everywhereallofthetime - Tumblr blog

[everywhereallofthetime]

I don’t know/remember off-hand how many followers I (may still) have here, - I didn’t bother/think to look before I began composing this post, - and idk if anyone has truly cared/missed me, - I never really had many notes on any given chapter, - but I’m, unfortunately, breaking my promise. 💔 I am so incredibly sorry; at this time I don’t believe I will ever finish “Some Girl”. In fact, I will be deleting it from this blog. Well, turning every chapter to private, which is nearly the same thing. I honestly don’t know if “private-ing” things blocks them from my already followers sight or what.

Under the circumstances, ofc, you can absolutely unfollow me if you choose to, but please allow me to first tell you where my head is/has been...

You see, I had a friend who was my beta reader and someone I could bounce my thoughts off of for SG, and then we had a messy, terrible falling out. Her fingers are all over little bits of this story, mainly in the later chapters, and honestly, it pretty much spoiled things for me. 😔 I still go back and read it occasionally and believe it was/is very good writing up to where it went on hiatus, but I started feeling different about how it seemed to be progressing. I was being influenced to write Shawn differently than I had been and it was messing with me, throwing everything off. I never should have allowed that. And after the friendship ended and the dust settled, I thought maybe I could get my head back on straight and continue, return it to what I had always envisioned it to be, but I think it was just… too late.

Idek if any of the previous paragraph makes a drop of sense, but that’s the best way I know how to describe things.

I even thought maybe I could do a partial rewrite, adjust some things, even in early chapters, but just the thought of such an undertaking is overwhelming. I’m not saying it won’t eventually happen, but I know better now than to make any promises.

Aside from that, I hit such a horrible wall with my writing, period. If you follow me over at my main Shawn blog and have read any of the stories on my master list, you may know that I haven’t posted a new story for a long, long time.

I was negatively affected by Shawn canceling tour, even though I understand/understood and accept(ed) that was what he needed to do, but it put me in a poor mindset for quite a while. I was supposed to be seeing him the very next night after the initial postponement announcement, as well as three other shows, including a M&G. It was a devastating blow. It took me a while to pull myself out of my upset/depression. That’s when the block started to develop. I know my happiness should not be dependent on Shawn, and it’s not, not really, but I had been looking forward to an amazing summer, for months, and suddenly there was no longer anything to be excited for.

There’s a lot more I could go into here, but I try to never burden anyone with my problems/issues. (Even though I probably should let people help me once in a while. It’s easy for me to be the person people come to when shit is rough, but difficult for me to go “crying” to others when shit is rough.)

I’ve been trying very hard to reclaim my writing mojo, because I do still absolutely adore and love Shawn, and I love writing him, and truly, I always seem to be jotting things down, even while I was so severely blocked. Maybe those little notes/ideas will eventually develop into something. Who knows?

I am feeling more stirrings than I have in a while, so silver lining? Maybe it’s because Shawn himself seems to be in such a better place and he has returned to being more active and interactive, and we know new music is coming “soon”, and that’s been so uplifting and encouraging. When he’s happy, I’m happy, you know?

(I’m sure many of the writers that write Shawn will be popping up again in the next few months.)

I still have a number of requests sitting in my ask box. Goodness knows if any of the requesters even remember requesting from me; it’s been so long. I’m slowly, tentatively trying to get back to those.

Okay, my lovies. If you read through this entire post, thank you. I appreciate you. ❤️ I hope you can forgive me.

[everywhereallofthetime]

Hey guys.

So.

I think “Some Girl” is going to be on hiatus for a bit longer. I know I never said it was going to go on hiatus in the first place, but after two months I think it’s safe to call it a hiatus regardless.

I know this is why so many people have such little desire to start reading and getting invested in WIPs (aside from the OC aspect of it, because It seems most readers would prefer to be able to put themselves into the narrative), but I promise I will continue it until it’s finished, no matter how long it takes for me to find a good place/way to end it. But for right now, I honestly don’t know when the next chapter of SG is going to go up.

Just keep an eye on my pinned master list over at @yournameoneverypage. I’ll update there as soon as I’m able to.

For right now my focus is going to be on getting through some of the requests that have been sitting for way too long in my ask box.

My inspiration/motivation/desire to write has been sorely lacking these past few weeks. I’ve been playing around with a couple of other things just to try to pull myself out of this writing slump, and they’re possibly, hopefully some things you’ll see from me sometime in the future, but I don’t want to begin posting another WIP until I’ve finished SG.

I hope you’ll bear with me a bit longer.

I love you all! 💖

[everywhereallofthetime]

Questioning the future of "Some Girl"...

Hello beautiful readers! 💖

I've been working on chapter 28 for the past week. I'm hoping to get it finished by the end of the day tomorrow, but no promises. I have requests I'd like to work on/finish, too. (I swear, there aren't enough hours in the day!)

Part 28 is pretty much a fluff "filler" piece with a possible smut-adjacent ending (but again, no promises; it's getting a little long as it is already). Do you like those sorts of chapters? Fillers? (Even with fillers, I still do try to bring up a point or an issue that could affect the way things play out.)

I've just been contemplating lately where I'm going with this story. I struggle with this all of the time, to be honest.

How detailed do I get? How much day to day stuff do I write? Is there not enough story progression? How fast do I move things along? Should I try to skip a little time here and there? How long will this story actually go for?

If it was up to me (which it is, I suppose) I'd continue this pace, for the most part, until the end. I write for me first of course, and I adore Shawn and Charlotte's story, but I don't want my readers to lose interest because the pace is too slow and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight. And then, when and how will I end it? I do actually want to post another OC fic after this one. I have like, two (maybe four) others I've been playing with for weeks/months.

I also wonder, should I revisit/explore any of the other characters I've written about in previous chapters? Or have they already served their purpose?

I would love for someone to pop into my asks and answer any/all of these questions for me, - whether you care to be known or want to remain anonymous, I don't mind.

Will anyone be so kind as to do so?

[everywhereallofthetime]

Remember, in the part I just posted:

“Just you wait,” she taunted, eyes sparkling deviously. “Turnabout is fair play.”

“Do your worst,” he smirked, falling onto his back, casually tucking his hands behind his head.

Charlotte swung a leg over him, straddling his hips. She sat back on his thighs and raked her eyes over every exposed inch of him beneath her.

The second I saw this photo, I thought, that’s exactly how I imagined him, expect only in his boxer briefs, in bed, of course. But otherwise that pose, that look.

Tell me you can/can’t totally imagine that…

[everywhereallofthetime]

Hello beautiful readers!

I know I am incredibly overdue in updating this, but I had writer’s block for nearly two weeks, and then, when inspiration/motivation struck, I whipped through two requests that had been sitting for too long in my ask box over at my everything Shawn tumblr.

Aside from that, in all honesty, and please forgive me for whining a bit, I’ve been a little down because my most recent completed request hasn’t gotten the reaction I had hoped for. I really expected more people would have liked it as much I do. And now I’ve been rereading it, wondering what could have been written differently, what might be missing, is it too disjointed?, etc. I’m sure others of you who may also write have been through these same feelings before. And I know it shouldn't really matter so much. My friend who had made the request said she LOVED it and that should be enough, right?

Despite that, I’m happy to say I have since made progress on the next part of Some Girl. It should go up hopefully no later than by the end of the week. I’m going to write whenever I have the chance over the next few days between meal prep and workouts (I’ve recently begun a new healthy eating and fitness program) and work.

Thank you for hanging in there with me! ILY all! 😘

[everywhereallofthetime]

UPDATE

Hello to the handful of those of you who are reading "Some Girl"!

I wanted to drop in and apologize that I haven't yet posted part 17. I expected it would be easier to finish than it has been. I do promise to finish this fic though because I absolutely love Shawn and Charlotte, and I know how frustrating it can be to start reading a WIP that is abandoned by its author.

The other reason for this update is to let you know that I have simultaneously been working on a new OC fic and right now that is the one that has my attention because it's flowing so well. At least currently. We'll see how long that lasts. LOL I'm not planning to start posting the new fic until "Some Girl" is complete, but hopefully you'll read the new one as well when I do. It's going to be quite different from SG. Quite flirty/smutty, to start, if you're into that, with lots of fluff, but then it turns pretty angsty, if you like that.

By the way, I should let you know that my short fic over at my Shawn tumblr, "Confessions", was taken directly from SG. I only altered it enough to make it work as a Shawn x reader. So, you'll see it again in an upcoming part, probably 19 or 20.

Thank you all for your support! Feel free to talk to me or ask me anything, - about my writing, about Shawn in general, anything. My ASK is always open. 💖

[everywhereallofthetime]

Some Girl ... Part 16

Word Count: ~2.8k

Warnings/Notes: Language. Embarrassment. Three lines of fantasized smut.

// * // * //

Wednesday / July 28th

Charlotte plopped down into a chair with an audible exhale. Those at the table with her, fellow trainers Lina and Edric, chuckled in agreement.

Lina worked out of the same studio space as Charlotte, and Edric was a male trainer in the CrossFit gym. They shared a break room and were all pretty tight. Their little crew consisted of Charlotte, Lina, Edric, Julianna, or “Jules” for short, the yoga instructor that Charlotte had filled in for that morning, Hollis, and Finn. They were always referring clients back and forth, especially if they thought a specific trainer would be a better fit for the individual.

They tried to keep their communication open and consistently sought advice from each other. For instance, Finn had helped Charlotte put together Shawn’s exercise routine, and Hollis had just come to Charlotte a day earlier about one of his clients’ nutrition needs.

Jaime was an honorary crew member because she worked her ass off trying to keep all of their schedules as cohesive as possible.

“It’s been a day, eh?” Edric said.

Charlotte replied, “I always feel off substituting for Jules. I’m happy to help out, but it’s still her class. They know her style and what to expect from her; they don’t know me. And Trent was in a mood, which didn’t help. I might need to cut him loose,” she sighed. “At least Alexis was cheerful and unproblematic.”

“Just breathe, kid,” Lina smiled. “You’re done.”

“I still have one more.”

“Shawn?” Lina smirked. “That’s not work honey, that’s play.” Charlotte blushed. “He’s so damn easy to look at, and he’s the sweetest guy I’ve ever met. Works hard. And he adores you.”

“Who are we talking about?” Edric inquired.

“Shawn.”

“Mendes,” Lina added.

“Wait. What? Shawn Mendes? You have a world famous celebrity client??”

“Yes, and we’re starting in the ring today.”

“Where the fuck have I been?” he gaped. “So, that’s why the boxing schedule is blocked from one-thirty to three. All it says is ‘SM/VIP’.”

“I’ll probably come to you when he gains some experience and starts to get too strong for me.”

“Okay, cool. Anything I can do to help.”

Suddenly Jaime was groaning aloud and sitting down beside Charlotte. She raised an eyebrow and sighed heavily. “Miss Johnson called.”

“Of course she did,” Charlotte sneered.

“Who is ‘Miss Johnson’ and why do we not like her?” Edric asked.

Charlotte recounted the story of what had happened two days earlier and then added, “Until she saw Shawn I was pretty confident she wasn’t going to be back. I can’t train her after all that. Call it a conflict of interest. So why does she have you grumbling?”

“She was trying to be sneaky,” Jaime explained. “She wanted me to divulge client information, as in when Shawn’s next session was. And when I wouldn’t crack she huffed and told me to have you call her.”

“She sounds fun,” Edric sniggered.

“I’ll take her,” Lina offered without Charlotte having to even ask.

“Oh my God, thank you Lina.”

Lina wondered, “Think she’ll go for it?”

“She’ll still be working out at the same gym as Shawn,” Jaime said with a small shrug.

“I guess we’ll find out,” Charlotte stated. “I’ll call her before Shawn gets here.”

“When are you going to start training that boy in the bedroom?” Lina asked, with an impious grin.

Edric shook his head. “Nope. I’m out,” he guffawed and stood from the table. He gestured to his own face but was looking at Charlotte. “You got a little something...everywhere,” he snickered, referring to how beet red she was.

// * // * //

Lina knocked on Charlotte’s half open office door. When Charlotte looked up from her desk Lina entered and asked, “So, do I have a new client?”

“She wasn’t thrilled, but I think so.”

“We already knew she wasn’t going to be happy. She wanted you because you’re training Shawn and you two are tight.”

Charlotte stood and rounded her desk toward Lina. “She would like a new consultation first,” she said, handing Jetta’s file to her.

Lina only gave it a perfunctory glance. “It’s pointless, but whatever. She’ll accept me because she’ll still be working out at the same gym as Shawn and there will be other chances for her to run into him again.

“Speaking of your tall, dark, and handsome pop star boy toy, shouldn’t he be here by now?”

Suddenly Shawn was standing in the doorway, grinning. “I am tall, dark, and handsome, aren’t I? Oh, and that’s right, a pop star too.” He kissed Charlotte’s cheek. “Darling, are you talking to people about our sex life again?” He then sat down on the edge of her desk.

“Oh love,” she hummed, patting his face, “it’s cute how you think you could ever handle being my boy toy.”

Lina might regularly crack jokes and tease Charlotte with innuendos about Shawn, but in his presence she was still as affected by him as so many others were.

“Hello Lina,” he grinned.

“Hi Shawn.” She blushed and bit her lip.

“Thank you for taking Jetta off our hands.”

“I’ll do my best to keep her from bothering you.”

“I couldn’t ask for more,” he smiled gratefully.

// * // * //

After a fifteen-minute warm up, Charlotte led Shawn to the CrossFit gym’s boxing area. He had only been there once previously, when Charlotte had given him a brief tour before his very first session. He was excited to get started.

She began by saying, “I’ve seen the Armani campaign in which you’re boxing, but let’s find out how much instruction you truly need.” She gently pushed him toward an exercise bench between the ring and a row of heavy bags. “We’re going to start with the bags,” she said, tossing him a pair of hand wraps, before retrieving gloves.

Standing before him, she teased, “So, have you actually boxed before or were you just trying to sell smart watches?”

He took her dig in stride, only narrowing his eyes playfully, and answered, “I have boxed, but I’ve never been properly instructed. I know I have a lot to learn.”

“Let’s start with the correct way to wrap your hands,” she said, stepping between his open legs.

As Shawn brought his right hand up between them he unconsciously encircled her thigh with his left hand and pulled her closer. His proximity, the heat of his hand on her skin, and the fact that he smelled more incredible than ever had Charlotte hesitating for a moment with the need to acclimate.

When he splayed his hand so she could wrap between his fingers, she was hyperaware of just how large and strong it was. An image of both of Shawn’s hands gripping her thighs while her legs were wrapped around his waist filled her mind.

She cleared her throat. “We want to be especially diligent with how your hands are wrapped, and I want you in gloves at all times. We don’t want to risk you breaking any bones in your hands or wrists leaving you unable to play guitar.”

She watched as he wrapped his left hand on his own. Satisfied, she quickly wrapped her own hands as he pulled on his gloves.

“We want to keep you on your feet when we start sparring, so show me your stance.”

Shawn centered his body weight, all 185 pounds of him, and slightly bent his knees. He brought his hands up. “Relax your shoulders,” she said. She pushed his arms closer to his body. “Tuck those elbows in. And keep your core tight. Excellent.”

She kicked his feet into their proper places and said, “Okay, let’s go, Mendes.” She wanted to observe his punching form before instruction while he took his first few swings. “Hit the bag.”

Charlotte stopped him after four punches. “Not bad.” She showed him how his arm should form a perfectly straight line from shoulder to knuckles. “Wrist. Downwards and outwards. Point of impact should be the first two knuckles of your closed fist.” She demonstrated while he watched. “Even in gloves, your form should still be the same.”

Shawn licked his lips, tongue pausing in the corner of his mouth, and bit the fuller bottom one. While he was focusing on landing a good punch, Charlotte couldn’t tear her eyes from his mouth. For that reason, she missed the stick.

“Better?” he asked. “It felt better.”

“Once more, babe. Tighten that core.” This time she made sure to pay attention. “Yes, better.”

Shawn smiled softly, eyes glinting proudly. Charlotte couldn’t remember even one time when Shawn had smiled and she hadn’t smiled back. He was adorable. And sexy. So. Damn. Sexy. How he managed to be both at the same time was a juxtaposition.

“Give me a few more and then we’re gonna work on putting more strength behind your punch.” She grabbed a pair of gloves for herself, pulling them on while he hit the heavy bag thrice more.

“Good. Now, hold your form but angle your body into it. That will transfer your weight into the punch itself, making it stronger. Watch me.” She demonstrated.

He nodded in understanding and did as she had shown him. He was a fast learner. His bicep flexed whenever his fist struck the boxing bag, each punch stronger than the one before, and Charlotte tried to focus on anything but the damp curls sticking to his forehead and the sweat dripping down his temple.

“Much better.” Fuck if he didn’t look like a whole meal today, not just a snack. His gray shorts were shorter and snugger than some of his other pairs, and he was wearing one of his tighter white tank tops.

Shawn paused for a breather, pulling off his gloves and reaching for his water bottle. He finished his and Charlotte handed him what was left of hers. He pulled the hem of his tank up, revealing the start of what was quickly becoming a well-defined, mouth-watering six-pack, and used it to wipe the sweat from his face.

