ShawnMendes entered Wattpad.

121

We're sitting at the table, the first dishes are cleared, when Shawn's getting his mouth close to my ear, and he says in a lowered voice: "Hey."

I grin. "Hey."

He pushes back a curl, that has fallen into my face. "What I was going to say earlier", he touches my chin and I turn my face to him. Shawn looks me straight into the eyes, "was that you look amazing. Beautiful. Incomparable I guess."

"You guess?", I tease him, and he grins. "Well I saw you naked."

"In your dreams", I give him a little push and we both grin.

Shawn and I decided intuitively to take things slow, but that doesn't mean we can't flirt intensely.
Something that we apparently do right now – at least Aaliyahs reaction at the other side of the table shows everything.
"Okay I'm gonna throw up now officially", she says, but I can see her changing a laughing gaze with her mother. Then she grins at Jordan, and he gives her a smirk back. They look at as again.

Actually, everybody at the table is looking at us.
I'm getting red and hem. "Oh look! It is snowing again!"

"Yeah, well, very interesting – snow in Winter in Canada!", Aaliyah can't hold back another bright grin, and everyone at the table's laughing. Jordan's giving her a little push, they share a kiss that makes Shawn roll his eyes in the exact way Aaliyah did earlier, bringing me to grin, and my mum and Gerald are exchanging one of their knowing-a-secret-looks.

Shawn gives me a kiss on the fore-head, an I lean a bit against him, cuddeling myself into his cozy christmas-pullover, laughing with the rest of the family, feeling Shawn's hand in mine, feeling absolutly at the right place, what is incredible. I've never expected to be welcomed this way in another family. – Otherwise: what did I expect?! They all were so nice and friendly to me since I know this family, why would that change over night?! The evening weeks ago when Shawn and I were fighting like school-kids and when I ran off this house the morning after, it all seems to be forgotten or at least nobody's in the mood or has the wish to mention it. I guess it will be one day a nice anecdote – maybe when the next snow-storm is taking over Ontario.
Anyway, I don't like the attention too long on me being red like Rudolph in the face, so I turn to take another bite of the great Christmas meal Karen and Manuel made.

"So, Aaliyah, how is it going with university?", my mother looks curiously over her plate. "Is it, how you've imagined?"

"Actually, yes, it is", Aaliyah smiles, but for me it isn't a happy smile. She seems to think for a moment, then she says: "And actually I've decided to break up my studies."

"What?!"

Evenings with the Mendes-family seem to make people admit their study break-ups.

Everybody at the table is staring at her – except me. I mean, I knew it. Not that she'd tell me, but she gave all the signals all over the last weeks. Although it hasn't been my responsibility to say anything about it to anyone, not even to Shawn.

"But why?!"

"Because I am not happy with it."

"I don't understand this", Manuel is frowning.

"What's there to not understand? I am not happy with studying, okay?!", Aaliyah says, sounding stubborn as she'd expect negative reactions and prepared herself for this. Jordan is laying his arm around her to give her support. And it's a support she's probably needing now very much, cause I can see tears shimmering in her eyes.
I feel so much with her.
Karen looks worried, but kinda as she's thinking not talking about this topic more than needed at the Christmas-eve's table.
Shawn instead is frowning and leans forward. "But I don't understand - didn't you say that you like the content they do in the lectures? Haven't you met some people you like? - What is this all about? Studying is really important, and I thought you'd like it in the first place – why do you now don't want to study anymore?!"

The ambiance in the room is suddenly very keyed up.

Aaliyah looks at me and at Jordan and then at her parents.
Then she takes a deep breath. "It is because of you, Shawn, okay?! If you really want to know it."