The Illusion of Permanence

Chapter 5

What is it with small-town businesses having bells on their doors? Did it come as a complimentary gift from the community when they cut the ribbon on their first day open? I haven't even been here that long, and it is already starting to annoy me.

The owner of the diner was correct in her original description of the music shop—it was honestly more of a vintage record shop. There are large plywood cubes all around the space, filled with giant vinyls. They are a bit dusty, but underneath the fine powder, I can tell that the now-muted shades of their covers were once bright and vibrant. Some of them are displayed on the walls, hung up with no spaces in between like some sort of patchwork wallpaper. This store doesn't only sell records though: the right-side wall is just one large floor-to-ceiling shelf filled with CDs, with no room left in between them to be able to see the wall behind it. Because of this, I can't tell you what color the walls were painted, just that the floor is a worn hardwood and the white ceiling is just as dusty as the records. However, the muskiness makes the shop seem more homey than old and unwelcoming. The smell reminds me of my grandfather's house, a place where fond memories were born during my childhood. It triggers a smile.

At the back of the store is a counter cluttered with what just looks like junk from where I'm standing by the door. As I walk closer, I can see there is a cash register and a cleared-off space about a square foot large for people to put their to-be-purchased goods on, but everything else is just, well, junk. There's a guy behind it who looks to be in his mid-twenties, with shaggy hair the color of dark cocoa. He's wearing a plain gray tee shirt that has a tiny hole in the sleeve, and light wash jeans that match the holy aesthetic of the shirt.

"Hey," he says in a bonafide country drawl. "How can I help ya?"

"I actually heard a rumor that you might be hiring and was wondering if it was true?" My composure surprises me—I had been much more nervous speaking to a jolly old lady than to this young and honestly not-too-bad-looking guy. "I just got to town and I'm looking for a job."

"I mean, yeah, it's just me and my sister here..." he says, gesturing beside him. Although I can't see the girl he's referencing, I assume that she's sitting on the floor behind the counter. "We don't have much work here, but I guess we could use an extra hand. To just like, organize things and shit. Clean. Idk. Is that what you're into?"

Honestly, I'm "into" anything that will earn me money. "Yeah, that sounds perfect!" I reply enthusiastically.

Suddenly, the previously invisible girl springs up from her spot behind the counter like a Pop-Tart out of a toaster. "Awesome!" She squeals. "It's so fucking boring around here and Parker makes me snooorrreee." She rolls her eyes. "Finally I'll have someone interesting around here I can talk to."

The unpredictability of my ability to speak coherently strikes again. Although I was just able to communicate intelligently only moments ago, now I'm completely silent. I'm worse than the babbling idiot I was in the diner. I can't get anything out, not a word or a sound, even though my mouth is gaping open. 

You're probably going to roll your eyes at me if you aren't already. God, I know this is like the most stupid cliché moment of anyone's life ever, but I can't help it. This girl is literally the most beautiful person I have ever laid eyes on.

She's the type of girl I'd imagine posing in an ad for American Eagle: perfect, but in that rugged, imperfect sort of way. Her thin, long hair is as dark as the deepest corners of the universe, and her skin looks as soft and pale as a statue carved out of limestone. Her lips look like rose petals, and her eyes are like uncolored chocolate M&Ms. I could fall into them if I were small enough.

"Hi."

That's probably the stupidest thing I could have said.

"Oh, my gosh, I'm sorry, I probably totally just freaked you out, jumping up like that, I'm so sorry!" She smacks her hand to her chest.