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He tapped his fingers against the wooden counter, staring at the traffic outside. Louis started to count every red car (19) then every white car (28). Working in a music store was nothing like he had anticipated, to be blunt it was so incredibly boring. What he would give to be able to play one of the pianos, but his boss would reprimand him. It would play in his head like a mantra, "The instruments are not there for your free time!"There was always Marlon, Louis glanced into the storeroom and saw his friend organising records into their appropriate crates. He was more diligent than Louis was, something their boss liked to remind him of. He slammed his head against the counter, praying for something, anything interesting to happen.The ringing of the bell at the front door multiplied the weight in Louis's shoulders, probably just another soccer mom wanting to buy their reluctant child something. Slowly he lifted his head back up "Can I help you with any-"His breath got caught in the back of his throat, she was certainly no soccer mom. "-Thing?"She noticed his faltering words, giving him a puzzled look. "Hi...I'm just here to look at guitars."Louis immediately ran a hand through his hair, trying to recompose himself. She was very, very pretty. She had short curly hair in messy pigtails that somehow framed her small face perfectly. He mentally slapped himself, a cute girl in his presence and he wasn't being theatrical? What kind of world..."Well, you have walked into the right place," Louis clasped his hands together. "We mainly provide guitars with nylon-strings."She turned to look at the ever-so-impressive wall of guitars, all calling out to her. "That's cool, I'm looking for a classical guitar. Can I uh, pick one up?"Louis could hear his boss screaming in his head. "When people touch guitars they break them! Only staff can lift them.""Of course!"The girl slowly reached for a cedar guitar, giving Louis immediate hints on what type of sound she was hunting for. She held it close to her body, fingers morphing into an odd shape. "You play for fun or are you in a band?"She smiled to herself as she strummed the guitar, it somehow sounded so much better coming from her small hands. "Just for fun. You play anything?"Louis motioned to the keyboards on the other side of the store. "The piano is my muse, but not electrical. I prefer the classic piano, with strings. I find it sounds better. I have a Perzina - I call it Perry - it sounds so...I sound so dorky." He laughed to drown out his embarrassment.This mysterious girl knew what he was talking about. Electronic instruments could never compete with the history of the classic ones, in her mind's eye at least. "My dad played the guitar when I was a kid, it could be heard from everywhere in the house."She spoke with such grace Louis hoped she never left the store just so he could hear her more. "Does he still play?"Her face instantly fell, her eyes wandering to the shiny floor. "No, he doesn't."There was something more to the tale but Louis didn't press it. "Well, you interested in the one you're...grasping very tightly?"The girl eyed the guitar up and down, examining everything it offered. "Yeah, I think I am." She loosened her grip on the neck and gave Louis a reassuring smile. He guided her over to the front counter, sadness started to slowly grow in him as he realised their beautiful little meeting was coming to a close, so Louis may or may not have punched in the barcode slower than usual."I haven't seen you in the market before, are you a newcomer or a hermit?"She rolled her eyes at such a dumb joke but her smile said otherwise. "I'm not a hermit, I just moved here all the way from Savannah.""That's pretty far. What made you decide to move?" His fingers grazed the register, eager to hear more about her life story."There was just a lot of bad memories at home, thought a fresh start would allow me to find the thing I've been looking for," She sounded so hopeful and sure of herself, it was admiring. She pulled her wallet out of her little backpack and paid for the guitar. "I'll see you around, Perzina guy."She strutted out the store with a fiery gaze, definitely on a march for something. Louis watched her walk until she turned out of sight, immediately missing her. She was so strange, mysterious and yet aloof. Some small part of him hoped he'd see her again, another part knew he would.-"You been to that new Antique store across the road?"Louis looked out the window and saw what Marlon was talking about, the once abandoned space had been refurbished into a store filled with antiques of all kinds. "Not yet, looks a little dull," History certainly interested him, but what's so interesting about old dusty artefacts? "It'll certainly beat tuning these damn guitars."These damn guitars that reminded him of the girl he hadn't seen for a few days, but Marlon didn't need to know that."Gimme a few minutes, I'm taking my break early." Louis yanked off his lanyard and threw it at Marlon's face."Hey! You can't leave me to do all the work you asshole!" He yelled after his supposed best friend, a title he'd have to reconsider.Louis strutted across the empty street, no one shops on a Tuesday morning. It was just one of those days. Out front the little store were small tables carrying an assortment of items; from teacups to clocks to figurines. He slowly walked into the quiet space, immediately being surprised by how much stuff there was. Who the hell had time to collect this?"Hey there," Louis