20 ○ shawn

01

New York, 4:30 am

January 1, 2015

reason #1: to see the sun rise

Shawn was hesitant at first to go meet Layla on the roof of the abandoned building, but he set an alarm for 4:00 am anyways and arrived at the rooftop just on time. He thought Layla wasn't going to be there, but she was one to keep her word. She was sitting on the ground and facing the target building of Shawn. When he approached her, he noticed that she looked as alive as she did just a few hours ago, when they first met. They were the opposite; Shawn was exhausted.

"Morning, Shawn!" Layla chirped when she noticed Shawn arrive. He sat next to her. When Layla looked at Shawn, Shawn saw the eye bags under Layla's eyes; she was tired, too. Shawn felt kind of bad for her and he also felt a little bit guilty; the only reason why she was here and up so early was because of him.

"Morning," Shawn had a raspy morning voice; this was the first time he spoke since he woke up. "So, what are your twenty reasons?" He wanted to go back to sleep badly.

"I'm not going to give you all of my reasons now, silly," Silly.

"Then what is the point of being here?" Shawn asked, his lack of patience evident in his tone.

"I'm going to give you one of my twenty reasons, Shawn. One everyday. Duh." Layla adjusted her glasses and laughed lightly. "You are an impatient one, aren't you? Impatient and pessimistic-"

"What's your number one reason?" Shawn interrupted Layla before she could say any more offensive remarks about him. Layla just giggled and looked back to the front, not giving Shawn what he came here for. Shawn kept staring at Layla, hoping that she would just say it instead of being so mysterious all the time. "Layla, I don't have time for this. I'm going home." Shawn was about to stand up, but Layla grabbed Shawn's forearm to stop him, her tiny hand not even fully wrapping around Shawn's muscular arm.

"Why are you always so impatient?" Layla raised her eyebrow and giggled at Shawn's dull expression on his face. "I can't tell you my reasons; I have to show them to you."

"Layla-"

"Just wait, please? And stop talking." Shawn sighed, slumping his shoulders while he looked forward, where Layla was looking. She was gazing more upwards than where his target building was - Layla was looking at the sky, which had no colour at all. Not yet, at least.

They waited for half an hour, and that's when the colour began to appear. Slowly, the sun began to rise. It wasn't as bold as it would be during the spring or summer; it was subtle. Shawn watched, bored and nearly asleep, but he couldn't deny that the sun rising wasn't beautiful.

"See, Shawn? A brand new day!" Layla exclaimed as her happy self, ruining the peaceful silence they were in. Shawn was fully woken up now, not only by Layla exclaiming but also her clinging onto his arm, shaking it like a little child. "Reason number one: to see the sun rise. Look how the sky is like a blank canvas, and then the sun comes in - the colour, the paint - creating a picture."

"What's so special about the sun rising? It happens everyday!" Shawn was un-amused, and it was well shown that he was.

"Exactly. It happens everyday, but each day it does, it's a brand new one. When you're dead, no longer would you experience different days. You're just...dead, and that's it."

"But a brand new day might be just as bad as the one before. Some people wake up and they're not even alive anymore. Something terrible might occur during that 'brand new day' which would scar your life forever. We're all going to die in the end, anyways...and it's better to just end your life now before the suffering."