ONE
11: THE PAST
"IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE I LAST SAW YOU."
➖

The flight was a complete drag for the two teenagers. As it was a long flight from New York to Paris, it meant many pee breaks. And with pee breaks, came waking up every couple of hours.

Shawn wasn't just waking up to go to the bathroom every once in a while, he woke up every two or so hours to the feeling of Lauren snuggling against his side, tightening her arms around him, and burying her face further into his chest. He didn't mind it honestly, it kept him on where they were, and it gave him something to look forward too.

Staring down at the blonde who was curled up against him, sleeping peacefully, in the world of her own. He gently ran his fingers through her hair, surprisingly it was super soft, which he had been glad for because he knew for a fact that his fingers would've gotten caught somehow either way.

Lauren mumbled something in her sleep, something that Shawn couldn't quite make out. He just laid there quietly, listening out for the blonde's sleepy murmurs. Another few mumbles escaped her lips, ones that the brunette could make out clearly.

"Noah Manuel Mendes, stop throwing fries in the bath otherwise I'll throw you in the bath," Lauren mumbled.

Shawn had figured her tone of voice was supposed to be stern, but because she was asleep, it was just mumbled. The mumbles of the blonde had made him laugh to himself, careful not to wake the blonde up in case she woke up grumpy. Nobody liked a grumpy Lauren.

Lauren let out a small whine, pressing her head further into Shawn's body despite it not being able to go any further. Shawn let a small smile tug at his lips as he let his fingers run through her hair again.

The brunette pressed the play button on his head phones that were resting in his ears. A new song started playing lightly in his ears, which was enough to make him fall asleep.

The two of them then awoke hours later at the feeling of the plane jolting against the ground as it landed in Paris. Lauren let out a mumble, stretching her arms out tiredly as she yawned. Shawn let out a small yawn, also stretching his body out.

Once the plane had stopped, they climbed out from the seats to grab their carry on's that were above their heads. They both walked out of the plane, Shawn in front of Lauren as she stretched her entire body out with a loud yawn. Shawn turned around upon hearing the yawn, noticing the way Lauren was stretching which had made him laugh to himself.

"C'mon sleeping beauty, we've got to grab our luggage," Shawn said. "Then you can sleep in the taxi."

Lauren stepped her way over to the brunette, giving him a small, but tired smile. She nodded her head gently, resting it against Shawn's shoulder as they walked into the unfamiliar airport. After managing their way through the airport to collect their luggage, it was time for them to hail a taxi to take them to the hotel Andrew booked.

Lauren found herself falling asleep against Shawn the minute the taxi took off towards their hotel. Shawn not long after, gave her a small kiss on the forehead, before he let his head rest a top of hers gently.

The taxi came to a stop in front of the hotel that they were staying at. Shawn removed himself from Lauren's grip gently and slowly to not wake her up, while the taxi driver turned back to look at the teenagers.

Shawn glanced up at the driver. "Would you mind grabbing our bags out? I've got to check in the hotel and carry her to our hotel room," Shawn asked politely.

The taxi driver sent him a small smile. "Of course, because you asked so politely."

Shawn sent him a grateful smile, the both of them climbing out of the taxi quietly to not wake Lauren up. Shawn walked inside to check in to the hotel, only to find Andrew standing at the front reception talking to the receptionist.

The two of them had heard his footsteps echoing around the reception area. Andrew turned to see who had walked inside, which he had recognised as Shawn. A large grin over took his face at the sight of the teenager making his way over to him.

"Hey Andrew," Shawn greeted.

"Hey Shawn."

The two of them embraced, just as the doors of the hotel opened once again. They looked over, finding the taxi man placing the bags by the door. Andrew frowned as he pulled away from the teen.

"Where's Lauren?" Andrew asked.

"She's asleep in the taxi. I came to check in to the hotel."

Andrew smiled. "It's already done."