looked ahead and saw a tall man holding a box marked FRAGILE. "If you spot anything you like give us a call, just don't break anything or you will pay for it." He gave Louis an affirming nod before walking into the storeroom. Some of the antiques were quite charming, maybe it wasn't so dull after all. Louis started wandering around the store, fingers gently brushing over some of the porcelain items."You need a hand?"He looked over his shoulder and almost fell onto his ass, and judging by her face she almost did too."Hey, it's Perzina guy," It was her, the mystery girl. "Didn't expect to see you in here so soon."Louis straightened out his jacket in an attempt to look somewhat cool. "Well, I do work across the street, gotta check out the competition."Seriously? We're automatically competing?" She started flipping the pen in her hand between her fingers, intimidating Louis just a fraction."You just know that people love music more than ancient history," He folded his arms, somehow their conversation was turning into a battle of wits. "Like what's so interesting about...this damn spoon?" Louis gestured to a set of tarnished silver cutlery sitting on a small desk.She raised an eyebrow at his uncertainty, raising the spoon in front of him. "How much would you sell this for?"He shrugged. "Fifty cents.""Antique silverware is often pretty valuable, especially flatware that's actually silver, real silver will typically look tarnished. Authentic silver will also make a ringing sound if you tap it," She did so and caused that very ringing. "This is Gorham silver, first made in 1899, this Buttercup spoon was one of the most popular sterling silverware patterns. With this set of four, it's worth up to a six-hundred dollars if sold to the right person. If you want the biggest bang for your buck, you need to know what your shit is worth."She wished she had a camera to capture the dumb-struck look on his face, it's the same one her little brother used to make when she caught his nose. She gently set the spoon back down with the others. "Everything in this shop has a story, worth a hell of a lot more than just fifty cents." She breezed by him and started to take stock again, leaving him in a perpetual state of astonishment."Hey, wait up," He broke out of his state of mind when he noticed she was no longer standing across from him. "What's your name?""Clementine, what's yours?"
A pretty name for a pretty face.
"Louis,"
And a charming name for a charming boy.
"So Clem, what made you decide to work in an antique store?""It's kind of a no-brainer, but it's fascinating for me. The journey these items took to still be around today is a story in itself," Her eyes glowed as she stared at the fine detail on a wooden clock, she was so passionate about these little items, it made Louis's heart go crazy. "Sorry for my enthusiasm."Louis bumped her hip. "I like your enthusiasm."Clementine couldn't help but stare at him with such admiration, most of the people she rambled to about her passion would give her an odd glance, but this boy somehow understood everything without having a single clue about antiques. It was then she noticed how his deep brown eyes matched so much of the old furniture she admires.A deep cough forced them to break eye contact, Clementine turned to the sound and saw her boss eyeing them down. "You finished taking stock, Clem?""Almost done Lee!" She hollered, rewarding a head nod from the guy. "I should get back to work, thanks for stopping by.""Anytime - well - not anytime, I do have to work...shit I have to work!" Panic started to spread as Louis remembered his blonde friend having to tune guitars alone, what's a man to do without his musically inclined friend? "I gotta go, it was great talking to you Clementine, and for the record, my store will win!" He called out as he bolted out the wire door, missing Clem's breathy chuckle.She tried to finish her stocktake but her mind kept wandering back to Louis, even her eyes would occasionally flicker over to the store across the street, wishing that he would come back and entertain her more. Clementine set down the stocktake sheet on the counter, wondering if she had found the very thing she was looking for.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"What time does the bus usually get here?""Let's see, about ten minutes ago.""Oh."Of course, the damn bus was late. On most days it was on time, right to the minute. Louis broke his attention from the setting sun onto his cracked watch, checking it for the third time. Had the damn thing finally broken?Clementine threw her empty Coke can into the bin beside her, smiling at her successful shot. All that time spent playing Paper Toss came in handy. "I hope there wasn't an accident." The torrential rainfall the town had been receiving the past few days had resulted in a couple collisions, arrogant assholes who thought they could make the green light in time.Louis popped a piece of gum into his mouth, trying to keep his obnoxious chewing to a minimum. "Wilson is a safe driver, probably just some traffic build up."Of course, this damn bus runs late the day Clementine has to catch it. Lee needed to stay behind, finish some tidying and organise the days' wages, he let Clementine go home early after her fourth yawn within three minutes.Normally Louis would chuck his headphones on and shuffle through whatever playlist appealed to him, maybe even make up a little dance. But that seems rude in the presence of an acquaintance. And a pretty one at that."Do you want to play a game to pass the time?"
