A Hidden Picture

Twenty six

~ Reed

"Annalise..."

She looks to me with wide eyes.

"I'm not buying a Frozen soundtrack CD."

She rolls her eyes. "I don't see why not? What do you have against Frozen? I'm sure Gracie would appreciate the CD very much." Then she proceeds picking up CDs off the shelves only to put them back a second later.

I watch her out of the corner of my eyes as I continue looking over the shelves.

She stands beside me with her hands in her pockets.

We're in a record player and CD shop right now that also sells books.

There's two floors and the old hard wood creaks beneath our feet. Upstairs seems to be where all the books are.

Some song is playing from a record player sat on a chair.

"Why do you still even use CD's like this is the early 2000s? You got a juicy couture track suit somewhere in your room too?" She looks up at me and I'm met with her brown eyes.

"I do. I can lend it to you if you want. Really accentuate your a-"

Her elbow nudges me and I flash my teeth at her. A splotch of pink appears on her neck.

A small rush of exhilaration comes over me. I made that happen.

There's something so...erotic about knowing she's getting nervous from something I said.

"I don't know. It's a comfort I guess." It reminds me of the good moments of childhood. Alina coming into my room and blasting some pop artist.

When I'd go to my neighbors house as a kid they'd always be playing some Brazilian music from their dingy little CD player.

Some things in life provide a sense of nostalgia that you want to hang onto forever. Almost like a comfort book that you would read every year at a certain time because it gives you good memories.

I tend to grasp onto things that give me that feeling.

The first time I ever watched a Marvel movie I felt entranced. I remember leaving the theatre as a kid and it was all I could think about.

Now I religiously watch every new marvel movie that comes out.

My fingers instinctively lift to touch the charm on my chain. A very small Avengers symbol lays against my neck.

Jesse called me a nerd. But Gracie gets mad when I don't wear it so I guess I'll just have to be a nerd.

"I get it," Annalise's voice snaps me back into reality.

I look to her. "What's yours?"

She takes a second to think. "Reading and playing music loudly in my headphones."

I lift my eyebrow, confused. "You read while music is blasted in your ears?"

She nods and wipes her hands on her jeans. "Reading gives me the ability to a life different than my own. And music blocks everything out," she admits, letting out a breath.

"What do you mean block everything out?," I ask after a second.

She doesn't respond for a while and I grow uneasy.

"Voices...and stuff." Her voice goes a little quieter.

I observe the side of her face since she doesn't meet my eyes. Instead her eyes look everywhere but mine, letting me know she's nervous.