Watermelon

Speaking from Experience

Camila stared down at the takeout food in front of her. She really needed to go get groceries. She had officially been living in Toronto for a week and she had somehow managed to live on nothing but food delivery apps.

Part of her was intimidated by the idea of leaving the comfort of her apartment. Miami was comfortable for her — she knew her way around. She knew the people. While living in Toronto was similar it was also incredibly different in some ways. She didn't expect the transition to be seamless — but she also didn't expect it to feel so lonely. 

It'll get better when the office opens up, she'd remind herself. It'll feel like home eventually.

Sighing, she grabbed her phone and checked the time. It was nearly 7 PM. Maybe now would be the best time to go stock up on groceries. Surely there wouldn't be many people grocery shopping on a Tuesday evening.

She threw the trash from her takeout into the garbage can and looked herself over in the mirror. Her not-so-stylish outfit of black leggings and an old Miami Heat hoodie would just have to do. She thew her long and unruly hair into a messy bun on top of her head with a leopard print scrunchie that she had stolen from her little sister. She complemented her Nike slides with a pair of fuzzy socks before grabbing her phone, keys, and wallet and heading for the door. 

She managed to only get lost once on the way to the closest Whole Foods which was one too many times for her comfort. She was able to find a good parking spot fairly easily, so that was a plus. At least it wasn't all bad. 

As she started aimlessly wandering around the produce section she realized that she probably should've made some sort of grocery list. At least she had just eaten dinner; grocery shopping on an empty stomach was always a bad idea. Starting in the produce section was a good idea, though. If she filled her cart with fresh fruits and vegetables then she wouldn't be able to fit in as much junk food.

She moved on to the next aisle, and then the next — filling her cart with an assortment of granola, crackers, ground coffee, and boxed mac 'n cheese. 

As she stood in the coffee aisle she could practically hear her mother's voice lecturing her about how she needed to start drinking tea instead. She wasn't going to do that — there was no way in hell she was about to give up her coffee. She could maybe start adding tea to the routine, though. She did like a nice cup of rose tea anytime she would feel anxious or stressed. Her eyes scanned the rows of tea stacked on the shelf only to find her favorite brand of rose tea on the second highest shelf. Go figure. She got up as high as she could on her tiptoes and stretched her arm up as far as it could go. Still, her fingertips could only just barely brush the box. Camila went back to standing flat on her feet and took a deep breath before reaching up yet again, as if somehow that would make her at least a little bit taller. She tried to grab the box but ended up only pushing it back further. 

That's when she saw it. The hand.

His hand, more specifically. A hand she hadn't been able to forget about no matter how hard she had tried.

Her eyes stayed glued to the tattoo on the back of his hand as he grabbed the box effortlessly and handed it to her. She took the box of rose tea from his hand and turned around to verify that the owner of that hand was who she thought it was. Her eyes were wide in shock and surprise when she saw him looking down at her.

He looked just like she had remembered but also so much had changed. He had lost a bit of the tan he had achieved in St. Barts, naturally. His hair was just a tad bit longer — a bit messier. He looked stronger, as if the sleeves of his t-shirt were struggling to keep his biceps in. And she wasn't positive — but she was fairly certain that he might've even added another piercing to his ear. 

Based on his reaction when she turned around he clearly had no idea who exactly he was grabbing the tea for. His eyes widened and his mouth fell open slightly, but Camila's favorite part of his reaction was the way his cheeks immediately turned pink.

"Oh my god," he breathed out, completely stunned. "C-Camila...?"

"Y-yeah...uh, hi. It's been a while..." She cleared her throat. "What are you doing here?"

"I feel like I should be the one asking you that," he chuckled. "I mean...what are you doing in Toronto? This is...oh my god. This is wild." He was clearly blown away to have found her again. Camila only hoped that his shock was a good sign. 

"I kind of wondered if I would ever run into you here but I definitely didn't expect it to happen this quickly," the small brunette giggled. "I, um...I got a promotion. And said promotion included moving to Toronto...so here I am."

"Wow...when did you move?"

"Um, like a week ago...?"

"Did you...did you move here by yourself?" Camila watched his eyes travel up and down her body as he asked his question. It was probably weird for him to see her wearing leggings and a giant hoodie — especially when he had previously only really seen her in a bikini or naked. His question also intrigued her; was this his sneaky way of trying to find out if she was single? Or maybe he just wondered if she brought Shelby with her. She couldn't tell. 

"I did," she answered. "It's been pretty lonely honestly." Shawn gave her a look she hadn't seen before. Almost like he was...nervous? 

"It doesn't have to be lonely," he shrugged with a hopeful grin. Camila blushed.

"Are you flirting with me?"

"Well I'm sure as hell not letting you get away again. So yes."

"And how do you know that I'm single? What if somebody wifed me up in the last twenty months? What if I found the love of my life and they're just back in Miami, huh?" she challenged. 

"You're implying that you decided to live in Toronto even though the love of your life is back in Miami? Sounds like a real dumb move."

"Speaking from experience?" she teased.

"Yes."

She wasn't expecting him to answer so confidently or so quickly. She had just been joking but he seemed serious. Suddenly it was starting to sink in that she was actually reunited with him.

"Well then," she sighed. "It's a good thing I'm single." A wide smile spread across Shawn's face after hearing her words. Just seeing the happiness on his face made Camila smile as well. 

"A very good thing indeed." He slid his hands into his front pockets and bit his bottom lip gently. "Did, um...did you already have dinner? Would you want to grab something?"

"I actually did already eat," she answered apologetically. 

"Oh. Well then I guess we can just skip straight to dessert."

Camila's eyes widened and she quietly scoffed. 

"You think I'm easy or something? I'm offended." She was only partially joking. Truthfully, she wasn't completely opposed to the idea of being intimate with him again. After over a year and half of steamy fantasies of him having to suffice it would be nice to finally have the real thing again. 

"I meant actual dessert, Camila," he snorted. "There's an ice cream shop within walking distance. Only if you're interested, of course."

"I'd love that...but um, I still need to finish getting groceries. I haven't gotten anything since I moved here." She nodded in the direction of her rapidly filling cart. Shawn shrugged.

"I'll help you. I mean, what if you have to get something off one of the high shelves? It only makes sense."

"I guess you've got a point," Camila giggled. "C'mon pool hottie. Let's go." Shawn threw his head back in laughter as he followed her down the grocery store aisle. 

A/N: I was originally planning on there being one more chapter before they reunited but all your comments on the last chapter convinced me to make them meet sooner so you're welcome lmao