brian knows it's not genuine.

"Fine." 

"You're obviously not fine." Brian says and tilt his head to look at you properly. He sends you a soft smile, continuing to stroke your back with one hand. "What's wrong?" 

"Just feeling a bit sick, I guess." You lie but from the way he looks at you, you know he can tell you aren't being honest with him. 

"Come here." Brian says and moves his hand to your shoulder, then he pulls you close to him and gives you a slight embrace. You allow your head to rest on his shoulder while you shut your eyes to focus on your rather unsteady breathing. 

"I'm sorry." You stutter, shrugging your shoulders. "You aren't supposed to be dealing with me."

"It's okay, you're fine." Brian assure you and you're thankful he's being as understanding and caring as he is. 

To be fair, you're not really his problem but he's here on the sidewalk with you to make sure you're okay. 

"It's just me being silly, really." 

"I see the way you look at him." Brian says and you feel his eyes searching for yours. You feel the heat raise in your cheeks, embarrassed that he has even noticed. 

"Wh-what do you mean?" You stutter, rubbing your fingers together. 

"You like him, Shawn. I see it in the way you look at him." You cover your face with your palms while shaking your head slightly. 

"Great, I'm one of the many who looks at him with complete heart eyes." 

Brian uses his hand to remove your palms from your face and then, your eyes fall on his. He sends you a small smile but the heat continues to spread due to the amount of humiliation you feel right this moment. 

"No, the way you look at him...." Brian starts and then pauses for a few seconds, you figure he's searching for the right words to say. "It's different. You look at him differently." 

"I don't even know what the hell I was thinking." You sigh while rolling your eyes at your own stupidity. 

"You're not the first person Shawn has that effect on, trust me." 

"That doesn't make this any better, Brian." You say with a laughter while shaking your head at his comment. 

"Maybe not, but it did cheer you up a little." He teases you and you cannot help but roll your eyes at him. 

"Does he know?" You ask and feel the bundle of knots in your stomach grow slightly bigger. 

"No, Shawn doesn't know." Brian promises while shaking his head. "And both of them figure you are just feeling a bit unwell, maybe still affected by the jetlag." 

"Thank god." You exhale while your head drops to Brian's shoulder again. Brian laughs at your reaction, but he also wraps his arm around your shoulder to give you a quick squeeze. 

"Are you coming back inside?" 

"Absolutely not. I feel stupid enough thinking there could actually be a thing between Shawn and I, I'd feel even more stupid having to sit there and eat lunch with his girlfriend." You blur and realise you might have overstepped a line. Shawn is his best friend after all." Besides, I called Tom to come get me."