You Know Why (on hold till april 24)

Chapter 34: The lake house pt. 2

(SHAWN'S POV)

A little over a year ago-

It was complete chaos and panic in my mind. I couldn't differentiate one thing from the other. Everything had blended and merged together into one huge disarrayed mess that I couldn't begin to comprehend. Everything that I had once known about this world was falling apart, disintegrating into a million pieces.

My mother was dead. She's gone, and no matter what I do, she's never coming back.

I wanted to scream. Say something, or do anything, but I couldn't. All my systems seemed to have shut down, everything blank and empty. I couldn't feel anything at all.

I looked at my mother's lifeless body on the hospital bed in front of me. Her eyes closed; fingers loosely wrapped around mine from where she had held it. She looked so peaceful, almost like she was sleeping. Except she wasn't.

Without warning, a streak of pain ripped across my chest. I felt like my heart had been yanked out of my body and smashed on the floor. I gasped, suddenly unable to breathe. I fell onto my knees, holding my hand against my collar bone, with no air reaching my lungs.

I don't think I had ever been more scared in my life. I felt like my entire body was on fire, suffocating all my senses. I wanted to yell for help, do anything, but my voice didn't seem to work. The doctors had left to give us a moment alone, and my dad had disappeared. Ran off to god knows where.

I collapsed completely, my body no longer obeying my brain. The overwhelming pain hit me all at once like a destructive tornado. My throat was completely dry, but so were my eyes. I couldn't move, and there was no one around.

Absolutely no one at all.

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(ALEX'S POV)

It had been an hour and I still hadn't fallen asleep. I don't why my stupid brain refused to let me rest. It was driving me crazy.

I turned to my left to see the darkened, huddled up figure of Shawn, flat on his back on the other bed, blanket crumpled up and one hand beneath his pillow. He looked peaceful with his eyes closed. His messy hair was falling a little over his eyes, his chest rising and falling from his even breaths. The idiot had decided to sleep shirtless despite my protests, and I could see every defined line of his abs since the blanket was at his waist. His bicep was flexed since his hand was behind the pillow, and his jawline looked like an exact damn L shape.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer."

I yelped, startled at him suddenly speaking up. He smirked and opened his eyes, looking at me with a mischievous glint in them. I wanted to slap that idiotic look off his face.

"What the fuck, Shawn? You almost gave me a heart attack."

"You're the one creepily staring at me."

"No, I'm not."

"Right."

Neither of us said anything for a while after that. I just stared at the ceiling, making sure I didn't look at Shawn again. "I'm cold." He said abruptly.

"Wear a shirt dumbass."

"I can't sleep with a shirt on."

I didn't reply, and I heard him shuffling after a few minutes, and the trudge of his feet as he lowered himself onto my bed.

"What on earth do you think you're doing?"

"I want body warmth."

"No way, get out."