Aftertaste

"Shit happens and life gets in the way."

Ding! Dong!

When I heard the doorbell ring, my stomach practically jumped up through my throat. I had no idea why I was so nervous for today. I had changed my outfit five times and had twisted my hair in every style imaginable. I had finally decided on a pair of dark wash skinny jeans and my favorite faded cargo jacket and I had pulled my hair back into a low ponytail.

I think the thing that made me the most nervous was that I knew I shouldn't be going out with Shawn. I was afraid to think of how my friends would react if they found out. I was excited, but in the back of my mind I knew that I shouldn't be going. I knew that it was a bad idea. Every time the thought of canceling crossed my mind, I convinced myself against it. I told myself that I was going because I wanted to find out what had happened between Shawn and everyone else. I felt like everyone was hiding something from me.

I was also nervous because I didn't know how Shawn would act. Would he be the sweet guy he was the night before? Or would he be the perverted asshole that he was when I had first met him? As apprehensive as I was about today, it also gave me a rush of adrenaline.

I hurried downstairs and opened the door to greet Shawn. As soon as I saw him, I heard myself let out a gasp that I hoped was only audible to me. Woah, I thought. He was so attractive that I could hardly stand it. It sounds cheesy, but it's true. It took all of my will power not to just throw myself at him right then and there. I could see why half of the girls at school had slept with him.

Shawn had on a dark flannel shirt that was only buttoned halfway up, so a black t-shirt peeked out the top. He wore dark gray pants and his black Vans. He shot me a smile that was half sincere and half a smirk.

"Ready to go?" he asked. I nodded, trying to figure out who he was today. Was this Bitchy Shawn or Nice Shawn?

The two of us walked out to his car and climbed in. I had no idea where he was going to take us and although I was curious, I didn't ask.

We drove down Main Street. The car was quiet besides the soft music that flowed from the speakers. Suddenly I realized that it was an Ed Sheeran song. I began singing along without giving it a second thought. Ed was my favorite.

"Loving can hurt," I sang, "Loving can hurt sometimes."

Shawn instantly turned to look at me. "You know this song?" he asked. He seemed surprised.

"Yeah," I replied. "It's Photograph by Ed Sheeran."

Shawn nodded approvingly. "Impressive," he said. "Not many people I know listen to Ed."

"He's my favorite," I said.

Shawn grinned. "Mine too."

Finally, we arrived at our destination. We pulled into the Tim Hortons parking lot. Of course that's where he's taking us, I thought. Shawn and I got out of the car and headed inside. Meredith was behind the register, as usual. Her eyes moved back and forth between Shawn and I, and she raised her over-tweezed eyebrows when she realized that we were coming together.

"Hi Shawn," she said as we approached. She didn't say anything to me. "The usual?"

He nodded at her, "Yeah, and add on a small hazelnut cappuccino with a caramel swirl."

I was amazed that he had remembered what I order. It was cute. I offered to pay for my coffee, but he refused to let me. Shawn quickly paid for the drinks and then led me back outside. I started walking over to the car, but Shawn shook his head.

"I was thinking about going on a walk instead," he said. "There's a path through the woods that runs behind the the building. Is that okay?"

I smiled and took my coffee from him and took a sip. "That sounds great," I told him. It wasn't too cold out yet, and the fall colors were breathtaking. Canada was gorgeous.