20 ○ shawn

18

New York, 3:00 am

March 7, 2015

reason #14: going to diners at 3 a.m.

"Shawn, wake up," a whisper in his ear caused Shawn to slowly awaken, immediately groaning at the ache on his back. He blinked a few times to regain focus before sitting up, looking at the girl who was sitting beside him, a grin on her face, as well as her big glasses, looking more awake than usual. "Good. You're finally awake. I've been trying to wake you up since, like, a minute ago."

"What time is it?" Shawn asked, voice husky. He wasn't sleepy anymore.

"It's three in the morning!" Layla replied, and instead of looking panicked, her smile just widened. There were still cars in the streets, as noisy as ever.

"Three in the morning?" His eyes bulged. "Why'd you wake me up?"

"Because..." she trailed off, hopping on both her feet, holding out her hand for Shawn to take. He did, also standing up. "It's time for reason number fourteen! C'mon." And she rushed towards the staircase leading downstairs, not bothering to wait on Shawn or check if he was following her. He eventually did, gathering his phone from the floor and slugging all the way to the ground floor, where an impatient Layla was waiting.

"I think it's too early for this. What possible reason could you come up with at three in the morning?" The two headed out of the abandoned building, Layla guiding Shawn to a random direction, her eyes keen on the shops and restaurants they passed by.

She didn't answer; she only walked.

Then finally, she stopped in front of a 24-hour diner. It was small, but still alive. Its lights were on, and a few employees were present inside, but no customers.

"We're here!" Layla announced as her and Shawn both entered the diner, immediately awakening the vibe. She led Shawn to a booth, smiling at the waitress who distributed the menus.

"What are we-"

"Sh. Just order." Layla demanded, and Shawn didn't protest. He was quite hungry. A few minutes later, the waitress came back with a notepad and pen, a tired smile on her face. "I'll just have some chicken strips and fries, and water." Layla said, and Shawn ordered the same thing.

"Do you have money?" He questioned as the waitress walked away with the menus.

"Yes. Like, forty dollars in my pocket." She took out two twenty-dollar bills from her Adidas sweatpants pocket, showing it to Shawn as proof and then putting it back. "As you can see, I planned this whole thing out."

He didn't know what to say.

"This is a reason," Layla continued, adjusting her glasses. "Reason number fourteen: Going to diners at three in the morning."

"That is so specific." Shawn chuckled. "Any particular explanation?"

She thought about it. "I thought it would be fun."

Shaw waited for more, but that's all he got. "Wait. That's it?"

"Yeah. You having fun?"

"I guess."

"You guess?"

"I mean...we're not doing anything, really." He pointed out, and instead of being offended, Layla giggled.

"Well, you know what they say," she began. "It doesn't matter what you're doing. All that matters is who you're doing it with."

"Oh. Well in that case, I'm having the best time of my life."

-

Shawn and Layla decided that a stroll around the streets was a must after the dinner / breakfast they had. By then, it was four in the morning, and neither of them decided to care.

"Layla," Shawn suddenly said after a long silence shared, stopping and turning to the girl beside him. They were walking down an empty sidewalk.

"Shawn?" She raised an eyebrow, also stopping and turning to him.

He stepped towards her, opening his arms and wrapping them around her body tightly, pulling her against his chest. His chin rested on top of her head. "I just wanted to say thank you," he whispered. "For...being there."

She didn't hug him for a while, but finally gave into the warmth and hugged him back. "No problem, Shawn. I'm glad I could help."

Shawn pulled away, dropping his hands to his sides, but staying close to Layla. "And that's something else I want to know. We were strangers two months ago, for Christ's sakes! You were still a stranger to me when you offered giving me these reasons. Why are you helping me?"

Layla shrugged slightly. "I don't know, really," she said, her voice quieter. "I guess it's because whenever I give you a reason, I'm also trying to convince myself."

"By helping me, you're also helping yourself." Shawn reworded, and Layla nodded, managing a tiny smile.

They didn't cease the eye contact.

Shawn stared intensely at the girl who mirrored her stare with his. It felt almost perfect, being there with her in the middle of the empty sidewalk - alone, no one to bother them, in desperate need for something against his lips.

She made the first move before he could. She stepped closer, chest-to-chest with him, and inched inwards after glancing a few times at Shawn's slightly apart lips. He leaned down towards her face, too, tentatively and slowly. His hot breath fanned on her mouth, causing Layla's heart to thump faster and faster and faster.

Then Layla stepped back quickly, looking down at her feet, the cons overpowering desire. She figured out that there was a fifty-fifty chance: a fifty-percent chance he would stay, and a fifty-percent chance he would flee.

And she wasn't going to take any chances. She wasn't going to lose him because of one thing they did, in the sidewalk of New York, at four in the morning. He was already too important to her; and him leaving would be another painful memory - a sequel to the memory made when she was six years old, about a heartbroken father and a disappointed mother.

---

#SHAYLA