Shawn let out a chuckle. "I bet it is. I'll go get Lauren then. What floor are we on?"

"Top floor."

Shawn whined in annoyance at his manager. "That means I have to carry her so far," he dragged out the last two words.

Andrew just laughed at him, just like the receptionist did. "At least you have an excuse to show off your body after spending all that time at the gym. It'll be worth it."

A small smile tugged at Shawn's lips at the realisation, which made Andrew let out a laugh when he noticed everything click in Shawn's head. The brunette quickly excused himself to grab Lauren out of the taxi which was still idling out the front of the hotel.

He opened the back door of the taxi, finding that Lauren was still in fact asleep. He just shook his head in amusement. She could sleep through a bombing if she wanted. He reached out to grab her, gently pulling her towards him in order for him to be able to pick her up without injuring either of them.

Lauren let out a grumble at the feeling of Shawn slowly lifting her up, her eyes fluttering open slowly. She looked up at the brunette, who's eyes locked in contact with his not as tired ones.

"What are you doing?" Lauren mumbled, her tone exhausted.

"Picking you up so we can head to our hotel room." Shawn chuckled.

"Oh." Lauren mumbled.

"Unless you want to walk?"

Lauren shook her head childishly, wrapping her arms around Shawn's neck with her legs around his waist. Her face rested on his shoulder as she fell back asleep again.

"Alright then monkey kid," Shawn chuckled.

Shawn thanked the driver before he took off down the street. Shawn held onto Lauren with an arm under her butt, in case she decided to let go. He made his way inside, going to grab the bags when he realised Andrew had already grabbed them for him.

The two of them walked over to the elevator, waiting quietly for the elevator to reach their level. Once it did, they climbed on and waited the long ride to the top floor. For Shawn, it felt like an eternity with Lauren hanging from him, although she weighed half of him.

She had changed. Not so much her personality, but physically. She was so much more toned since he'd last seen her, but that might of been because she was on a strict workout schedule to keep her up to the standards for the modelling company she was signed to.

It was a regular thing for her. Workout, meetings, photo shoots, sleeping, repeat, but not always in that particular order either. The blonde was always flat out, she was glad that she was able to have some time to herself every week. She had a flexible schedule, which she was granted by the company after the first month of hard working.

That was why she was able to take the deal that she was offered by Island Records, on becoming the actress for Shawn's girlfriend in his new music video. It worked out well though, because they had history. A lot of history. They were almost together at the minimum of three times, but they just never took the next step in order for it to work.

She had the next two weeks off, meaning she could hang out with Shawn and the band again. Go on tour, film, maybe even perform with them once or twice. She was as excited as she was when she had originally got the tour deal the year before hand. She just couldn't wait.

Lauren had been placed on the bed in the hotel room after Andrew had pulled the covers back for the brunette. Shawn thanked him quietly, untying her sneakers and sliding them off gently as Andrew left the room. He placed them on the ground just under the bed where she could find them the next morning.

He grabbed one of his t-shirts from his suitcase, not long before carefully changing the teen out of her clothes. He was respectful towards her body, and slid the t-shirt over her head without waking the brunette up.

He then placed her clothes in a pile on the ground by the wall, before he got changed into a pair of sweatpants and a shirt. The brunette grabbed a spare blanket from a nearby cupboard and a pillow from the bed, making himself comfortable on the couch after he flicked the lights off. Within minutes, he had fallen asleep.

The fresh smell of the hotel lobby filled Lauren's nose when the lobby doors opened. The receptionist greeted her with a smile which was reciprocated by Lauren as she walked by and towards the elevator.

It'd be a while since she had spent time with Shawn. She had realised how long it had been when she had quietly walked inside the hotel room to find Shawn walking out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. Water was dripping down his sculpted body.

Lauren's eyes travelled down and around his body as he was faced away from her. She noticed his back muscles flex and she bit her lip slightly at the sight. She then realised what her conscious was doing to her. It was manipulating her thoughts.

