•• CHAPTER TWO ••
A couple of weeks later, Carter helped Shawn pack up his room for his big move to New York on Monday morning. Carter smiled as she picked up their picture off of Shawn's nightstand and held it to her chest as she recalled that day in her head. "You okay, Carter?" Shawn asked worriedly as he slowly walked into his room and noticed she was hugging their picture from her eighteenth birthday party. She gave him a sad smile as she nodded her head solemnly and looked back down at the picture.
"I'm just gonna really miss my best friend." She admitted with a shrug, and he nodded his head in understanding. Shawn was going to miss Carter more than anything in this world and he noticed, ever since their graduation, that their friendship was beginning to change into something more which scared them both.
"Don't worry, I'm only a plane ride away. You can't get rid of me that easily, Carter." Shawn teased playfully and Carter chuckled as she wrapped the picture in bubble wrap slowly.
"I know, it's just that it's gonna suck not having you down the hall whenever I need you." She sighed then placed the picture into a box and stared down at the ground glumly.
"Alright, that's it! No more sulking and pouting about me leaving," He said as he walked up to Carter and lifted her chin so she would look at him. "Let's go out, have some fun, and get completely wasted before I leave." Shawn suggested excitedly as he continued to hold Carter's chin in his hand. When he touched her, electricity had shot throughout her entire body and she tried her best to hide the effect his touch had on her.
"Okay." She said, giving in to what he said, and Shawn grinned widely down at her.
"Good! Now go get ready and I'll finish up in here." He began to push her out of the room and watched her walk toward her room as excitement began to bubble up inside of him. Now was his chance to finally tell her how he truly felt about her after all of these years.
An hour later, they finished getting ready and headed towards the club. Shawn felt incredibly nervous and stared silently out the window. Carter looked absolutely stunning in a pair a black skinny jeans, a grey tank top, and a black jean jacket with heels and he tried his hardest not to look at her. Carter thought Shawn looked insanely handsome in his jeans and a white t-shirt. She stared in awe at how the shirt clung tightly at his broad shoulders and chest that it caused her to blush at the thought of what his body looked like underneath his clothes.
Once they arrived in front of the club, they quickly climbed out of the Uber, but Shawn couldn't help but stare at Carter in adoration. Carter noticed his staring and giggled as she blushed. "Why are you staring at me like that?" She asked as they walked inside the club and Shawn felt his face flush from embarrassment and cursed at himself for getting caught staring.
"Oh, you know, you look beautiful as usual." He said nonchalantly and was incredibly thankful at how casual he sounded, because he was a nervous wreck on the inside. Carter grinned widely at his response then grabbed his hand as she pulled him toward the bar and hopped up on to a stool.
"Come on, let's get drunk!" She exclaimed and Shawn chuckled as he shook his head at how much he loved her personality then sat down next to her and ordered them the strongest drink the bar had.
To their surprise, it didn't take that long for them to get drunk. They played a couple of drinking games, recounted numerous of embarrassing and wonderful memories they had together, and danced like crazy. Carter and Shawn plopped back down in their seats at the bar after finishing their dance and quickly ordered another round of drinks. Carter quickly chugged down her drink and shook her head as she slammed the empty glass down on the bar and scrunched up her face in disgust at how strong and gross the alcohol was. "Okay, that's no more for you, Carter." Shawn slurred as he moved Carter's cup away from her and she giggled as she nodded her head.
"You always know when to cut me off. Do you remember when we went to our first ever frat party and I got so drunk that you had to carry me all the way back to our apartment?" Carter gasped out between laughter and Shawn joined in on laughing with her as he nodded his head.
"I still can't believe I actually was able to carry you! I wasn't strong like I am now." He admitted and Carter rolled her eyes as she leaned her head on to his shoulder with a sigh.
"God, I really am going to miss you! You are the only person I ever have fun with, I swear!" She announced and Shawn nodded in agreement.
"I know! It's like no matter who I meet or go out with, I never have as much fun with them as I have with you. No one ever comes close to how fun you are!" Shawn admitted and Carter blushed as she smiled proudly at the fact that he only had fun with her. It made her feel special to him and she never wanted this moment to end.
"Right! All of my boyfriends never understood me the way you do!"
"That's because they don't care about you like I do." Shawn whispered as he stared down at Carter, and she giggled with delight as she shut her eyes. Carter was incredibly happy with what he said that the room began spinning and it didn't help that she was completely wasted.
"I'm gonna get us an Uber, it's too loud in here." Carter pulled out her phone and ordered their ride when someone approached them.
"Hey beautiful, you wanna dance with me?" A random guy asked, in a creepy husky tone, as he grabbed Carter's arm.
"Um... no thanks, we're going home." Carter said sternly as she tried to shake out of his hold, but he just gripped tighter on her arm.
"Oh, come on, baby. One dance won't hurt." The creepy man coaxed her and pulled Carter off the stool causing her to stumble into his arms.
"Hey, let go of her!" Shawn shouted as he stood up and Carter pushed the guy away with all her might. Once she was freed from his grasp, she quickly wrapped her arms around Shawn and buried her face in his chest as she began to shake with fear.
