After promising to pick me up at six to go bowling (and leaving me aching for more kisses), Shawn led me out of his office. Everyone waiting immediately stood upon his arrival, cashing me to stare back at them with absolutely no idea what to do while he took care of the situation, which to him was apparently scowling at everyone and kissing me roughly goodbye.
Work passed by slowly, with the only entertainment coming in the form of an impromptu singing outburst by Sophia, and Russo surprising us with sushi for lunch. When we were done with work, we hurried home and collapsed onto the sofa in bored, huddled messes as I gave Tyler the details of my little bet.
"Damn, Norah, you should probably lose on purpose," Tyler chimed, poking me in the sides with a smile. "I mean, fucking look at him."
"Yeah, yeah, he's a god damn fallen angel or something. But I don't wanna, like, give him the pleasure of winning, you know?"
"I mean, I guess." I raised an eyebrow at my friend, who was now pouting on the couch with his glass of wine.
"You still think I should lose?"
"Norah, you haven't been laid since Ian, in like eighth grade."
"I was a senior in college!" I protested, leaning forward to flick his ear. "Like, last year."
"Yeah, and that's a long ass time."
With another poke to my stomach he was flitting off the couch, muttering something about Russo and FIFA, and I was left to get ready by myself while they sipped on beers. Shawn arrived exactly thirty minutes early and whisked me out of the apartment before I could even kiss either Tyler or Russo, who were screaming at each other about the game on our shitty TV, goodbye.
"Got somewhere else to be?" I huffed as he led me down the stairs.
"No, Norah," He scowled. "Why would you say that?"
"I don't know, maybe because you practically dragged me out of my apartment?"
He rolled his eyes as he held open the door to the black Range Rover, which Andrew was surprisingly not driving. I watched in awe at his beauty as he stalked in front of the car and over to the drivers seat, then slid in easily and started up the engine. We peeled out of the parking lot faster than necessary, and by the tight grip he had on the steering wheel, something was wrong. He kept his jaw clenched the entire time as he drove, his sharp jawline so painfully obvious and begging for me to trail kisses down that it was almost obscene. Instead of doing that, I turned towards the window and let out a sigh.
"What's the matter?"
"Nothing," He snapped.
"Well, you look pissed."
He didn't answer until he had to slam on the brakes for a red light because of his high speed, at which point he rested one hand on my knee and gave it a tight squeeze. I reluctantly raised my head from the window and glared back at him.
"Fine," He started. "Is it really necessary that you kiss Tyler and Russo goodbye every time you go somewhere?"
"Are you kidding me?" I giggled. By the way his nostrils flared at my amusement, I quickly tried to drop the smile on my face.
"Shawn, they're gay. Like, absolutely flaming."
"You do not need to kiss everyone you see, Norah."
"Well, you don't need to fuck all of your employees, so I guess we're even."
Shawn made a low, guttural sound and tightened his grip on the steering wheel. The rest of the car ride was silent except for the stupid classical music he listened to and the harsh breaths that puffed out of his mouth. Then, sometime in between when he parked the car and made his way over to my side, his anger faded away as if it had never been there. His boyish smile tugged over his face and he grabbed my hand before leading me into the run-down bowling alley, a place where you would never expect to find a multi-millionaire CEO.
"I reserved a lane." He said lowly as we approached the counter. "And I need two pairs of bowling shoes."
"What's the name?" The old man asked, popping his gum loudly.
"Mendes." The man almost started choking on his gum and began fumbling around for papers with a frazzled look on his face. It took him a few tries to type in the code for our lane before he handed over two pairs of shoes with a very forced smile.
"Enjoy, Mr. Mendes. And if you need anything please let us know. And you're in lane seven. And if you need- I already said that. Enjoy," He stammered.
Shawn narrowed his eyes, causing the man to flinch backwards and I to elbowed him in the side, because obviously the poor man didn't need anymore pressure.
"I will. Have our drinks sent immediately."
