A/n: Explicit language in this one! I hope you enjoy. I know that not everyone is from Boston, but I am, plus I'm pretty sure people from all around the world can apply to run in the Boston Marathon. Also, Boylston Street is where the finish line is. Please enjoy. Okay, let's begin!
My boyfriend of three years, singer and songwriter Shawn Mendes, and I, live in Boston. When we decided to move in together, Shawn said that we could stay in the Boston area. I'm a college student, and Shawn didn't want to disrupt my schooling or my dream job. It was the day of the Boston Marathon and I wanted to go watch. I was inspired by the people crossing the finish line. I watched as people ran to their families and friends and got emotional before they crossed the finish line. It was amazing. I texted Shawn.
Me: I think that I want to run in the Boston Marathon next year.
Shawn: Really?
Me: Yeah. I'm watching people cross the finish line and it's so inspiring.
Shawn: Baby, I will support you no matter what you do. I have to go but I'll see you when I get home.
Me: Okay, thank you. I love you.
Shawn: I love you too my precious love.
I smiled at that text and soon left to go back to mine and Shawn's apartment. I walked in and grabbed my laptop. I did research on the Boston Marathon, on running marathons, and just on so many things. After a couple of hours of research I had made my decision: I wanted to run in the Boston Marathon next year.
I went into mine and Shawn's kitchen and made his favorite dinner, chicken parmesan (A/n: idk if this actually is his favorite but I added that in there). I got us a glass of red wine that Shawn's father, Manny Mendes, had given us and poured two glasses for us. I waited for Shawn to get home as I sat on the couch. I know that he had said that he would support me no matter what I do, but I was still nervous to tell him. Shawn soon walked in the door and I practically ran over to him to give my handsome boyfriend a hug. Shawn chuckled.
"I take it that you missed me?" Shawn asked as he held me in his arms. I looked up and nodded at him.
"Yeah. I made you some chicken parmesan." I said. Shawn's eyes lit up and his smile grew.
"Really?" He asked. I laughed.
"Yes. I know how much you love it." I said. Shawn ducked his head down and put his lips on mine. I felt my heart race as if I had just ran a marathon, I felt butterflies erupt and fly around in my tummy, and I felt sparks shoot through my body like fireworks. We pulled away from each other, smiling and breathless from our amazing kiss. Shawn pinched my butt, causing me to squeal and laugh. He laughed.
"Come on Y/n, let's go eat your delicious food." Shawn said. I nodded and we sat down. "Wine too?"
"Yup. Do you like it?" I asked nervously. Shawn smiled, nodded, took my hand in his and kissed it gently. I smiled.
We soon finished our dinner and sat on the couch to cuddle. When should I bring up the fact that I want to run a marathon. I looked up at Shawn and kissed his jaw. He looked at me and smiled before kissing my nose. He looked over at the other side of the couch.
"Your laptop is open honey." Shawn said as he got up to grab it. He got it in his hands and looked at what was on the screen. He sent me a questioning look.
"What?" I asked, although I was pretty sure that I knew what he had seen.
"You have stuff about marathons open on your laptop." Shawn said. I nodded as Shawn sat back down next to me.
"Yeah." I said.
"I'm just curious, why do you have stuff up about marathons on your laptop?" Shawn asked. I felt nervous.
"Well, I, um, sorry I'm just nervous to talk to you about this." I said, looking down. Shawn set the laptop aside and lifted my head up with his index finger so I was looking into his eyes. Once I was looking into his comforting brown eyes, he shook his head.
"Please never be nervous about talking to me about stuff. You can always talk to me about anything, okay?" Shawn said and asked. I nodded and turned my body so I was facing him more. I took my hands and held them in mine. He squeezed my hands, encouraging me to look at him again.
"What do you think about me running in the Boston Marathon?" I asked nervously. Shawn shrugged and smiled.
"I think that it would be nice. Y/n, I'll support you no matter what you do. I know that you like to go for walks, so maybe you could build those up first and then apply to run for the Boston Marathon." Shawn said. I calmed down a little and nodded.
"Okay. And you absolutely, one hundred percent, promise that you'll support me if I get in?" I asked Shawn. He held my face in his hands and kissed my forehead and nodded.
"Of course honey. Why wouldn't I?" Shawn asked. I shrugged.
"I don't know. It's going to be hard and you'll probably get sick of me complaining." I said. Shawn shook his head.
"No way. I want to be the person that you talk to about the marathon, okay?" Shawn said and asked. I smiled and nodded.
"Okay. I love you Shawn." I said. Shawn smiled widely.
"I love you too Y/n." Shawn said.
