Lost at Sea || Shawmila [Completed]

long story short, it was a bad time

Being seventeen and in love wasn't such a rare thing around there. Harbor Cove was a small town, carved into the coast of Maine like many others. In that area life was simple, monotonous. For two teenagers, there wasn't much to do except spend entire days in each other's company. That's also why Shawn and Camila had known each other forever.

He knew Camila was a Cabello, the daughter of one of the old-money families who had fled the chaos of the city in favor of the tranquility of small towns. She lived in a huge house that bordered the woods, tried to follow her parents' ambitious plans as best she could, and had a certain grace that he could only found in the petals of freshly bloomed roses.

She knew Shawn was the son of a fisherman and a housewife. They were common but highly respectable people, with a character tempered by hard work and sacrifice, humble individuals who knew how to find goodness even in the worst situations. Shawn lived in a small house near the harbor, led a simple life, and had a heart of gold. There was no one else like him.

They fell in love slowly, on the school benches, with shy glances in the hallways and long walks on the coast. Theirs began as a simple friendship, which eventually turned into a beautiful love story as soon as they both stepped into high school. At the time, they were just two teenagers in love, fourteen-year-olds spending their afternoons together. They exchanged a few kisses, walked hand in hand on the beach, had lunch together at the same table in the cafeteria, and got scolded by the librarian for chatting too much. No one saw anything wrong with it; it was just a teenage crush.

Things changed when, in their senior year, Shawn and Camila were still in love as they were on the first day. The amount of time they spent together began to worry a certain Mrs. Cabello, who hated the idea of her daughter being in the company of a fisherman's son, doing who knows what. Her husband had ignored those constant complaints about the possible consequences that relationship could bring, about the social prestige Camila would lose if she threw her life away for a simpleton like him.

To be fair, the girl's father had never been particularly interested in the ostentatious image that his wife had pursued all her life. He didn't care that his daughter spent most of her time with that boy - he had inquired about him and had only heard good things. He didn't want to indulge his wife's hysteria, but he had to admit that her reasoning wasn't entirely wrong.

Camila was a prodigious girl. He wasn't an expert in writing, but he had no doubt about the talent his daughter had always shown. Her verses had managed to stir even his own cynical banker's soul. He wouldn't have intervened if he hadn't accidentally overheard a particularly fierce argument between the two women living under his roof. Amidst the yelling and tears, he had initially struggled to understand what was going on, so when his wife explained that their daughter had no intention of going to college because she didn't want to leave her boyfriend, the man couldn't help but speak up.

He let the waters calm down, and that evening he called Camila into his study. It was a room with large windows, decorated with dark wood furniture and leather armchairs. He couldn't ignore how small his daughter seemed surrounded by so much grandeur. He cleared his throat and calmly explained to her that wasting such a great opportunity for a boy destined to spend his life on a boat was a mistake she would never forgive herself for. He wasn't questioning the authenticity of their love - he told his tearful daughter, who was begging him not to force her to leave - but she had to understand that it was time to grow up.

And even though the man was moved by that scene, he didn't let his daughter's tears sway him from his decision. He told her that a few years away from Harbor Cove would do her good, it would help her open her horizons and understand what was worth fighting for. Finally, he assured her that if what she and Shawn had was true love, they would survive a few hundred miles of distance.

The next day, when Shawn noticed the unusual silence from his girlfriend, he knew something had happened. Camila, once again, couldn't hold back her tears as she confessed to the love of her life that after finishing that school year, she would be leaving for New York, forced by her parents to continue her studies. She hoped he would be angry, that he would go to her parents' house and somehow convince the two stubborn adults to let her stay. Instead, Shawn averted his gaze, looking at the distant horizon where the boats seemed like tiny dots on a vast expanse of blue.

He knew that moment would come sooner or later, even though part of him had hoped it wouldn't. His future was already written: he would live in the same town where he was born; he would work at the harbor just like his father; if he was lucky, he would find a girl without ambitions who would marry him and start a family. Shawn had never even tried to escape from that reality; people like him couldn't even afford to hope for such a thing. But for Camila, things were different.

She had the means and the skills to leave that place and do something great with her life. Shawn would be a very selfish person if he kept her by his side, condemning her to a monotonous and suburban life. So he simply nodded, saying that her father was right. He didn't want to push her away, but he couldn't keep her with him either.

In the end, Camila left with the promise to come back whenever she could. While she roamed the campus with books clutched to her chest and her notebook full of poems always in her pocket, Shawn started working with his father at the harbor. The letters they exchanged didn't always get a response, and the phone calls became rarer and more superficial. Months passed, and without intending to, the two lovers became strangers, though they never lost the deep mutual feeling that bound them together.

Neither of them could explain why they had let a few months of distance separate them. Maybe it was the long hours in the middle of the ocean that robbed Shawn of his enthusiasm. Maybe it was Camila's new busy life, always occupied with books and outings with new friends. Maybe it was that inexplicable sense of shame that made Shawn believe he wasn't good enough for the girl he loved. Maybe it was the comfort Camila found in the company of those new people.

There really was no one to blame. The two lovebirds accepted the reality of the situation and surrendered to the plans fate had in store for them.

So Camila embraced her new life in New York, filled with gala evenings, contracts with publishers, and interesting encounters with high society. She felt like a puppet, guided by the many recommendations her mother had given her since she was born, urging her to aim high, to strive for the best, not to settle. She was sure she had truly made her mother happy when she told her the news that she had made an impression on the famous screen star, Everett Grant. The actor's blonde waves and emerald eyes, coupled with his social prestige, had secured the approval of the Cabellos, and the star wasted no time getting down on one knee with a diamond.

Meanwhile, Shawn continued with his solitary life. Camila's successes made him proud, and he never missed a single edition of the newspapers that mentioned her. Initially, the articles mostly praised the talent of the young poet from Maine, her accomplishments, or some gossip related to her. He always had an affectionate smile when he saw a blurry photograph of her with her collection of poems, until the day when she appeared next to that beloved blonde actor everyone adored. Reading about her engagement and seeing her smile next to another man finally shattered the illusion he had held onto since Camila had left.

He had tried to convince himself to move on with his life. He found himself a place of his own not too far from the harbor, indulged his friends with their evening outings to the pub, even tried going out with some girls. He finally understood that there wasn't much he could do to help his heart forget Camila. When he met Diane, things weren't any different, but luckily, she wasn't looking for a new relationship either. So he settled for filling his days with work and his nights with the company of the woman with red hair.