She wasn't dating Shawn. They never were a thing and they were never going to be a thing. She had a thing for Shawn for a long time, but they were never going to work. And they knew that. They'd known that this entire time.

But what had confused her, was that when she woke up this morning, she wasn't in the clothes she had been wearing the day before. Somebody had changed her. She also noticed that she was wearing one of Shawn's shirts, which could only mean one thing. Which made her face flush.

"Morning," Lauren greeted.

Shawn turned to face her midway through pulling his shirt over his head, sending her a smile after he pulled it down over his sculpted body.

"Good morning," Shawn replied. "How'd you sleep?"

Lauren smiled. "Like a baby. Hey, did you change me last night?"

Shawn felt his cheeks flush red slightly at the thought of having to change the blonde last night. His hand reached up to scratch the back of his neck as he avoided eye contact with Lauren.

"Yeah, I did." He replied.

He was half expecting her to go off at him for seeing her naked without her consent or even her acknowledgement. But she didn't. The blonde just shook it off, not really caring because she was used to being half naked in front of people all the time.

"Oh okay, all good."

Shawn's eyebrows raised at her comment. He wasn't used to the new Lauren. He stared at her in complete shock as she rummaged through her suitcase for something to wear after she showered.

"Wait, you're not mad?"

Lauren turned to face the brunette with an amused grin. "I'm a model Shawn. I'm used to being half naked slash practically fully naked in front of people. It's okay, you don't need to worry."

Shawn just nodded his head in understanding. After all this time, he had completely forgotten that she was now a model. It was strange to him, as they hadn't seen each other since Sydney last year.

"Plus, it's nothing you haven't seen before. Or did you forget all those late night adventures?" Lauren asked.

Shawn looked up at her from across the room, the towel still wrapped around his waist. He saw the teasing smirk that played on her lips, and just for a second, he'd forgotten to breathe, as all their late night adventures in their hotel rooms had sprung back into his mind. He had almost forgotten about those...

Lauren then disappeared into the bathroom, closing the door behind her with her foot. Shawn shook his head to get rid of the thoughts invading brain as if it'd help him. He turned back to his suitcase, grabbing out his favourite pair of jeans and his underwear. He quickly changed into them before hanging the towel up over a nearby kitchen chair to dry.

He collapsed on the couch that was made up to be his makeshift bed, unlocking his phone with his password: 528736. It spelt out Lauren. He hadn't change the password for almost a year. The background wasn't him and Lauren laying on the stage back in one of the cities that he performed at last year. It was now a photo of him and Lauren at his Sydney show that Josiah had taken for them for instagram, but mainly for a memory for the two teenagers.

Shawn scrolled through his Twitter and Instagram, randomly liking photos from other musicians and celebrities. The door of the bathroom opened, and Lauren walked out. Shawn looked up from his phone, watching as she padded her way over to her suitcase. Her hair wasn't tied up like it usually was, and it was wavy. It never used to be wavy. Maybe she hadn't straightened it.

She was dressed in a pair of black jeans, a plain white shirt and a leather jacket. The brunette smiled at her outfit, it suited her so well. Lauren placed Shawn's shirt onto her suitcase, before walking over to the bed. She took a seat on her side of the bed, picking up her phone that must've been plugged into charge by Shawn last night.

She checked her messages, before she placed it down. She looked around for her shoes when she noticed Shawn sitting on the couch, a blanket and pillow on either side of him. Did he sleep there last night?

"Shawn, did you sleep on the couch?" Lauren asked.

Shawn placed his phone down, sending the blonde a small nod. "Yeah, why's that?"

Lauren frowned at him. "Why? You could've just slept in the bed."

Shawn shook his head. "I didn't want to."

"Why?"

"I didn't want to sleep next to you because I didn't know how you'd react to it."

"We've slept in the same bed before, Shawn. I wouldn't mind."

