Imagine Stories to Help Fall Asleep

Imagine: stranger/crush? [Part 2]

A day later, I can't stop thinking about her. She came in for like 20 minutes yesterday and those 20 minutes were the happiest of my entire career I've talked to a client. She didn't even buy anything, but I remember her like she bought the whole store.

I'm sitting up at the desk, when I see the door opening and I usually don't mind it but I immediately recognize her. My eyes widen and I practically run from around the counter. I stop right in front of her and she turns to face me.

I'm breathless, as I silently capture oxygen.

This is embarrassing.

"You're back." I sigh out. The corners of her mouth tilt up.

My favorite thing.

"I am." She walks, as if she's actually looking at the vinyl. I realize she doesn't have headphones today.

"You went home and came back in a day." She stops walking around, still not looking at me but looking through the vinyls.

"Yeah I mean, it's not that far."

"Don't you...have school?" I try not to pry, but it's really difficult. She seems to be so mysterious unless I ask her specific questions about herself.

"Don't you?" She smirks. "I'm don't have class on Fridays. I'm usually here on Saturday but I just wanted to get away early."

I nod my head to show her that I'm listening. My hands go to my pockets and I continue watching her hand move through the records.

How funny she still ends up not actually searching for vinyl.

When my chuckle slips and she looks at me, my brain remembers a little favor I did for her. "Oh yeah, I uh..." I reach behind the counter and grab The Giver. "I'd saved this for the next time you came. Bookmark and all."

She looks down at the bookmark then tilts her head, glaring into my eyes. "You memorized the page, how?"

"I just went off of where you were when you and I were talking yesterday."

"Thank you." She whispers as she takes the book. I nod and point to the counter with my thumb. "I'm gonna get back to work but uh..." Trailing my eyes to the ceiling, I breathe out a laugh. "Stick around. If you want to, of course. My shift ends in a couple hours. If you need I can DoorDash you food or get you a new book. Anything."

I know I sound desperate for her to be here. But that's because I'm desperate for her to be here. She'd left me not even knowing her name yesterday and I plan to change that completely, regardless how well I can read her. So I doubt it's a surprise to her that my face lights up when she nods her head, agreeing to stay. I've already planned the discussion with Dad in my head asking to get off an hour early.

She turns to go sit in the same corner from yesterday, making me glad I had saved the book for her in the first place. I smile and shuffle to behind the desk.

***

A couple hours go by and I pack my stuff. It was an exhausting day of work and an angry customer that I wasn't in the mood to deal with, especially with how early I'd woken up today. Once I got my backpack, I smile at the thought of hanging out with the Vinyl Girl. I walk over to her corner, her nose still in the book, though she's nearly done.

I gently kick her foot. "My shift ended." She looks up at me with an already plastered smile and my ears start ringing.

That's not healthy.