Some Things Never Change [SHAWN MENDES]

January 1, 2022

I woke up alone in bed, which was highly disappointing. Where was Ceci?

After throwing on some sweats and a t-shirt, I went downstairs to the kitchen where I was hit by the enticing smell of coffee. My girlfriend was sitting at the kitchen island sipping from her favorite mug which had somehow found its way over here from her apartment.

I went up behind her and wrapped my arms around her body as I kissed her cheek. "Good morning, beautiful."

"Mmm. Good morning to you, too. Get a coffee and join me."

Once I was seated next to her, I reached over and pulled her head closer to me so I could give her a real kiss.

"What's on the agenda for today?" I asked her before blowing on my mug of coffee to cool it a little.

"Nothing until this evening. We told my parents last night that we'd come over for dinner. My dad is making black eyed peas for good luck. I was looking on my phone for an easy butter tart recipe because I committed myself to bringing some."

I chuckled. "Good luck with that."

Ceci wasn't much of a cook, but neither was I, so I had no room to judge. We lived off the simplest foods and got take-out frequently.

"I'm always so eager to volunteer for things when I'm drinking. Ugh! I don't think we even have the right baking pans to make these," she said as she frowned at the recipe.

"How about I run out later and buy some at the bakery. We'll put them on a plate and no one will know you didn't make them."

"I'm not going to lie about dessert right after everyone has forgiven us for lying about our history. I'm sure I can pick up a pan when I get the other ingredients. I'm just waiting an hour to hit the store since I am a tiny bit hungover."

"Last night was fun. It was the first time things felt normal, you know? The fucking virus wasn't lurking around ruining things," I said.

She gave me a warm smile. "It was very fun. The best thing was that you and Brian made up. I really like, Erika. Maybe we could go out with them some time."

I nodded. "Definitely. Do we have anything for breakfast? I'm starving."

"Why don't you whip us up some eggs and avocado toast?"

Twenty minutes later we were eating the one thing I could adequately cook while discussing the party. We'd been pretty lit but not to the point that we didn't remember everything. I told Ceci that she needed to trademark the dance she'd done on top of the bar while singing along to "Blinding Lights." I'd need to look to see if anyone had posted a clip of it on social media.

When we were done, we set our dishes by the sink and I let out a loud yawn.

"Sleepy?" Ceci asked.

She walked over to me and I pulled her into my arms. "Fatigue just hit me hard. Wanna take a nap?"

"A nap?"

I moved my hands down her back until they cupped her round ass. "Maybe we could do something else first."

"Like the dishes?" she teased.

"Not exactly what I had in mind," I said as I picked her up and threw her over my shoulder and started out of the kitchen to the main hall.

"You'd better not try to carry me upstairs like this! It's dangerous!"

"You're very right," I agreed as I turned around and walked back the way I'd came, past the kitchen and into the guest suite where I tossed her onto the bed.