pyromania // phan

3

i continued on with my daily routine; I brushed my teeth, straightened my unruly 'hobbit hair,' and i got dressed in a black t-shirt with a white circle in the center, black skinny jeans, and added more colors to my rainbow with black boots. i then pulled on a black jacket, and grabbed my phone, keys, and wallet before walking out of my flat.

i made my daily route of the city. window shopping was first. if i saw anything i was slightly interested in, i would walk in and buy it and walk straight out. then, i would continue the walk around town.

i stopped at my favorite store on the entire block. the match and lighter shop.

i stepped in, the smell of flames and the slight scent of gasoline engulfing me. i breathed in deeply, exhaling satisfyingly. surrounding him were rows and rows and rows of lighters and matchboxes, all different colors and designs and shapes and sizes. all had different ways to flick on the flame, different handles. all had one common purpose, to fulfill the temporary need to start a flame.

a pyromaniac's heaven.

"hey, cas!" i yelled across the shop at casper, the owner who was always at the counter. i surveyed the prices of the newest ones on the shelves as i waited for casper's answer, closely examining a lighter i particularly liked.

there was a cough from the counter, "er, uhm, casper isn't here right now," a much deeper voice replied to me, and i snapped my head up to look at who was there.

there was a man who looked to be in his twenties behind the counter with his work apron tied neatly around his orange and beige uniform. he had the darkest shade of black i could imagine for hair, which sharply contrasted to his milky white skin. the paleness of his body only emphasized the beautiful blue eyes that sent a shock through me when he looked at me. what shock that was and what it was from, i didn't know. I squinted closely at his name-tag that was attached to his apron: 'phil :)', it read.

"oh -sorry..." i apologized, and phil looked at me again, the same electric shock jumping through me.

"no, no need to be sorry. are you a friend of caspar's? i can tell him you stopped by," phil spoke, and i could swear that his voice was literal music to his ears. if sound was taste, phil's voice would be chocolate.

i denied, "no no no, it's fine. i'm one of his regulars, that's all. i'm assuming you're new?" i tried to make conversation with the beautiful boy.

phil nodded, giving a small, friendly smile, "yeah, today is actually my first official day. i just moved to this part of the u.k. about a week ago, and i was looking for a job, and caspar was more than happy to let me start off here. he's a very kind man."

i nodded, smiling, "that he is. well, i'm just making my daily stop-by to see if there's anything good i guess," i shrugged afterward.

"alright, let me know if you need anything," phil grinned at me with a small twinkle in his eye that made me almost physically say, "awe."

i turned and walked through the shop, my eyes flickering among the different designs and patterns. i picked up a few different lighters that caught my eye, and testing them out. what i didn't know at the time was that phil stood at the counter, flinching at every single tiny 'flick' sound that he heard. he could practically feel the flames in the room.

i found a certain lighter that i absolutely loved. the design in itself was very intriguing; the handle was curvy, smooth zig-zags that had the muse band logo printed on it. when i tested it out, the wheel on the lighter felt absolutely perfect as the roll on it was just right, and the feeling of the pad of my thumb being pressed against the red button gave me great temporary satisfaction as the flame flickered on, the tiny light staying perfectly in tact as i stared at it longingly. then, i realized that he shouldn't act like that here at that moment; as casper knew i was a pyromaniac, phil, however, did not. and i really didn't want to scare the pretty boy away.