run of the mill.

19th

Later that night Beyonce had changed into her big T-shirt pajamas and was walking down the hall to hand Shawn his freshly ironed white shirt. Her not cocoa was in one hand, rich and smelling delicious. She crossed Devin in the hall and smiled at him. "Shouldn't you be in bed?" she asked.

Devin reached his hands up and pretended to touch his nipples. "I couldn't sleep without you," he whispered before purring like some sort of tiger. "Prrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Meow!"

Beyonce almost spilled the contents of her cup she laughed so hard. Devin rushed down the hallway and turned into Tiny's room. Beyonce knocked on Shawn's door and when she heard the deep baritone voice tell her to come in she entered carefully, opening the door with the hand with the shirt in it. She closed it behind her.

Shawn was sitting at the foot of his bed shining his dress shoes with some type of oil and a stained rag. It smelled like a mixture of metal and cologne. Still, it made her skin tingle. From just being in his room. Beyonce showed him the shirt and then hung it on the rack behind his door. "Thanks again for that Bey. I could have done it though."

Beyonce sat down next to him and inspected his work as she waved him off. "Yeah, I know but you know I can't keep still for too long."

"Yeah well still," he said thankfully. "Thanks anyway." Beyonce grinned and nodded. He watched hr blow on her hot cocoa and then take a generous sip. The chocolaty beverage left a slightly white mustache on her top lip and Shawn watched her pink tongue appear to lick over the plush brim. Now Shawn was in his prime but he had no idea his dick could get that hard that damn fast. He was diamond cutting hard as he watched her tongue take the white bubbles into the deep recesses of her mouth.

Oh.

My.

Damn.

"Shawn did you hear me?" Beyonce said waving her hand in front of his face.

Shawn shook his head a little and blinked. "Na, what?"

Beyonce gave him a peculiar look and chose to ignore his moment. "I said I put marshmallow in my hot chocolate and stirred it with a candy cane."

'Oh got a candy cane for yo ass...'

Shawn tried to make a disgusted face and shifted in his seat. "What?"

Beyonce giggled at him told him to taste it. "It's really good."

"Hell no, I only like my mama's hot cocoa."

Beyonce put her wet bottom lip out on display and her eyes suddenly glazed over. "Please?"

Shawn glanced at her and then doubled back when he saw her 'please' look. He grinned and took her outstretched cup. "Yay," she said.

"I'ma puck, watch," he said before tipping the mug.

Beyonce smiled with a wonder in her eye as she watched him take a sip. He took the cup away and smacked his lips slightly. When he didn't lurch or make his disgusted face in which his nose turned up and his lips created a zig-zag, Beyonce laughed. "It's good hunh?"

Shawn nodded and tipped the mug again. "Hey," Beyonce whined. She was spending way too much time with Tiny, Shawn thought as he smiled into the cup. He handed it back to her after his third sip and Beyonce looked down at the drink to find that it was almost gone. She looked up at Shawn with her eyebrows furrowed and one side of her upper lip lifted.

He laughed at her mug, thinking it was too cute and rubbed his head with the back of his forearm. He looked back down at his work. "Hey," he said keeping his eyes on his work. "I got you something today."

"Another cup of hot cocoa?"

Shawn smiled. "Na, it's over there in the closet. In that striped bag."

Beyonce stood and advanced giddily on the closet. "I don't see a st-." She stopped short. There was a striped bag that dangerously resembled the bag from Foot Locker. She looked at Shawn and turned the bag around to read the logo. It was a Foot Locker bag. Beyonce's breath caught in her throat and she walked as slowly as she could back to him. She took a seat gingerly.

Beyonce glanced at Shawn who had been pretending to watch himself shine the same circle into the shoe forty-six times. She pulled the box from the bag and opened it. There they were; six in a half inches of niceness that amounted to $122.93 cents she couldn't afford but somehow had. "Shawn," she said looking at her shoe with sparkles in her eyes. It was wrong to want something material this much but... she was only eighteen. Cut her some slack.

