"Play some Paul Anka"
"I like how your brain works Danny"
a story in which a summerbird falls in love with a townie.
Hot Summer Nights/Timothée Chalamet
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Nobody expected the summer of '91 to go like this. Not only the big storm that wiped out cape cod but, also the arrival of the new kid, Daniel Middleton.
Dan marked the beginning of the end. Especially for one girl in particular, Rosie Griffin. Now you see it all started back in Griffins Record Shop in June of 1991.
When Dan walked into the store he was still a nobody. He was yet to meet Hunter Strawberry and was still a proud owner of his innocence. But, when he first laid eyes on Rosie, clad in denim and fishnets, his breath hitched in his throat.
"Can I help you?" She had asked him, after popping the bright, pink bubblegum she was chewing.
She was sitting behind a counter reading a magazine with her long, fishnet covered legs leaning on the top. Her blonde hair was lazily thrown into a short braid and her black nail polish was barely there due to her chipping at it all day.
Rosie was hot and to Daniel she was nothing he had ever seen before. He was intrigued and, although at the time he was unaware, she was too.
"Oh um yeah." Daniel stuttered. "I was wondering if you have any Frank Sinatra?"
Rosie stood up placing her magazine down on the counter. She silently walked over to a wall of records and began sifting through boxes.
"Sinatra huh?" Rosie has questioned wondering why the mystery boy, who seemed a little quirky, would be listening to something so classy.
"Yeah my aunt got mad at me for burning all my records so she's making me get one to listen to." Daniel explained.
A few summers prior, Daniels dad passed away. He went ballistic and burned all the vinyls his dad had bought for him. He claims it was an accident but, his mom would say otherwise.
"You burned all your records?"
"Yeah it's kinda a long story."
"I like long stories." Rosie said. She popped her bubblegum and pulled out a vinyl, Frank Sinatra's Greatest Hits.
Daniels palms started to sweat as Rosie turned around and made eye contact with him. The boy was putty in her hands and she knew it.
She handed him the record and turned around, heading back to the counter. Daniel followed her and couldn't help but look at her long legs.
"That'll be 15 bucks." Rosie said simply. Daniel reaches into his back pocket and found nothing but dead space.
"Shit. My wallet." Daniel muttered.
And what comes out of Rosemary Griffins mouth next is the exact moment when Daniel knew this summer wasn't going to be the dud he thought it would.
"Keep it. My dad hardly notices when I steal records and he surely won't glance twice at the jazz section."
Bingo.
She has him, hook line and sinker. Daniel Middleton was glad, for once, that his mom decided to poke into his life. He was happy he was sent here.
"I can't-" Dan tried to interfere but, Rosie was a strong willed girl and it's her way or the highway.
"Just shut up and take it." Rosie smiled at Dan and once again his palms went sweaty.
"How can I make up for it?" He wondered. He took a deep breath in trying to calm down but, as soon as he exhaled he was back to his nervous state.
"Well there's this party I want to go to tomorrow but, I kinda don't want to go alone." Rosie explained. She sat back in her chair and put her legs back up on the counter.
Dan was distracted by the mesmerizing way the fishnets stuck to her tan legs and how smooth her skin was underneath them to even notice what she was talking about.
"Will you go with me?" Rosie asked. Dan simply nodded his head as he poorly attempted to swallow the lump in his throat.
"Great." Rosie pulled her legs back down to her side satisfied with the response. "Pick me up at 1 then, yeah?"
"Oh uh ok. See you then." Dan shuffled to the door to leave but, not before Rosie could get the last word in.
"I'm Rosie Griffin by the way."
"Daniel. Middleton."
"See you soon Dan." Rosie said, leaning her elbow on the counter with her chin on her palm. She blew one last bubble and with that he left not once letting the picture of Rosie leave his head.
Daniel Middleton couldn't contain his smile that day and Rosie, well she had found a new mystery to distract herself with.
Neither of them knew what was yet to come but, what they did know was that they weren't quite done with each other yet, the summer had only begun.