She caught herself from saying aloud, just take it off, when he did just that, bringing it over his head and tossing it onto the nearest bench. For a moment she wondered if she had said it out loud.

He put his gloves back on and had only thrown one punch before Charlotte soundly thumped his abdomen and smirked. “Engage your core.”

“My core is engaged!” he shouted, laughing. But now that he was more aware of her eyes on his abs, he focused on keeping his core tight while he hit the bag. He lost himself in the rhythm for a while. His arms were going to feel like lead tomorrow, but he was enjoying himself. There was deep satisfaction in knowing he was giving his all in his workout.

Without his shirt, Charlotte could tell that his core was certainly engaged. She noticed the tightness all throughout his upper body with every oblique and hip twist. She could see the transfer of power and momentum from his legs to his arm via his torso.

Was she turned on? Absurdly. Was she having difficulty not imagining licking the sweat from his neck? Totally. But she wasn’t about to tell him she wanted to climb him like a tree. After Lina’s comments and watching the way his body moved for the past 45 minutes, all Charlotte could think of was Shawn in her bed.

She had always been wildly attracted to him, but this day it was as if all of her senses were in overdrive.

She set the timer, circled and stood on the other side of the bag, and braced herself against it to keep it steady. She tilted her head around one side to watch. “Finish it.” Shawn knew what that meant. Their time was almost up. He still had to cool down and stretch but she wanted to push him that last bit.

“Three minutes. And...go!”

His face in such concentration, the way his muscles flexed, and the sounds falling from his lips; it all came together and engulfed her. She closed her eyes. Each punch became a thrust of his hips. Each exhale was a pullback. Each grunt was her tightening her walls around his cock as he slid back in.

When she dared to open her eyes again, sweat was dripping from his chin. She bit her bottom lip to stop herself from audibly groaning.

The shrill buzz of the timer startled her and abruptly snapped her out of her fantasy. She couldn’t meet his eyes.

“You’re really flushed, babe.” Shawn teased. “Are you feeling all right?”

Bastard. “I’m fine.”

“Need another minute?” The smirk on his face was as smug as she had ever seen.

“Take your ego and shove it, Mendes!” she shouted, deep red with embarrassment. If he didn’t already know how attracted she was to him, he certainly did now. She spun and walked away from Shawn’s giggling.

Before she could get far, his arms wrapped around her from behind and he pinned her back against his chest.

“Let me go!” She tried to shrug out of his embrace, awkwardly chuckling, still flustered. “You’re soaked with sweat, and you stink!”

“You love my stink.”

“Oh my God, get off me!” she laughed.

His hug melted into something genuine and he kissed the skin where her shoulder met her neck before releasing her.

She still couldn’t bring herself to completely meet his eyes, but her mortification was waning. “Ten-minute cool down. Circle the ring.”

With one last chuckle and a grin, Shawn took off in a light jog around the boxing ring.

// * // * //

Charlotte composed herself while bringing the used towels, hand wraps, and boxing gloves to their stations for collection and sanitizing.

She returned with a freshly filled water bottle just as Shawn was finishing his last lap. He stopped in front of her and she handed him the bottle. He greedily, gratefully drank his fill.

The silence was deep while Charlotte helped Shawn stretch. She usually enjoyed their post-cool down routine, they always talked and giggled through it, but at the moment she was feeling self-conscious. There was something in Shawn’s eyes whenever they met hers, and his smile was soft and...curious, was the best way she could think to describe it.

“Stop looking at me like that,” she murmured.

“Like what?”

“Like you suddenly found yourself with the key to my deepest desires and now you’re wondering what to do with that information.”

He cocked an eyebrow and smirked. That’s kind of exactly what he was thinking. He was already aware there was a fervent attraction between them.

He sat up, brought himself closer to her than usual, and gently placed his hand on her hip. “You don’t have to be embarrassed.”

Charlotte wrinkled her nose, cheeks pink, and looked up at the ceiling. “Easy for you to say.”

He bit his tongue to keep himself from confessing that there were a million little things she had no idea she did that turned him on, like how she bit her lip, or twisted her fingers in her necklace, in the same way as she was doing at that moment. He wasn’t quite ready to be that truthful with her.

He ran one of her braids between his fingertips. “You don’t have to be embarrassed,” he said again, softer.

She cupped one side of his face with a faint sigh and a quiet smile. He covered her hand with his and turned his lips into her palm to place a small kiss there.

Charlotte swore she felt a tiny shift in their connection just then, but maybe she just wanted there to be so badly her mind was playing tricks on her. She withdrew her hand and cleared her throat to clear the air before asking, “Were you happy with today’s session?”

“I loved it. I might change my mind though, depending on how much my arms hurt tomorrow,” he grinned.

“We spent extra time stretching and massaging your arms, so that should help. Take a good soak in the tub tonight.”

“You should join me,” he smirked. “Whose tub is bigger, yours or mine?”

She glowered at him. “You’re just trying to get me all worked up again. I’m not going to fall for it.”

“Damn,” he said, chuckling.

“Do you still have the Muscle Ease bath salts I gave you?”

“Enough for tonight.”

“I’ll bring you more tomorrow. And tomorrow we’ll actually get in the ring and practice basic footwork, guards, and punches. I might pull one of the boys in to help, probably Edric since he’s the most experienced in the ring; he’s an amateur UFC fighter.” She instantly lit up with an idea. “You should go with me to his next fight!”

“Like, a date?” he grinned.

They couldn’t get much closer to each other than they already were, but that didn’t stop Charlotte from trying. If she were any nearer, she’d be in his lap. “You can hold my hand, and maybe I’ll even let you kiss me at the end of the night,” she teased.

“Can’t wait,” he smiled.

// * // * //

Part 16b

[everywhereallofthetime]

Some Girl ... Part 15

Word Count: almost 1.8k

Warnings/Notes: A few cuss words. Overzealous, disrespectful fan, Shawn trying to be a sweetheart anyway. Brief mentions of Camila.

// * // * //

Monday / July 26th

At 9:03am Monday morning, Charlotte was at the front desk chatting with Jaime, her office assistant, when Ethan came rushing in, apologizing for being late. Charlotte waved it off and told him that it happened to the best of them. She then led him to the studio they would be starting in.

While they warmed up, Charlotte learned that Ethan was the single dad of a 15-month-old baby girl. The reason he was late, he felt the need to explain, was because he had his daughter over the weekend and he needed to drop her off at daycare on his way. She didn’t want him to go, so he gave her an extra few snuggles to try to comfort her.

Charlotte smirked. “She already knows she has you wrapped around her finger.”

“She absolutely does,” he chuckled. He showed her his home screen on his cell phone, which was a picture of her.

“I have a six-month-old son,” Charlotte offered with a smile of solidarity, showing him the photo of Sebastian on her own phone home screen.

They chuckled at the fact that they were ‘those kind’ of parents; showing photos of their kids without asking others if they even wanted to see them.

It was a nice jumping off point for them to connect and start getting to know one another on a more personal level.

On a professional level, Ethan was about 25 pounds heavier than he wanted to be. Charlotte reminded him that he would be trading fat for muscle, so his overall weight might not change much, depending on how muscular he wanted to be. She didn’t believe in weigh-ins except with their first session and again at their last. She told her clients to mark their progress with measurements, not the scale.

Aside from that, he was an absolute dear and very, very attractive. He had the darker skin of someone with mixed heritage and short dark hair, but his eyes were a beautiful sea green.

Ethan was also somewhat flirtatious. Charlotte had a feeling he was holding back and couldn’t help but wonder if it was because of Shawn. He had, after all, first met her when Shawn was standing beside her.

If she wasn’t so unsure of where she and Shawn may be heading, she would certainly be flirting back.

// * // * //

Charlotte was saying goodbye to Ethan, and how she was looking forward to their next session that Thursday, as her newest potential client was arriving.

Jetta was petite and cute, with blonde hair and dark eyes. Charlotte thought they might be close in age, but not in maturity. She had an air about her that said she was spoiled rotten and used to getting whatever she wanted. She hoped she was wrong in her presumption, this was only their initial meeting after all, but she was more intuitive than most people.

Nonetheless, Charlotte flashed a warm, professional smile in greeting. She then brought Jetta back to her office to begin their consultation. She was a no-nonsense trainer, not the coddling type. She was about to learn if Jetta had the disposition and dedication that she needed to be one of her clients.

After a straight-forward conversation with Jetta about the kind of commitment she would need to be successful, Charlotte could already tell she was wavering. Still, she showed Jetta the studios and equipment, and they had a brief workout to get a feel for each other.

When their time was almost up, Jetta excused herself for the washroom while Charlotte made a few notes, which ended with: Probably won’t be back...

// * // * //

Charlotte headed toward the front office, where she and Jetta were supposed to reconvene, and found Shawn chatting with Jaime at the front desk.

“You’re only supposed to flirt like that with me, Mendes,” Charlotte teased.

“I’m practically married already. It doesn’t count,” Jaime giggled.

“You aren’t married yet.” Shawn made the gesture of holding a phone to his ear and winked at her, mouthing ‘call me’.

“And he calls me ‘trouble’,” Charlotte said to Jaime, chuckling. She then gave Shawn a playful shove and said, “Go warm up. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

Before he could make it to the door which led the way to the CrossFit studio, he was intercepted by a slightly overzealous Jetta.

“Hi! Oh my God! I’m a huge fan!”

Shawn was always unfailingly polite and full of gratitude. He flashed that brilliant smile of his. “Thanks!”

“I didn’t know you worked out here!”

“No one knows that I work out here, and I’d kind of like to keep it that way.” He said so in a way which asked Jetta not to say anything without actually asking her not to say anything.

“Sure, absolutely. I watched your Live last night.”

“That’s great! I hope you liked it.”

“Of course I did! I’m so excited for new music from you.”

“It makes me happy to hear that.”

“Can we take a selfie?”

“For sure, but then I’ve gotta go.”

Jetta handed Shawn her phone and posed beside him, standing as close as she could. As soon as the shutter clicked, she stated, “I’m glad you and Camila finally broke up.”

Shawn felt immediate dizziness fill his head. “Oh,” was the only response he could manage.

Noticing how he stiffened beside her and how red filled his cheeks, she quickly added, “It’s just that I never thought she was right for you,” as if that would make it better.

Charlotte felt the need to step in and end things. “I’m sorry, Jetta, but Shawn is here for a session and we should really get started.”

“Sure. Yeah, all right.”

Charlotte could see the very moment everything all came together in Jetta’s mind.

“You’re ‘starlit_charlotte’! You posted the basketball video!” Jetta turned back to Shawn. “She’s the friend you were talking about in your chat!” She looked from him back to Charlotte, and again at him. “Are you two together?”

“We’re friends.”

Jetta’s focus remained on Shawn and Shawn alone. “If you aren’t dating her, do you wanna go out sometime? With me? Here,” she said, shoving a business card into his hand.

Quickly glancing at it, he could see that it listed all of her social media accounts and usernames.

She placed her hand on his forearm and flashed him what she thought was her sexiest smile. “Feel free to slide into my DMs.”

Shawn tried to stay cool and cordial but he was ready for her to get out of his space, and he hating feeling like that around his fans. “It was nice to meet you, Jetta, but I really gotta go. We’re running late.”

“Oh! Okay, sure,” she grinned, oblivious to Shawn basically telling her it was time for her to go away. “See you around!”

Not if I can help it, Charlotte thought to herself while she did her best to smile pleasantly. She turned Shawn away from Jetta, placed her hands on either of his hips, and pushed him through the door. Over her shoulder, back to Jetta, she said, “Give me a call if you decide you’d like to start training and we’ll work out a schedule.”

// * // * //

Charlotte handed Shawn a jump rope. He started skipping and, after he found his rhythm, murmured, “I’m sorry, babe.”

“You never need to apologize for stopping for your fans, and for being kind, even when they don’t deserve it. If it had been me, it would have meant the world to me if you took time to talk to me and take a selfie. I’m sorry. You looked like you were beginning to get overwhelmed and I reacted, but it was wrong for me to butt in. I know you’re perfectly capable of handling things on your own. After all, you’ve been doing this for years.”

“In this case, you weren’t wrong. Sure, she was a fan, but I am also your client and we had a scheduled session that has now started ten minutes late. As my trainer you had every right to call attention to that.”

“Sure, but as your friend, I want to be supportive of you, and I want your fans to like me. It will make your interaction with them a lot easier if they do.”

Shawn shook his head as if in disbelief. “She was...excitable, eh?”

“She was rude,” Charlotte said frankly.

“I’m sure she didn’t mean to be.”

"You are too good for this world,” she sighed. “She insulted Camila and your relationship with her right to your face, babe. It was disrespectful.”

“I wasn’t going to be impolite back at her... She might be your newest client.”

“First off, no one would have blamed you, least of all me. And no. I don’t want to train her, and I hate saying that about anyone. Until she saw you, I had a feeling she wouldn’t have been back. Now that she knows you work out here, with me, she will be. I’ll see if Lina will take her on.”

“I wonder if she’ll say anything to anyone.”

“Of course she will. And I wouldn’t put it past her to embellish the story of your meeting. ‘He’s even more gorgeous in person!’ At least that wouldn’t be an embellishment. ‘He was flirting!’ She won’t bother to add ‘with the office assistant’. A business card for social media. Like, really? Is that a thing now? I’m only 23. Should this not surprise me?” Shawn started giggling. “‘I gave him my number and he said he’d slip into my DMs!’ She’s cute though; she’d be easy to believe. At least she caught you pre-workout and not when you were all gross and sweaty. Although, I don’t know, she might’ve liked your sweat and post-workout stink.”

Shawn was having difficulty catching his breath; it was hard to laugh and jump-rope at the same time.

“So much for subtly and slowly, eh?” he said between chuckles.

“More like clearly and quickly,” she giggled. Shawn opened his mouth to say something but Charlotte immediately shut him down. “Don’t you dare try to apologize again. Do I have to remind you of our conversation last night?”

“Okay, fine.”

“All right then. Twenty squats.”

“I fucking hate squats,” he groaned, dropping the jump rope.

“I can always make them buddy squats,” she threatened. “Come on, babe. They’ll make your ass look great.”

“You must do a lot of squats,” he smirked.

She rolled her eyes but still blushed. “Your charm will not get you out of having to do them,” she snickered. “Let’s go. Shit stuff first, then fun stuff. You know the drill.”

// * // * //

Part 16

[everywhereallofthetime]

Some Girl ... Part 14

Word Count: 1.45k

Warnings: Brief mention of anxiety.

// * // * //

Charlotte texted Shawn two photos just before he was set to go live. The first was what she referred to as her IG Live set up; a ripe cherry VIVEAU, a bag of Hickory Sticks, and a pair of over-ear headphones. The second was a selfie. She was wearing a low-cut, white, V neck tee and her hair fell over her shoulders in soft waves, one strand tucked behind her ear. She was sticking out her tongue.

// * // * //

Shawn saw his audience rapidly grow with every minute he was live. In the beginning it was mostly just a flurry of “I love you!”, “omg!”, “where have you been?”, “I/we missed you!”, and the ever present “come to...” and whatever country they were watching from.

He read a few and replied with “I love you too!” and “I missed you back!” He called people out and said ‘hi’ to them specifically. He thanked everyone again for their patience and unwavering support.

Once his watcher count rose into the mid-tens of thousands, he asked for more specific questions and promised to answer as honestly as he felt comfortable with.

Shawn tried to remember to repeat the questions he was being asked before answering.

“Are Camila and I still friends?” He had anticipated a lot of questions about Camila and the breakup and had prepared himself for them. “We’re giving each other space right now. I hope one day we can be friends again.

“Am I going to delete the photos? Of Camila and I on Instagram? No. She’s part of my life journey. I learned a lot from our relationship and we made amazing memories. Why would I want to erase that?

“Any chance we’ll get back together? I will always care about her, I will always have love for her, but no, I don’t think so.

“Am I ready for another relationship? Broken hearts take a while to heal. Even though I’m closer to being ready than I was last month, no. I don’t want to rush into anything. Right now I’m just surrounding myself with people who make me happy,” he smiled.

He played chords on his guitar and sang a little bit between questions.

“Am I currently working on new music? I am actually,” he grinned. “Will you hear it soon? I hope so.

‘My most meaningful song I wrote and why? Still ‘In My Blood’, as most of you probably already know. Speaking your truth about something you struggle with and having so many people respond positively to it, and connect with it, that’s pretty special...

“I’ve recently written something that might end up meaning more if it turns out the way I want it to,” he teased. “Will I play it for you? Oh no, no. It’s nowhere near ready.” But he played a new chord from another new song that he had been working on. His fans’ reaction was overwhelming and he blushed.

“You’ll just have to be patient! Sing ‘Patience’?” he chuckled but obliged them and sang the first verse.

“Where do you go when everything is overwhelming and why that place? Shit. You guys are on fire tonight, such great questions; I love it. I missed this so much...” He scratched the back of his neck. “I go home. Back to my parents’. Lay in my old bed and listen to the sounds of the house I grew up in. Sometimes I take a walk with no destination in mind, find a quiet bench in a park and just sit and focus on my breathing...

“Yes, it’s definitely a form of meditation. There are a lot of you saying that you meditate too. That’s beautiful,” he smiled.