I soon started to build up my walks just like Shawn suggested and then, at times, I would run a bit. I would go to the gym with Shawn and run on the treadmill. I started to go for more runs and really progressed in my distance. Every single time that I did this, Shawn would smile at me and tell me how proud of me he was, which always made me feel good. It's always nice to hear that the person who is the most important to you is proud of you.
I applied to run in the marathon, and soon got an answer. I made my own favorite dinner, mac and cheese, and pour us some wine. I sat on the couch anxiously and impatiently waiting for my amazing and loving boyfriend to get home from the studio. As soon as he walked in the door, I jumped into his arms. My arms went around his neck and shoulders and my legs went around his waist. His hands went underneath my bum to hold me securely.
"Well someone's happy to see me." Shawn said with a chuckle as he set me down so my feet were touching the floor.
"Well, I heard back from the Boston Marathon people." I said. Shawn's eyes widened.
"And?" He asked. A huge smile formed on my face.
"I made it! I got in!" I said. Shawn smiled and picked me up and spun me around.
"YES! YOU DID IT! I KNEW YOU COULD! I'M SO PROUD OF YOU!" Shawn yelled as he continued to spin me around. He set me down as I laughed, but he kept his hands on my waist and I put my hands on his biceps as we both had wide smiles on our faces.
"Thank you baby. I'm so excited!" I said with a giggle. Shawn laughed and pulled me in for a hug.
"I love you so much honey. Oh my gosh I'm so proud of you. Congratulations my beautiful, strong, amazing, precious, girl." Shawn said.
"I love you too. Thank you handsome." I said. Shawn put his lips on mine and I felt all of those magical feelings again, the sparks, the heart racing, the butterflies, everything. We pulled away and smiled at each other as he rested his forehead against mine.
"Come on babe, let's celebrate." Shawn said.
"I already made some macaroni and cheese, my favorite, and poured us some wine." I said. Shawn kissed me again before we went into the dining room to sit down. As we ate, Shawn kept looking at me and smiling. "What?"
"I'm just so proud of you and I can't stop smiling. God you're so amazing. My girlfriend is going to run in the fucking Boston Marathon!" Shawn said. I blushed and giggled.
"I have to say, I'm very proud of myself." I admitted. Shawn continued to smile at me.
"Good! You should be honey. You worked your ass off to do this, and I can't wait to watch you cross the finish line." Shawn said. Wait, what?
"Wait, really? You'll be there? What if you're busy?" I asked Shawn. He chuckled.
"I'll make sure that I have nothing scheduled for that. I absolutely, one hundred percent, promise that I will be at Boylston Street to watch you cross the finish line." Shawn said. I smiled at him and reached out for his free hand, the other was holding his fork.
"Thank you so much Shawny. I really appreciate it." I said.
"You're welcome Y/n. I would do anything for you." Shawn said. I thought for a moment.
"Can I please continue to go to the gym with you?" I asked. Shawn nodded.
"Of course. And when you start running outside, I'll run with you if I can." Shawn said. I practically choked on my mac and cheese as my eyes widened.
"Really? What about the studio?" I asked.
"Well if I can't run with you, then I'll let you know, but I'll try my best to run with you. I'll let Andrew know that you got accepted to run in the Boston Marathon and that I want to train with you." Shawn said. I smiled at him.
"Well thank you honey, but you don't have to." I said. Shawn chuckled.
"No, I don't have to, but I want to." Shawn said. The next day, after my classes, Shawn and I went to the gym and I did a lot of running on the treadmill. Shawn ran on the treadmill next to me and kept encouraging me. When I stopped running, Shawn did too. When I started to run outside, Shawn would run with me. One day, I did a twelve miles long run, and when I got home, I was fucking exhausted. I put my feet up and sat back on the couch as I closed my eyes. I soon heard the door open and opened my eyes to see Shawn looking at me.
"Hi there Shawny." I said. He walked over to me and sat down next to me.
"Hi there Y/n. What's for dinner?" Shawn asked. Crap. I was so exhausted that I hadn't even started to make dinner.
"Would you mind making dinner? My legs are killing me." I asked and said.
"Come on baby girl, you can push through. It's just making dinner." Shawn said. Ugh.
"Shawn, please? I had a long day at school, I then had to come home and do my homework, and then I went for a twelve mile run." I said, looking at Shawn. His face softened and he nodded.
"Okay honey. I'm sorry that I started to push you. How about after we eat, we'll talk about your day? That sound good?" Shawn asked. I smiled and nodded.
"Yeah, that sounds good. Thank you so much Shawn." I said. He kissed my cheek before getting up.
"You're welcome honey. You just stay here." He said. I nodded. Soon, Shawn brought me some healthy food for dinner.
"Thank you." I said. Shawn smiled at me.
"You're welcome." He said.