Wow, what a unique way to get to know this girl. Dickhead.
"Why not. What game were you thinking?"Louis straightened his fingerless gloves like the showman he was, a chance to impress someone was a chance taken. "Well, it's not technically a game,"She scoffed. "Liar.""It's basically Truth or Dare but without the dares. Usually, it's played with cards, but I left my pack at home." Louis turned his pockets inside to show her."Fine," Clem sighed, her warm breath creating smoke that flowed out of her mouth like a dragon. "You go first."Louis considered this a win. "Do you usually catch the bus? I just want to know if your presence will be around in the future to delight me." He sent a dramatic wink her way, his signature move."Not really. It's a twenty-minute drive to the shop but my car is a wreck right now, so bus it is," She shuddered at the thought of walking home alone at night. Once was enough. "My turn. How long have you been working at that music shop for?""Since it first opened about a year ago. I was so excited to be working there but now there's a new manager and he's making life shit." Louis remembered the day he saw an ad in the paper for a new music shop opening on the corner, his screams almost burst Marlon's eardrums."Ouch. I'm lucky then, my boss is actually my dad. Well, adoptive dad technically. He always wanted a family business, that's why we moved down here."Louis leaned against the telegraph pole, his coat doing nothing to stop the cold from seeping through. "Damn, you are lucky. He seems cool."Clementine smiled fondly. "Yeah, he is. He took me in when I was eight," She swallowed the lump in her throat at the thought of her time without Lee. "What about you? What's your family like?" "We're not that closely knit. I moved away about a year ago with my friend Marlon, been here ever since." Now that was an exciting day. He and Marlon had been planning to live together since they were fourteen, to have the freedom to do whatever they wanted. Adulthood had taken a turn for the worse, the sore reality of work and living expenses punched them both in the gut."Is that our bus?" Clementine pointed to two white lights merging from the horizon, realising her suspicions were correct when she saw the elderly driver through the window. "Finally."Louis dug around in his back pocket for his trusty bus pass. "My lazy ass is ready to sit down," The bus screeched to a halt beside them, spraying murky rainwater onto their ankles. "Good evening Wilson." Louis tipped an imaginary hat to the bus driver, who smiled back gratefully.He and Clementine sat towards the back of the bus behind a young man and what appeared to be his son. Clementine nabbed the window seat, creating patterns between the raindrops left behind on the glass.Louis set himself down beside her, shaking his boots dry. "Favourite colour?""Red. You?'"Blue," His eyes lit up at the coincidence. "Maybe one day we'll make the colour purple. Get it? Cause red and blue makes purple-"Clementine raised her hand, shushing Louis. "Yeah, I get it. What are you insinuating?""I don't even know. Your turn."She couldn't stay annoyed at him, not with that childish grin he always seemed to have switched on. "Favourite cafe in town?"Louis slapped his knee, making the little boy sitting in front of him jump. "Oh my god-okay so my friend Omar owns this amazing cafe down the street, he is seriously the best chef. His stew is to die for. I tried to convince him to call it 'Stew with Lou' but he didn't seem too impressed.""Sounds nice, I'll have to give it a go sometime." Clementine looked out onto the street, the lights illuminating the small houses and shops. How her, Lee and her little brother were able to uncover this little corner of the world was beyond her."Maybe I'll take you someday," He mumbled under his breath, his own special promise. "What are some small things that make your day better?"Clementine chuckled. "Whenever my little brother grabs my hand. Even if he doesn't want anything, just makes me feel good." Her fingers traced her palms lightly, giving herself a gentle shiver. Seeing his beaming smile whenever she got homemade the dull ache in her chest disappear."Well that's really sweet," Louis hung his head low. He hadn't seen his little brother since he left home, his small face and gapped teeth brought on a sombre smile."So, what shows are you into?" She noticed the way his smile fell, how his glowing eyes melted into a stale form, what mystery was this boy hiding?
