"That's it."

11.39 AM

It didn't take long to spot her. She had her back turned to her, busy mopping the aisles. Stella was standing a few feet away, mesmerized by her movements. Only when she moved to dump the mop back in the bucket did she noticed Stella staring.

"Well, this is awkward," Stella murmured, shoving her hands in her pockets. She rocked back and forth.

"Which part? You caught staring at me or how you hightailed it earlier without saying a word?" Tré carefully propped the mop so it wouldn't fall before turning her attention back to the woman standing in front of her. Taking in her features, her long dark hair usually worn lose was pulled in a low ponytail covered by a baseball hat. It was what caught Tré's attention the first time. That and her over pretentious attention to detail when it came to finding a specific record. Tré was sure she had no idea who she was or the several one-sided conversations they had since her working here. Dropping her gaze, Tré took in what she was wearing, light blue jean shorts and a long white blouse draped over her waist. Rocking black high tops, her outfit strangely complimented her. Tré couldn't help wonder if she had missed her oppor­tunity as an ironic model.

Stella smiled sheepishly, "Fair. I guess for both."

Tré' nodded, "Yeah, you left me hanging, you know." She dazzled her a smile.

Stella laughed softly, "Yeah, nothing says awkward like behaving as I did. Which is why I wanted to apologize."

Tré stared back at Stella, unsure what else to say.

Biting her inner cheek, Stella patted her thigh. She forgot how hard it was to flirt with someone. It's been so long.

"Well, as much as I enjoy this chitchat, I do need to get back to work."

"Well, okay," Stella muttered. She turned and walked away, feeling like a complete idiot. She brushed past Tommy without so much as an acknowle­dgement and walked out of the store. Crouching down, Stella perched herself on the curb of the sidewalk, feeling like a complete idiot.

...

Tré Harris watched Stella Sinclair walk out of Vinyl Records speechless. It was clear that Stella wanted to show her interest, and Tré dismissed her as an annoying fly in her face. Unsure whether it was because of her hurt pride or maybe because she had the power to do so. Either way, it was wrong, and the instant guilt that Tré' felt was overpowering. Reaching out with her foot, she guided the mop bucket out of her way and went after her.

The moment she spotted Stella Sinclair felt like a bolt of lightning had struck her, rendering her in awe. Tré' had just finished mastering the register that early Sunday morning when the door pushed open and chimed her arrival. Giving off a cheeky smile in Tommy's direction, she kept moving unfazed by Tré's doting stare. There was something about her demeanor, and how captivated she was in her natural habitat that invoked Tré's interest in her. Tré could tell she felt at ease in this small, dank environment where here she was in control. Without uttering a word or signaling for help, Stella roamed the aisles in a silent wave of solidarity. Fingering through the collections lost in the ocean of possibilities, Tré observed her in the corner of her eye. All while pulling information from Tommy without sounding overly interested or desperate. During that time, she's learned that she's an avid collector, has been for a while now. She enjoys Sinbad, Frank Sinatra, REO Speedwagon, Journey, along with 80's, and Indie's Pop music. Although Tommy has overheard her talking excitedly on the phone at one point about a George Michael album in her possession. It definitely soothed Tré's worries regarding if she had pushed the line towards stalker when she heard Tommy's high interest in her as well. Ever since then, Tré's been adamant with finding out who Stella Sinclair was. From what Tommy knew, he believed she was single.