Soon, it was the day before the Boston Marathon. I had trained to run the 26.2 miles before, so I felt as though I was ready. Shawn took my phone and made a playlist for me to run to for the day of the marathon. He said that I should hit shuffle when I start to run, and it should be long enough to last until I crossed the finish line. The day of the Boston Marathon, I was super nervous, and Shawn could tell. As I was getting ready, he pulled me close to him and placed a gentle and loving kiss on my lips.
"Baby girl, you've trained for this, you're going to do great. I'll meet you at the finish line on Boylston, okay honey?" Shawn asked. As I looked into his eyes, I felt more comforted and slightly better. I nodded.
"Okay. I love you Shawn." I said with a smile. Shawn smiled back at me and kissed my forehead.
"I love you too Y/n." Shawn said.
I got to Hopkinton on a nice and sunny day, which is where the race starts, and as soon as I started to run, I hit shuffle on the playlist that Shawn had made me. About five miles into the race, I heard a familiar voice.
"Hi there honey! It's your mom. I'm so beyond proud of you for doing this, and I can't wait to see you cross the finish line." I heard my mom say. Oh my gosh. Shawn must have gotten loved ones to record things and he put them on the playlist. After a few more songs, I heard my dad say something very similar to what my mom did. I then heard another familiar voice when I got to mile ten.
"Hi Y/n! It's your bestie, Grace. Listen to me, you are strong and you are powerful and you can do this! I love you so much and I'm so damn proud of you. Now go cross that finish line!" She said. There were more notes from my loved ones in between some songs. I heard from Shawn's parents, Manny and Karen, Shawn's sister, Aaliyah, and even some of Shawn's friends, like Brian and Jon. As soon as I saw the twenty mile marker, I heard the voice that I love the most: Shawn's.
"Hey there my precious, darling, amazing, strong, girl. I still remember you texting me saying that you were inspired by seeing the people cross the finish line, and I told you that I would support you no matter what. I can't say that I couldn't believe it when you told me that you got accepted to run, because I fucking knew that you could and would do it. Baby, it was my honor to train with you. You did amazing, and I know that you're killing it right now as you listen to this. I'm so proud of you my love. Keep up the amazing work, and I'll see you at Boylston. I love you." Shawn said.
There were other voice messages, and I loved them, but Shawn's was the one that was the most important to me. I'm so beyond grateful and thankful that he put together this playlist for me. During the last mile, Shawn's own song, In My Blood, started to play. I laughed at how appropriate it is. I stopped to grab a cup of water, and then continued to run. I soon heard some people yelling my name, and I saw my mom waving her arms at me, with my dad and brother next to her. I ran over to them.
"You did it! You did it! I'm so proud of you! Now go on!" My mom yelled as I hugged her, my dad, and my brother. A little bit later, I saw Grace, and ran over to her.
"Hi! You did it!" She yelled as she hugged me.
"Hi! Thank you for the voice note!" I said. She smiled at me.
"You're welcome, now go cross that finish line!" She said. I laughed and kept running. Almost right before the finish line, I heard my name being yelled again. I looked over and my eyes filled with tears. I ran over to the love of my life and threw my arms around him as I started to cry.
"Thank you Shawn, thank you. I loved the playlist and the voice notes but yours was the most important to me. Thank you for everything Shawn. I love you." I said as I pulled away and we held each other's faces. He smiled at me and kissed my lips quickly.
"You're welcome honey, I'm glad that you liked it. I love you too. Now go cross that finish line!" Shawn said. I let go of Shawn and ran a little bit farther before crossing the finish line. Almost as soon as I crossed the finish line, I put my hands on my knees and crouched down, happy tears streaming down my face. I walked over and got one of the blankets that they give you and Shawn, Grace, my parents, and my brother, watched as someone gave me a Boston Marathon medal. I went into another room with everyone. I hugged everyone, and posed for pictures with them, but I saved the best for last. I looked at Shawn and hugged him tight. We held each other close and he rubbed my back.
"You did it. You did it. I'm so fucking proud of you Y/n Y/l/n." Shawn said. I pulled away and smiled at him.
"Thank you. I couldn't have done it without you Shawn Mendes. I can't believe that I did it!" I said with a laugh. Shawn smiled and shook his head.
"Well I can believe that you did. You trained so hard for this. I love you Y/n." Shawn said. I put my lips on his and felt all of those magical feelings again, the heart racing, the sparks, the butterflies, everything.
"Okay you two lovebirds, let's have you two pose for some pictures." My mom said. Shawn and I laughed as he put his arms around my shoulders as I put my arm around his waist.