"Goodness," I groaned as he led me towards our lane. "What did you possibly do to scare him?"
"Nothing, Norah," He snapped, and before I could even open my mouth, he quickly added, "And do not even think about asking me again."
I cursed under my breath at how predictable I was before plopping down in the plastic seats around our lane. For my own personal vengeance, I typed in Shawn as 'Mr.Mendes' and me as 'Norah', causing him to already be annoyed with my childish antics only a few minutes into our night. "Really, Norah?" He huffed. "Can you not change it?"
"Oh calm down, it's a joke," I giggled. His mouth twitched in an effort to stay composed, and I took the chance of leaning forward to poke one of his dimples. "And smile, Mr. Mendes. We're about to start bowling."
He let out a slow breath as he tugged on the horrible shoes we were given and tossed his black Chelsea boots to the side. "You better be into role play if you're going to keep calling me that. Might as well make it useful in bed, once you lose this bet."
"Shawn!" I whined, and this time he cracked an easy smile and ran his hands through his messy curls and those damn green eyes lit up, and I was so hopelessly gone for this man that hid his inner child, it wasn't even funny. We sat side by side and tugged on our rented shoes, and when he stood up, my mouth dropped open.
It should be a sin for anyone to look as good in bowling shoes as Shawn Mendes did. It was one of the rare times he wasn't in a suit; he had on a Light jean jacket with a fur collar, a white t-shirt, and those black skinny jeans that I wanted to rip off his skinny legs. And all of this was topped off with those horrible red and blue bowling shoes that shouldn't look amazing, but he somehow made it look like it could have been on the runway.
"Norah," Shawn snapped. I raised my head off of my hands where it rested in a comfortable staring position to meet his deadly glare. "Are you going first?"
"Uh, yeah. Sure." He watched with a cocky smile as I picked up a bowling ball and headed toward the lane, my heart pounding in nervousness before I let the ball glide down it with a perfect stroke. I let out a happy cheer as I hit nine of the pins, then turned around with a triumphant smirk and my hand on my hip.
"Beat that, Mr. Mendes," I gloated, tossing my frizzy hair over one shoulder.
"I plan on it, Wilson." I let out a scoff and picked up the ball for my second turn.
"Oh really? Where did you even learn to bowl, if you actually can at all?"
"There wasn't a lot to do in Pickering e growing up," He stated, eyes wary, as I threw the ball down the lane and effectively hit the last standing pin.
"What about you?"
"There wasn't a lot do in North Carolina."
"Nice work, babe," He cooed when my turn was done, reaching for me with one hand. His fingers tugged at my hips until I fell ungracefully into his lap.
"I thought you were bluffing about knowing how to bowl."
I laughed and pulled on the neckline of his White shirt playfully, bringing it down to reveal the deep indent his collarbones, and effectively avoiding his burning gaze that made me want to melt.
"I couldn't lie even if I wanted to."
"Very true, Norah," He murmured. "Now please control yourself and stop tugging at my clothes. You have to at least let me win this bet before we get naked."
Scoffing, I wiggled out of his lap and into the seat next to him. "You're all talk and no action. Let's see it."
As soon as he stood up with that haughty smirk and his shoulders thrown back, I regretted ever thinking I could win this challenge. He picked up a red and blue bowling ball, strides towards the lane, and sent the ball perfectly down the arrow where they hit the pins with a resounding crack. The pins all fell easily into the gutter, not a single one left standing. Shawn turned around, giving a slight shrug of his shoulders, before coming back towards me with a shit-eating grin that I wanted to smack right off of his smug face.
"Game on," He taunted.
And it was. We became involved in a game so intense of bowling that the professionals couldn't keep up. At some point, the nervous old man from the front had brought us a pitcher of absolutely horrible beer that we drank without any second thoughts. Shawn grimaced as he sipped from his cool glass. "This is fucking awful. How do you like American beer?"
"Dunno, it's all I've ever had. It's your turn."
