All My Sins (For You To Take)

Chapter 8

Once Lauren appears, all of Shawn's nervousness is gone in a rush. It’s game time now and he lets his instincts take over.

Lauren looks perfect; sexy but casual. At Shawn's introduction, she furrows her brow and crosses her arms, picturesquely aggravated.

“I know who you are. Where’s my date?”

Casey grabs her date's hand and herds them back towards the exit in an attempt to be subtle, but Lauren catches them. Shawn, significantly at a loss and trying not to let his smile fall, doesn’t say a word. To his relief Lauren's wrath doesn’t get turned his way...not yet.

“Casey?”

“Play nice,” and with that, Casey leaves with her vaguely uncomfortable date.

Lauren glowers, but Shawn maintains his smile through it all, taking back the hand that Lauren refused to shake. If this is going to work, he has to play it right, and he’s determined to make it work, so he plays it as smooth as he possibly can.

“Are you my date? Is that what this is?”

“I guess Casey likes to over exaggerate. I’m not the model you were expecting, huh?”

“Shawn-”

“Just let me buy you a drink. Give me an hour and if you don’t like what you see, you leave.”

Lauren hesitates a little, and Shawn reaches out against his better instinct to grab Lauren's hand and hold it in both of his own.

“You said you didn’t know who I was anymore, and I think you’re right. So just give me tonight to show you.”

* * * * *

As wary as she is, Lauren doesn’t argue. Shawn's trying, and even if it’s obvious that he is, it’s a gesture that’s more than Lauren would ever expect. Shawn's not the type to be earnest like that. He's not one to put himself in a vulnerable position like he has something to prove; if someone doesn’t want him, it’s their loss. And that in and of itself is enough of an indication of change for Lauren to stay.

Her staying also maybe had something to do with that stupid adorable smile.

Shawn slips right back into the act, which doesn’t surprise Lauren but also doesn’t help her apprehension. In a way, this is a lot like a blind date- Lauren has no idea what to expect- but what’s different is that there are memories of Shawn that she’s forced to ignore if she’s to play along. She’s not a natural actor like Shawn is, so it’s difficult for her in an entirely different way.

She does play along, though. Shawn makes small talk, offers to pay for her drink, and turns on the charm but in a way that doesn’t seem facetious at all. Lauren stays confused but pushes to be amicable, focusing on Shawn and not on herself. That, at least, isn’t difficult to do. Shawn looks as different as he sounds. He looks happier, and fresh in a button-down.

She talks about herself but only sparingly, offering only information on where she lives and what she does as a job, until she starts asking questions in an attempt to not be the only person talking for most of the night.

It feels cheap the first time she asks one, because she knows the answer, but she does anyway.

“Do you have a roommate?”

“I do, yeah. We're pretty close. She's my cousin." Pause. "I don't know, people seem to think we're together. Gross.” he grins a little. "She's basically my best friend though."

That hurts a little, mostly because Lauren knows that title used to belong to her. She only realized how useless it is to feel jealous when she remembers why he’s there- they’re on a date- and that his goal isn’t friendship.