Shawn continued responding to the little remarks he was seeing from his fans. A few of his other musician or celebrity friends were popping up too, and he acknowledged their comments about returning to LA, catching up, how great it was to see him looking so healthy and happy, and their desires to get into the studio to collaborate.

“Yeah man, I’ll call you,” he replied to Niall, playing a few chords of one of Niall’s songs. The fan reaction went into overdrive.

“Play something else for you?” Shawn messed around on his guitar few moments before settling on the chorus of Harbor In A Hurricane by Andy Kong.

“I'll be your harbor in a hurricane I'll give you shelter through the pouring rain So tell me baby that you'll do the same When the world goes changing I will be your sure thing...”

“What kind of music or who am I listening to right now? I have a friend who sends me the most amazing playlists. She throws in all of these obscure songs that I don’t know if I would have stumbled across on my own, and they’re fantastic. She’s huge into music that fuses all different types of sound. I’ll throw a few of them up on my Instagram for you after this,” he said.

“What’s the one thing I would like to change about myself? Hm... I don’t think I’d change anything. We’re all changing always anyway, aren’t we? We all change naturally as we mature and experience life. I’m not the same guy I was two years ago, or two years before that. I won’t be the same guy I am now in two more years. So yeah, I guess I wouldn’t consciously change anything.”

Shawn scanned some of the comments and questions coming in next, looking for something to respond to when he caught Charlotte’s name.

@starlit_charlotte Except maybe your cooking skills? 😂

Shawn laughed loud and bright.

@starlit_charlotte How far have you gotten on your culinary journey?

“How far have I gotten on my culinary journey? You should know!” he giggled. He then answered for his fans, “I made dinner with a friend of mine tonight and I didn’t burn my kitchen down? ”

@starlit_charlotte I’m proud of you. 💖

He didn’t repeat her follow up comment, he simply grinned like a fool, cheeks pinking up again.

“How would I describe my best friend? Incredible. Uplifting. Supportive. Hilarious. One of my favorite people in the world.”

Shawn ended his Instagram Live shortly after that with a big thank you and declarations of love for all of his fans. He blew kisses to the camera before signing off.

// * // * //

Seconds later, Shawn’s name popped up on Charlotte’s phone with a Zoom request. She answered with a small laugh and asked, “Why do we never talk on the phone like normal people?”

“I like looking at your face, and I know you like looking at mine. You do that a lot,” he smirked.

“Shut up,” she giggled.

“Pretty sure you once, recently in fact, referred to it as ‘stupidly magnificent’.”

“Feeling pretty confident tonight, are you?” she teased.

He sighed contentedly, his eyes softening. “My cheeks hurt from smiling so much.”

Charlotte grinned back. Her affection for him would have been obvious to anyone who could have seen her just then. When he was happy, she was happy.

“I hope Brian appreciates the nice things you said about your best friend.”

“Don’t pretend you didn’t know I was talking about you.”

"Poor Brian," she snickered. If someone would have told Charlotte only a week ago that Shawn Mendes would become her best friend, she never would have believed it. “Replaced by someone you’ve known for only a week. And a chick, nonetheless.”

“He’s not as attractive as you are, and he doesn’t make me laugh as hard as you do. He’ll get over it,” he chuckled, then smirked. “How’s your follower count?”

“Climbing quickly,” she laughed.

His smile began to fade and his eyes changed. “I’m sorry.”

“For what, babe?”

“Talking about you in my Live?”

“Wasn’t that the plan if the chance presented itself?”

“Yeah, but was it too much? My fans are private investigator scary sometimes.”

“Which we anticipated.”

“What if you start to regret it?”

Charlotte quickly noticed the signs of an impending anxiety attack. She didn’t want that for him after such a positive high from his fan chat. “Shawn. Hon. First, pause and breathe...”

She continued, slowly, hoping he would concentrate on her words and not what was bumping around in his mind, “We already talked about this. You told me it was my decision to make and I made it. I’m jumping into the deep end. Sure, with a little trepidation, but being your friend and a part of your life.., no matter how insane things may eventually get.., is worth it.”

Thankfully his anxiety backed off as quickly as it had started to set in. “You always know the right thing to say,” he exhaled, smile returning.

// * // * //

Part 15

[everywhereallofthetime]

Some Girl ... Part 13

Word Count: 2.6k

Warnings: None.

// * // * //

By one-thirty, after an amazing brunch and an even better visit, Jonah and Mackenzie had said their goodbyes, slid into their Uber, and were on their way to the airport. Charlotte was going to hold them to their promise to come home more often.

Charlotte plopped herself in Shawn’s lap and draped her arm around his shoulders. He wrapped his arm around her waist.

Valerie sat down in the chair beside them, across from Mason.

Mason said to Shawn, “Charlie says you started training with her last week. How’s it going?”

“She’s brutal,” Shawn chuckled.

“And you love it,” Charlotte laughed.

“I do. I love it,” he grinned, squeezing the outside of her upper thigh.

“Just wait till this week,” Charlotte snickered.

“What’s this week?” Valerie asked.

“We’re getting in the ring,” answered Shawn.

“Sparring? Oh man,” Mason snorted, “you don’t know what brutal is yet.”

A few minutes later Josh came up behind Mason and gripped his shoulders. “Two on two? You and me against Dougie and Shawn?” He looked at Shawn. “You in?”

“Yeah, I’m in.”

“Oh, I’m not going to miss this,” Charlotte chuckled, rising from Shawn’s lap.

The boys started toward the front driveway, where the basketball net hung above the garage door.

“Come on, coz.” Charlotte grabbed the Bluetooth speaker in one hand and Valerie’s hand in the other, pulling her up from her chair. She leaned in to whisper in her cousin’s ear, “We can drool over Shawn together,” which made Valerie blush and giggle.

Once the girls caught up with the boys on the asphalt, as Mason was retrieving a basketball, Charlotte shouted, “Shawn calls ‘skins’!”

Without warning, Shawn grabbed Charlotte, tossed her over his shoulder, and smacked her ass.

“Put me down,” she squealed.

When he did, he stepped into her personal space and started unbuttoning his shirt. “You’re trouble!” he laughed.

“What? We’re related to everyone else here; you’re our only eye candy!”

He backed away, finished undoing the buttons of his shirt, and slid it off his shoulders. He ran his hand over his abs and licked his lips.

“You’re also a tease,” she exhaled, snatching his shirt from his hand and tossing it back at him.

“Stop flirting!” Mason hollered. “Let’s go!”

Charlotte and Valerie sat down together in the stripe of grass at the edge of the driveway.

Valerie leaned into Charlotte, gently bumping her shoulder with her own. “I understand now why no one ever believes you when you say you and Shawn are just friends.”

Instead of getting defensive, Charlotte sighed and admitted, “The lines feel a little blurred sometimes.”

Charlotte linked her phone to the Sonos Roam and pulled up a basketball playlist from Spotify. Her attention fell on Shawn, as it always did when she was in his presence. Without taking her eyes from him, she confessed to Valerie, “We kissed. Once.”

“What?”

Charlotte looked to her cousin, her cheeks pink. “It was...impulsive. He was getting lost in his head. I kissed him to distract him.”

“You kissed him?” she gaped and then chuckled. “Bold, coz.”

“It was just a quick press of lips, but then he kissed me back,” she breathed. “And it was...more.”

“How much more?” whispered Valerie.

Charlotte blushed even darker, remembering Shawn’s lips on hers only eight days before. If it had been eight weeks ago, still she would have remembered how his kiss felt. “Open mouth, soft lips more.”

“I am so fucking jealous,” Valerie giggled.

“It was only once and it hasn’t happened since. It may never happen again. The ball is in his court.”

They both giggled, realizing the pun Charlotte had unintentionally made.

// * // * //

Valerie rested her head on Charlotte’s shoulder and sighed. “I think I could die happy, right here, right now.” She sat up and said, gesturing toward him “I mean, look at him.”

He had pulled his curls off his forehead with a headband, his white shorts hung deliciously low; somehow the belt around his hips just made it sexier. His muscles flexed with every cut and fake, pass and assist, lay-up, and bank shot.

“How many girls can say they get to watch Shawn Mendes play basketball, shirtless, not more than twenty feet away?”

Charlotte pointed her phone at the boys shooting hoops, balancing it on her knee to keep it steady and pressed record. Just as she did, Legend by the Score started playing on the speaker. The boys lost it. It was a resounding favorite and it showed in the way their play intensified.

At the 2:40 mark, right after the last blood and sweat verse, when the song sang the strongest bang bang, won’t stop till we’re legend!, Shawn dunked the ball and did a pullup on the rim before dropping. It was perfect.

The girls screamed, Doug jumped on and off Shawn’s back, Josh and Mason gave him quick pound hugs. Shawn ran up to Charlotte, surged at the phone’s camera, and mouthed the last, won’t stop till we’re legend! before running back to the other guys to continue playing.

// * // * //

It was just after four and Shawn was driving them home. Sebastian had fallen asleep, as expected, and Charlotte was on her phone, posting a photo to her Instagram of herself with her cousins that Shawn had taken before they left Elisa and Jack’s. Charlotte was just sorry she hadn’t thought to take one before Jonah and Mackenzie left.

[ Charlotte, Mason, Valerie, Doug, and Josh. ] Liked by shawnmendes and 48 others starlit_charlotte Cousins...!!

She set her phone aside. She didn’t like to be on it for long when she was with Shawn, or really anyone for that matter. She believed in being present in the moment.

Shawn glanced at Charlotte beside him. She smiled. He couldn’t stop himself from smiling back. “You look really happy.”

“I am. I love spending time with my family. And Jonah and Mackenzie and Valerie were there, too. And you. You’re part of our family now. My whole world in one place at one time. It can’t get much better than that...

“How was your pool game with Jonah? Care to share?”

“He won.”

Charlotte waited a few moments and when he didn’t offer anything more she raised an eyebrow and chuckled. “That’s it, eh? That’s all you’re going to give me?”

He smirked. “It went well. Really well. He seems to like me.”

“Of course he does, babe,” she said softly. It fell quiet for a few moments. She loved how their silence was always comfortable. Finally she said, “Thank you.”

“For?”

She shrugged. “For just wanting to be there.”

“I love your family; it’s not a difficult decision to make,” he grinned.

“Do you want the rest of the day to yourself or would you like to come over and hang out?” she asked.

“Why don’t you come to my place this time?” he offered. “I cleaned yesterday, and I went shopping. I live by your grocery list now, you know,” he smirked, “so my fridge is full. We could make dinner together?”

“I would love that,” she smiled. “We’ll have to figure out what days you want to work out this week, too. I’ve got both my own and the boxing ring schedules.”

“Do we need to stop at your place before we get to mine? Do you need to pick up anything for Bash?”

“I don’t think so. I always overpack the diaper bag,” she chuckled. She then asked, “Are you still going live at some point today?”

“I’d like to, yeah. I should probably let people know, eh?” Shawn smirked. He reached for his phone and unlocked it before handing it over to her. She opened his Instagram account and recorded him for his Stories while he was stopped at a red light.

“What time?” she questioned.

“I don’t want to take time away from us, so later tonight? Maybe after you head home and get Bash down? I’d like you to be able to watch, too. Nine?”

She finished editing and posted it to his Instagram.

[ Shawn behind the wheel of Charlotte’s GLC. It almost looks like he’s shouting. ] Liked by starlit_charlotte and 3,237,950 others shawnmendes Going live tonight! 9pm/EST Will I see you there?

// * // * //

Charlotte was excited to see Shawn’s place. Much like she had shown him around her place the first time he was there, he showed her around his condo. She was familiar with parts of it because of his documentary but it was nice to see the entire thing, and she loved how it smelled; like cool summer mornings and everything Shawn.

She loved poking around and looking at his photos, but most impressive were all of his guitars and what awards he had kept, as well as his set up for all of his music.

“I’ll have to babyproof when Bash starts crawling.”

“Won’t be long, so you’d better get on that,” she teased.

“I’ve already had to Tarzan-proof so I’m halfway there,” he chuckled.

// * // * //

When Sebastian woke, Shawn excused himself to take a shower, as he felt a little grimy after playing basketball with the boys. That would also give Charlotte some privacy and time to nurse. Neither of them were comfortable enough for her to nurse Sebastian in front of him, Shawn more so than Charlotte. At least he was honest about it, which she appreciated.

They figured, by the time Shawn was showered and changed, Charlotte should be done nursing.

Twenty minutes later, Shawn plopped down on the couch beside Charlotte, a happy Sebastian in her lap, and kissed her bare shoulder. Directly out of a shower, his scent was even more addictive than usual.

“You always smell so good,” she murmured before she even realized the words had fallen from her lips. Even when Shawn was sweaty, Charlotte still thought he smelled good, really good. Not that she would tell him as much.

“So do you,” he confessed in return. “What perfume or lotion do you wear?”

“Glossier You.”

“Mm...” He wanted to bury his nose in her neck, but he felt he could only get away with that when they hugged.

Charlotte handed Shawn her phone. “Check it out.”

She had synched and overlaid the audio to the basketball video she had recorded so that it could be heard much clearer.

“This is fucking awesome!” Shawn laughed. “I didn’t know you recorded the whole thing!”

“I’ll send it to you. You should ’gram or TikTok it. I edited it enough that it should fit within the 3-minute limit. I think your fans would appreciate it,” she said with a lascivious smirk.

“You’re shameless,” he laughed, blushing.

She giggled. She loved seeing pink fill his cheeks.

He returned her phone to her and took Sebastian into his lap. “Why don’t you post it and tag me?”

“What?”

Between making funny faces at Sebastian and tickling him, causing him to giggle, Shawn continued, “Mason, Josh, and Dougie are your cousins; I just happen to be in the video, too. We’re all friends. People should start getting used to seeing you as part of my life.”

“I don’t know,” Charlotte exhaled. “My Insta follower count has already risen significantly since you and Aaliyah began following me, and every time you like one of my posts there’s a spike.”

“Would you rather I didn’t like your posts? Do you want me to unfollow you?”

“No babe, of course not. I love that you follow me, and whenever you like something of mine it makes me smile,” she acknowledged.

“Are you already getting comments or the ‘who are you?’ and ‘how do you know Shawn?’ questions?”

“Here and there, but most everything has been positive so far. I haven’t really engaged anyone though, and I think that’s what makes me nervous.”

“Does it have anything to do with our conversation Thursday night? Because, I’ll be honest, I’ve been thinking a lot about it,” he said. “Like you said, we’re going to be seen together, it’s inevitable. I’d rather we show our relationship in our own way than wait for people to blow it up into something it’s not.”

“What are you suggesting?”

“Let’s get ahead of everything, but simply, subtly. You have to have a say in this too, babe. Especially because you have Bash to consider. I think it would be better to slowly introduce you on our own terms before we get photographed together and people start rumors and begin to relentlessly dig into your life.

“My life isn’t always easy. It can affect my relationships, and everyone I care for, sometimes a great deal. You could always cut and run now, love,” he smiled softly, even though it would kill him if she did.

“Not gonna happen,” she smirked. “You’re stuck with me.”

“I was hoping you would say that,” he smiled tenderly. “So, let’s make it normal for my fans to see you in my photos and videos, stories or TikToks, whatever, just as it’s normal for Brian, Matt, Connor, or any of my other friends to pop up.

“I think you posting the basketball video would be a good start. But ultimately, it’s up to you, babe.”

// * // * //

[ Basketball video. ] Liked by shawnmendes and 569,915 others starlit_charlotte @shawnmendes Legend. shawnmendes I made that look so fucking cool.

[ Photo of the boys. ] Liked by shawnmendes and 61,753 others starlit_charlotte Bball boys! @thank.evans @jr_beaumont @dougiedemiurgic @shawnmendes

[ Photo of Charlotte and Valerie. ] Liked by shawnmendes and 1,130 others thank.evans The best cheerleaders. @starlit_charlotte @valerievitality scottishmackie I miss you already!

// * // * //

Before Charlotte and Shawn started dinner, they opened her schedule to set up his next three sessions.

He saw Ethan Barnes was her first client the following morning, as well as her 1pm on Thursday, and felt a frisson of anxiety. Most of her clients were female as women seemed to be more comfortable with a woman trainer than men did. Still, it didn’t surprise him that Ethan wanted to continue with Charlotte; she was excellent at what she did. She was also friendly, funny, encouraging, easy to work with, and even easier on the eyes.

Charlotte had an opening at 11:30am on Monday so Shawn chose that, as well as sessions on Wednesday at 1:30pm, and Thursday at 3pm.

He would be her last session on both Wednesday and Thursday, and Wednesday would be the first day they would get into the ring for some sparring. If he enjoyed it, they would do it again on Thursday.

“I like ending my day with you,” Charlotte smiled. “Gives me something to look forward to.”

He grinned back. It made him feel better about the whole Ethan situation. It made no difference that he knew he was being ridiculous.

// * // * //

Shawn liked being with Charlotte in her space, but he also liked seeing her and Sebastian in his space. She quickly learned the layout of his kitchen, and after settling Sebastian in his car seat since there was no Bumbo or highchair present, Charlotte and Shawn began to make dinner together.

Charlotte smirked. “I’ll make a chef of you yet, Mendes.”

He doubted it initially, but quickly found himself, falling into a sort of sync and flow with her. He loved listening to her talk him through each step. He was easily picking up little tricks and techniques and became optimistic that maybe she would after all.

