chapter seventy-eight
fake
[shawn peter raul mendes]
-
"i don't know, maybe flowers?" i sigh, dropping my shoulders, and walking through the shops in the airport.

"shawn, no offence, but how are you supposed to transport flowers on a flight, which is eight hours long, to toronto?" geoff asks me, confused at what i'm saying.

"well what else can i get her as a hey! i'm back gift?" i ask sarcastically. "oh here anya, i got you a bar of chocolate at the airport, hope you like eating it!"

"but anya hates chocolate." geoff points out.

"my point exactly!" i complain. "god, how can i forget about my own girlfriend, yet remember a gift for one of my sisters friends who i haven't even seen for a good two years?"

"well to be fair, you have been on a four month break with anya." geoff points out. "isn't your anniversary coming up?"

"october 25th." i sigh. "which is also in 30 days and i've made no plans!" i complain. "well, it's an anniversary if you don't count all the breaks in between."

"shawn, chill." geoff chuckles at me. "it's anya, is she really gonna be mad?"

"uh, yeah, when she finds out i got brian a gift too!" i complain once more, sitting in one of the chairs next to our gate. "what do i do for our anniversary?"

"well, you could go to a restaurant." geoff suggests, shrugging.

"what are we? 30?" i scoff. "it's a whole year of knowing her, and being with her, it has to be special."

"go to the place where it all started." geoff says to me, as i roll my eyes once more.

"oh yeah, lets fly out to london and recreate and relive our first moments together!" then it clicks, and the sarcasm dies down. "actually..."

"now you take my ideas into consideration." geoff says, flicking the back of my head. "oh this place looks good! what happens next? we all get food poisoning."

"that was one restaurant, and you're okay now." i point out, with a light chuckle. "i think i'm gonna head to the hamptons with anya for the next couple weeks." i decide.

"you really do love her, eh?" i look down, a small smile appearing on my face.

"i do." i mumble. "god, i can't wait to see her."

"we know, you've been saying it for the past two weeks." andrew butts into our conversation, scrolling on his phone.

"thank you so much for employing her in the first place." i say with a slight laugh. "thanks to you, i've met someone who i really cherish."

"i genuinely thought she would still be your fake girlfriend, not your real one." andrew shrugs.

"i guess when i saw her for the first time, something just clicked in me, and i was like, god, i have to make her mine, for real." i sigh, leaning back in the uncomfortable seat. "a year later, and we're still together, not counting the breaks."

"and i'm not paying her anymore, so that's great." andrew chuckles. "well, island are, for her work on the team."

"in like fifteen years, will she get maternity leave?" mike spits out his coffee, and zubins eyes go wide.

"shawn, i think you're the one who's gonna get paternity leave." geoff pats my back, laughing. "you'll have to take a break when you have a kid."

"true." i shrug. "was that too soon to say?"

"very soon." andrew laughs.

"to be fair, we would have a child right now, if things were still, you know." i fiddle with the ring on my finger, looking down. "imagine a little kid coming on tour with us."

"your mother wouldn't allow that shawn, heck neither would you." geoff points out. "you'd probably say something like 'i'm not letting my child be ruined by media and screaming teenage girls' or something like that."

"that's fair." i chuckle, sighing. "i know i've said it a lot recently, but i can't wait till i see her again."

"we know, only a few more hours." mike smiles at me. "is she picking you up?"

"she thinks i'm coming back in a week." i smirk. "she is going to get the shock of her life."

"isn't that a little cruel to her? you know she hates surprises." geoff points out, making me shrug.

"yeah, but she loves me." i answer back, folding my arms and leaning back in the chair. "god, i can't wait to be back home."

"you've said." zubin smirks at me, whilst i shrug, letting out a soft chuckle. "you really are in love."

"we established this ten seconds ago." i roll my eyes, a all of share a laugh, sighing and quietening down after a few moments. "no but guys, i seriously can't wait to get home."

"here we go again." geoff groans, throwing his head back.
-
after an eight hour plane journey, and a three hour drive to my house (because of traffic), i feel exhausted. it's only midday, so anya will definitely be awake, but i can't help the stumbling my body is completing in my short walk up to the front door.

i raise my hand, ringing the doorbell, followed by knocking onto the door, just to make sure my arrival is heard. after stretching my back out for a brief second, the door opens, and i'm greeted with aaliyah.

"hey," i smirk, as her mouth goes wide.

"shawn!" she squeals, throwing her arms around me. "you're back early! wait till i tell mum!"

"no don't, i wanna surprise her." i chuckle, letting go of aaliyah. "where's anya?"

"she's asleep, shawn she hasn't been to good while you've been away." immediately i frown, looking concerned. "where she got cut open, that area got infected, and put her in more pain than she already was in, and she got a vaccination today which is making her head ache."

"is she in my room?" i ask, dragging my suitcase into the house. "what did the doctors say? and what vaccine was it?"

"she'll be okay, the infection is going down, and it was a jab for meningitis." she shrugs, walking straight into the lounge. "i have homework to do now, so you can go see anya or whatever."

"love you." i peck her forehead gently, as she smiles, folding her arms.

"love you too, now go see your girlfriend." she teases, as i roll my eyes, taking my suitcase and backpack upstairs with me, putting them at my door, which is open. i see anya asleep, cuddled up into my duvet, but her feet poking out of the covers, making me smile gently. i walk up to my bed, opening the duvet and getting in next to her, wrapping my arms around her waist carefully, making sure i don't accidentally hurt her, or wake her up.

"get out of my bed, i'll call 911." she says tiredly, not even noticing it's me.

"but this is my bed." i point out, a smile on my lips.

