The Weight - Shawn Mendes

34 - Birthday

Riley.

We pull up to a mini-golf place, and my eyes immediately lit up. I've always wanted to come here, but never had the time or money. Shawn knows me so well.

"Mini-golf? Hell yeah!" My brother shouts from the back of the car. "I know Riley has been wanting to go." He says shyly. "Thank you babe!" I tell him. Shawn opens the door for me as usual, and intertwines our finger. I hope he can't tell how sweaty my hands are, because it feels weird holding his hand again.

As we're walking to the entrance, i spot a familiar looking person holding a paper bag in one hand. "Is that Darren?" I ask. "Yeah, i invited him here. If thats cool?" "Of course." I introduce Darren to Roy, and thank him for the birthday gift.

"Come on Shawn! It's okay to be last." Darren says as we're returning the golf clubs and balls. "Whatever. Are you guys hungry?" He says while rolling his eyes. Everyone nods and we head to the famous nearby diner. The three of us rode in Shawn's car and Darren drove alone, but we all got there at the same time. We sat in the booth table and i was sandwiched in between Roy and Shawn. All of us got different burgers and we started munching on them as soon as they came. I guess mini-golf really tired us out. It was fun seeing Shawn be the competitive person he is but miss his shots. And of course, my brother won the game, which he never let Shawn forget.

While eating, we talked about school and Roy told us about the college life, and how living in Florida was like. It was nice seeing everyone getting along. Especially Darren and Shawn. I know that they didn't start off well, but I'm happy to see that they're trying to, at least for me. Roy insisted to pay for the meal as he was the oldest, but he ended up spiriting the bill with Shawn and Darren. I was very grateful to spend my birthday with the ones that i love.

It was now late afternoon, and we decided to call it a day. As we pull up to my house, Shawn turns around to face Roy and say, "You can go in first. I want to talk to Riley alone." Roy nods and gives Shawn a bro hug before leaving. He turns to face me and moves a strand of hair out of my face, which gave me goosebumps. The good kind. "Did you have fun today, babe?" He asks. "Yeah, thanks for today Shawn." "Open the storage. There's something for you inside." I open the storage box in front of me, and see a jewellery box and an envelope. "Shawn, you didn't have to." I say, knowing that he already spent a lot of money on me. "I know i didn't have to, but I wanted to." He smiles. I open the jewellery box and see a necklace with a pink gem. "I love it Shawn! Thank you!" I say as i try to put it on but struggled. "Here let me help you." I turn around so that my back is facing him, and move my hair out of the way. Shawn helps me to put the necklace on, and his touch makes my heart race even more. "Thanks." I mutter. "You've said that about a thousand times now." He jokes. "And i mean every one of them."

"Will you do me a favour, and read it when you're alone?" He requests and i reply with an okay. Shawn opens the door for me and walks me to the door. He kisses my cheek and jogs back to his Jeep before driving away. I honestly couldn't have asked for a better birthday. I immediately went up to my room, and close the door. I sat on my bed and peeled open the envelope to reveal a handwritten letter.

"Dear Riley,

Happy birthday! I hope you've enjoyed yourself and i hope you liked the gift. I just want to say how much you mean to me. Ever since I've moved here, you have made my life so much better. You pushed me to be where i am today, and without you i don't know where I'd be. I know we've been through many ups and downs but I'm proud of us for overcoming them all. I also wanted to let you know that this past week, I've been trying to get to know Darren again and he really seems to have regretted what he did to me back in Canada, and has changed for the better. I'm still in the process of forgiving him, but i know I'll get there someday. Anyways, i love you, and happy birthday again!

Love, Shawn."

A tear drops onto the letter. I can see that Shawn is trying his hardest to become friends with Darren again. I'm very thankful of how understanding and kind he is. And today, acting as a couple in front of Roy, made me realise how much i miss being together with him. I hope he feels the same way i do. 

For dinner, my family and i ordered Indian food delivery and my mom baked me a birthday cake. We also played board games to end the night. Roy had to go and pack his bag, and sleep early because he had to leave in the morning tomorrow. I'm very thankful that he drove all the way back home just to see me for my birthday, he truly is the best brother i could ever have. And with that, i went to bed feeling like a million bucks.