He may never grow to love cooking on his own, but he could see himself enjoying it as long he was by Charlotte’s side.

Shawn was starting to find that everything was better with Charlotte by his side.

// * // * //

Part 14

[everywhereallofthetime]

Some Girl ... Part 12

Word Count: 2.3k

Warnings: None.

// * // * //

Sunday / July 25th

After talking before bed the night before, Charlotte and Shawn agreed that he would ride with her, Jonah, and Mackenzie to Elisa and Jack’s. It didn’t make sense for them to take two vehicles to the same place. Shawn said he’d walk over and grab coffee on the way. Make a good first impression, he had chuckled, although Charlotte could hear the truth within his words.

Shawn arriving early would give him, Jonah, and Mackenzie a chance to meet and get to know one another a little before they joined everyone else. They would talk over coffee and after Sebastian woke from his morning nap and nursed, they would leave for brunch.

Charlotte nearly swooned when she opened the door for Shawn.

His skin was bronzed and glowing, having spent so much time outside over the past week. His hair had lightened a shade as well, and whatever products he had put in it that morning had his curls and waves behaving beautifully.

He was wearing white jean shorts with a brown belt, a trim-fit, navy blue button-down with the first few buttons undone and the sleeves rolled up, and brown Vans with blue accents.

“Good morning, babe,” she beamed. She hated how only one day away from him had suddenly become too long.

“Good morning,” he grinned back, wrapping the arm of his free hand around her and snuggling her tightly to him. He breathed her in. It had been only one day but he had deeply missed the soft scent of her.

When they eased out of their hug, Charlotte ran the open placket of Shawn’s shirt between her thumb and forefinger. “You look so handsome,” she smiled. “I love you in blue.”

“Thank you, darling. You are as beautiful as always.”

Charlotte was wearing a white, short-sleeve, off the shoulder blouse and white and navy blue striped shorts. She noticed that her outfit complimented his perfectly.

“Are you ready to meet my brother and his fiancée?”

“I hope so,” he chuckled.

She linked her hand with his which wasn’t carrying their coffee and together they walked further into the condo. Jonah and Mackenzie had been sitting at the kitchen island but stood when Charlotte and Shawn entered the room.

Before any introductions could be made, Mackenzie breathed, “Oh my God, you two are adorable.”

“I swear, we did not discuss what we were going to wear today,” Charlotte laughed.

“It’s perfect,” Mackenzie giggled, “I love it.”

Charlotte introduced Shawn to Jonah and Mackenzie.

Jonah gave Shawn a once-over when they shook hands. He was tall, fit, and clean-cut, with a strong jawline and five visible tattoos. He was very attractive. Any man secure enough in who they were could admit when another man was attractive.

Mackenzie, on the other hand, gave Shawn a thorough head to toe.

Charlotte was used to women reacting favorably to Shawn, and she also knew it was something that was always going to happen with him being who he was. Even if the person didn’t know who he was, aside from being a global popstar, he was simply an incredibly attractive man. In any case, Charlotte had no true claim on Shawn. Besides, Mackenzie was happily engaged to Jonah; Charlotte knew she meant no harm or disrespect.

They all sat together at the dining room table with their coffees. Charlotte took a sip of Shawn’s coffee and instead of giving it back to him, she handed him hers.

“Babe,” he chuckled.

“Yours is better.”

“It also has a lot more caffeine,” he tittered.

She took a couple of additional sips and then, somewhat reluctantly, handed it back to him, reclaiming her own.

Charlotte looked at Jonah and Mackenzie’s amused expressions, and explained, “Too much caffeine isn’t good for Bash.”

“I started reading What to Expect: the First Year after I met Charlotte and Bash for the first time,” Shawn admitted, blushing.

“What? I didn’t know that,” Charlotte breathed, astonished. Shawn shrugged nonchalantly. “Why are you so fucking cute?” she smirked, briefly cupping his face, stroking the pad of her thumb along his cheekbone.

Jonah didn’t say so out loud, but that was something truly admirable. Not many male friends of a single mother would bother to take the time to do that. Hell, not many boyfriends would.

“How old are you, Shawn?” Jonah wondered. Shawn was already proving himself to be quite mature, but he still looked relatively young.

“I’ll be 23 in two weeks.”

“August 8th,” Charlotte offered.

“Leo,” Mackenzie tacked on. “And Charlie, you’re an Aquarius?” she asked. “February?”

“The 4th,” Shawn said, with a nod.

Mackenzie simply smiled in an all-knowing sort of way.

“Are you originally from Toronto?” Jonah asked Shawn.

“Born and raised in Pickering. Graduated from Pine Ridge.”

“I have a buddy who went to Pine Ridge. Played varsity hockey.”

“I played hockey. And soccer and basketball, too. I was in drama and the glee club. I also did Leadership Camp every year except my last.”

“Did you go to college?” Mackenzie asked.

“No. I was too busy touring…”

Jonah looked confused. “Excuse me?”

Shawn looked at Charlotte. Jonah and Mackenzie noticed that an entire conversation seemed to pass between them without words.

“I don’t meet very many people who don’t already know who I am,” Shawn said.

“Should we know who you are?” Mackenzie asked.

“Not necessarily. Not by sight anyway. Maybe not at all. You may know some of my music.”

At that moment they all heard Sebastian through the baby monitor. It wasn’t the ideal time for him to have woken up.

Charlotte frowned. “I would say, hold that thought, but...”

“It’s all right. Go,” Shawn smiled reassuringly.

She stood from the table and ran her fingers through the little curls at the nape of his neck. “May as well get it out of the way, babe.” Just before Charlotte entered the nursery, she said, “Alexa, play Shawn Mendes.”

// * // * //

The moment Charlotte returned after nursing, she heard Jonah ask, “Elisa and Jack, and everyone, you’ve met them already? We’re not springing any surprises on them?”

“He met them last weekend,” Charlotte answered.

“Hi buddy!” Shawn beamed at Sebastian.

Sebastian was already reaching for Shawn when Charlotte handed him over. “All except Valerie. And she is very excited to meet him today.”

Jonah could easily see that Shawn and Sebastian had already bonded, and he really liked that Shawn was thoughtful, sweet to, and respectful of his sister. They made a good match, even if they weren’t officially together in any capacity more than friendship.

“How did it go?” Charlotte asked, looking from Shawn to Jonah and Mackenzie. “You’re cool?” she said to her brother and his fiancée.

“We’re cool,” Mackenzie smiled.

“I always expect everyone to immediately recognize him.” Charlotte turned to Mackenzie, “I was anticipating having to have a conversation with you yesterday when you saw the picture of us on the console table.”

“What picture?” Shawn asked.

Charlotte retrieved the photo and brought it back to Shawn.

“Aw babe, I want a copy of this.” Sebastian tried to grasp the frame and bring it to his mouth. “Really, little man? Everything has to go straight into your mouth, eh?”

“I thought you might,” she smiled and pulled from her pocket the coolest flash drive keychain he had ever seen. “All of the photos from the zoo are on it. You can keep whichever ones you want and delete the rest.”

“This is amazing. Thank you, darling,” he said, grinning brightly, wrapping an arm around her waist.

“Should we get going then?”

// * // * //

Charlotte’s family was ecstatic when she and Shawn, with Sebastian in his arms, arrived at brunch with Jonah and Mackenzie.

As Jonah was swept up in hugs and excited chatter, Shawn whispered encouragingly to Mackenzie, “Try not to feel overwhelmed. You’re marrying into an incredible family.”

Mackenzie squeezed Shawn’s forearm. “Thank you, Shawn.”

Jonah introduced Mackenzie, who was eagerly and enthusiastically welcomed.

Everyone was happy to see Shawn as well. They adored him almost as much as Charlotte did, which settled warmly in her chest.

The only one who hadn’t met Shawn yet was Valerie, and with the tiniest nod from Charlotte in her direction, she finally approached, greeting her cousin with a bright smile and a hug.

Charlotte squeezed her back, quick and tight. “I’m happy you’re here.” She then took Sebastian from Shawn and introduced him to Valerie.

She and Shawn could both see how excited Valerie was to meet him, but she did an admirable job keeping her composure, which was good. She needed to get used to Shawn being around.

Elisa swept by and snatched Sebastian from Charlotte’s arms and yelled over her shoulder at the trio, “Go eat!”

// * // * //

Once stomachs were full and minds were mimosa-relaxed, and when Jonah had the chance to step away from the whirlwind of aunts, uncles, and cousins, first making sure Mackenzie felt comfortable enough for him to do so, he went looking for Shawn.

He found him with his sister, of course; they were practically joined at the hip after all. They were cleaning up the kitchen, laughing so hard about God knows what that they were wheezing.

“So this is where the real party is. Clean up. Who knew?” Once Shawn and Charlotte had a chance to catch their breath, Jonah asked, “Do you play pool, Shawn?”

Charlotte gave Shawn a look that said, I warned you this might happen.

Shawn just smirked at Charlotte before turning to Jonah to say, “I’m better at ping pong than pool, but sure.”

“Great.” He then said to Charlotte, “I’ll get him back to you before you know it.” She softly bit her bottom lip and blushed.

The two young men headed downstairs to the rec room.

After the break and when they had each had one turn, Shawn said, “Charlotte told me you would want to talk, man to man.”

“No pretext then, eh?”

“What are my intentions with your sister?”

“We’ll get there,” Jonah chuckled. “How long have you and Charlie known each other?”

“Not long. Less than anyone might expect. We’ve never been outright asked and we’ve always sort of skirted around the specifics.”

“Why?”

Shawn nervously ran his hand though his hair. “Because it’s kind of ridiculous and we’re afraid we’ll be judged for it.”

Jonah was both curious and apprehensive. He waited until after Shawn took his next shot, sinking one ball, but not the next. He was hoping Shawn would offer more on his own, which he did as Jonah took his turn.

“I don’t know how you felt when you met Mackenzie for the first time, but Charlotte and I... It was immediate, the connection we made. She was heaven-sent when I needed someone the most.”

“And when was that? I’m asking outright.”

Shawn’s cheeks reddened. “A week ago.”

“Wait. Hold on.”

Shawn looked at Jonah in a way which said, now you know why we skirt around it.

“Okay. Reserving my judgement. Go on.”

Shawn continued, telling Jonah about where, when, and how he met Charlotte, and how their lives have intertwined since then. He took a deep breath before saying, “You know how you hear about ‘love at first sight’ and ‘when you know, you know?’ It’s like that with us. I mean, not exactly. We’re not in love,” he blushed. “But there’s deep affection and appreciation between us. She’s the most honest and accepting person I know. She’s sweet, and she’s kind, and I know I can place my faith and trust in her.”

“Forgive me for asking, but I have to. I have to watch out for my sister. I’m sure you understand, having a younger sister yourself... You’re not looking for a rebound or taking advantage of her in any way, are you?”

“Wow. Blunt. But I appreciate that. If you know Charlotte at all, she doesn’t let anyone take advantage of her... And with who I am, I have to be careful that I’m not the one being taken advantage of.”

“I didn’t even consider that,” Jonah said, thoughtfully.

“Regardless, no. I care about her too much. I wouldn’t do anything to hurt her.”

“Has Charlie told you much about Booker?”

“I know that she loved him, and she said he was good to her when he was around, but she also used the words 'complicated', 'reckless', and 'dangerous'. I haven’t pressed her for more. We don't really talk about our exes.

“She hasn’t asked me about my ex aside from wondering how I’m doing. I know Charlotte would tell me about Booker if I asked, but I would rather have her offer to tell me when she feels ready to. It doesn’t seem to matter much though because, as far as I understand, he hasn’t even tried to reach out since she left him. Which is a dick move, by the way. If I had a son, I’d do anything to be in his life; never mind what kind of relationship I had with his mother.

“We’ll have those conversations when we’re ready, or when we need to.” Shawn then said, “She misses you a lot, you know. You should really make an effort to come back to Toronto more often. And Bash is going to grow up so fast. You don’t want to miss that.”

“I like your integrity,” Jonah said. “And I like you. I like you for Charlie.”

“We’re-”

“Just friends, I know. Still. You care for her. She cares for you. I like how you treat her and my nephew. I see how you watch out for them. I hope you’re in their lives for a long time, whether you stay only friends or someday it turns into something more.”

// * // * //

Part 13

[everywhereallofthetime]

Some Girl ... Part 11

Word Count: 1.6k

Warnings: None.

Notes: I know squat about fashion. I have no idea if the brand names in this chapter are popular, high-fashion, or anything, they were just nice/cute outfits I saw online. Also, any Instagram account names are meant to be fictional. Even if they are actual, true IG accounts, it was completely unintentional.

// * // * //

Saturday / July 24th

Sebastian was down for his morning nap and Charlotte was dancing around the condo to Lost In Japan while cleaning up. Jonah and Mackenzie would be arriving by ten and she wanted to make sure everything was in its proper place and that all of Sebastian’s things were organized.

Earlier that morning she and Sebastian had taken a quick trip to Loblaws. She usually ran errands on Fridays, but after she and Shawn had made plans to go to the zoo she intended to push everything to today, and then, of course, her brother had to go and spring this last minute visit on her.

At the very least Charlotte had wanted to get fresh groceries and prepare the guest room in case her brother and his fiancée were planning to stay over.

// * // * //

Charlotte excitedly swung the door open. Standing before her was a couple who looked like they had stepped out of the pages of a fashion magazine.

Mackenzie was gorgeous, not unlike Charlotte’s brother.

Jonah had always been a heartbreaker with a string of girlfriends. He was 6’2” with a trim but athletic build and broad shoulders. He had the same blue eyes as Charlotte, but his hair was about two shades lighter. He looked especially handsome in his cropped Italian slacks, designer belt, slim-fit, white button down, Blancpain watch, and Gucci sandals.

Mackenzie was a redhead, her tresses more auburn than fire, with hazel-colored eyes, a smattering of freckles across the bridge of her small nose, and fair skin. She was leaner than Charlotte, and probably an inch shorter, although currently two inches taller in the M. Gemi Esattos she was wearing with her ankle-length Charo Ruiz Ibiza dress. Around her neck was a diamond necklace and on her finger she wore an engagement ring that Jonah must have spent a small fortune on.

Charlotte felt dressed down and young in her Hemant and Nandita sundress, even though it was one of the more expensive dresses she owned, and her platinum and amethyst necklace. Her hair was in two neat French braids.

By way of greeting, Jonah chuckled and said, “I almost let myself in, but it’s not really my place anymore, is it?”

Jonah and Mackenzie stepped into the entryway, and Jonah set down their bags. Charlotte gave her brother a great big hug.

“Hi sis,” he grinned. “It’s been too long.”

“I’ve missed you,” she said, giving him another, but smaller, hug.

“Missed you too, Doll.” He eased away and said, “I want you to meet my sweetheart, Mackenzie. Kenzie, this is my little sister, Charlie.”

She was not prepared for Mackenzie to nearly throw herself at her. Luckily Charlotte had good reflexes. With an endearing giggle, Mackenzie hugged her tightly. “I’m so happy to finally meet you!”

“I’m happy to meet you too,” Charlotte laughed, returning the hug. She had a good feeling that she and her future sister-in-law were going to get along well.

Jonah gathered up their luggage again and said, “I’m going to put our bags in the guest bed and use the washroom.” He looked at Charlotte. “Why don’t you show Kenzie around?”

“Of course! Come in!”

They were only a few minutes into the tour when Jonah came up behind them. “It used to be very ‘modern techie metrosexual’,” he chuckled.

“I kept all the tech, I love all the tech, it’s amazing, but I softened a lot of the edges. It won’t be long before Bash is crawling and pulling himself up on things.”

“I absolutely love it, it’s beautiful,” Mackenzie sighed. “Jojo, for future reference, this is akin to what I imagine doing with our place after the wedding.”

Jonah rubbed her back. “Whatever you want, Z,” he said lovingly.

Cell phone in his front pocket, wallet in his back, and portfolio case for his tablet in hand, Jonah apologized, “I hate to turn around and take off already but my first meeting is at eleven. We’ll have more time together this evening. I should be back by four or four-thirty. Are you ladies going to be okay?”

“I think we’ll be just fine,” Mackenzie smiled.

“Text me if you need me.”

He hugged Charlotte and kissed Mackenzie goodbye and was out the door.

// * // * //

Left alone to bond, Charlotte and Mackenzie sat down together on the couch.

“I was happy to see that you brought luggage,” Charlotte said. “Will you be staying over then?”

“I hope so. We’ll see how Jonah is feeling after dinner.”

“Do you expect he’ll want to go out?”

“I think he’s looking forward to an evening in.”

“That would be wonderful. It’s hard to do a nice dinner out with a six-month-old.”

“Is Sebastian sleeping?”

“Yes, although he should be up soon.”

“I can’t wait to hold my soon-to-be nephew,” Mackenzie smiled brightly.

As they continued to talk, Charlotte learned that Mackenzie was a nurse anesthetist at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, and the youngest of three girls who came along in quick succession. She grew up in Connecticut, where her parents and sisters still resided.

They were sharing common interests when Mackenzie gestured to Shawn’s guitar in its proper stand in the corner of the living room, and asked, “Do you play?”

