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Carmen really only had herself to blame for this mess. She and Shawn had only been dating for a few months when she decided to make some quick cash at the Diamond Club but Carmen honestly never expected to enjoy it as much as she did. All her life, she'd been seen as cute and innocent simply because she was short and had a 'baby face'. It took her some time and help from Daphne to improve her skills but now, when Carmen gets on stage, she feels like a goddess. Sure, her loyal worshippers are only horny dudes who donn't really care about her so much as her body, but it's more about her taking back her power than it is them anyway. Still, she wasn't exactly positive that Shawn would view it the same way.

Everyone was right, he deserved to know, and she needed to be the one to tell him; it was the only way their relationship even stood a chance. Ideally, she should have come clean the moment she realized that it wasn't going to be a temporary thing, but she hadn't. So, she not only had to make up for the fact that she was letting other guys ogle her but also that she'd kept it a secret from him for months. Carmen had been more concerned with her parents finding it out from Luna than she had her disapproval but still, the way she handled it gave her hope that maybe Shawn would handle it better than she anticipated. Yet, they made it all the way through dinner before she even thought about bringing it up. There was a reason she'd wanted him to pick the food, hopefully it'd be easier to stomach the news of her betrayal when he had a belly full of his favorite food.

Shawn had definitely caught on that she was acting just a little "off" tonight and she figured since he'd opened the door by asking what was up, she might as well get it over with and find out if this was a dealbreaker for him. "I have something to tell you. So, I kind of got a job. Not kind of, I did." Carmen hesitated for a moment and Shawn used that to try and congratulate her. "Thanks, but no. There's more to it than that. It's... uh... at the Diamond Club... and, uh, I've actually been working there for like five months now." Her voice lowered and trailed off some at the last part as her eyes darted around a bit before looking over at him. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to lie to you but I didn't know if you'd be okay with it and it all sort of spiraled from there."

When his girlfriend arrived at his place, he could tell something was off. They'd been dating long enough for Shawn to pick up on bad vibes; after questioning if everything was okay and her assuring him that it was, Shawn chose not to bug her anymore. He knew something was off, but he didn't want to risk starting an argument by trying to get her to talk to him. Shawn knew that when she was ready, Carmen would tell him.

Shawn perked up when Carmen announced she had something to tell him, but by the tone of her voice, he knew he wouldn't like what she had to say. "Okay?" He hesitantly told her while trying to mentally prepare for what bomb Carmen was about to drop on him. Shawn thought she would confess she cheated, so when Carmen said she had gotten a job, he was relieved until she continued. Shawn felt hurt and betrayed hearing his girlfriend let gross-ass men throw money at her while she danced for them.

Shawn rose to his feet and turned in her direction. "Of course, I wouldn't have been okay with it, baby! You're shaking your bare ass for fucking money!” Shawn admitted. He wasn't yelling, but by the tone is his voice, Carmen would know he was angry. He looked at her in disbelief. “Which I have a fucking lot of and would have happily given you some. What the fuck?” Shawn shook his head as he started to walk out of the room and into his bedroom, slamming the door behind him. He didn't like to brag about his wealth, but he came from a prominent family, and Carmen knew that.

Shawn needed a few minutes to avoid saying things he didn't mean. It hurt. He was jealous. That was his girlfriend, and her body was supposed to be for his eyes only. After about fifteen minutes, Shawn finally reemerged with a few questions. “I probably don’t want to know the answers, but I'm still going to ask, and then the conversation gets dropped, and I don’t want to know any more about it, okay?” Fuck. Fuck. FUCK! Shawn quickly changed his mind. “Nope. You know what? That’s it. I don't want to ask questions. I don’t want to know anything. So don't expect me to ask how your fucking day was.” As much as he hated this, Shawn didn't want to be the controlling boyfriend type. He wouldn't ask her to quit if that’s how she wanted to make her money. It didn't change the way Shawn saw her, either. He was still in love with her. It's why it stung so much.

Shawn rejoined her on the sofa, sitting next to her. He reached out, resting his hand on her thigh. “While this isn't a deal breaker for me, Carmen, lying is. I may not always like what you have to say, but I can promise you that there is nothing in this world that you can't tell me. I love you. You mean more to mean than anyone ever has.”