There's the historian again, wanting to unearth the past.
Louis presented his best artificial smile, it had gotten him out of many challenges before. "Doctor Who.""Seriously?""Hey don't knock it till you've tried it-""I have, it's okay." Clementine rolled her eyes. Lee loved it, that show is the most relaxing twenty-five minutes of his day.Louis rested his feet against the seat in front of him. "Really? You seem like the type to watch slow ass shows like Downton Abbey, then again it could be worse.""Oi, watch it spaceman.""Oi, watch it earth girl."Silence fell over them for a brief second, their smiles only growing bigger and bigger before immediately cackling like little kids at a birthday party, their shared knowledge going over the heads of the two people in front of them. Luckily it was their stop, they eagerly left Louis and Clem to their own mad devices."I think we scared them away," Clementine spat between bursts of laughter. Her body had moved closer to Louis, their elbows and knees hitting each other as their bodies trembled. Not that either party was complaining, not one bit.Louis wiped the tears from his eyes. "They're fine. Which stop do you get off at?""It's the next one I'm pretty sure," Clementine straightened out her denim jacket, enjoying the pain either side of her stomach. It had been too long since she had a hearty laugh, it was therapeutic. "Which stop are you?"Louis eyed down the road in front of them. His stop wasn't for another ten minutes..."It's the next one too!"A little lie never hurt anyone, right?It was certainly worth it by how Clem's eyes lit up."Cool. Would it be okay if you walked me home? I don't like walking alone in the dark-""-Yes!"His answer was more enthusiastic than he liked it to be. It was supposed to be calm, suave and sophisticated. But no his heart jumped the gun as always.Clementine settled down her nerves. "Thanks." She muttered, biting her tongue to bury the laughter from coming back. She twiddled her thumbs as the bus came to a slow halt, the rain suddenly hammering down like bullets. "Shit, you don't happen to have an umbrella do you?"His hand flew into his satchel and revealed a large black umbrella. "I have been waiting for this moment my whole life."Clem gave him a hesitant smile. "And by that you mean...""Well, I carry this thing everywhere with me and my friends laugh at that since I haven't ever used it. But guess who's laughing now." Louis threw the umbrella over his shoulder, brandishing it like a weapon."Does that one have a name too?" Clementine and Louis both stood from their seat, making their way towards the front of the bus."How about Ursula? My favourite Disney villain," Louis waved goodbye to Wilson as he opened the umbrella, jumping into a puddle by the lamppost. "I'll never get too old for that. Disney and puddle jumping."Clementine hurried under the umbrella, sticking close to Louis. "I live right down the street, it's the house with the green roof." She gestured to a house towards the far end of the street, the only house with the front light on. Louis took smaller strides so Clem could keep up with him, one step to him was two for her.And it was absolutely adorable."How's the guitar going?" With every step they took Louis dreaded having to part ways with Clem, even if he was going to see her the very next day at their work. The rain blanketed them in a fantasy world where nothing could reach them, the outside world was a distant land. No pressures of work, no demanding customers. Just peace and shared knowledge."I'm really liking it. Thanks for your help by the way, when I came into the shop." Clementine enjoyed this cacoon, thanking her past self for leaving her umbrella at home. Louis bowed graciously. "Anytime my darling.""Oh my god, seriously?" She scoffed. If this boy was going where she thought he was..."Oh my darlin', oh my darlin', oh my daaarlin-"The punch to the forearm was enough to put the singing to an end. "Do you know how many times people have sung that to me?"Louis rubbed his aching arm, trying to figure out how a girl of her stature could deliver such a blow. "Not enough?"Clementine ignored him, the silence seemed to be the only way he'd understand how serious she was. "And here is my final stop," Her fingertips danced along the black fence surrounding her house. The kitchen light was on, most likely her brother finishing his homework. "Thanks for walking me home.""No problem. I'll always be here to help guide you through the night," Louis winked. He opened the gate for Clementine, chivalry wasn't dead yet. "Goodnight Clemster, I'll see you tomorrow."She gave him a slow wave. "Sleep tight Louis." She jogged up to her front door, fumbling with the door keys for longer than necessary.Louis waited till she was inside before continuing down the street, laughing into the cold and dreary night. "Right, now how the hell am I going to get home."