“No, my boyfriend does.” Charlotte immediately realized her slip up and blushed furiously. “Friend that’s a boy,” she quickly corrected. “Not boyfriend.”

Mackenzie giggled.

Thankfully Sebastian chose that moment to start babbling in his crib, letting the young women know he was awake, saving Charlotte from further embarrassment.

“I’m going to nurse him,” Charlotte said. “I’ll be about ten or fifteen minutes. Please feel free to turn on the television or ask Alexa to play some music. Help yourself to anything you might find in the kitchen or see if there’s anything that looks good for lunch.”

// * // * //

When she came out of the nursery with Sebastian, Charlotte found Mackenzie looking at the framed photos scattered across her bookshelves.

Mackenzie, who had been eagerly awaiting the chance to hold and cuddle and kiss on Sebastian, abandoned the photos to reach for him. Charlotte handed him over to her.

Wandering over to the console table, Sebastian content on her hip, Mackenzie picked up the 5x7 from the zoo that Charlotte had framed after printing it the night before. It was a photo Aaliyah had taken with Charlotte’s camera of she and Shawn sitting hip to hip. Her hand was intertwined with his which was around her neck and hanging over her shoulder; her other arm was around his waist. They both had big smiles on their faces.

“Is this the boyfriend who’s not a boyfriend?” Mackenzie asked,

“Yes, that’s Shawn.” Charlotte waited for any sign of recognition from Mackenzie. She was relieved when there wasn’t one.

“He’s dreamy.”

Charlotte liked Mackenzie even more for using words like dreamy and akin. You rarely heard expressions like that anymore.

“He really is,” Charlotte giggled.

“You look happy together.”

“We have fun. He is definitely one of my favorite people."

“Why aren’t you dating? If that’s too personal, I apologize.”

“He is only recently single again. He ended a significant relationship barely four months ago. He isn’t ready for another.”

“Will you be there when he is?”

Charlotte sighed. “It depends how long it takes.” It was as close to an admission as she had yet given to anyone, that her feelings for Shawn were becoming more.

// * // * //

After lunch, and after Sebastian’s afternoon nap, Charlotte showed Mackenzie some of the LakeShore’s amenities and then they took Sebastian for a stroll along the waterfront. They paused when they came upon Lick It Gelato, grateful for a cold, delicious reprieve on a hot day.

Charlotte, sparked by Aaliyah’s Instagram activity the night before, asked Mackenzie if she would mind taking a selfie with her. Mackenzie was thrilled with the request and they took a photo with their cups of sorbet. Charlotte captioned it, Waterfront sorbetto with my brilliant future SIL, @scottishmackie!

It was quickly liked by Shawn, Aaliyah, and Valerie, as well as Jonah, who also commented with a red heart.

// * // * //

Over dinner, Jonah told the young women about his meetings and what exactly they meant for him and his brand, and he and Charlotte did some catching up. Jonah and Mackenzie were happy to tell Charlotte, when she asked, about how they met, their courtship, and the proposal.

While Mackenzie took a shower, Jonah helped Charlotte clean up after dinner.

“What time are you planning to leave tomorrow?” she asked her brother.

“We have a 3:15 flight home.”

“Elisa and Jack are hosting brunch tomorrow. I told Mason we would be there before I knew you were coming. You and Kenzie should go with us. Please Jonah? It would be such a great surprise; everyone would be so happy to see you, and to meet Kenzie.”

“Who’s ‘everyone’?”

“Jack and Elisa, Mason, Will and Didi, the boys and Valerie, and my friend Shawn.”

“Your friend Shawn, eh? Friend as in boyfriend?”

“He is just a friend, but he’s important to me. I would really like for you to meet him.”

“I will have to ask Kenzie first. If she is ready to meet the whole family, all at once, then yes, we will join you for brunch.”

Charlotte grinned brightly. “Thank you, Jonah.”

// * // * //

Charlotte was delighted to see Jonah dote on and entertain Sebastian until she swept him off to bed, and once Sebastian was asleep, Charlotte popped some popcorn and opened a bottle of chardonnay. She, Jonah, and Mackenzie, all in their pajamas, curled up on the couch to watch a movie. It was a perfect end to the evening.

// * // * //

Part 12

[everywhereallofthetime]

Some Girl ... Part 10

Word Count: ~2.8k

Warnings: None.

Notes: Charlotte's Instagram username is, apparently, a real Instagram account, but it does not belong to me, nor is it active.

// * // * //

Friday / July 23rd

Charlotte pulled up in her Mercedes GLC outside Reve at ten o’clock on Friday morning. Sebastian was asleep and would most likely stay asleep all the way to Pickering. Shawn and Tarzan were already waiting.

They had decided to use her car, even though Shawn said he wouldn’t mind doing the actual driving, if Charlotte was okay with him driving her Mercedes. She thought it would be easier to leave Sebastian’s car seat in the SUV than to try to transfer the base to Shawn’s Tesla.

Besides, the GLC was bigger than the Tesla. It had more space for four, plus the stroller and diaper bag.

They were going to pick up Aaliyah at the house in Pickering and leave Tarzan with her dog Oreo until they returned from the zoo.

Charlotte stepped out and got in on the passenger side as Shawn got Tarzan into the back seat beside Sebastian. The golden retriever popped his head between the seats to greet Charlotte. She gave him a few quick scratches.

“Good morning, sweetheart!” Shawn grinned as he slid in behind the wheel.

“Morning, babe!” Charlotte grinned back, caressing his cheek with the back of her hand. “Are you ready?”

“I think I’m more excited for the zoo than any 22-year-old should be,” he laughed as he pulled away from the curb.

Both she and Shawn got out of the car once they arrived at Shawn’s childhood home. Charlotte stood, leaning against the idling GLC, staying close to her snoozing son, while Shawn brought Tarzan in. He returned with Aaliyah, both smiling brightly.

Even before Shawn could introduce them, Aaliyah was hugging Charlotte hello. “Charlotte, meet my sister, Aaliyah,” he chuckled.

“It’s so nice to meet you!” Aaliyah grinned.

“You, too!” Charlotte giggled.

“Thank you for letting me tag along.”

Charlotte squeezed Aaliyah’s hand. “We’re happy to have you with us.”

Shawn playfully tugged Aaliyah away and with a roll of his eyes and a chuckle, said, “Get in the car already, bub.” He gave her a tiny shove.

As Aaliyah rounded the GLC to get in, Shawn gently gripped Charlotte’s hip and pulled her closer to him. “I’m going to have to fight for your attention today, aren’t I?” he laughed.

“I’m sure you’ll let me know if you’re feeling neglected,” Charlotte teased, with a giggle.

As Shawn made his way to the driver’s seat, Charlotte slid into the Mercedes. She turned to Aaliyah in the back seat. Aaliyah was stroking a sleeping Sebastian’s hair with a small smile on her face. “Meet Bash,” Charlotte grinned.

Shawn climbed in and looked from Charlotte, to Aaliyah, to Sebastian, and couldn’t keep the smile from his face.

// * // * //

Smiling widely, cheeks pink from too much sun, Shawn, Charlotte, and Aaliyah, sipped their smoothies and chatted outside the Mercedes, waiting for the AC to cool down the interior before they got in. Sebastian was asleep in his stroller.

It was hot, but the humidity was fairly low and there had been a nice breeze all day. Still, it was four-thirty and after five hours at the zoo they were all tired.

“I just want to get home, take a long shower, have a light dinner, and veg out in front of the television," Charlotte murmured.

“Your place or mine?” Shawn asked.

“Yours.” He had yet to invite her over. If that had been a serious offer, she would love to finally see his place.

// * // * //

The drive back to Shawn’s parents’ was a quiet one.

Shawn hummed along with the songs on the radio. Charlotte was happy just to listen to his quiet voice and gaze at his profile.

“What?” Shawn smirked, looking at her from his peripheral vision.

Caught, Charlotte turned away to glance out her side window. “Nothing,” she blushed and softly bit her bottom lip.

He reached over and placed his hand on her thigh, just above her knee, and gave it a gentle squeeze.

Charlotte peeked at Aaliyah in the back seat. She was texting someone.

“Jordan. Her boyfriend,” Shawn whispered to Charlotte, with a teasing grin.

“I can hear you,” Aaliyah snarked.

Charlotte smirked and gave Shawn’s arm a gentle thump. She turned to look at Aaliyah and smiled. “Maybe the next time I see you, you can tell me about him?”

Aaliyah blushed but nodded.

“Give me your phone. I’ll put my number in. You can tell me embarrassing stories about your brother when he’s being a pain in the ass.”

Shawn squeezed Charlotte’s leg just shy of painful.

“Ow!” She slugged him even harder, but she was laughing. “You’re so mean,” she pouted.

Aaliyah laughed and handed Charlotte her phone.

// * // * //

Standing just outside of his parents’ house, Shawn hugged Aaliyah and kissed her cheek. “Will you bring Tarzan out for me?”

“You can’t leave without stopping in to say hi to Mom and Dad.”

“Please Liyah? Charlotte just wants a shower, dinner, and a quiet night.”

“I think, if you asked, Charlie would be glad to meet them. And I know Mom and Dad would be happy to meet the girl who has been making you smile lately. You don’t have to stay long.”

Aaliyah turned and started toward the front door.

Shawn walked back to the car and leaned into the window. He licked his lips and bit softly on the bottom one. “You wouldn’t want to meet my parents, would you?”

“Oh.” She was a little surprised, but pleasantly.

“I know you were looking forward to a shower, dinner, and Netflix, and we don’t have to stay long. It’s just, you shared your family with me. I’d like to share mine with you,” he smiled.

It took effort not to kiss him. His lips were right there. Instead, she dipped her thumb into the cleft in his chin and smiled softly back at him. “I would love to meet your parents.”

Shawn offered to carry Sebastian inside. Charlotte wrapped her hand gently around the upper arm on his free side as they walked up the front walk.

“Am I going to hear the ‘what are your intentions with my son’ speech?” she teased, at first, but then she said, more thoughtfully, “I imagine they’re pretty protective of you. More than ever, after Camila. And now, only a few months later, here’s this new woman in their son’s life...”

“They trust my judgment. And once they get to know you they’ll see your heart, just like I have. Just be your beautiful, wonderful self. I can’t see how anyone wouldn’t like you; you’re kind of irresistible,” he smirked.

“Two peas in a pod, babe.”

Tarzan greeted them at the door, quickly followed by Shawn’s father.

After scratching Tarzan’s head and hugging his dad hello with his free arm, Shawn introduced Charlotte and Sebastian.

Charlotte offered her hand. “It’s very nice to meet you Mr Mendes.”

“Manny, please,” he said, warmly shaking her hand. “Come on in.” He said to Shawn, “Your mother and Aaliyah are in the kitchen.”

Shawn and Charlotte followed Manny into the kitchen. After setting the car seat down on a clear section of the kitchen island, Shawn hugged his mom.

“Mum, this is Charlotte,” he then said, gesturing to young woman at his side.

“Hello, Mrs Mendes,” Charlotte said. “It’s wonderful to meet you.”

“Karen is fine, dear,” she smiled.

Sebastian was suddenly wide awake and looking around curiously. Shawn smoothed his hair and unbuckled him. “And this little man is Sebastian,” he grinned. “We call him Bash.” He removed him from the car seat and immediately noticed a diaper change was in order.

“I’ll change him,” Aaliyah said. Shawn would have willingly changed him, but he happily gave him over to her and Charlotte handed her the diaper bag with a quiet ‘thank you’.

Karen asked, “Do you prefer Charlotte or Charlie? Aaliyah has been referring to you as Charlie.”

“I’m used to Charlie. Shawn is one of few who use my full name. Honestly, either is fine.”

Shawn looked at her with mild surprise and asked, “Would you rather I call you Charlie?”

“No,” she touched his arm and smiled, “I like how you’re one of few who call me Charlotte.”

“Charlie, would you like to stay for dinner?" Karen asked. "We’ll be eating in about an hour.”

Shawn gave Charlotte an apologetic look. He had promised her they didn’t have to stay long. She rubbed his back as a way to let him know it was fine.

Karen couldn’t help but notice how her son and his new girlfriend spoke without words.

“Thank you. That would be lovely.”

// * // * //

Manny and Karen were curious about Charlotte, which she expected they would be, and they asked a lot of questions over dinner. She wanted them to know what her intentions were with their son, even though they never asked that outright. She wanted to be as transparent as possible, so she happily answered their questions about her family, where she lived, her schooling, and her career.

Even Shawn, surprisingly, learned a little more about her.

Charlotte and Shawn offered some details about the time they had spent together over the past week and their tentative plans for the week to come, which currently consisted of Sunday brunch, three workouts, and hopefully one evening in which she could teach him a few super easy, tasteful, healthy recipes he could make at home on his own.

// * // * //

Charlotte was chatting with Aaliyah and Manny in the living room.

Karen had Sebastian on her hip when she entered the kitchen. Shawn had just finished loading the dishwasher.

Sebastian reached for Shawn, and after drying his hands, he took him into his arms. “Do you like her?”

“I like her. She’s honest, she’s whip smart, and she’s driven. She obviously cares a great deal about you. She’s good for you. I think she’ll keep you grounded and call you on your shit when necessary. It’s a lot of responsibility though, dating a young woman with a child.”

“We’re only friends, Mum.”

“It looks like you’re dating.”

“We’re not dating,” he chuckled. “We’re not...intimate,” he blushed.

“You don’t have to be having sex to be dating, babe.”

“We haven’t even kissed. Well, we kissed once, but not since. What we have right now, it works for us.”

“Then you’re on the same page?”

“Yes. We’re honest with each other, we talk about everything.”

“Do you see it leading to more someday?”

“I don’t know. Maybe?”

“Have you talked about that?”

His silence was answer enough.

“So, then not everything, eh? Don’t lead her on, bub. Don’t make her wait for you. Don’t hold her back from something with someone else because you might want more in the future.”

// * // * //

Charlotte placed her hand on Shawn’s shoulder and stroked his neck with the pad of her thumb. “Thank you for driving today.”

“You’re welcome, love,” he smiled. “Did you enjoy the day?”

“It was perfect,” she softly answered.

“Even though it didn’t end the way you wanted it to?”

“It was better.”

Shawn smiled. He was happy dinner with his parents went so well. He was thinking about what his mother had said and wondered if he and Charlotte should talk to make sure they really were on the same page, when his thoughts were interrupted.

“My brother called this morning,” Charlotte said. “He’s flying in.”

“When?”

“Tomorrow. You’re going to have to get along without me for one day. Think you can handle that?” she smirked.

“It will be tough, but I’ll get through it. Maybe,” he smirked. “What’s he coming in for? Just because?”

“Work stuff.”

“On a Saturday? What does he do?”

“App development and startups.”

“You said you don’t talk very often.”

“I was angry with him for a while, after the accident. It was the summer he was starting U of T. I begged him to postpone by one semester. I was a fourteen-year-old girl whose parents were suddenly gone; I just wanted my big brother around.”

He took her hand and brought it to his lips for a quick kiss.

“He still feels guilty, even though I’ve told him I understand and that I forgave him a long time ago. I reassure him all the time that I’m perfectly well-adjusted, and that I’m happy. Hopefully he will see that for himself tomorrow.

“Even though Bash and I would be fine on our own, he takes care of us. He’s a good big brother; I just wish he’d come home more often.”

“You’ll be happy to see him.”

“Yes,” she smiled. “He got engaged recently. He’s bringing his fiancée with him. Mackenzie. He wants us to meet and bond while he attends a couple of meetings in the afternoon.”

He glanced at her. “You haven’t even met her yet?”

She shook her head with a funny little twist to her lips and scrunch of her nose. “I hope I like her. Especially since she’s going to be my sister-in-law.

“They might fly back to New York after dinner, but I’m hoping they decide to stay over and join us for brunch. If they do, would you still want to come?”

“Would you still want me to?”

“Of course.”

“Then why wouldn’t I?”

“I don’t know how he’s going to react to you. He met Booker. He did not like Booker. I know we’re not dating, but he may be a little hard on you at first, being the closest guy friend I have that isn’t family.

“You’re nothing like Booker though; I’m sure he’ll see that...

“And I don’t know if Mackenzie will know who you are. You know that you’re kind of famous, right?” she teased. “A lot of girls tend to get a little...overemotional around you.”

“Not you though,” he smirked.

“Oh no, you make me feel things,” she declared, “but in different ways for different reasons.”

Shawn’s heart tumbled over itself. He wondered if she meant to admit that to him. He wondered if it was an actual admission of something or if he was reading more into it than he should be.

Charlotte continued, “You know that your celebrity status doesn’t matter to me. To me you’re just Shawn and I adore the man I’ve gotten to know over the past week.

“You mean a lot to me.”

“You mean a lot to me, too.” Yes, they needed to have a conversation.

“I think Valerie will be cool, but since I’ve never met Mackenzie, I don’t know what to expect from her. So, I’ll ask again, do you still want to come to brunch not knowing how all of the variables are going to play out? I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable or overwhelmed.”

“Everyone else will have my back, right?”

“Of course.”

“Then everything will be fine,” he smiled.

// * // * //

Once Sebastian was asleep, and after Charlotte finally had the chance to take her nice long shower, she lathered her skin with luxurious after-sun cream. She then crawled into her incredibly comfortable bed and turned on the television. Before she had chosen anything to watch, she glanced at her phone on the nightstand and saw that it was blinking.

