Meanwhile in the Back of a Music Shop: a short story

meanwhile in the back of a music shop...

Tyler walked into the music store, his hood shadowing his face and his hands stuffed into the pockets of his black hoodie. He looked down as he passed the people lined up at the counter, heading straight for the rock section and hoping no one noticed him. As he turned into the aisle between the wall and the shelf, hidden from the outside world, he pulled his hood down. Tyler brushed his hands across the old vinyls, breathing in the musky scent. This was his favorite place to get away from the judging looks of society and even from the thoughts of his own mind. The background sounds of rustled record covers and The Beatles made him smile. This, this was home. Standing in front of some vinyls labeled Nirvana, Tyler cocked his head running his fingers along the sides; he didn't think he'd ever listened to them before. He pulled one of the records out, examining it and seeing a naked baby submerged in water on the cover. It looked interesting enough and Tyler walked over to the record player and placed it gently on the turntable. Placing the stylus on the record, a scratching noise was heard before a wonderful sound started to come out. Tyler closed his eyes and leaned against the wall, letting the music flow through him. The sounds of an electric guitar stung his skin, a gravelly voice made his mouth twitch in a smile, the pounding of drums made his heart beat with it. He tapped his fingers to the beat and grinned as the voice began to scream. Music was his escape. The sounds died down and Tyler opened his eyes, disappointed at the end but satisfied with the journey, as he took out the Nirvana vinyl and placed it back on the shelf. When he turned around again, he noticed a pair of beautiful fawn eyes staring straight into his. The eyes belonged to an even more beautiful person, a boy with pink hair sticking out from a beanie and pretty tattoos. Tyler looked back at him, questioningly, and the stranger blushed, looking to his left and grabbing a random vinyl off the shelf. Tyler stepped aside as the boy with the pink hair smiled awkwardly at him and pretended to read the inscriptions on the back. Tyler stared at him, examining his long nose and pretty mouth and pink hair and nice hands. He was beautiful, the kind of beautiful that you wonder is real until you reach out and touch it. So he spoke to him. "You listen to Taylor Swift?" Tyler couldn't help but giggle. The boy's ears turned red as he stuttered. "I-what-I-wait-no-I just-" Tyler smiled, "I wasn't making fun of you or anything...I was just asking because," he pointed to the record in the boy's hands. Looking down, he blushed further and shoved it back on to the shelf. Glancing at Tyler, he smiled bashfully and pulled his beanie down over his ears. Tyler tugged at his hoodie string, suddenly extremely nervous. "I'm Tyler." The boy with the pink hair stood there for a silent moment before responding."I'm Josh. Josh Dun." Tyler smiled at him, Josh grinned back and Tyler's breath was knocked away. "Beautiful."

••

Josh walked into the music store and tugged his beanie down over his ears as he nervously looked down at his beaten up converse. He walked past the line of people at the counter and prayed they wouldn't notice him. Don't notice me, don't notice me, don't notice me. Walking swiftly to the back of the store, he slipped into the cozy aisle at the back, hidden from society's watchful stares. Josh breathed in the musky scent of old vinyls and smiled but stopped abruptly in his tracks when he saw that he wasn't alone there. A boy stood in the back of the aisle next to the record player, his dark hoodie standing out contrastingly against the whitewashed wall. With his eyes closed, pink lips parted and dark hair brushing against his forehead, he was easily the most beautiful person Josh had ever seen. He didn't know how long he stood there watching him but it took the boy with the pretty mouth a while before he noticed the staring and Josh, being caught up in this boy, didn't notice he was looking at him until the stranger cocked his head at him. He could feel his ears turning red as he looked away quickly and grabbed a random record off the shelf. You're so dumb, he probably thinks you're a real creep now. And then he spoke to him. "You listen to Taylor Swift?" he giggled. Josh was so caught off guard by this pretty sound that he tripped over his own words. "I-what-I-wait-no-I just-" The boy smiled at Josh and he breathed in. "I wasn't making fun of you or anything...I was just asking because," he pointed at the record in Josh's hands. He looked down confused and seeing a blonde girl on the cover, blushed and shoved it back on to the shelf. Josh pulled his beanie down to over his ears and looked down at his shoes, trying to catch his breath. Was it weird that he was becoming flustered in front of this beautiful stranger? Maybe. "I'm Tyler." Josh glanced up at the boy with the pretty mouth who had spoken and was suprised he hadn't thought he was weird and left yet. "I'm Josh. Josh Dun," he decided to respond. Tyler smiled at him, he grinned back and then Tyler gasped before uttering a single word: "Beautiful." And then Josh's breath was knocked away.