Your heart sank. Something was up, and a huge part of you didn't even want to know what was going on. Shawn had just received a call from your ex, Greg, who definitely threatened to cancel Shawn's gigs, or it was something about you, both of which would suck for your budding relationship with Shawn. You set out into the empty parking lot with full intentions to walk home and wait for some news. Going to the bar would only cause more drama between the boys, and you'd already done enough.

You were about to walk out onto the street when a grey pickup truck came barreling around the corner, causing you to jump back and tug on Chloe's leash. It came to a screeching halt right in front of you, and you could just make out the shape of the driver before he leaned into the passenger's seat and swung the door open.

"Get in," Geoff spoke, patting the seat beside him. You didn't think twice as you scooped Chloe up into your arms and hopped into the passenger's seat, pulling the car door shut behind you.

"What's going on?" you asked, slipping your seatbelt on as Geoff put the car back in gear.

"Shawn sent me to pick you up," he said, eyes fixed on the road as he drove North toward Queen Street.

"Where'd he go?" you asked, even though you already knew.

"His asshole boss-guy called and said he needed to talk to him about the thing tonight, said it was important. We're just gonna go check if he's there, see what's up, and then I'll take you home, okay?"

"Yeah, alright," you nodded, looking out the window as the pit of your stomach twisted violently.

Geoff pulled into the back lot of the Horseshoe Tavern, parking beside the Jeep. Shawn wasn't in it, but you could see his puppy fast asleep on the passenger's seat, so you knew Shawn didn't intend on being here long. This wasn't a good sign.

You swung open the car door, hopping out and leaving Chloe with Geoff. Your heart was thumping loudly in your ears with each step you took to the back entrance, the crisp air turning your cheeks rosy. You took a deep breath and pulled the door open, walking a few strides until the bar was in sight. You could see Greg standing with folded arms across from Shawn, who was slouching a little, as if he were discouraged. You took a step closer, stumbling a bit on a loose floorboard and catching their attention.

Shawn's eyes pleaded with yours, seeming to gloss over at the sight of you. He stood up a little straighter, crossing his arms are turning in your direction as his expression turned cold.

"Hey, baby!" Greg called from behind the bar, shooting you a wink as Shawn shook his head in disapproval.

"I'm out of here," Shawn spoke as his hands fell to his sides. He took a few strides in your direction, walking right past you with a bump of his shoulder against yours. You shot Greg an angry look and turned on your heel to follow Shawn.

"Shawn, wait!" you called, pushing through the door you had come in. "Shawn, stop, please."

He kept walking without looking back, so you broke into a run, throwing yourself in front of him and placing your hands on his shoulders.

"Shawn, what's going on?" you asked, a little out of breath.

He looked away and then up at the sky, as if to keep tears from pooling in his eyes. He finally met your gaze, a stone-cold expression resting on his face.

"What's going on? Seriously?" he spat, shaking your hands off his shoulders. "You have a boyfriend! You're fucking dating that guy!" he raised his voice a bit, motioning backward toward the bar.

"No, I'm not, Shawn please," you pleaded, shaking your head and reaching for his hands.

"No? Well he sure had a lot to say about you," he sneered, pulling his hands out of your reach. "And you know what? Even if you're not dating him, you knew. You knew he was gonna do this, he said he told you," he said flatly, diverting his gaze away from yours. "This was everything I had, and you knew," he spoke as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"Shawn I don't underst-"

"Of course you don't! Of course you don't understand! You don't get it. I'm not in some little fucking band, it's not like that. Is this some sick joke?" he shook his head, exhaling heavily. "You knew and you didn't fucking tell me. I even cared enough to call Geoff to fucking pick you up because I left class, all to be fucking fired by your little boyfriend. Have fun playing your silly little games with someone else, someone like him," he spat, pushing past you and getting into his Jeep. You turned in place, tears rolling down your face as he started the car and sped off.

You slowly walked to Geoff's truck, opening the door and climbing in. He looked disappointed, unsure of what to believe as Chloe climbed into your lap and started licking at your salty cheeks. It was silent for a few seconds, both of you unsure of what to say.

"Geoff, I swear to God I'm not dating that guy," you spoke, Geoff nodding in the seat beside you. "He's my ex. He's nuts, he doesn't want me to be with anyone else. As soon as he found out about Shawn he threatened to cancel his bookings, and I screwed up by not telling anyone. Fuck," you whispered, eyes fixed on the floor.

"He'll come around," Geoff muttered as he started the truck. "He always does. Just give him some time to cool off. He really likes you."

"I didn't mean to hurt him," you mumbled, tears continuing to pool in your eyes.

"You know he was headlining, right?" Geoff asked as he neared your street. Your heart sank.

"What?" you asked, beginning to cry all over again.

"He sings. He's really good," he sighed. "I'm not saying this to make you feel bad, but we thought he was a few gigs away from getting signed."

You were at a loss for words, completely in shock that such a nice guy's dreams were shattered because of you.

"What's gonna happen now?" you managed to ask between small sobs.

