chapter thirty-nine
fake
[anya rose steinburg]
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"we have to stop doing this." i mumble, laughing as i put on my shoes.

"there's nothing wrong with this, it's a clean bathroom!" he says to me, laughing.

"shawn you have an interview in literally a minute, oh shit." i look at the reddish purple bruise on his neck.

"what?" shawn asks me, cupping my cheek.

"no not me, you." i tell him, turning him around to a mirror.

"shit." he curses. "do you have makeup or anything with you?"

"i have a concealer but-" shawn races for my bag, going through it and getting out the pale tube. he opens it up, lathering the bruise with concealer.

"shawn not that much!" i shout, hitting his arm gently and taking the tube from his hand.

"well now it's covered isn't it?" he laughs at me, holding me by the waist. "i'll buy you a new one."

"okay, you seriously need to go now, i'll meet you after okay?" i peck his lips gently, as he smiles, exiting the bathroom. i chuckle to myself, gathering my things and walking out like nothing happened, going to the studio where shawn is getting interviewed.

"hey." i stand next to brian, taking a sip of the water given to me as soon as i entered.

"you took a while, where were you?" he asks me.

"i got lost on the way to the toilet, i didn't know where i was going." i lie, as shawn links eyes with me and smiles cheekily.

"oh." he says. "three days left in la then?"

"everyone's coming back to the city though, well i don't know if you are." i shrug.

"i am, just for two days instead of a week." i nod at him, as shawn finishes his interview, running up to us.

"who wants a coffee?" he asks us, as we walk to the exit of the building.

"me, i'm exhausted!" i over exclaim, hitting shawns arm. "you know i am."

"oh of course i do, that workout this morning was pretty intense." i roll my eyes, laughing.

"you went to the gym with them this morning?" brian asks me, as i nod, trying to keep in the lie.

"new year new me, by like two months late." we all laugh, reaching the car, the whole team following us. shawn nudges my side, laughing at me, as i roll my eyes.

"good lie." he smirks at me.

"good teasing." i spit back, getting into the car. "shawn move up!" i moan at him, seeing he's occupying the entire back row.

"sorry i'm just really tired." he shrugs, sprawling out more.

"shawn mendes i will tell your mother." he gasps at me, moving to the corner immediately. i laugh softly, getting in next to him, and geoff sitting next to me.

"i'm tired!" shawn moans, exaggerating and shutting his eyes.

"well go to sleep then." i state to him. "i'm gonna sleep, i'm tired."

shawn wraps an arm around me, pulling me to his chest, rubbing my shoulder softly.

"now i can sleep." he says softly, making my cheeks heat up. "i have someone who i care about in my arms."

"shawn..." i sigh. "you're so sweet."

"go to sleep anya, you look tired." he whispers to me, placing a soft kiss on my forehead. my face heats up again and i smile into shawns chest, my eyes closing and sleep finding me immediately.
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"shower?" shawn asks me, as i put the magazine down onto the hotel room table.

"yeah sure." i stretch my arms slightly, following him to the bathroom, as he strips of his robe, running the shower, and i tie my hair into a bun. i look at myself in the mirror, examining my face, seeing that my eyebrows are on the bushy side. i sigh, looking around for a pair of tweezers, but then i realise this is shawns hotel room, not mine.

"shawn do you have any tweezers?" i ask him, as he steps into the warm waters.

"i think my stylist left some in the draw." i open it, finding them and i begin to pluck out my stray hairs, making sure i don't over pluck them.

"honey are you coming?" shawn asks me, as i put the tweezers back, ridding myself of my robe and joining shawn in the shower.

"wash my hair for me?" i ask him, holding out the hotel shampoo. he smiles, nodding, as i turn my back to him, undoing my bun and chucking the hair tie out of the shower.

shawns hands lather the shampoo into my hair, making the bathroom smell like sweet honey and chamomile, before finding it out and applying conditioner to the ends, rinsing it off after ten minutes.

i sigh, looking down at my feet, as shawn tilts my chin up, so i'm face to face with him.

"hey, what's wrong?" he whispers softly to me, turning me around and wrapping his arms around my waist.

"oh, nothing, i'm fine." i smile at him slightly, as he leans down, pecking my lips.

"you're so beautiful." he tells me. "don't leave me again."

"i won't." i assure him. "i promise." and that's when shawn tears up, small droplets sliding down his cheeks, as he cries softly to me, his body shaking.

"shawn, don't cry." i tell him, leaning up and hugging him. "don't cry."

"you're right, it's stupid of me to." he lets go of me, sniffling and washing his face. "do you love me?"

i bite my lip, blushing slightly. "after everything i did to you?" he nods, bringing my hands up to his lips to kiss my knuckles.

"i know my love to you hasn't changed." he sighs. "but i need you know, do you love me?"

i look up into his topaz, caramel brown eyes, nodding. "yes." i tell him. "i do."

he lifts me up slightly, hugging me, embracing me, and our bodies so close to each other that we are almost one.

"good." he puts me down. "because i wouldn't be able to cope with it if you didn't love me like i love you."

"oh shawn." i sigh, brushing my hand through his wet hair. "i think i love you more than you love me." he tears up again, tucking my wet hair behind my ears. "shawn why are you crying again?"

"s-sorry i didn't think i would." he chuckles sadly.

"i didn't think we would be in this place again after you broke up with me." i whisper. "i'm so sorry about the stuff with brooklyn, i really didn't mean to."

"i know you didn't mean- just can we not bring up our history again? like ever?" he asks me hopefully. i nod softly.

"i'd prefer that too."
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sorry for the short chapter dudes, i'm really busy with school and stuff (i got straight A's and A*'s on my report i'm so proud of myself lmao i overwork myself)