"Yeah, I guess," Shawn then muttered. "People always change when you stop talking."

Lauren bit her lip to stop herself from biting back. The comment Shawn made hurt her in ways she didn't understand that could hurt her. She ignored Shawn's comment, and just let out a small sigh.

"What's the plan for today?" Lauren asked.

"Breakfast and then we've got to meet up with Andrew somewhere in the city to start getting stuff organised for filming tomorrow."

Shawn stood up from the couch that he was sitting on, sliding his phone back into his pocket. Lauren nodded her head in response to his Shawn's response, looking around for her shoes. After she found them under the bed, she quickly threw them on and tied them up before she stood up.

"Ready?" Shawn asked.

Lauren nodded her head. "Yes, do you have the key card?"

Shawn checked his pocket, finding it. "Yes."

"Okay, lets go."

The two of them left the hotel, making their way into the hobby after what felt like a half hour elevator ride. They made their way through the streets of Paris, running into a fan every once in a while who wanted to take a picture.

After about a block and a half of walking around, they found a nice restaurant that they agreed on across the street from where they were. The two of them were stuck at the traffic lights, waiting for the little green man to give the signal.

They made it across when the light went green, making their way through the - strangely, not so busy - streets. They were about five metres from the restaurant when someone yelled out Shawn's name, and Lauren hoped to god it wasn't another fan. She was just so hungry that she wanted to sit down and order the first thing on the menu.

"Shawn?" Someone questioned.

Lauren turned to the brunette beside her, who turned to the source of the voice. She watched as a light brunette made her way over, before she looked to Shawn. She noticed him stiffen in place slightly at the sight of the girl who yelled out to him.

"Caitlin?" Shawn questioned.

He had not seen her since her parents forced her to move away all those years ago. A restraining order was put on Shawn because of what had happened between Caitlin and Shawn when they were younger. They were forced to break up after Shawn had accidentally gotten Caitlin pregnant.

Caitlin nodded. "How are you? It's been a long time since I last saw you."

"It has been, and I'm great. How are you?"

"I'm good actually. Congrats on all the success in the past few months. I heard you performed at Madison Square!"

"Thank you! And I did, it-"

Lauren blocked out the conversation but still continued to stand there awkwardly with the two ex lovers. She pretended to listen but in reality, she was just watching them interact while lowkey staring at Caitlin. She was stunning. Light brunette hair, sharp jawline, stunning body, and she had hazel eyes with more a green rings than brown. She was definitely Shawn's type.

Sooner or later, Lauren didn't know which of the two because she wasn't paying attention, the conversation between the two ex lovers was over. Caitlin was already leaving, which left Shawn to be standing there staring at the blonde who was staring into nothingness because Caitlin had walked away. But Lauren was too far gone to even notice she had left.

"You good Laur?" Shawn broke her trance.

"Yeah I'm good. She was stunning!"

Shawn just looked down at the ground slightly. "Yeah, she was."

"Was that an ex?" Lauren questioned, noticing something was suddenly off about the musician.

"Yeah, it was." He sighed.

"Talk about awkward."

She tried to joke, but it wasn't really working as much as she'd hoped too. Shawn didn't laugh as much as he used too. I guess he was right, she thought, people do change.

"Yeah, it was good to see her again though."

"Why's that?" Lauren blurted without being able to stop herself.

"We never really got to say goodbye. Her parents forced her to move away after they put a restraining order on me."

Lauren then remembered the conversation she overheard with Andrew and Shawn. That was the girl Shawn got pregnant, just a year or two before he'd met Lauren.

"Oh, shit. Shawn, you can officially be classified as a bad boy!" Lauren said, nudging him.

Shawn just nodded his head with a small chuckle. "Yeah yeah, whatever. I'm ready to eat."

"Great. Me too. Let's go eat!" Lauren dragged the brunette into the restaurant, her stomach growling loudly.