Carmen bit her bottom lip and looked up at him as he scolded her; she knew she deserved it, she'd fucked up. There was no point in trying to defend herself, everything he was saying was true. "Baby! I'm so sorry!" she pleaded as she stood up and tried to follow him to the bedroom but stopped in her tracks the moment that he slammed the door. 'Fuck!' she thought to herself as she paced for a moment, trying to decide if she should go in or wait for him to come back. Biting at her thumb's nail as she paced, and occasionally looking over at the door, finally she slunk into the couch and waited for him.

His upbringings were the exact reason why he couldn't understand why she struggled asking for money. Her parents raised her to earn every dollar that she had to her name. Hell, Carmen was currently keeping her grades up and attending classes, while maintaining a job and a social life, while also still making time for her family and boyfriend. That took a lot of hard work and some sleep deprivation. Carmen had worked her ass off to get where she was and failing at something was unacceptable to her. She refused to believe that Shawn and she weren't meant to be.

Sitting up straight when he finally returned, she couldn't help but be reminded of getting in trouble as a kid. Only, she wasn't a kid anymore, and while she didn't necessarily feel like one yet, she was an adult. "Okay." she responded, curious of what question he might have but he quickly changed his mind. Something about his last sentence pierced a dagger into her, however. She didn't like the thought of him never asking how her day was, but also, it was the tone in his voice. He was hurt and she was the reason for it. Carmen's gaze fell to the floor as she tried to fight off tears; she didn't feel she'd earned the right to cry, nor did she want him feeling bad for him. She was absolutely the bad guy in this situation.

Her eyes darted to his hand on her thigh and then up to him as he said the next part. Not even realizing how long she'd been holding her breath, she let out a sigh of relief and flung her arms around him. "Thank you, baby! I thought for sure you were going to dump me." she admitted before wiping away a few tears that had escaped, so he couldn't see, before pulling back to look him in the eyes again. "I love you too. Soooo much and no more lying, I promise." Carmen held up her pinky finger with a small smile and waited for him to grab onto it with his so they could seal the deal.

Once he latched onto her pinky with his, her smile spread all the way up to her eyes. "I'm still so thankful that Luna decided to take that gig on a whim and drag me along as her assistant because... I don't know what I'd do without you." It hadn't been her sister's normal kind of work, but she felt like branching out to see, turned out not to be something she was interested in. Carmen on the other hand, benefitted from being so close to the action. It was how she'd met Shawn and she couldn't imagine going back to who she was before falling in love with him.

Did he believe her? Shawn didn't know at that moment. He wanted to, but their family seemed to have a history of being deceitful. Carmen's sister Luna cheated and broke her family up. He didn't have a right to speak on that. Since he didn't know all the details but knew enough to make his conclusion. For now, though, Shawn preferred to forget what Carmen told him. He wanted to go on with their night as if nothing had happened. He didn't know if he could, though. The thought of her dancing for gross old men was still very much on his mind.

He forced a smile watching how happy she got when he revealed he wouldn't break up with her over this. It had seemed keeping all this from him had been weighing on her a great deal. He uneasily sighed as she promised not to lie to him again. "I'm serious, Carmen, no more," he told her firmly with a nod before hooking his pinky with hers. Shawn has treated Carmen like the Princess she was, has respected her, and, most importantly been upfront with her from the beginning. It hurt knowing Carmen felt like she couldn't talk to him and be honest.

Shawn pulled his hand from hers and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into him. He smiled, listening to his girlfriend reminisce about how they met. "That was a good day," Shawn agreed before chuckling and telling her his memory. "I just remember watching you from the ring, carrying Luna's tripod behind her and looking like a lost puppy." he turned his head and looked down at her, "You were adorable," Shawn gushed and kissed the top of her head. He preferred more petite women. Carmen was perfect, pint-sized, and he loved it.

"Hey," Shawn said as he pulled away from her and stood up. He turned in her direction, "How about I make us some popcorn, and we watch one of those romantic comedies you're always talking about?" He was determined for their night to end on a good note and obsess over his girlfriend stripping off her clothes for money.