Indie Records

Three.

"I'm sorry I don't think that was part of our recent shipment ma'am" , I hear Julio talking to one of the customers. I step away from the counter to go assist him, he hardly knows where shit is in his own store anymore.

"Hey, what are you ...." I stop short as I see the most beautiful girl in existence right in front of me.

"Hi, I'm looking for Bon Iver's single 'Emma',  I can't seem to find it anywhere " , she seems very distressed as she explains how she's a collector of Cd's and vinyls and she just absolutely had to have it the moment she heard it on the radio.

I stare in awe at the beautiful raven haired goddess before me, thick eyebrows furrowed together, temple pulsing a little bit from her stressing out. She's beautiful. God, she is beautiful.

"Hello? Are you listening to anything I'm saying?", goddess snaps her fingers in my peripheral

"I'm... I'm Zayn", I stutter.

Julio just chuckles and walks away. I appreciate his hasty exit because I have a feeling that I'm going to continue embarrassing myself in front of this girl and I would prefer not to have an audience present.

"Right. Well Zayn , are you gonna help me or not?", she says simultaneously rolling her eyes at me

"You said you were looking for 'Emma'?  are you talking about the album 'For Emma , Forever Ago'? "

"There's a whole album? ", I spot the excitement building up in her.

I laugh a little , "yes there is"

"Then I want that, yes. Give me the album" 

I walk further down the B aisle and spot what I'm looking for , "This is it right here" , I say handing it to her.

She carefully takes it out of my hand and examines it closely. After a few minutes she mouths the word 'perfect' and a huge grin spreads across her face. "I'll take it!"

I'm taking the Cd to the register when goddess stops  me

"I was wondering.." , she hasn't even completed what she's saying but those 3 words make my heart stop. "..If it was possible to get a vinyl of just the Emma song?"

My hopes are deflated. It was so silly of me to even think for a second that she was about to ask me out or something.

She doesn't even look remotely interested in me. She can do so much better. She probably even has a boyfriend, or boyfriends . Or she could even be a lesbian or..

"ZAYN!" goddess snaps me out of my escalating thoughts. She looks at me and starts laughing.

I'm perplexed. What's so funny?

"why are you laughing?", I ask

"Nothing", she answers as she wipes a tiny tear from her eye.

Okay?

I remember she had asked me something earlier, "Oh and about your question earlier, no we don't have that. It's not very common to just have a vinyl of a single record of an album that wasn't a smash hit", I explain.

I ring her up and she brings out her wallet to pay.

"That's alright. You were really helpful today , I mean when you weren't drooling"

"Drooling?"

She points to her chin and points at me.

I touch mine; surprise surprise there's dried saliva there. I quickly wipe it off with the sleeve of my shirt.

She giggles and I swear it sounds like church bells. Goddess, I tell you.

I put her Cd in a plastic bag that I didn't charge her for.

"Thank you", She says and smiles at me

"You're welcome" , I say leaning over the counter and edging closer to her

she laughs a little and turns around to leave, "Bye Zayn"

and without thinking I say, "Bye Goddess"

She hears me and so does Julio and they both burst out laughing.

If i could pick any moment in which I wanted to leave earth and never return , this moment right here would be it.

I am fully pink with embarrassment , mortified beyond words.

After she finally catches her breath from laughing so hard she finally says, "Its Emmanuella"

And then she leaves.

"Makes sense why she was looking for that Emma song so bad", Julio comments

"I am such an ass hat , fuck!" , I hit my head against the counter

"You can say that again, just don't hit my things", Julio says with a laugh.

Emmanuella. Goddess.