"Wish I could tell ya," Geoff spoke, pulling over in front of your house. "Time'll tell. You're a nice girl, though, it'd be a shame if this didn't work out."

You nodded, collecting yourself and opening the door to get out. "Text me if anything changes, with him, okay?" you asked, earning a nod from Geoff. "Thanks for taking me home, I kind of expected you to leave, so, yeah, thank you," you muttered, closing the door behind you and walking up the steps to your house. Geoff waited for you to get inside and drove off, finally allowing you to sob in peace.

You went straight to bed, not even bothering to remove your makeup as you had probably already cried it all off.

Chloe curled up at your feet as you stared at the ceiling wondering how to fix this mess. Your mind raced with ideas, and you seemed to subconsciously know where to start. Without even thinking, you picked up your phone and unlocked it, going straight into your messages. Without hesitation, you clicked your last conversation with Greg and tapped on the top right corner of the screen, viewing his contact information. Not even thinking twice, you scrolled to the bottom and selected "Block this Caller."

You woke up to the sun streaming in your window, heart sinking as you remembered the events from the night before. You panicked before looking at the clock, realizing that it was twenty-to-eight, and you'd slept in a bit. Shawn was supposed to walk by in exactly five minutes, so you immediately rolled out of bed and darted into the washroom.

Puffy red eyes stared back at your unfamiliar self and dried mascara was smudged down your cheeks. You quickly washed your face and gave your cheeks a few light smacks in an attempt to wake yourself up. You ran a comb through your hair and brushed your teeth in record time, racing down the stairs to watch the window as quarter-to-eight approached.

Nothing. He didn't pass, and a part of you knew he wouldn't. The disappointment set in, paining your heart as you longed to see the curly haired boy jog by. But he wasn't coming.

You didn't dare text him, remembering that Geoff mentioned he'd get over it in time. You kept your phone's sound on for days, desperately waiting to hear from Shawn or Geoff. Nothing came.

Once a week had passed, you knew you were going to have to face it. You were on your way to puppy classes, butterflies at war in your stomach as you thought about what you'd say to Shawn.

I'm sorry? Not good enough.

I like you? Clearly not enough to save his career.

Forgive me? Why should he?

This had turned into a royal mess.

You took the long way, passing Shawn's building on purpose. You hoped to run into him, doubting he'd show up to class. The sun hung low in the sky and was casting an orange glow on the city as you stood at the entrance of the apartments. He'd mentioned he had a view of the CN tower, so you knew he must have lived on the east side of the building. You and Chloe walked a little further along the sidewalk until all the balconies were in view, stopping to have a look at what could be seen.

It was all just glass windows and tiny doors, impossibly visible from where you were standing. Luckily, you came prepared. You slipped your backpack off your shoulders and pulled out your binoculars, adjusting them properly and having a closer look at the building. It was a little creepy, but your options were limited.

After a few minutes, God spoke. By chance, a figure stepped out of a condo on what appeared to be the seventh or eighth floor. You found him with your binoculars, discovering that the mystery man was unmistakably Geoff.

"Geoff!" you called, catching his attention as you waved your arms. You could just see him break into a smile as he shook his head, pointing to the ground to signal that he'd be right down. You slipped the binoculars back into your bag and walked toward the front doors, waiting in the vestibule for Shawn's friend to come greet you.

He soon appeared with the other Geoff and pulled you in for a side-hug.

"C'mon, outside," he mumbled, opening the door for you. "I told him I'd take the dog out. How are you holding up?"

"Honestly? It's been awful. I feel like such an asshole," you muttered, shielding your eyes from the setting sun. Geoff laughed.

"And so you probably should," he responded. "Shawn's been bad, too. Hasn't left the condo. Pissed about losing his job but I think he might even be more pissed about losing you," he said as you raised your eyebrows and smiled a bit. "Don't get too excited, though. I think he's more angry with you than anything else."

"Yeah, I figured," you spoke, mindlessly tapping your foot on the pavement. "Why didn't you text me?"

"Oh, he made me delete your number," Geoff laughed, pulling out his phone to re-add you as a contact. "Listen, I'm not saying you should call him. It's probably better if you don't. But I did see something about the Cameron House looking for a new music act. It might make things better if you were the one to suggest it?"

Your face lit up. Thank God for Geoff. "That's a great idea. Wow," you said in disbelief of his consideration, passing his phone back to you.

"One thing, though," Geoff said, crossing his arms. "He deleted your phone number so he wouldn't be able to text you if he got drunk or desperate. He's being strong or whatever," Geoff spoke, fingers forming air-quotes as he said 'strong.' "So you're gonna have to just show up."

"Show up?" you blinked, wondering what he meant.

"Apartment 819. I won't be here tomorrow, so come then. Don't fuck it up," Geoff said, turning around and going back inside.

You broke into a smile as you headed toward Chloe's classes, making it just in time for seven o'clock. As predicted, Shawn was a no-show, but you knew you'd be seeing him soon.