Aaliyah had sent her a text with a link to a OneDrive account and a password. When Charlotte opened the folder there were a few photos from the zoo that she had taken with her phone. To get a better look at them, she forwarded the link to her iPad.

There was a photo of she and Aaliyah with Sebastian, which Shawn had taken, and another of Shawn with Sebastian. A third photo was of Shawn giving Charlotte a piggyback ride; she had no idea that Aaliyah had even captured that moment. There was also a selfie of Shawn and Aaliyah, and a picture of Shawn making a goofy face.

Charlotte retrieved her X100V and started looking through the photos that had been taken earlier that day, and not only by her. Shawn and Aaliyah had taken photos with her camera as well.

She forwarded copies of a handful of them from her camera to her iPad and sent them to Aaliyah through the same OneDrive account. One of her favorites was of all four of them that they had asked someone to take; Aaliyah was giving Shawn bunny ears. He was oblivious and adorable. Charlotte also added photos of Aaliyah with Shawn, Aaliyah with Sebastian, and one of Aaliyah on the carousel.

Charlotte thought Shawn might like a few of the photos for himself. She would print a few of her favorites and give them to him on Sunday.

It wasn’t long before Aaliyah had posted three photos to her Instagram: a selfie of herself with a tiger in its enclosure behind her, the photo from Charlotte of she and her big brother, and the one of her on the lion figure on the carousel. The caption read, Lions and tigers and brothers, oh my! Charlotte commented with a laughing emoji and a sparkle heart. She noticed that Shawn had already liked her post.

A few minutes later she received a notification that @_aaliyahmaria began following her own Instagram, @starlit_charlotte. And shortly after that, Shawn began following her as well.

By morning her follower count had jumped from 135 to 513.

// * // * //

Part 11

[everywhereallofthetime]

Some Girl ... Part 9

Word Count: 3.5k

Warnings: Language?

// * // * //

Thursday / July 22nd

Shawn laid there a few long moments, staring at the ceiling, his arms heavy at his sides. Today Charlotte had him working his upper body.

He knew he needed to stretch but he couldn’t move.

He decided he would just stay in that position till Charlotte returned with the lunch she had brought to share with him. It was something she had made the night before and she wanted him to try it.

Tuesday’s dinner had been fantastic; he couldn’t imagine this new dish wouldn’t be as well. His stomach started grumbling with the thought.

Suddenly she was standing above him, smirking down at him, food in one hand, water in the other.

“Ow,” he whined as he finally, slowly sat up. His core muscles were sore from his workout the day before.

He first reached for the electrolyte water and quickly drained half of the bottle, but when he reached for lunch she said, “Nope. You can’t have any till you stretch.”

“I stretched.”

“Boy, you know you can’t lie to me. Why do you try?” she giggled.

“You’re mean,” he pouted. Charlotte was uncompromising, but he honestly loved it.

“Come on, babe,” she chuckled. “We’ll do it together.”

// * // * //

They sat on mats on the floor, backs against the wall, shoulder to shoulder, while they ate. Shawn was too busy shoveling food into his mouth and making happy noises to talk. Charlotte rolled her eyes and giggled.

When he finally showed signs of slowing down, she said, “You worked hard this week; you should be proud of yourself.”

“I couldn’t have done it without you,” he smiled. Charlotte knew exactly how hard and how far to push him. “I think I’d like to punch some bags or get into the boxing ring next week.”

“Awesome,” she grinned. “I’ll check with the trainers over there to see when there might be openings and we’ll chat over the weekend to schedule next week’s sessions.”

“Sounds good... I know you’re off tomorrow, but do you already have plans?”

“Bash and I are starting a Mommy and Me music class in the morning. I think it will be nice for both of us. He can start socializing with other babies his age and I’m always hoping to find other young parents to connect with. Otherwise, no. No other plans.”

“Let’s do something fun tomorrow.”

“You’ve seen me three days in a row. And each day I’ve put you through an hour and a half of hell. Aren’t you sick of me yet?” she giggled.

“Is that your way of saying you’re sick of me?” he smirked.

“Of course not.” She linked her hand with his and gave it a squeeze but her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“What are you not saying?” he asked softly, returning the squeeze.

“I feel like I’ve been taking up all of your free time. I know that isn’t true; it’s not like we spend all day, every day together. Who knows what you get up to when I’m working; I just don’t want to keep you from your other friends.”

“I’ve known my friends since I was little, and before I met you I spent way too much time with them,” he smirked. “Angel, look at me,” he breathed. She met his eyes. “I like spending time with you.”

She cupped his cheek. “I like spending time with you too.”

“Good. So, let’s do something fun tomorrow.”

“What did you have in mind? I could ask Elisa if she could watch Bash in the afternoon.”

“Why? Let’s do something fun, with Bash. Like, the zoo.” It was the first thing that popped into his head but it was perfect.

“Really?” Charlotte knew that Shawn adored Sebastian, but it meant so much to her that he was willing, happy even, to include her son in anything they may plan together. And she loved the idea of taking him to the Toronto Zoo.

“Of course.” He stood and offered his hands to her to pull her to her feet. “He’s the biggest part of your life, which means he’s always going to be a big part of my life,” he smiled.

Charlotte, momentarily at a loss for words, wrapped her arms around Shawn and hugged him tightly.

“So, is that a ‘yes’?”

“Yes.”

// * // * //

Charlotte was temporarily covering the front while her office assistant finished her lunch break. Shawn was leaning on the desk she was currently sitting behind, being his adorable self.

“You have to go. I have a new client coming in any minute and I can’t have you distracting me.”

“I’m a distraction?”

“The biggest.”

“What makes me distracting?” he smirked.

Shawn was one of the humblest people Charlotte had ever known, but he had occasional instants of, ‘I'm feeling a little down on myself and could use some reassurance’. She was in tune with him enough that she easily noticed those moments. He still dealt with lingering feelings of rejection; he just needed to be reminded that he was loved and wanted.

“Your stupidly magnificent face. Especially your eyes that can’t decide whether they want to stay brown or turn green.” And your mouth, your fucking lips, that I find myself wanting to kiss at least once every day. She pinched his face in her hand and turned his head to the side. “And this ridiculous profile.” She traced his perfectly defined jawline with her fingertip.

She stopped teasing him; her eyes and smile softened. “You know you’re one of my favorite people, right?”

He didn’t have words to respond, but his happy sigh and brilliant smile said enough.

Charlotte suddenly stood up straighter and turned her smile on the individual who had just walked in. Shawn looked over his shoulder to see the man who could potentially be Charlotte’s new client. Abruptly, an odd sensation rippled from his gut to his chest. He didn’t like the man’s disarming smile, or his confident manner.

Shawn was overcome with the need to lean in and place a soft kiss on Charlotte’s cheek before he said goodbye.

“Ethan Barnes?”

“Miss Dempsey, I presume?”

“Charlotte, or Charlie, is fine...”

// * // * //

Charlotte half expected Abigail and Morgan to show up with Valerie, neither she or her cousin had clarified one way or the other, so when it was just Valerie at her door that evening, Charlotte found herself relieved.

Maybe the evening wouldn’t be as awkward as she initially anticipated.

Charlotte greeted Valerie with a brief hug, careful not to squish Sebastian, who was in her arms.

Valerie stroked Sebastian’s head and asked, “Will he come to me?”

“Probably. He’s not quite at the ‘stranger anxiety’ age.”

Charlotte handed Sebastian over to Valerie without fuss. She gave him a little squeeze and kissed his cheek. “He’s getting big. I think the last time I saw you guys was Memorial Day.”

Charlotte didn’t understand why Valerie didn’t like to spend much time with her family. They hadn’t even seen her on Canada Day.

“Yeah, you never want to hang with us. We’ve all gotten together almost every weekend this summer, in some capacity, and it’s always a good time.”

Valerie shrugged. “You have always fit in better than I do.”

There seemed to be more beneath her response.

Maybe Charlotte judged her cousin unfairly. Maybe her becoming friends with Shawn would be a good thing for her relationship with Valerie. Even if she only decided to come around because of him, she was now around. If Charlotte could spend more time with Valerie without the twins, maybe they could find their way to actually becoming cousins again.

They had moved into the condo and were standing between the kitchen and dining room when Charlotte asked, “Have you been here since I moved in?”

“No. We were going to have your baby shower here but the redesign wasn’t quite finished so we had it at Elisa’s instead.”

“That’s right! Well, feel free to poke around. Make yourself comfortable. I’m going to use the washroom, and then I’ll grab my tablet and we can take a look at DoorDash or SkipTheDishes. You can just put Bash in his bouncer if you get tired of holding him.”

The first thing that Valerie noticed while Charlotte was out of the room was the guitar laying in one of the overstuffed armchairs. She knew immediately that it was Shawn’s. Valerie looked around and realized that Charlotte’s condo was where he had posted his Instagram from.

Her mother had told her about Saturday night and, while she had had no reason not to believe her, it hadn’t seemed quite as real as it did now.

Her cousin was friends, maybe more?, with Shawn Mendes.

// * // * //

Valerie’s eyes lingered a little too long on the photo of Shawn with Sebastian on Charlotte’s refrigerator. It was slightly too close and a bit off-centered because Shawn had tried to take a selfie of them with a Polaroid camera.

Charlotte figured now was as good a time as any to start the Shawn conversation she knew Valerie had been dying to have. They could talk while they ate. “Bash adores him.”

That was all it took.

“Don’t we all?” Valerie murmured. She finally opened the fridge and retrieved the drink she wanted to have with dinner. “How did you ever even become friends?” She was trying not to show too much excitement but Charlotte could see it there, just beneath the surface.

Secretly, she was glad for it. She didn’t have a girlfriend to talk to about the guy she, maybe, had a little crush on. There were some things she couldn’t confide to her male cousins without it being weird.

“It was all very...unexpected. It’s not even a cool story,” she tittered as she put Sebastian in his highchair. “I met him at the store one day, and we started chatting. That’s it really.”

Valerie joined Charlotte at the dining room table while Charlotte placed a smattering of finger foods on Sebastian’s tray.

“We made a connection. We took a walk together; we talked some more. He asked for my number and promised he’d use it so much I���d get sick of him,” Charlotte grinned. “He certainly uses it a lot,” she chuckled, “but you won’t hear me complaining.” She removed dinner from the delivery bags. “We’ve talked or texted every day since.”

“It sounds like you’re really close,” Valerie said softly.

Charlotte’s smile was shy and she shrugged a little. “It’s...easy with him. I feel like I’ve known him forever.”

// * // * //

The cousins were curled up on the couch, Valerie holding Sebastian in her lap as he practiced grasping and bringing to his mouth the few toys she held in front of him, when Charlotte’s phone received a text.

Is Valerie still there?

Yes.

How’s it going?

Better than expected.

Aw babe, I’m glad. Call me when she leaves?

Everything okay?

Just want to ask you something about tomorrow.

Sounds good. 😘

“Sorry about that.”

“No problem. Was that Shawn?”

“Yes,” she blushed. “How did you know?”

“From your smile. And the way you bit your lip.”

“Ugh.” Charlotte covered her face with her hands.

“Shit, I’d smile like that too if I was texting...someone I had feelings for.”

Charlotte wasn’t going to try to deny it, it was true after all, but it was something she wasn’t ready to address either. “We have plans tomorrow; he has a question, that’s all. I’ll call him later.”

“What are you doing, if it’s all right for me to ask?”

“We’re taking Bash to the zoo.”

“Oh my God, that’s adorable,” she giggled.

“It was his idea. He wanted to do something that included Bash.” Valerie covered her heart with her hand. “I know,” Charlotte agreed.

“Okay. I’m sorry, I have to ask...”

“We’re just friends,” Charlotte said, knowing exactly what her question was going to be. “I care about him, I fucking adore him, he’s one of the best people in my life, but we’re just friends.”

Valerie chuckled. “You’ve probably gotten that question a million times already, eh?”

“Yes, but no one ever believes me!” she half huffed, half chuckled.

“Well, sure. I don’t know anyone who could be friends with Shawn Mendes and not want to bang him. You can’t tell me you don’t think about it.”

“Of course I think about it.”

Both girls laughed.

“I saw his Instagram post. In fact, I think I’m sitting in exactly the same spot he was sitting in, looking at the exact guitar he was playing...

“He looks really good.” Valerie didn’t say so out loud, but she had a strong feeling that her cousin had a lot to do with that.

“He really does,” Charlotte sighed. “He’s finally smiling and laughing again. He’s getting back to his music, he’s working out. With me, actually.”

“What?”

“Surprised me, too. He asked me to train him. Although I guess I’m not training him as much as training with him. We just finished our first week.

“Something...weird happened this afternoon though.”

“What kind of weird?”

“Shawn was on his way out when I had a new client come in. Ethan. Nice guy. Total hottie, right? Well, Shawn kissed my cheek right before he left, right in front of Ethan. It was the first time he has ever shown that kind of affection in the presence of anyone other than family.”

“It sounds like he might have been a little bit jealous,” Valerie smirked.

“That’s kind of what it felt like,” Charlotte blushed, “but is it normal for a guy to show jealousy over a girl when the girl is just a friend?”

“Yes. Definitely. Guys are inherently territorial.”

Charlotte wasn’t sure if she liked that answer or not.

// * // * //

Charlotte sighed softly. “Thanks for being so chill about...everything. I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect. I do hate that it took my friendship with Shawn for you to reach out and try to connect with me again.”

“It shouldn’t have,” Valerie said, shame in her voice. “I’m sorry.”

Charlotte reached over and squeezed Valerie’s hand. “I’m also happy for it.”

With relief, she agreed. “Me too.”

“Have you told Abigail and Morgan?”

Valerie wrinkled her nose and apologized again. “I had to.”

With a small smile Charlotte said, “I expected you would.”

“I only told them that somehow you and Shawn had become friends and that he was with you at Elisa and Jack’s on Saturday. Truthfully, I don’t know much more than that myself. Even Josh and Dougie didn’t go into much detail. They were just like, ‘yeah, Charlie brought him by; he stayed for dinner and drinks and poker’ and ‘he’s cool; a really nice guy’. Mom gushed over him a little bit though,” Valerie giggled. “That was kind of embarrassing.”

“Elisa did too,” Charlotte laughed. “What did your mom say?”

“Just about how sweet and kind and gorgeous he was. You know, things we’ve known about him for years,” she chuckled.

“I thought Abigail and Morgan might show up with you tonight.”

“No. I knew it was going to take a lot more before you were going to want to have them around.”

Charlotte took a deep breath. “I know the twins are your best friends and you probably don’t have secrets with them, and I’m not asking you to keep secrets from them, but...”

“Can I maybe not tell them everything?” Valerie softly smiled.

“Yes, please. I would really appreciate it, especially since there’s another, particularly well-known, very public person on the other side of this. I want to be respectful of him, too. It really feels like he could be one of those ‘lifetime’ friends. You know, ‘a season, a reason, a lifetime’? I don’t want to lose him because I trusted the wrong person.”

“I understand.”

// * // * //

Charlotte hadn’t expected Valerie to stay as long as she had. Before they knew it, Sebastian was starting to show signs that he was almost ready for bed.

“I think that’s my cue,” Valerie chuckled.

“We should do this more often,” Charlotte said, walking her cousin to the door.

“I agree.”

“Starting with Sunday brunch at Elisa’s? I would love to see you there.”

“You know what? I think yes. Tonight was really great. I should try making more of an effort to spend time with all of you.”

Charlotte knew Valerie was wondering if Shawn would be there, but she chose not to ask, and Charlotte chose not to offer anything. Her cousin’s decision to see her family shouldn’t depend on if Shawn was going to be there or not. And truthfully, she didn’t even know herself. He hadn’t yet accepted or declined the invitation.

Charlotte and Valerie hugged goodbye.

“Don’t forget to call Shawn,” Valerie smirked.

She lightly bit her bottom lip and blushed. “I’ll see you Sunday.”

// * // * //

Shawn answered after the first ring.

“So, what’s up?” Charlotte asked.

“What would you say if I asked if you would like to meet my sister?”

“I would say, I would love to meet your sister.”

“She was over for dinner tonight and wanted to know what I’ve been up to this week. I kind of ended up telling her more about you than I meant to.”

“I wasn’t supposed to be a secret, was I?” she tittered.

“Of course not! You don’t think that, do you?”

“No, babe. Not at all. But listen... There is something I would like to talk with you about.”

“Wait.” In the next moment Shawn was requesting to zoom. Charlotte accepted with a giggle. “Okay go,” he said the second he saw her face on his screen.

He was sitting on his couch, shirtless, his hair falling in soft curls across his forehead. She bit her bottom lip, partly because of how pretty he was, partly because she wasn’t exactly sure how to start.

“What is it?” he asked.

She took a deep breath. “I don’t really know yet how to navigate this with you.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know how to traverse... Well... Us.

“What do you need from me, Shawn? What do you want me to say about our relationship if people ask? Sometimes I’m not sure what I can say. Not to you. I probably say more to you than you want to hear. But to others.