"Hold up your medal babe, show it off. You earned that medal." Shawn whispered in my ear. I smiled up at him before doing what he said and looking at the camera. In one of the photos, Shawn was kissing my temple, causing my smile to widen. I took many pictures with other family members, but many more with Shawn. In another one, he was holding me in his arms, bridal style, while I still held up my medal. Soon, we were done with pictures, or at least the ones that were posed. Some candids were taken. We all soon went home, and of course I drove home with Shawn. He carried me inside, causing me to giggle. He laid me down on the couch.
"I'm exhausted." I said as I laid on the couch. Shawn chuckled.
"Well, why don't we get you in the shower and then you can get into some more comfortable clothes, hm? Does that sound good baby girl?" Shawn asked.
"Yes, but can you do me a favor?" I asked.
"Sure, what is it?" Shawn asked.
"Can you just drag my body up there please? I think that my legs are going to fall off." I said. I opened my eyes and saw Shawn throw his head back with laughter. He then scooped me up in his arms and carried me upstairs. He helped me strip down and get in the shower.
"Here, let me help you baby girl." Shawn said. I stood there as he massaged the shampoo into my hair and washed my hair. I then washed my body and stepped out of the shower. Shawn had put a towel in the dryer so it would be nice and warm when I got out of the shower. I was so tired that he even helped me dry off my body, and then he helped me get into comfy pajamas. I got into bed and Shawn got into bed next to me. I cuddled up next to him and put my head on his chest. He rubbed my back and kissed my forehead.
"Thank you Shawn." I said.
"What are you thanking me for?" Shawn asked. I looked up at him.
"For supporting me throughout all of this, for training with me, for making that playlist, for being right there when I crossed the finish line, for believing in me, for being so proud of me, for helping me now that we're home, just for everything." I said, causing Shawn to smile. He kissed me again.
"You're welcome my love. I love you so much honey and I am so beyond proud of you." Shawn said. I smiled at him and soon fell asleep on his chest. When I woke up, I was alone in bed. I reached over to my phone to check the time and saw that Shawn had posted a picture on Instagram. It was the picture of us where I was holding up my medal and we were both smiling at the camera. I hadn't realized at the time that the photo was taken how big Shawn's smile was. I read his caption, he wrote:
"Today, for her first time, my girlfriend (your Insta username), ran the Boston Marathon. I literally cannot put into words how proud of her I am. She's been training so hard for this marathon for months now, and I've been lucky and honored enough to be right by her side as she trained for this, going with her on some of her runs. When she told me that she was accepted to run in the marathon, I literally started to spin her around and yell. She said that she couldn't believe it, but I could. I was also honored enough to be right there as she crossed the finish line. Y/n, I'm so proud of you. For the millionth time, congratulations my beautiful, strong, powerful girl, I always knew that you could do it. I love you honey." Shawn said. I smiled. How did I get so lucky? I liked the photo and commented with a bunch of heart emojis.
My phone dinged, it was from my brother. There were two pictures. One was a picture of Shawn and I smiling at each other as I held up my medal for him to see. The other was another candid from when Shawn and I first saw each other before I crossed the finish line and we were hugging. I posted them on Instagram, tagged Shawn in the post, and captioned it.
"Thank you to my brother for capturing the moment that I showed my newest accessory to my biggest fan and when I saw him right before I crossed the finish line. Shawn, I can't thank you enough for all of your support throughout my training, thank you for training with me at times, creating that amazing playlist (In My Blood came on right before I crossed the finish line - how appropriate is that?!), believing in me, being proud of me, and meeting me at the finish line. I love you so, so, so, much my love. Thank you for everything." I wrote, posted it, and then went downstairs.
"Hi there my marathoner." Shawn said with a smile. I giggled.
"Hi. Check my Instagram." I said. He gave me a funny look but checked it. He smiled as he read it and then turned to me after read it.
"Come give me a kiss honey." Shawn said. I smiled and gave him a small kiss. "No, no, no, I want better than that." Shawn said, causing me to giggle. I decided to give him what he wanted and practically tackled him so his back was on the couch. He laughed before we started our make out session. We pulled away, breathless from our amazing make out session.
"I love you." I breathed out. Shawn brushed a stray hair out of my face.
"I love you too." Shawn said.
"I'm so lucky to have you in my life. I don't know what I would do without you." I said. Shawn smiled at me.
"I'm so lucky to have you too. Come on, put your head on my chest and cuddle with me." Shawn said. I smiled and put my head on his chest as I closed my eyes. My head suddenly went flying up.
"I ran a marathon." I said. Shawn chuckled.
"Yeah. You did." Shawn said.
"Holy shit." I said and then put my head back on his chest. I could feel the vibrations of Shawn's laughter that rumbled through his chest. I soon fell back asleep, grateful and thankful for such an amazing boyfriend and an amazing day.