"would you be able to look back on this moment ten years from now and say you were glad this happened? because right now i don't think i can." shawn whispered. he was anxious.
"i'm not doing this with you right now. you're fucking crazy!" sylvia sh...
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THE BAR WAS quiet tonight. shawn was used to middle-aged men going on through external crises and drowning their sorrows in their scotch. no drunken PTA moms were giving insane amounts of tips for pouring one decent espresso martini. not even drunken fights, which happened at least twice a day. all you could hear were small coughs from the waiters and college football playing on the televisions. tonight was different.
"is this the 'calm' before the storm?" shawn wondered, his face frowning up a bit while trying to think more.
shawn was a curious guy. he should've gone to school to study philosophy with the way he questioned everything. he always had a question for his question. it was intriguing the way he thought. the man was always in his head wondering about any and everything.
a woman approaches the bar but shawn doesn't notice due to him zoning out in his thoughts. she calls for him but he doesn't notice. the woman beings to get annoyed.
"hey!" a random woman says as snaps her fingers at shawn.
he jumps out at the sudden noise and turns a bit red.
"i said, i will take a glass of your best pinot noir," she repeats, aggravated at his lack of attentiveness.
pulling her hair behind her ear, she gives shawn a puzzled look. the woman sits at the bar and eyes shawn closely as he pours the wine. the tall man slides the wine glass to the woman.
shawn took a good look at the woman. she was attractive, he'd admit to himself. her skin was a beautiful shade of brown, and her eyes were as well. there were light brown highlights in the woman's hair.
she feels his stare as she takes a sip from her glass. "do i look good?" the woman asks shawn.
he flushes a bright shade of pink. he was a bit embarrassed by the woman catching him staring. he'd usually have something clever to say. shawn was known to be a good flirt. the woman made him nervous. he had nothing to say but the truth.
shawn fake yawns in his elbow attempting to seem uninterested but failing miserably. the woman saw right through his act. he says, "yes."
"i'd say you as well, but i didn't get a good look at your face because you covered it with the fake yawn," she says in-a-matter-of-fact tone.
this woman was confident and said what she wanted. shawn liked that. he began to smile.
shawn pretends to be offended and puts a hand over his heart, "ouch! that kinda burned. any more slick comments you got under your sleeve tonight ma'am?"
"nah that's probably my last one, handsome."
shawn laughs at the woman. she was funny, he thought to himself. "i'm shawn," he smiles.
"sylvia," she responds.
sylvia really did find shawn attractive as well. but she didn't see him as anything but a pretty boy that was also a lousy bartender.
sometimes sylvia felt like she was strange. most twenty three year olds were in committed relationships and possibly on their way to getting married. but sylvia had a hard time getting into relationships. maybe she had terrible taste in guys or she wasn't mature enough for a relationship.
some time passes and the two really are starting to enjoy each other's company. they both have some common interests and sylvia was starting to feel more and more attracted to shawn the more he spoke.
sylvia was on her third glass. maybe it was the alcohol that made her want shawn. the thought never crossed her mind, though. right at that moment she wanted nothing else more than shawn.
shawn grabs a white napkin from behind the bar and writes down his email address.
shawn slides the napkins to her quickly. "email me or something."
"hottest_man_alive@hotmail.com", the napkin reads.
sylvia laughs to herself.
"i think it's about time for me to head home. i've got a long day at the office tomorrow," she says as she tucks the napkin in her purse.
shawn nods his head. "do you need me to walk your car?" he asks while scratching the back of his neck.
sylvia was a bit taken off guard by the question. she chuckles and says, "you can't just leave the bar."
"i can walk away for two minutes. but, chicago is a dangerous city. you sure you don't need me to walk you to your car, beautiful?" shawn questions.
sylvia lets out a small chuckle at shawn's "beautiful" comment. "yeah, i'll be alright. if you hear a scream, it's from me." sylvia jokes.
"if you say so. drive safe. i really enjoyed you tonight." shawn says while smiling.
sylvia returns the smile and nods to shawn. she finally gets up from her bar stool and leaves the restaurant without looking back at shawn. she wanted to desperately though. it was something about him.
she gets in her car and drives down lake shore drive with the windows down. she loved this road, weirdly enough to say. the wind of lake michigan pushing its way into her car made her feel alive. there was nothing comparable to the feeling of driving on lake shore drive.
arriving at her apartment, she parks. she begins walking to her building. the pavement was wet so she was cautious while walking in her heels to the lobby door. the doorman greets sylvia and she smiles in return. her apartment was only on the fourth floor, so she took the stairs up.
sylvia pulls out her laptop and opens up hotmail.
her heart began to pick up in speed. sylvia didn't understand why. she never felt anxious about talking to guys. in fact, it was very rare for her to even give them any attention at all. relationships weren't something she chased after or wanted. it was laughable how many guys wanted a quick fuck from her. moreover, it was laughable how many thought they could date her.
"what is so different about him? he's a bartender for god's sake. not even a good one," sylvia whispers to herself.
it was starting to make her more anxious as to why she even started to speak with shawn. was it the horrible flirting? the smile? him obnoxiously sliding his email to her? what was it about him?
the website finally loads and she feels her heart skip a beat. the strange new feeling of anxiousness was officially taking over her body but, she begins typing the email.
to: Shawn Mendes (hottest_man_alive312@hotmail.com) from: Sylvia Carter (sylviacarter0706@hotmail.com) subject: nice 2 meet ya ;))
hey, hottest man alive. it's sylvia from the bar. are you free tomorrow? -sylvia xx
