The Man In Strylt Forest

Two

     "Yeah, I apologize. Some kid keeps calling me saying, "Jim's Whore House. You got the dough, we got the hoe. How may I help you?""

     I take a sip of my coffee to prevent myself from laughing.

     "Man, that sucks. At least you tried threatening their life," I add.

     "Again, I'm super sorry that you had to hear that."

     "It's fine, Leo. Don't worry about it."

     "So, tell me about yourself."

     "Oh, you don't want to even bother with that question. All I ever do is read and stay home. I don't like going out much— I'm what you call, socially awkward," I admitted.

     "Dude, that's totally fine. I was that way once, too. I just found a great group of people to hang with, and suddenly I was a social butterfly."

     I nod along to the advice.

     "Well, what do you and said group like to do?" I questioned.

     "As you can tell," she motions at her band tee and colorful hair, "we go to concerts and music festivals a lot. We really enjoy music, plus we're all in the same band."

     "Oh, that's so cool! I've always admired the idea of creating music with your best friends. If I had musical talent and friends, I would definitely be up for it," I explained.

     "You should check us out sometime. We're actually playing here tomorrow night, you have to come."

     "What kind of music do you guys play?" I ask.

     "Right now we do a lot of alternative and pop punk covers, but we're working on a rock song as an original work," Leo answered.

     "I'll definitely come and check out your band," I say.

     I lift up my cup to take another sip of coffee, only to realize there wasn't any left. I look up at Leo to see her gazing at me with a puzzled look on her face.

     "What?" I laugh. " I really like coffee"

     "Yeah me too. What kind do you drink? I'll buy you another one," Leo offers.

     "No, you don't have to, Leo. This is my fourth cup today and I just woke up a few hours ago." 

     "I insist. I did ask you to join me, after all." 

     "No, really, it's fine. How about we walk around for a while? I've lived here for quite some time now, and I haven't explored downtown yet."

     Leo sands up and gestures towards the door.

     "After you, m'lady."

     "You are completely and utterly ridiculous," I laugh.

     "Hey, it's what I was born to do, Lyra," Leo adds with a wink.

     We walk for a bit, when we both gasp in awe at the small record store.

     "How come I've never seen this before?" Leo says in awe. "It looks prehistoric, and I've passed by this area countless times."

     "Leo, just stop talking. Let's go in!" I exclaim.

     The door bell jingles as we push open the door and step into the magical world of vinyl records.

     I look around, and a sales associate doesn't seem to be present. I shrug off the thought and wander straight to the alternative records, while Leo wanders towards the rock section of the store.