She moved to put the shoe on and then stopped herself. What was she doing? This was one hundred and twenty fucking dollars she was taking from him. She couldn't do that. She barely let him pay for dinner. "I can't take these from you."

Shawn did look away from his shoe then. There she was, being difficult again. But he had secretly grown to like it. Her stubborn attitude hardly ever let him win. "Why not?" he asked tiredly.

Beyonce glanced at him as she put the shoe back in the box. "Because, this is a lot of money Shawn. You can put this to something else. I don't need any more shoes."

Shawn shook his head and picked his dress shoe back up. "I don't need them."

"And the money?" Beyonce said like she was winning.

Shawn smiled a little. "I don't need that either."

Liar, his mind offered but he shook it aside before he could even get into depth.

Beyonce put the shoes back in the bag and noticed the small bag inside that one. She picked it up and snatched the confines from the bag, both upset with Shawn for spending that money and pleased with what she saw. "No fuckin' way!"

It was a hat. A fitted hat that matched the custom shoes so perfectly Beyonce almost felt tears. She stared at it in amazement and Shawn decided to speak. "I know I done asked you for so much already. I know that," he said and his sincerity was starting to wreak havoc on his language.

"Shawn stop bringing up what I paid and sacrificed to come here," she said standing up.

Shawn didn't look up at her. "I know but-."

"But nothing!" She turned to him and slapped the shoes on the bed."I'm a grown ass woman. I know what the fuck I'm doing! You think a few hours of my nose crammed in a fucking book will make me pass a final I should have been prepared for weeks ago?"

Shawn shrugged. "Na, but-."

"And the ticket! Shawn money comes and goes! I don't give a damn about no fuckin' dollars!" Shawn watched her plow her fingers through her hair in a frustrated manner. She looked and him and shook her head like she was disappointed in him, like he had failed her. "I'm trying to build a friendship with you. W-why can't you see that?"

Shawn was ashamed in himself for some reason. He had been sending all those mixed signals and not explaining him actions to her even when they affected her. He had been guilty of so many things that other woman would not put up with. Don't kiss me unless you intent to make some sort of promise to me. Don't expect me to hold your hand unless you're willing to commit to some sort of agreement. Don't think I'll ever forget what I've done for you... you owe me.

Beyonce was none of those things. Shawn knew he was using his mourning as a crutch to be an asshole and Beyonce was putting up with all of it because she was trying to build a friendship with him. She was pushing past all the petty things that made two people associates like tabs and who spent how much money on the other and what one sacrificed for their friend. She was giving because she wanted to, not because she wanted something in return. There was no IOU for her plane ticket or starter position.

"I see it," he mumbled.

"Then act like it... I'm not just her because you asked me; I'm here because I chose to be. I'm here to help you with whatever. If I didn't want to hold your hand or kiss you when you're sad, I wouldn't have come."

She spoke with such elocution and determination it humbled, intimidated, and made him proud all at the same time. He looked at her and almost smiled at who she was.

He was tired and drained. "Then I need you to take the fuckin' shoes and hat."

Beyonce turned to him. "Shawn-."

A simple side glance from Shawn made Beyonce press her lips together. She looked back at the shoes again and said nothing as she put it back in the bag. She collected all of the things and nothing was said while she sat there and Shawn finished shining his shoes. She knew that talking was not one of his best strengths. "Thank you," she said quietly.

He went rigid when he felt her soft hand on the back of his neck His shining stopped and he didn't move. He didn't think they would be able to touch one another after the little argument they just had. And her touch felt electrifying. He simply looked at the floor straight in front of him.

Beyonce's fingers splayed all over his neck and she touched him with the utmost care. She leaned over and let her lips touch his temple just barely. There was nothing erotic about what she was trying to say when she figured 'thank you' didn't say enough. Her lips stayed a while longer and then she pushed her forehead to the side of his. After a second, she got up and left, taking her mug, new shoes, and hat with her.

"You're welcome," Shawn said ten minutes later when she was still very heavy on his mind.