He downed the rest of his drink before striding up to the lane in those stupid, stupid bowling shoes that I absolutely loved on him, and letting the ball fling from his fingers gracefully. He CEO made everything he did look absolutely effortless. To me, it seemed that he could be good at anything. The way he carried himself exuded confidence. It leaked from every pore on his outstanding body, and told anyone who came within a hundred feet that this man was significantly better than you, and that he knew it too.
"Norah," He said suddenly, dragging me out of my thoughts. "It's your turn. And might I remind you, this is your last turn."
I cursed and stood up, my brain a little bit fuzzy from the glasses of beer I guzzled. I scolded myself mentally and picked up the blue bowling ball that I had been using all night before checking the score. Surprisingly, I was up by two points, which meant I needed to do perfectly to make sure I kept the lead.
"Don't mess up!" He called behind me. I flicked him off over my shoulder and steadied myself as much as possible. "Really, babe, I wouldn't want you to lose! That would just be absolutely horrible."
"Fuck off, Shawn!"
"Language, Norah," He scolded with a hint of amusement. I didn't dare turn around, because I knew I would find his face lit up with amusement and his lower lip tugged in between his teeth.
"Now do the best you possibly can!"
"Stop it," I whined.
"Baby, am I distracting you?" He cooed.
I threw him the bird over my shoulder and readied myself to throw the ball once again, only to have him nuzzle into my neck and wrap his arms around my waist, which made me drop the ball in surprise. "Baby, you dropped the ball."
"I'm going to fucking hit you in the balls if you don't stop," I murmured, trying to fight my body from leaning into his warmth. A small gasp escaped my lips as he hooked his fingers into the front loop of my jeans, and pulled me into the smooth curve of his stomach.
"Do not be rude," He said lowly. "I am just trying to wish you luck."
"No, you're trying to distract me."
"Now why would I do that?" I could feel his smirk against the bare skin of my neck before he started planting soft kisses, and by the slight shaking of his chest with laughter, he knew exactly what he was doing to me and exactly how to do it. The fact that he had on his usual musky cologne didn't really help me too much, either.
"Shawn, if you don't let me go then it's an automatic win for me," I spit out weakly, trying to ignore the fact that he was now nipping softly on my shoulders. He released me as quickly as he had grabbed me, letting out a deep chuckle and stepping back. I flicked him off over my shoulder and took deep breaths as I picked up the bowling ball that was lying long forgotten at my feet, then tried to forget the feeling of his arms wrapped around my waist. Apparently I tried to collect myself for a moment to long, because Shawn started fucking giggling behind me, and that was enough to make me go weak in the knees once again. Everything about him was so contradictory, from his deep laughter to his light giggles, and it was hard to keep up with.
"Are you going to bowl? Or are you too distracted?" He finally managed.
"Fuck you," I snapped.
Then I threw the ball forward with as much force and concentration that I could muster with the feeling of his lips still burning onto my neck, and watched it roll down the alley. Much to my surprise, and apparently Shawn's as well, it hit the pins with a resounding smack and knocked every single one to the ground. I turned around and ran towards him, jumping on the very upset looking CEO and wrapping my legs around his waist.
"Fuck you fuck you fuck you!" I giggled manically, planting kisses all along his neck as I spit out insults. He kept his hands sturdy under my thighs and continued to hold me. "I actually won, and oh my god, Tyler is going to be so pissed! And I won!"
"Norah-"
"Nope, don't even want to hear it!" I cheered as I tossed my arms around his neck and finally removed my head from where I nuzzled into him. I was met with brown eyes bright with amusement, and cheeks flushed from one beer too many. He was absolutely beautiful, and he was holding me up so easily, and our faces were inches apart. And the fact that I had a little bit of alcohol running in my system helped. The entire situation was just too tempting, and I pressed my lips against his eagerly.
Shawn groaned and stumbled backwards a few steps, until he was leaning against the blue and red table where our beers and various belongings rested. His hands tightened on my legs and I let out another soft giggle before pulling away breathlessly.