"Whatever dude, take your drunk slut home." The man sneered and Shawn felt himself become angry. He untangled Carter from him and hid her behind his body then to her surprise, Shawn punched the living shit out of the creepy man and was instantly knocked out cold on the floor.
Carter cheered as she slapped Shawn on the back and began to laugh hysterically at what just happened.
"Don't ever call her a slut." Shawn threatened, then looked up and noticed that security was coming straight for them. He quickly grabbed Carter's hand and they ran as best as they could towards the exit.
"That was amazing, Shawn!" Carter shouted and Shawn chuckled as he shrugged and shook his hand, trying to ignore the pain.
"Just protecting my girl is all." He said casually and she giggled as she rolled her eyes at him. If she wasn't drunk, Carter knew that she would be in shock at what he had said, but she enjoyed being called his girl. More than she cared to admit.
Their Uber finally arrived a few moments later and they talked animatedly about the fight until they arrived at their apartment. They stumbled out of the car in a fit of laughter and Carter looked up at Shawn with a smile on her face. "I'm afraid you're going to have to carry me up the stairs again because I'm too drunk to make it." She admitted with a giggle then wrapped her arms around Shawn's neck. Shawn chuckled as he put one arm around her waist then leaned down and with his other arm, he hooked it under her legs and began to carry her bridal style. He was thankful that he only stumbled a few times as he carried her up the stairs and into their apartment.
"I can't believe how drunk I am right now." Shawn laughed as he kicked the front door shut and swiftly carried Carter to her room.
"You got so strong!" Carter commented in astonishment as Shawn laid her down on the bed and he shook his head as he smiled.
"Thank you." He chuckled as he looked down at her and it took his breath away at how beautiful Carter looked sprawled out on the bed. For a few moments, they stared at each other silently and he hesitated to leave her room because he honestly didn't want to leave, but he knew he had to. "Now get some sleep, missy. We're gonna have terrible hangovers in the morning." He began to back out of her room, but Carter quickly sat up and shook her head as she patted the empty side next to her on the bed.
"You can't leave, it's sleepover night!" She declared and Shawn froze in his steps as he stared at her in shock.
"You know we haven't had a sleepover where we shared the same bed since we were ten, Carter." Shawn reminded her, but Carter just shrugged and patted the bed once more.
"So what? You're leaving me tomorrow and I want to have one last sleepover." She pouted and Shawn let out a nervous chuckle as he slowly stumbled toward the bed then collapsed down next to her.
They both stared at the ceiling in silence as their hearts pounded loudly against their chests and they didn't dare say a word because they were scared of what was happening between them. They both could feel the tension in the room and Carter tried to break it by grabbing his hand and staring at it intently. "Does it hurt?" She whispered, her voice shaky from being nervous and slowly looked up and stared deep into Shawn's brown eyes. Shawn reached up and gently tucked a piece of her brown hair behind her ear as he licked his lips anxiously.
"Only a little." He admitted and Carter took in a ragged breath as she mustered up the courage to bring his hand to her lips and kissed his bruised knuckles. Shawn felt his heart stop as he watched Carter kiss his knuckles. He bit his lip to try and contain a moan that wanted to escape his lips as he felt her soft lips kiss each of his knuckles. She looked up at him innocently as she bit her lip and then focused on his lips.
"My lips hurt, Shawn." She breathed out, her voice thick with lust and Shawn wasted no time as he pressed his lips eagerly against hers. He groaned into the kiss as he pulled her on top of him and tangled his fingers in her hair. She tasted as delicious as he thought she would, and her lips were softer than he could ever imagine. Carter pressed her body against Shawn's, and she kissed him back hungrily. Neither of them could believe that this was finally happening and how right this all felt. "I want you to make love to me, Shawn." Carter whispered as she pulled away gasping for air while Shawn attacked her neck with kisses. He pulled back the moment she said that and stared at her intently.
"Are you sure, Carter? You've been drinking and I don't want you to regret anything or think that I'm taking advantage of you." Shawn asked warily and Carter smiled as she leaned down and kissed him gently.
"You would never take advantage of me, Shawn. I want to lose my virginity to you. I always have." She admitted as she began to blush and bit her lips nervously. Shawn stared up at her in bewilderment.
"You're a virgin?" He asked in disbelief and Carter nodded her head.
"I've always wanted to lose it to you, so I haven't had sex with anyone because deep down I hoped one day... this would happen." She admitted and Shawn continued to stare up at her in shock at this unexpected revelation. He knew this was the right time to tell her what he was always too scared to say.
"I love you, Carter." He whispered and a slow grin appeared on Carter's face as tears welled up in her eyes.
"I love you too, Shawn." She whispered and he grinned back up at her then kissed her with every ounce of his being and in the early hours of the morning, Carter gave herself completely to Shawn and he gave himself completely to her.
{{ AUTHOR'S NOTE: Oh damn! They finally confessed their feelings to one another!! I really liked this chapter because it was super cute and easy to write lol. I hope you all enjoyed it and be prepared for the next chapter, A LOT is going to go down! Thank you so much for reading the second chapter of Count On Me! I really appreciate you taking the time to read it 🖤 I hope you all have a wonderful day and I love you all! 🖤 ~ Ariel 🖤 }}