"wait, what?" she yawns, turning around, and her eyes going wide. "oh my god, shawn!"

"hey baby." i chuckle, as she snuggles up to my neck. "i missed you."

"i missed you more." she mumbles. "how was it?"

"it was great, but how comes you didn't tell me any of these things happening to you when i called up?" i ask, slightly offended.

"i didn't want to worry you," she sighs, leaning against my chest. "i'm sorry, shawn."

"it's okay, hun." i whisper, leaning down and kissing her head. "go back to sleep, i'm here."

"but then you'll be talking to yourself." anya points out, making me laugh gently.

"i'm exhausted too, anya, i'll go to sleep." i remind her, rubbing her arms gently. "have you had any painkillers?"

"i had two about an hour back." she yawns, as i pull her closer to my chest. "is aaliyah still here?"

"yeah, she's downstairs doing homework." i tell her softly.

"i feel bad for ditching her, she came over to hang out and all i want to do is sleep." she sighs.

"she doesn't mind, baby," i whisper, pecking her forehead gently. "go to sleep."

"but now you're here, and we're both leaving her alone." she frowns. "go spend time with your sister, i know you want to."

"hunny, she knows i want to sleep, and she knows you do too." i remind her. "she's also doing homework right now, so i don't want to disturb her."

"you're such a great brother, did you know that?" she yawns, nestling up to my neck.

"i knew that." i smirk, holding her tighter in my arms. "now shut up and go to sleep." i laugh.

"i'll tell your mother you're being rude to me." she warns sarcastically, making me let out a chuckle.

"you do that." i run my hands over her back, as she sighs, shutting her eyes and her breathing immediately slowing down and relaxing slightly. i then realise her face has disappeared into my neck, and i sigh, shutting my eyes and trying to find sleep.
-
"shawn put down that pan right now!" anya shouts, coming into the kitchen, seeing me trying to get out things to cook with.

"i'm making pancakes!" i complain, putting the pan down on the side. "i won't burn my house down."

"i know you won't, i just want to eat something edible for once." she shrugs, walking to the fridge, as i laugh, leaning down to one of the drawers, and taking out a mixing bowl.

"i'll have you know i had a cooking class in mexico and the chef said i had a talent for cooking." i say, in a matter-of-fact tone.

"was the chef female? and young?" anya questions.

"no, he was a man and old." i say. "actually come to think of it, he was pretty flirty with me." she snorts with laughter, taking out a carton of orange juice.

"shawny boy i think you just found yourself a sugar daddy." she teases, a smile on her face, and laughs erupting from her lips.

"legal child in the room!" aaliyah yells at both of us, while she writes away at most likely an essay, sitting at the dining table. "also shawn, a parcel came for you."

"where is it?" i ask, putting down the mixing bowl.

"right in front of you, on the island counter." she says. "anya you need to take him to get his eyes tested."

"yeah shawn, have you even been to the optician in the past three years?" anya teases, as i rip up the parcel, revealing a box.

"um yes i have, mum made me an appointment a couple years ago." i wave off, reaching for a knife to cut open the box with. "i'm fine, my eyesight is fine."

"well you've been in here for a good half an hour, and didn't notice a package with your name on it until i mentioned it." aaliyah points out, making anya laugh. i roll my eyes playfully at both of them, opening the box, revealing a photo album.

i look at it in confusion, reading the small silver engraving at the bottom of the leather front cover.

shawn mendes and anya steinburg for elle, 2017

"oh anya, come here." i open up the album, revealing one of the pictures from that photoshoot we did. "look."

"i thought they cancelled that segment." anya comes next to me, looking at the album.

"hold on, there's a note." aaliyah says, going into the box and bringing out a black envelope. she hands it to me, and i open it quickly, clearing my throat to read it out.

"dear shawn and anya, we are delighted to invite you and six members of your team to a formal event in manhattan on october 12th. we also found your photoshoot which never got published, and we would love it if we could meet again and take some more recent ones to go with these older ones for a young lovers special we are working on. please respond via your manager, and we hope to see you very soon. love always, the team at elle." i read out, putting the note down.

"lets go." anya answers for me, flicking through the album. "wow, shawn, look at this one." she points at the one she was uncertain about, and i smile softly at her, looking at the picture.

"i want that one on a canvas somewhere in the house." i decide, as she chuckles, nodding.

"i want this one for me." she points to the one at the piano, where we're both mid laugh, and her on my lap.

"i'll get andrew to see if he can get them." i say to her, linking my hand around her waist. "anya, these are gorgeous."

"they really are quite stunning." she says softly, leaning against my side. "oh my gosh shawn, i love them."

"hold on, how did they know we were back together?" she asks, confused. "i swear we haven't even told anyone yet."

"i guess rumours and stuff, and you're always with me when i get spotted these days." i shrug. "we should tell the fans and confirm it."

"well that's your job, not mine." she pats my shoulder, walking to the hob, where she puts away the pan and mixing bowl, taking out a takeaway pizza menu. "one cheese and one pepperoni?"

"one cheese and one hawaiian." aaliyah argues. "and shawn, you owe me so don't argue."

"okay, well shawn call up." anya passes me the menu and picks up the landline phone, handing it to me. "thanks baby."

"alright then." anya pecks my cheek, as aaliyah sends me a smile, before they both leave the kitchen, letting me call up the pizza takeout in silence.
-
holy crap shawns doing the stb this year 80,000 people oh my gosh

also please don't objectify shawn, if you still want him to have the bond he has with us now, don't treat him like an object and don't remove his privacy (that includes watching him eat while he's trying to have a reunion dinner with his family and team) thanks