"I won," I whispered against his lips. He ghosted his mouth down my jawline and let out another soft groan.
"Yes, but you are also wrapped around my waist at the moment."
"Well," I sighed, nudging his nose with my own and bringing our gazes back together. "You have to spend an entire day like a normal person, so I'm definitely still the winner."
We stayed, leaning against the cheap plastic table for a few more seconds, until he slowly let me slide down where my toes were touching the ground. There was still a hint of amusement behind his eyes as we gathered up our things and headed out of the cheap bowling alley hand in hand.
"Norah, Norah, Norah," He mumbled as we stepped into the cool New York air. "What am I going to do with you?"
"Nothing, because I won." He chuckled and threw his arm around my shoulder, and I snuggled closer into his side. "We both know that isn't true."
I chose not to answer, because he was so obviously right and would call me out on my lying the second the words escaped my mouth. We walked the rest of the way to his car in silence, where he helped me climb in, catching me when I stumbled from exhaustion. A yawn escaped my mouth as I buckled into the passenger seat.
"Are you tired?"
"A little bit," I mumbled.
"You should go to sleep when we get back to my house."
"We're going back to yours?"
"Yes, Norah," He snapped.
I couldn't help but groan at his sudden change in mood. "Don't be so moody."
"Go to sleep." Rolling my eyes, I let my head rest against the window and began mentally planning what I would do with Shawn on our day of relaxation. A million ideas floated into my head, including stupid Disney movies that he would absolutely hate, and cheap wine that he would definitely hate, and a lot of kissing that he would hopefully like. Before I knew it, I was being picked up out of the passenger seat and moving swiftly across the ground with two strong arms under my back and legs to support me. I raised my head feebly to find Shawn staring forward with his jaw clenched.
"M'tired," I mumbled. He glanced down warily as he pressed the button for his impressive penthouse.
"I am putting you in the bed. Don't worry."
"I can walk."
"Be quiet, Norah."
Another yawn escaped my lips before I could snap back at him. I rested my head against his chest and listened to his constant heart rate as he held me, savoring the feeling of absolute safety that came from being in his arms. The doors slid open and he carried me into his dimly lit apartment and up the stairs, where he set me on his bed and began tugging off my shoes. "I can do it," I mumbled quietly as he unlaced my boot.
"No." I struggled to raise myself up on my elbows and stared down at him.
"I'll do it, Shawn." He hesitated for a second, fingers pausing over the shoes laces of my second boot, before continuing. His jaw began to clench in the way that meant he was trying not to snap at me and tell me how annoying I was. I watched in fascination as he deftly tugged off the first brown boot, and then the other, and then pulled off my socks to reveal my bright red toenails. Shawn cracked a small smile at the sight of them, then climbed up onto the bed and pulled the covers up over us.
"Do not tell me what to do," He said smoothly, pulling me into his chest at the same time and throwing an arm around my waist.
"I was just saying I can take off my own shoes."
"I know you can," He sighed. There was a moment of silence as I shifted around under the heavy blanket and tried to find the most comfortable position (or rather, the position I could be most closely intertwined with Shawn).
"Stop moving."
"Sorry." His fingers slipped up under my sweater and spread out over my stomach as they always did, tracing incoherent patterns over my hip bones and up my sides.
"When are we going to have this relaxation day?"
A smile pulled over my face as I replied, "Soon."
"The Leafs game is on Saturday. How about Sunday?"
"If I didn't know any better, I would say you sound kind of excited." He groaned softly and tangled his legs into mine, locking out ankles around each other's so that we were as close together as we could possibly be. I cautiously brought my hand to my stomach, where his larger one was splayed out, and moved our hands together. Shawn responded with a tight squeeze to make sure they stayed interlocked and then a kiss onto my shoulder where he always seemed to do it, and then a quiet but scolding,
"Go to sleep, Norah."
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Guys I have a job interview at 4pm today, I am so nervous. So these are the three chapters for the day. Does anyone have any tips for my interview anything would help?
Miki xo