The Tuxedo Man (boyxboy)[Wattys 2016]

Chapter 19 - The Greatest

[Picture: The Last Bookstore LA. Video: Expensive - Tori Kelly ft. Daye Jack]

We get valet parking because, duh. Would you self-park a Lamborghini by the sidewalk of the streets of LA? Hell no, that shit would get broken into the minute you leave the fifty-foot radius of your house. 

The valet parking was a couple blocks from the bookstore, so it wasn't that bad. I didn't mind walking through LA, since it was an experience I don't get to often have. I like looking up at tall city buildings, staring at the glass as they reflect the blue skies and the busy streets. I like looking through the windows of different shops along the sidewalks, glancing at the things they have for sale. Dylan was in a plain blue sweatshirt topped with a leather jacket and dark blue denim jeans, finishing with black dress shoes. I swear the man really doesn't know how to dress casual, or maybe his "casual" is just another step above mine. We walk together, side by side as we pass by people, trying not to bump into anyone else since we didn't really have the time to argue right now. It's already three in the afternoon, and I should be home before eleven in the evening or else they're getting a restraining order on Dylan. 

I wouldn't want that. 

We come to a halt as we come across a stoplight, the cars rushing as soon as the light ahead turns green for them. A couple people gather on the other side, waiting to cross the street as well. My hand bumps onto his, and I cock my head a little bit to his direction to see if he reacted, playing it off as if I was looking at something down the street. He didn't seem to notice, not looking like he budged at all. He wasn't over-analyzing everything like I was, so I don't think he cares if our hands bump numerous times more in the hours to come. 

However, I, on the other hand, am now trying to decide in my mind if I should just go ahead and take his hand. I'm sure he won't mind, but wouldn't that be moving too fast? 

The light across us turns green and the cars push their brakes, Dylan and I merging with the huge crowd that crosses the road. 

"I'm starting to like this city." I hear Dylan say, and I just shove my hands into my pocket so that they wouldn't be bumping into Dylan's anymore, because now it's making me uncomfortable. 

I raise my shoulders, kind of a half-shrug. "That's because this is the good side of LA. The other side isn't really pleasing." 

"Well, I like the good side of LA." 

We pass by a store selling vintage cameras and I get tempted to stop by and look around. I slow down as I take a couple of seconds to let my eyes devour the antique camera displayed by the glass window, amazingly in pristine condition, it's surface reflective and shiny, and its lens clear. I picked up my pace as soon as I saw the price tag attached to the back of the camera. 

Eight thousand. 

Ha, hell to the no. 

The sun was still out, but it wasn't blaring hot like you'd expect it to be. In the part of the city we were in, most of the sun was blocked by the tall buildings, fortunately casting shade onto the sidewalks, protecting us from tanning because I'm pretty contented with my skin tone. The wind was cold, however, which makes me feel better about my decision to keep my hands in my pocket. It wouldn't make me seem like I didn't want to hold his hand, but it would make me seem like I'm struggling in the cold, which I'm not really. Like Elsa, the cold never bothered me anyway, unless it drops below ten degrees celsius because I'm going to have to put on maybe three layers of clothes by then. 

We see the store, which was a bit bigger than I thought it would be. The store was inside what looked like an old building, those buildings that don't look so modern so it would make sense that they've been there since the early days of Los Angeles. They've stood strong and are still standing against the test of time. It makes the bookstore much more interesting to me, since I'm fascinated by historical architecture, not more than modern architecture, though. My heart leaps, getting excited since it's been a long time since I've bought some books. I never really had the time to pass by a Barnes & Noble since I've been really busy with school. When the ball was coming up, I never even had much time to watch YouTube videos, and that's something I do almost daily.