Yours Truly ♡ shawn hunter

35: goodbye summer, hello fall

*3 Months Later*

  After summer break, Heather unloaded her suitcases from when she spent half of the summer with her father, and the other half with her mother. Although she had a great time catching up with old friends, making new memories, she couldn't escape the inevitable of going back to Pennbrook. Where Shawn would be waiting.

  Ever since the wedding, when Shawn asked Heather to be her girlfriend, Heather was stunned. As much she wanted her emotions to take over, and say yes and jump into his arms, Heather wanted make sure she was going to make the right decision.

"I love you, Heather. Will you be my girlfriend?"

"Shawn," Heather let out. "I want to be, but I don't want us to be on and off."

"What are you saying?" Shawn asked worried.

"How am I going to know you're still going to want to be with me when things get serious?" Heather asked.

 "I promise you I'm not that guy that gets scared anymore. I told you in that letter that I am going to be a better guy, and I am now. All I want is to be with you, I won't be the fool who will let you go," Shawn confessed. He held onto Heather's hand and looked at her reassured.

 "Ask me again, after summer," Heather stated. "If we're apart for three months, and you still want to be with me, ask me again."

  Although Shawn wanted to Heather to say yes in the moment, he understood why she was cautious. Three months apart is nothing, he thought. Shawn didn't view this as rejection but as a testament as to how strong their bond was. They were apart for 5 years, one summer should be a breeze.

"Okay," Shawn replied, letting out a sigh. "I can wait." 

Heather escorted Shawn out of her nearly empty house, and gave him a kiss on the cheek before saying goodbye.

  Shawn had been anticipating Heather's arrival as he sat uneasy in his empty dorm. He felt some sort of comfort knowing that him and Cory were in the same boat. The night of Feeny's and the Dean's wedding, Topanga had learned about her parents divorce, which has taken a toll on her relationship with Cory.

   Shawn heard a knock and jumped from his bed, hoping to see Heather but was slightly disappointed to see a sadden Topanga. Cory ran into Topanga arms excitedly, and jumped right into wedding planning, but by the frown look on Topanga's face, she wasn't as eager.

"I don't want to get married anymore Cory," Topanga said softly, breaking the news to Cory.

   Before Cory could respond, the tension in the room was cleared the moment the gang all heard a familiar cheery voice. 

"I'm back everybody!" Heather greeted, lighting up the room. 

   Topanga's spirits were lifted and ran into Heather's embrace with a tight hug. "Heather!" Topanga cheered. 

   Shawn stood still in shock, it didn't settle that the girl he had been waiting for was right in front of him. Once he realized, he playfully shoved Topanga out of the way so he could talk to Heather.

"Hey Shawn," Heather said softly. She found herself flushed with emotions from once she felt three months ago. "Hey Cory," She added, looking over Shawn's shoulder.

   Shawn grabbed Heather's attention by locking eyes with her. He took a deep breath, letting go of his nerves. 

 "Summer's over," He stated. 

 "Yeah, we're back in school," Heather added.

"And I have a really important question to ask you." Shawn gulped, as he looked down at Heather's almond eyes.  "Heather, can I be your boyfriend?"

 Without hesitation, without any thought, Heather crashed her lips onto Shawn, and wrapped her arms around his neck. Shawn grabbed her waist, pushing her against him, deepening the kiss.

 "I missed you the whole time I was away," Heather confessed once she pulled away. 

  "I missed you too," Shawn replied as he smiled ear to ear. "To be clear, you're my girlfriend now?" Shawn asked jokily. 

 Heather giggled and nodded as she leaned in for another kiss. Meanwhile Topanga announced that she had to break up with Cory, and stormed off. 

  "What happened?" Heather questioned. She pulled away from Shawn, and walked towards Cory who was riddled with grief. 

  "Her parents divorced was finalized, and now she won't marry me."

   Heather knew exactly what Topanga was going through. She experienced the exact same thing, and she knew how it's easy to lose sight of what true love is. How easy it is to believe it doesn't exist when your parents aren't in love anymore.

  Topanga was there and reminded Heather that love is real, and pulled her out of it. As her best friend, Heather was compelled to do the same, and help Topanga. 

 Heather turned away and began to follow after Topanga, but she felt Shawn's grip pulling her back. 

  "Hey, where ya going? You just came back, don't leave," Shawn said softly, gazing into her eyes with his hand holding onto Heather's. 

  "I know, and I'm not leaving you. Topanga needs me right now, and Cory needs you," Heather responded. 

  Shawn knew Heather was right. Topanga needed her best friend, and Cory needed Shawn. All his life Cory and Topanga were there for Shawn, and although the timing was unfortunate, he had to be there for Cory. 

  Shawn gave Heather a nod, letting her know that he understood. He slowly let go of his grip, and let her fingers slip away, as she went after Topanga. 

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a/n: sorry i had been away. i was away for my mental health. this pandemic went horribly for my family and friends. losing family members, and friends losing parents. please be kind to your parents, tell them you love them. be safe, wear a mask, and get vaccinated. 

i'm doing well now, and i'm ready to post more. i love you guys xo.