“We know what our relationship is. It’s nobody else’s business anyway. But I’m a girl, and there have always been questions when you’ve been seen with a girl. I don’t care what they might say. You don’t have to explain yourself either, but I know you will because that’s just the kind of person you are. I know there are going to be questions when we’re seen together, because, let’s face it, we will be, eventually, right?

“You’re going to answer questions in the way it’s best for you, but what about me?

“Can I freely talk about ‘my friend Shawn’? Can I bring you up in conversation if something reminds me of you? Can I take photos of you, of us, of you with Bash if I feel like it? If I simply want to? Or is that something you wouldn’t be comfortable with? I would never share them on social media without your permission, because I understand that you live a very public life, and let’s face it, social media can be rough. But is it okay if it’s just for me, or if I want to share those stories or photos with my family and friends?”

“Yes, babe. Yes, of course,” Shawn smiled.

“Okay, good.”

“Now breathe, darling,” he laughed.

“In a minute. I’m not done.”

“By all means,” he wheezed.

“Stop laughing,” she snickered before continuing, apologetically, “I kind of had to talk about you a bit with Valerie because you’ll meet her at Elisa and Jack’s if you decide you want to come to brunch on Sunday.

“And now that I know it’s okay, you should be aware that I’m probably going to want to take photos of you at the zoo tomorrow, because I know you’re going to be adorable with Bash, and I won’t be able to help myself,” she giggled. She took a big breath. “Okay, now I’m done.”

Shawn had been trying not to laugh while she rambled on but had failed spectacularly.

“Stop laughing!” she laughed.

The giggles overtook them both then, like they had that first night in Elisa and Jack’s pool.

When they were able to catch their breath again, Charlotte said, “I think I hijacked your true question. Or did you really just want to know if I would like to meet Aaliyah?”

“Well, after I talked you up so much, she wants to meet you. I told her how we were taking Bash to the zoo tomorrow. And she was like,” he raised the pitch of his voice, “‘I haven’t been to the zoo in forever’. And then, ‘it would also be nice to spend even more time with my big brother’.”

Charlotte laughed.

“In other words, she really wants to go with us. Would you be all right with that?”

“I would absolutely be all right with that,” she smiled.

They talked for an hour before they finally said goodnight.

// * // * //

Part 10

[everywhereallofthetime]

Some Girl ... Part 8

Word Count: 2.7k

Warnings: None.

// * // * //

Monday / July 19th

Charlotte had an hour before her one-thirty class started. She had just sat down to lunch when she received a text from Shawn.

Sorry babe. Had some stuff come up today.

No problem!

We can still talk tonight?

Would love to.

Any free time tomorrow?

To start training or to hang out?

Both?

3? Train and then dinner? I’ll cook?

It’s a date. 😘

Right on the heels of her conversation with Shawn, she, unsurprisingly, received a text from Valerie. She knew it was only a matter of time. It upset her that her cousin only decided to get in contact with her after she learned that Charlotte was now friends with Shawn. Still, Valerie was family.

Hi coz! Been awhile. Wanna hang this week sometime?

Busy tomorrow night, but otherwise free. Dinner after work W or Th? Easier to do takeout or delivery than go out with Bash.

Thursday@5? Your place? LakeShore, right?

That works. And yep, #4016.

See u then!

Charlotte shot a quick text to Mason.

You called it. Guess who suddenly wants to hang out?

Don’t make it ez 4 her.

Mom’s doing brunch & mimosas on Sun. U coming?

Probably.

Invite Shawn?

I’ll ask him.

Charlotte chose to skip yoga after teaching her class. She checked in with Elisa (Sebastian was doing fine) before grabbing a shower at the studio. If she was going to make dinner for Shawn the following night, she needed to stop in at Loblaws on her way home.

She sent Shawn a text to ask if there was anything he wouldn’t eat. His quick reply was:

Tomatoes! 🤢

She giggled to herself.

// * // * //

Tuesday / July 20th

Tuesday was busy for Charlotte. She had a class at 8:30am, followed by two back to back personal training sessions. She barely had enough time to grab a quick lunch before she had another class at 1pm.

She was surprised to see Shawn sneak into class during the last fifteen minutes. He stayed in the back, simply observing. She wasn’t going to break the class’s focus by acknowledging him. She hoped he understood.

When class ended, one of Charlotte’s students, a few years older than herself, Sofia, asked if she had a few minutes.

“I don’t want to keep you from your...” She took a quick glance in Shawn’s direction. “Boyfriend?”

Charlotte supposed she didn’t have to correct everyone, every single time, especially if they didn’t recognize Shawn, so she didn’t bother. She waved to him and smiled.

“I was wondering... Do you teach private classes? My fiancé and I are getting married in September, on the 18th.”

“That’s wonderful! Congratulations,” Charlotte said.

“Thanks! I was hoping to find someone to teach us a few dances for the wedding. Is that something you would consider?”

“Absolutely! I would love to help,” she grinned. “Do you still have my contact information?”

“Yes, I believe so.”

“What is your fiancé’s name?”

“Phillip.”

“Why don’t you talk with Phillip and find a few days and times that would work for you, and then give me a call. I’m sure we can figure something out.”

“Thank you so much, Charlie!”

“You’re so welcome! We’ll chat soon.”

Sofia gathered her bag and nodded a hello/goodbye to Shawn as she passed him, as he was crossing the floor toward Charlotte. Sofia took one last look at Charlotte over her shoulder before she reached the exit and did a subtle ‘okay’ gesture with her hand. Charlotte blushed and tried not to giggle.

Shawn went in for a hug, but Charlotte backed away. “You don’t want to do that; I’m all sweaty.”

“I don’t care; I’ll be sweaty soon, too. I missed you. I need a hug.”

“Aw, you miss me after only one day?” she smirked, teasing, but she ultimately couldn’t say no to the hug. She would never turn down a hug from Shawn.

“I wish I would have been here the whole class. Watching you was fantastic. You’re an incredible dancer, and instructor. I can see how much fun you’re all having.”

“Thank you,” she said, biting softly on her lower lip.

“What did that woman want?”

“Sofia? Private tutoring with her fiancé, for their wedding. It should be fun.

“And if you ever want to actually join a class, we can count that as the cardio part of your session.”

“I don’t dance.”

“Liar. I know you can dance.”

“I said I don’t dance, not that I can’t.”

“We’ll see...” she sing-songed as she started walking out of the dance part of her studio space.

“We will not see!” he laughed, following after her.

// * // * //

Charlotte brought Shawn into the fitness room where the stability balls, bands, free weights, medicine balls, and a few machines were.

“You’re really sure about this, right?” Charlotte asked. “You genuinely want to start training? I don’t want something that might have been a joke Sunday night to turn into something you now feel obligated to go through with.”

“I’m serious. I meant it.”

“I’m not going to take it easy on you.”

“I don’t want you to.”

“Okay then.”

Charlotte talked with Shawn about his goals and expectations and made sure he was eating the way he should be based on those goals.

They agreed on three sessions a week, and after looking at her schedule, she was able to put him down for his second and third sessions on Wednesday and Thursday. One day each for upper body, lower body, and core work, in conjunction with some sort of cardio all three days.

“We’ll start here,” she said, meaning the current room they were in, “but we’ll probably be working out over in the CrossFit gym more often than not. There are punching bags and a boxing ring over there too, if that’s something you would ever want to explore.

“Always be honest with me about what you’re feeling. Physically, of course, but also how you feel about the exercises themselves. I want you to actively have a say in what you’re doing. I expect you to work your ass off, but I also want you to have fun.”

// * // * //

Charlotte had to bite down on the moan that wanted to escape past her lips.

Shawn stood there, freshly showered, in soft, dark grey, tapered, street joggers, a faintly snug, white, deep V neck tee shirt, showing off a peek of chest hair, and black sandals.

He had Tarzan’s leash in hand, and an acoustic guitar on his back.

It was unfair how attractive he was.

As soon as Shawn was inside with the door closed behind him, he hugged Charlotte hello. She was starting to recognize his scent with her eyes closed.

Suddenly the golden retriever jumped up on both of them.

“Sorry,” Shawn said, pulling him down. “We’re still working on his manners.”

Charlotte dropped down to the golden retriever’s level. “Hi sweet boy,” she cooed, giving Tarzan all the scratches. He licked her face in response. She unclipped his collar and he shot off to check out the new space he found himself in.

Shawn and Charlotte made their way to the kitchen. Shawn spotted Sebastian in his Bumbo, which sat on the kitchen island.

“Little man!” he called out, smiling brightly, and scooped Sebastian into his arms. He gave him a few raspberries and the baby giggled. “Hi buddy,” Shawn then said, giving him a cuddle and kissing one of his irresistibly chubby cheeks.

He turned back to Charlotte and that’s when she finally noticed he had gotten his hair cut. She hadn’t been able to tell at the gym because his hair had been pulled back with a headband. It wasn’t a significant change, it was still on the longer side, but it had been cleaned up quite nicely. She ran her hand through it and tousled his curls.

“Yeah, I got it cut yesterday.” He was also clean shaven. “Please don’t be mad that I shaved, too.” He was starting to read her as well as she seemed to be able to read him.

“Why would I be mad?” she asked. “Sure, I liked the stubble, but I like this too.” She ran her fingertips along his jawline. “Whether there’s hair on your face or not, babe, you always look amazing.”

“I think I was photographed on my way here.”

“Good thing you look super-hot then,” she smirked. “Your fans will be happy to have new pics to drool over.”

“Shut up,” he chuckled. The look on her face changed enough for him to notice. “What?” he asked softly.

She wrapped her arms around his torso, careful not to squish Sebastian between them, and gave him a little squeeze. “They just want to see that you’re doing all right, babe.” She eased away and looked up into his eyes. “When was the last time you ’grammed or TikToked? They miss your pretty face, especially your smile, and that beautiful voice of yours.”

Charlotte withdrew and started pulling items from the fridge and cupboards and placing them on the countertops and kitchen island.

“You’re on Bash duty while I cook.”

// * // * //

Shawn and Charlotte chatted easily while she prepared dinner. Shawn kept sneaking little bites of food and Tarzan stayed nearby, hoping Charlotte accidentally dropped something on the ground.

“I think you’re really going to like this. Lots of lean protein and vegetables, - well, if you would stop eating them before they make it into the pan.” She playfully slapped his hand away. “And you can eat as much as you want without any guilt, which is good because dessert isn’t quite this healthy,” she smirked.

Shawn liked being like this. In Charlotte’s home, with her son, and his dog. Her cooking, him holding Sebastian on his lap while they talked and joked. It was comfortable; more comfortable than it should be at this stage of their relationship.

“I can’t believe it’s been only four days,” Shawn murmured. He felt like he had known her for a lot longer than four days. It blew his mind how they had connected so quickly. Everything was easy with her.

“What, babe?”

“I was just saying that I can’t believe where we are already, after only four days. Why does it feel like I’ve known you so much longer than that?”

He said out loud exactly what she had been thinking. “Maybe we knew each other in another life,” she offered with a small smile.

“I hope I always know you, in every life to come.”

It was the sweetest thing she had ever heard. She rounded the kitchen island to where he was sitting on the bar stool with Sebastian, stepped between his spread legs, and hugged him around his neck.

Sebastian squawked. They laughed.

“Sorry, baby,” she said to her son, taking him from Shawn to give him a squish, burying her lips in his little neck and blowing.

Shawn rested his large hands on her hips and the top of his head against her heart.

// * // * //

Shawn said goodnight to Sebastian with a kiss to the top of his head. Charlotte was going to put him down for the night. She told Shawn he was welcome to stay for a while, and to make himself comfortable.

Shawn wandered throughout the condo, wanting a better look at all of the framed photos on the walls and across various surfaces. He hadn’t looked very closely when he had been here on Sunday night. There were a lot of Sebastian, of course. He also saw photos of everyone he had met on Saturday, a few people he hadn’t, and a family photo of Charlotte with her brother and their parents. It looked like it may have been taken shortly before their passing.

Shawn finally settled back onto the couch beside a passed out Tarzan. He propped his phone up on the coffee table against a stack of books, grabbed his guitar, and started recording.

// * // * //

Shawn thought maybe he should make Charlotte aware that he could hear her through the monitor, especially when she started singing softly, but she had such a lovely voice, clear and sweet. She had said maybe she would sing for him sometime, but this felt like cheating.

In the end he just listened. He would confess and apologize after.

Shawn found himself getting slightly emotional when he realized the song Charlotte was singing was Beautiful Boy by John Lennon. It was a song that his parents used to play for him when he was small. It was one of his earliest memories.

She had only made it through the first verse and two choruses of Never Grow Up by Taylor Swift when all fell quiet.

Charlotte paused before fully entering the living room and leaned against the corner of the wall. Shawn was quietly strumming his guitar, Tarzan curled up, asleep, on the couch beside him. She marveled at how well they fit in her space.

He looked up and met her eyes. “You have a beautiful voice.”

She blushed. “You heard that?”

“Baby monitor.”

“Of course,” she giggled.

“I’m sorry, I should’ve told you I could hear you.”

“You don’t have to apologize.”

“I posted to Instagram.”

“You did? I hope what I said didn’t push you into it.”

“It just nudged,” he grinned, “but you’re right. I should’ve checked in with my fans a lot sooner. Come watch it with me.”

Charlotte crossed into the room and sat down beside him. She rested her head on his shoulder. He leaned his head onto hers.

“It’s been a minute, eh?” He ran his hand through his hair and began playing a part of ‘After Rain’ by Dermot Kennedy on his guitar, singing only the third verse. “But I see you now, yeah, I see you. And release me now, kinda like dreams do. And I see you now, was hard to see you. Just don't forget to sing; remember everything.” He ended the video with, “I love you,” and blew a kiss.

In the comments section he had written:

‘A good friend of mine reminded me that I’ve been absent for too long from social media. I wanted to check in with you all, and to thank you for being so patient with me, for letting me take the time I needed to start moving forward again. I’m optimistic that I’ll be bringing you new music, sooner rather than later. I love you!’

Charlotte sniffled a little.

Shawn looked at her. “Aw, babe, are you crying?”

“Maybe a tiny bit.” She swiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. “Remember, I’m a fan too. This makes me happy. Everyone is going to love this.”

“They do. There are already so many likes and comments.”

“I told you they missed you. And I love that song.”

“Really?”

“It was perfect. Is there anything you can’t sing?”

Shawn kissed the top of her head in response. “I might go live this weekend.”

“I think that would be amazing...

“Speaking of the weekend.” Charlotte sat up and turned to Shawn. “We’re having brunch and mimosas at Elisa’s on Sunday. Would you like to come?”

“Same group as last weekend?”

“Not completely. Just Will and Didi, and the boys.” She screwed up her nose. “And probably Valerie this time. Especially if she knows you’re going to be there. I don’t think she’d weird out or anything, but then, I guess I don’t really know her that well.

“Maybe I’ll get a better feel for her on Thursday.

“Anyway. It’s really up to you. Mason said the boys are cool though, if that helps.

“No pressure.”

“You’re cute when you ramble on.”

“Shut up,” she giggled. “Do you want some ice cream?”

“Hell yeah.”

Charlotte was up and back in less than a minute. She held up two pints from what she didn’t know at the time was Shawn’s favorite ice cream place. “Chocolate or-”

“Chocolate,” he answered, before she could even tell him the other flavor.

She laughed and handed him the pint and a spoon before resuming her position sitting beside him.

“What kind do you have?”

She peeled off the top. “Cookies and cream.”

“I’ll trade you halfway through?”

“Deal.”

They clinked spoons.

// * // * //

Part 9

[everywhereallofthetime]

Some Girl ... Part 7

Word Count: ~2.27k

Warnings: None.

// * // * //

Charlotte had just put Sebastian to bed and had curled up on her couch, which was bigger and even more plush than the one at Elisa and Jack’s, with her most recent book, when a text came through on her phone.

Hi.

Who is this?

She knew who it was. She smiled and her heart tripped over itself.

You know exactly who this is.

You could be anyone.

Two photos came through nearly on top of each other. The photo Shawn had taken of the two of them from the night before, followed by a new selfie. Black tank top, the silver necklace he had been wearing the day before, long dark curls falling in his eyes without a headband to hold them back. His skin was sun-kissed, his cheeks slightly sunburned. She loved when his cheeks were pink.

You haven’t shaved yet.

He rubbed his hand along his jawline, even though she couldn’t see him.

You told me you found my facial hair ‘terribly sexy’.

I meant it.

It felt sacrilegious to shave after that.

You are very handsome; did you know that?

You’re much better looking than I am. Send me a selfie.

I’m not wearing any makeup.

You don’t need any makeup.

Do you also know how charming you are?

Stop. You’re making me blush.

She took the selfie he requested and sent it to him. She was wearing one of Mason’s old button-downs, open at the neck, soft blue, worn thin, which he had outgrown the year before. Her hair fell in soft waves around her face. Her hair and highlights had lightened a touch in the sun. Her cheeks were slightly sunburned, like Shawn’s. She had at least licked her lips to give them a little shine.

Her phone rang almost immediately. “Hi,” she answered, feeling as soft as she had looked in her photo.

“Hi.” She could almost see his smile through the phone.

She felt shy suddenly. It was much easier to flirt through text messages.

“What’s your apartment number?”

“Forty-sixteen.”

“Do you want company?”

“Sure.”

“Okay, I’m here. I’m on my way up.”

