Every String Attached | GirlxGirl

Chapter Fourteen

The days that Shawn spent in New York City all seemed to blur together. They passed as fast as the cars drove through city streets—every single one of them challenging the speed limit, in a clear rush to get to somewhere specific. It now occurred to Shawn that she didn't have a destination.

For the first few days, she was fine. It felt as though she was simply floating around the house; an invisible, non-existent shadow roaming through the hallways of her brother's home. But then those few days became a week. It was on the seventh day of her departure from her own home that she realized she'd been keeping herself locked in the guest bedroom, unable to recall the last time she showered or looked at her cell phone.

Despite how angry Shawn was at Chance, she knew her best friend didn't deserve to be left in the dark—even if she had been for seven days, which Shawn was now beginning to feel increasingly guilty about. Surely, Chance would be overridden with worry.

As Shawn checked her phone for the first time since arriving, she found this to be true. And in response to the ridiculous amount of voicemails and text messages, she simply notified her as to where she was. She was safe, and there was no need to worry.

Although, maybe there was a reason to worry. Maybe Chance should be concerned with the current situation. Because, Shawn thought, for once, it would be nice if someone was worried sick about her even after assuring them not to worry.

And maybe that was what Chance's point had been in the first place. Perhaps what she said about York made sense. Of course, she could've expressed her opinions in a better, or nicer way. But Shawn knew that she was difficult to get through to. She was stubborn, and aware of it, yet had never—and still wasn't—willing to change.

Stepping into the shower, she turned the water to the coldest setting. The temperature shocked her at first, waking her from the week-long daze she'd been in for what seemed like an eternity, and clearing both her mind and accumulating anxiety.

She was aware that this situation was unreasonable. She was twenty four, and living in her brother and sister-in-law's guest bedroom, directly beside her one year old nephew, who woke less times during the night than she did.

And then there was her job. She was falling so behind on the edit she needed to complete, and still hadn't purchased a new laptop.

All of this meant she needed to get out of bed and finally make something of the time she was wasting.

Thomas was surprised to see her fully dressed, standing in the kitchen, hair dripping onto her t-shirt. Choosing not to vocalize this, though, he sauntered into the room quietly, pouring himself a glass of water and leaning against the kitchen counter, directly across from Shawn.

"Can I borrow your computer? I need to order a laptop." Shawn acted as if this request was nonchalant—as if she hadn't spent the entire past week locked in a bedroom that didn't belong to her like she was undergoing a severe heartbreak.

That was how she was acting. Like a teenager who'd just gotten dumped by their long term girlfriend. But, to be fair, she'd technically dumped her best friend—the only friend she had, really—and was rejected by a girl she really liked. When she thought about it like that, it seemed perfectly acceptable to allow herself to sulk for a little while.

But that little while had stretched out longer than Shawn could stand. She'd always hated mourning over things—especially for things that she could easily get back, if that was what she wanted.

"Yeah, of course. Do you want it shipped here?"

Shawn shook her head. "I'll have it sent to my apartment." She sighed then, and pressed the palms of her hands firmly against the granite counter. "I'm going back."