shawn had spent the entire flight pretending he wasn't nervous. he'd told himself it was just dinner, just two people finally meeting after weeks of messages and late night conversations that somehow always lasted longer than they were supposed to. but somewhere over the atlantic, with ireland waiting beneath the clouds and jenna waiting somewhere beyond the airport, he stopped being able to lie to himself. he was nervous, ridiculously nervous. the kind that made him check his reflection in the airplane window every twenty minutes and reread old texts like they contained instructions on how not to embarrass himself. by the time he arrived at the hotel in dublin, the city was painted in soft gray skies and golden streetlights, and instead of feeling tired from traveling, he felt restless. he changed his shirt three times before settling on one, stared at himself in the mirror for a moment, then laughed under his breath at how ridiculous he was being. he had performed in front of stadiums full of people, but somehow the thought of seeing jenna walk toward him for the first time made his heartbeat feel louder than any crowd he'd ever heard.
the restaurant he'd chosen sat tucked away on a quiet street, warm light spilling from the windows onto the damp pavement outside. shawn arrived early, mostly because sitting in a hotel room waiting had become impossible. he took a table near the window and found himself glancing toward the entrance every few seconds despite trying not to. his fingers tapped lightly against the side of his water glass as he watched strangers come and go. every time the door opened, his attention snapped up before he could stop it. then he caught himself smiling for no reason, imagining what she'd say when she saw him, wondering if she'd laugh at how obviously nervous he looked. he hoped she would. there was something comforting about the idea of jenna teasing him. outside, a light irish drizzle began to fall, blurring the city lights into streaks of gold, and shawn sat back in his chair, trying and failing to act casual as he waited for the one person who suddenly seemed capable of making an entire city disappear the moment she walked into the room. @jenncortegc
