Laila sat down on crumbling pavement the color of sand. He had told her to come here, but despite getting lost once, she'd still managed to make it before him. Then again, he was never very punctual. She looked back at the shell of what had once been a building of some kind. It was sad to see a half melted piece of plastic with metal bars sticking out of it just embedded in a half wall in the middle. Getting up, she figured she might as well explore while she was waiting.
She wandered around, finding flat surfaces attached to a pole that could have been some kind of seating. Maybe this had been a diner or restaurant at some point? Although it would be weird to eat with chairs and no tables. She got a headache just thinking about the Time that Was, so she hopped up on one of the one legged chairs, steadied herself as it wobbled, and sat waiting.
Ryan hurried through the falling arch that served as a doorway. He had a drop of blood on his forehead from falling on his way over. As he walked into the Shell saw her sitting in a patch of light. He smiled as he walked over to her. He wanted to explain why he was so late, but couldn't find the words to explain his embarrassment of tripping over a hole in the road. After everything they'd been through he didn't want her to know that was what had brought him down.
"Hey," he said, holding out the flowers he brought for her. Well, what should have been flowers. They were more of sticks with burnt petals, but they would have to do.
Laila smiled warmly. "Hey." She accepted the blackened former plants and tucked one in her hair, gently, so it wouldn't crumble. "What took so long?"
Ryan frowned, "I ran into some trouble."
She noticed the small line of blood on his forehead and a bruise on his shin. "Hmm. Was it trouble with the potholes in the road again?" she asked with mock seriousness.
He puffed out his chest with an indignant look on his face.
"No, it was . . . something else. Let's just get this date started. I want to spend as much time as I can with you before 10:15."
She jumped down from the chair, accidentally toppling it behind her. She ignored the clatter and took Ryan's hand. "Sure," she said, twining her fingers with his. "I know you don't like thinking about going home at night. So where are we headed today, and what dangerous things are you gonna get me in trouble for?"
"Well, I figured before we go off in search of danger, we would fill our stomachs with a candle lit dinner."
"Cheesy and romantic. I like it."
Ryan started to walk forward, Laila following. He led her into another room with a blanket on the floor. In the middle of the blanket was a flashlight, which served as the "candle". The sat down on either side of the blanket. Ryan pulled two cans from a backpack nearby.
"On the menu tonight we have canned tomatoes or ravioli, your pick, and for dessert I managed to grab some canned pears." He nodded toward the bag, where the canned pears peeked out brightly at them.
Laila leaned over and pulled the pears from his backpack, eyes widening and squealing excitedly. "How did you find fruit? Good fruit!" She flung her arms around Ryan (still holding the pears) and hugged him tightly.
He let out a laugh. "It took some work, but I wanted the best for you."
Her cheeks reddened as she looked up at him, still half curled against his side. She bit her lip, wanting to say something, but instead she just threw her arms around him again.
They'd decided on the ravioli, and shared the can, each taking one out after the other. Once every last piece was eaten, they meticulously took the top off the pears, careful to not spill any of the sweet syrup. Ryan gave Laila the first piece, and watched her as she sunk her teeth into the fruit slice. Her eyes fluttered closed, the dark color disappearing behind lashes. A piece of her hair stuck to her face, but she payed no mind to the short strand. She looked as though the bit of food was a taste of cloud, the world below floating away as she sampled pieces of the sky. The happiness that came from such a small thing brought both joy and sadness to Ryan. The joy this fruit brought her made him so happy, he would let her eat the whole can if she didn't insist he have some, but she wouldn't let him give up such a treat. They shared the can back and forth, taking sips from the syrup until there wasn't a drop left.