She giggled. “What if I had said no?”

“I would have been really sad. Begged until you changed your mind? But you said yes.”

“You make it nearly impossible to say no.”

“Excellent information to have,” he teased. “I’m hanging up because I’ll be at your door in thirty seconds.”

Charlotte had just put on a bra, a cute one that matched her panties, and pulled some shorts on when she heard Shawn knock. She certainly wasn’t going to walk around in front of him in only the thin button-down and said panties, which felt infinitely more intimate than a bikini, even if it covered more.

She opened the door for him. There it was, that smile she could almost see through her phone. He wrapped her in a hug. She breathed him in. He smelled incredible.

“Come on in.”

“Bash asleep?”

“Just went down... Let me show you around.”

The first door on the left was the master, Charlotte’s room, with an en suite on one side and a small balcony on the other. She apologized for not wanting him to see her room. She kept a clean space, so that had nothing to do with it, he just...didn’t need to be in her room. He assured her that no apology was necessary; he was the same way with his room.

They turned the corner to the right, passing the small powder room, and entered the kitchen and dining space. On the other side of the dining room table were doors to two additional bedrooms, the smaller being the nursery, and a washroom.

In the smaller corner of the condo, just beside the kitchen, was the terrace, and the remainder of the space was the living room, with a baby grand piano, surrounded by floor to ceiling windows.

After the grand tour, and after Shawn could no longer keep himself from peeking in on Sebastian, Charlotte offered him a drink.

“Your place is gorgeous,” he said, relaxing into the couch.

She handed him a Stella before sitting down beside him. She faced him with her legs curled under her and her arm resting on top of the back cushions. He unconsciously turned his body toward hers.

“Thanks,” she smiled. “It was Jonah’s. Still is technically. He lives in New York now. It used to be a serious bachelor pad. Annie is an interior designer. I had a lot of ideas but she gets the credit for putting it all together.” She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “I love this place, but one day, when Bash gets older, I’d like to have a house with a yard.”

Shawn was gazing at her with the smallest, softest smile on his lips and in his eyes. He slipped his left hand into her right, the one on the couch back, and twined his fingers with hers. “Tell me about your day.”

“I told Elisa and Jack and Mason, about you.”

“You did?”

“I actually told Elisa and Didi last night. Elisa told Jack. And I talked with Mason this morning.”

He bit his bottom lip. “Were they upset?”

“They were surprised, but no, not at all upset. I told you it would be all right,” she smiled, bringing his hand, still twisted in hers, to her lips for a small kiss to his knuckles. Their hands returned to the couch back but stayed intertwined. “They want you to know that you’re welcome at the house any time.”

Shawn broke into a wide grin. “That makes me happy.”

“Mason said he would tell Josh, Dougie, and Rob, but in all likelihood, Didi already did. If Didi told them, Valerie knows. If Valerie knows, the twins know. I have yet to hear from Valerie though, so I’m not sure.”

“Valerie is Josh and Dougie’s sister, right?”

“Correct.”

“Who are the twins?”

“Abigail and Morgan. Valerie’s best friends.”

“Why wasn’t Valerie at Elisa's last night?”

“She went to Wasaga Beach with the twins. Girls’ weekend.”

“Why didn’t you go with them?”

“I wasn’t invited.”

“That’s fucked.”

“I’m used to it.”

He looked into her eyes and said, “That doesn’t make it okay.”

She shrugged. “We haven’t been close since we were little. I rarely wanted to play with Barbies, dress-up, or do other girlie things. I always wanted to go off with the boys and have adventures, ride our bikes or skateboard, climb trees. The last thing we truly did together was go to your show at the Rogers Centre.”

Shawn set his beer aside. He placed his sparrow-tattooed hand on her thigh, squeezed gently, and smiled tenderly. “For what it’s worth, I’m happy you didn’t go to Wasaga Beach this weekend or we wouldn’t have met.”

She placed her hand on his forearm and stroked the guitar tattoo with her thumb. “It’s worth a whole lot,” she smiled back. “Enough about me. How was your day?” she asked.

“My sister almost cried when she saw me this morning.”

“What? Why?”

“I woke up happy.”

Such a simple statement but it made her heart swell. She hated how much she wanted to kiss him right then, but she promised him she wouldn’t cross that line again.

“She couldn’t stop smiling, and my mom couldn’t stop hugging me while I helped her make lunch. I didn’t realize how much I had been bringing everyone down with me.”

“You weren’t bringing anyone down with you in the way I think you’re thinking right now, so let go of that. You were struggling and it’s hard when you don’t know how to help someone you love, that’s all.”

Charlotte patted Shawn’s hand that still rested on her thigh. “Is there something else you want to tell me?” He had been tracing shapes on her skin the way he had the night before, but this time his touch felt a little different.

He couldn’t hide his grin when he lifted his hand and showed her the new blisters on his fingers. “Been a while since I’ve played so much. I almost forgot how much I love it.”

Her smile was bright and beautiful. “I’m so happy for you, Shawn,” she breathed.

Shawn was waging a war within himself. In that moment, all he wanted was to press his lips to hers, but it was too soon. The kiss the day before had just been a reaction to her kiss. Even if it had felt good, he wasn’t ready to promise anyone anything, especially Charlotte.

He tore his eyes from her mouth and they landed on the piano. “That's a beautiful baby grand.” He stood and walked over to it. “Do you play?” he asked, running his hand along its rim.

“I do.”

“Will you play something for me?” He sat down on one side of the duet bench.

“Well, since you asked so nicely,” she said softly.

Charlotte sat down on the other side of the bench. She’d played numerous times before, in front of hundreds of people, but playing for only one while he sat beside her made her nervous.

He must have sensed that for he asked, “Is this all right?”

She liked how it felt to sit so close to him so she nodded, despite her blush. “I’m just going to play. I’m not going to sing,” she mumbled.

“Do you sing?”

“Not as well as you.”

“Maybe you will sing for me another time.”

“If you’re lucky.”

The song Charlotte chose to play was Wild Enough by Elina. She didn’t expect Shawn to know it as she herself sort of stumbled across it by accident. She had loved it from the first time she had ever heard it.

She risked a glance at him while her fingers danced across the keys. He had the loveliest profile. His eyes were closed and his head moved with the minutest of movements. His lashes were longer than she had thought they were, and she still couldn’t get enough of the pink of his cheeks. She noted seven beauty marks in that brief glimpse.

Maybe one day she would count them all.

// * // * //

It was a beautiful night. Charlotte and Shawn had moved out onto the terrace and were looking out over the Toronto skyline.

“Do you have to work tomorrow?” he asked. “Wow," he then tittered, before she could answer. "I am so sorry. What do you do? I just realized I never bothered to ask until now. I suck.”

“You don’t suck,” she giggled. “I kind of do a few different things. I have a handful of clients who I work with, personal training and nutrition counseling. I’m meeting two new referrals later this week. I also started teaching dance at the beginning of summer. And I occasionally fill in for the yoga instructor who I share my studio with.”

“No wonder you have such an amazing body.” She blushed. He found he very much liked making her blush. “I know you know I’ve noticed. I’m an almost twenty-three-year-old guy, of course I’ve noticed.”

She reddened a bit more. “It hits different hearing it out loud.”

“Get used to it,” he grinned. “So, if I asked, you could help me get back in shape?” he inquired, a little smirk on his lips.

“Babe, you’re already in fantastic shape,” she said, wrapping a hand around his bicep. She thought he was being facetious, at first, but then she saw something in his eyes that spoke otherwise. “What are you self-conscious about?” she asked softly.

He shrugged and couldn’t quite meet her eyes. “I lost a little weight after the breakup. I want to build my muscle tone back up. I went for a run this morning. It felt good.”

“Yes, Shawn, if you ask, I will be more than happy to help.”

“What does your tomorrow look like?”

“Well, Bash has his six-month checkup at nine. He has to have a few immunizations, so Elisa is going to watch him here for the day. I’d rather have him at home with her if he doesn’t feel well after his shots. Instead of at daycare.

“I have a nutrition and personal training session at eleven, and then I have a class to teach at one-thirty. I’ll be done by three. If Bash is doing okay, I might stay for a yoga class.

“You should come by. You know, if you want to. If you’re looking for something to do.”

“Maybe I will.”

// * // * //

Charlotte was half-asleep on the couch. Shawn glanced at his watch. It was almost ten-thirty. “I should probably go. It’s getting late.”

She hated to see him leave, but she couldn’t deny that she was getting tired. She let him pull her to her feet.

“I think this is the first time Tarzan has been truly home alone; he’s probably destroying the apartment in my absence,” he chuckled.

“Maybe the next time you come over you can bring him with.”

He looked at her with a tender smile. “You wouldn’t mind?” he asked quietly.

“Not at all. I love dogs, and it might be nice to start getting Bash familiar with them.”

At the door he hugged her tight and kissed her cheek. “Get some sleep, honey. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

She leaned against the doorframe and watched as he walked down the hall. “Shawn?” she called out as the elevator door opened.

He turned back to her.

“I’m happy you came by tonight.”

He blew her a kiss, and with one more of his beautiful smiles, he was gone.

// * // * //

Part 8

[everywhereallofthetime]

Some Girl ... Part 6

Word Count: 1.6k

Warnings: None, really. A few cuss words?

// * // * //

Sunday / July 18th

The next morning, after Sebastian nursed, Elisa took him, telling Charlotte to go back to sleep for a while. When Charlotte woke again, a couple of hours later, she crawled into the shower, replaying in her mind and in her heart everything that had happened the day before.

She wondered if- when, she corrected, Shawn would call.

As she was walking downstairs, she heard it before she saw it. In Wonder. Elisa, with Sebastian on her lap, Jack, and Mason were all parked in front of the television watching Shawn’s documentary.

“Do you have something you want to tell me?” Mason asked between mouthfuls of cereal.

Charlotte plopped down beside him on the couch, almost making him spill his bowl. “Peter’s name is actually Shawn?”

She looked over at Elisa, who handed Sebastian to her. Elisa then shrugged her shoulders and stated, “You said you both wanted everyone to know the truth. And sooner is better than later, right? Especially if you plan to bring him around more often.”

“My mind is a little blown here, Charlie,” Mason said. “Why didn’t you just say, ‘hey everyone, this is my boyfriend, Shawn’?” he asked, slightly perplexed.

“Because he’s not my boyfriend!” she exclaimed.

“I told you,” Elisa said, dryly.

“We’re just friends, no matter how you may have perceived things.”

Mason chose to keep certain further thoughts to himself, at least for the time being, and asked again, “All right then, why didn’t you just introduce him as a friend of yours? I guess I can understand why you introduced him as Peter, but why Bash’s dad? Shit. He’s not actually Bash’s dad, is he??”

“No,” she chuckled. “He is most definitely not Bash’s dad.” She then sighed softly. “You’ve been watching the documentary. It looks like you’ve passed the heavily centric Camila part. They broke up less than four months ago. Yesterday was a bad day. All he wanted was to forget for a little while and be around people who didn't know him so he could try to feel normal again. I didn’t actually mean to introduce him as Bash’s dad. That was just...an accident.”

“Or wishful thinking.”

“Shut up, Mason,” she grumbled, feeling her cheeks grow hot. She shot a glance at Elisa. “I’m fine.” She needed everyone to stop thinking she was in love with Shawn.

“You’re very quiet, Uncle Jack,” she said then.

“I already told him everything,” Elisa said.

That didn’t surprise her. As far as she was aware, Elisa and Jack had never kept secrets from one another. “I’m sorry I lied you,” she said to her uncle. She then glanced at Mason again. “All of you.”

Jack smiled softly and reached over to pat her knee. “You’re forgiven, Sweetheart, don’t worry about it. I understand. Just maybe don’t lie to us again?”

“I promise. For what it’s worth, aside from introducing him as Peter, which is actually his middle name, and pretending he was Bash’s dad, Shawn was his honest self. He truly is that lovely and kind. He has an amazing heart.”

“You let him know he’s welcome here anytime,” Jack said, and Elisa nodded in agreement.

Mason laughed. “I can't believe Shawn Mendes was in our fucking house!”

“Yes, and he enjoyed dinner with us. He spent time with our family. He let his guard down and he laughed with us.” There was an edge creeping into her voice. “He pretty much put Bash to bed. You lent him your shorts after he swam with us. You played darts and poker with him. You got drunk with him and he even helped your ass to bed!” Charlotte was agitated, causing Sebastian to get upset, too. She calmed her voice and hugged her son to her, soothing his back. “He's just Shawn,” she whispered, standing with Sebastian, and quickly left the room.

Mason followed after her, into the kitchen. No one had expected her to have a mini meltdown. Even she was surprised at herself.

"I'm sorry, Char. You're right.” He quickly rinsed his bowl and spoon and put them in the dishwasher. He turned and leaned up against it and the countertop. When Charlotte actually looked at him again, he said, “I shouldn't let who he is change anything from last night."

“You just proved why he was too nervous to tell you the truth, as badly as he wanted to. He was feeling awful about lying to everyone.”

“You like him a lot, eh?”

“Don't you start too,” she groaned, giving Sebastian over to Mason so she could fix herself something to eat.

Mason gently tossed Sebastian into the air and then blew raspberries into his neck. “I know, I know. You’re just friends. But you kissed him, and he kissed you back. And you guys were like, really close almost all night.”

“I swear, this is the exact conversation I had with Mom and Didi last night.”

“Are you sure-”

She cut him off quickly. “Stop.”

“But-”

“Nope.”

“Has he had his rebound yet?”

“I don’t know,” she huffed, slightly exasperated. “He doesn’t talk to me the same way as he might his guys friends. He’s too polite to tell me how many women he may have nailed after Camila broke his heart. I don’t think I’d want to know anyway.”

Charlotte sat down at the kitchen island. “I don’t plan on being a rebound either, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Mason buckled Sebastian into his Bumbo and started mixing his oatmeal. “I’m not worried. He promised me he wouldn’t hurt you. He promised he would never do anything to make me hate him.”

“What?” She paused, mid-bite of her peanut butter and banana English muffin. “When were those promises made?”

“When he helped my ass to bed,” he chuckled. “I weirdly, vividly remember that part of the night. He cares about you. He’s a good guy.”

Charlotte fell into her own thoughts while she continued eating.

“How did you even meet him?” Mason asked, drawing her attention again. He slid a spoonful of cereal into Sebastian’s mouth.

She didn't exactly answer. Instead she said, “He lives downtown, like one kilo from my place.” She would let him draw his own conclusions.

“I have to tell Josh and Dougie and Rob.”

“If Didi hasn't already told everyone...

“Please don’t make a big deal out of it. I actually would like to bring him around again. Josh, Dougie, and Rob are common fixtures around here in the summertime. There are six weeks of summer left. I need them to be cool with him.”

“They’ll be fine. It’s Val and the twins you have to worry about.”

“Ugh, I know,” she groaned.

“They’re totally going to want to hang out with you now," he smirked.

// * // * //

Charlotte lingered in the archway between the kitchen and family room, Sebastian on her hip, Mason at her side for support.

Elisa paused the documentary; Charlotte noticed they had almost finished it.

“Shawn’s concert on Netflix is from his sold out show at the Rogers Centre two years ago. You might like to watch that sometime. I was there, with Val and the twins actually, - it was probably the last time we did anything together.

“Anyway...

“Bash just finished his cereal. I’m going to nurse him a little and see if he’ll go down for a nap. And I thought I’d run a load of laundry while he sleeps, before we head home.”

“Okay honey,” Elisa said.

She shifted from one foot to the other. “I also thought maybe it might be time that I tell you about Booker. Bash’s real dad.”

If they were surprised, they didn't show it. Jack just nodded.

Charlotte started towards the stairs. Mason called after her, “By the way, I threw Shawn’s shorts and boxers in your laundry.”

She blushed bright red.

“What?? I thought he was your boyfriend!”

// * // * //

Shawn strolled into the kitchen late Sunday morning, singing to himself. Nothing in particular, just a few runs like he normally did when he was warming up his voice. His younger sister, Aaliyah, almost eighteen and starting college in the fall, was sitting on top of the kitchen island, her phone in hand, texting her boyfriend.

She looked up, surprised, suddenly overwhelmed that her big brother was smiling and singing. She never imagined how much she would have missed hearing his voice until it had been absent for too long.

He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a big hug. “Morning bub,” he murmured. He then opened the fridge and drank the orange juice right out of the carton. He grabbed a muffin and jumped up to sit beside her on the island countertop.

“You seem happy,” she said softly, grinning fiercely, tears in her eyes. She quickly wiped them away.

“I had a good night,” he grinned back and kissed her temple.

“You just disappeared yesterday; we were worried. And then you didn’t get home until well after one. Were you out with Matt?”

“I was not. I made some new friends.”

“That’s not some weird code for-”

“Bub!” he shouted. “No! Oh my God!”

“You always tell me I can say anything to you,” she laughed.

“I know, but you don’t always have to remind me how grown up you are.”

She wrapped her arm around his waist and he hugged her around the shoulders.

“I’m going to go for a run with Tarzan. I’ll be back before lunch,” he said, shoving the last of his muffin in his mouth, jumping off the counter, and slipping his AirPods into his ears. “Love you!” he called over his shoulder as he jogged off.

// * // * //

Part 7