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Clementine took another sip of her peppermint tea, basking in the warmth it provided. "Does it usually get this cold during winter?" The snow fell gracefully from the dark sky, blanketing the town in a white sheet."Unfortunately yeah. But it makes for some killer snowball fights," Louis munched down onto his croissant. Goddamn Omar never failed to amaze him. "Marlon and I get really into it, I stand as the champion.""You do have other friends, right?" She questioned. Louis only ever talked about his wacky adventures with Marlon, the boy seemed almost as mad as Lou. Probably why they were so close.Louis scoffed. "Of course, everyone loves me. Omar is my friend too, right dude?"Omar turned from a happy customer and his gentle smile shifted to a glare, directed specifically at Louis. "Run while you still can." He whispered to Clem.Clementine hid her snicker behind her large mug as Louis threw one of Clem's chips at Omid's back. "He secretly loves me.""Right," Her tone gave away her lack of belief and her annoyance at missing a chip. "Anyways, who's turn was it?""I believe it was mine. What is the last song you listened to?"Their bus ride game had somehow made it's way to their lunch break, the third lunch break they had shared together that week. Surprisingly, Clementine found it to be fun. "Young and Beautiful by Lana Del Rey. I was listening to it on the ride to work this morning."Louis tipped his cup of lemonade to her. "Good choice, so your car got fixed then?" Another piece of croissant flew into his mouth, it was addicting!Clementine giggled at how Louis ate his food. Why was it so cute? "Yes finally. No offence to the bus. So, What is your worst customer story?"It was a juicy question. Louis's ears perked up as a devilish smile grew. "I have the best one. I had only been working at the shop for a couple of months when this family of three walks in one day. As the parents are checking stuff out their kid goes batshit crazy, he's running around, touching everything, trying to take stuff off the walls and his parents aren't doing anything! I tell him to stop multiple times but he won't listen, so I got both of my keen eyes on this little dude until the old manager calls me into the back so I can unbox some CDs we ordered. As I'm back there, we hear this fucking banshee-like scream, turns out this kid had climbed the top of one of our drum sets, jumped off and landed on his spine on our spare snare drum stand we have sitting nearby."Clementine's jaw was hanging wide open like a fish."It gets worse. The mom marches up to me and starts going off at me, saying that I should have been watching her child. She starts talking to the manager about how incompetent I am meanwhile I'm standing there like an idiot. But my manager says to her how it's not my job to watch her child and how she should have told him to be more careful. Eventually, the family stormed out. Sometimes I wish the shop was idiot-proof.""Oh my god," She threw a hand over her mouth, trying to repress the laughter. "That sucks."Louis brushed it off. "It was, but it's funny to think about now," His water helped to clear the scratch at the back of his throat. "I wanna hear your story now. Any customers you wanted to beat over the head?""Mine isn't as exciting. It was a few days ago, this guy comes in wanting to return this antique Royal Doulton vase but it was way past the return date. He starts screaming but then he takes the vase and tries to throw it at Lee! Luckily he dodged it and threw the guy out."Now it was Louis's turn to look shocked. "Fuck...did you use your overly expensive spoons to attack him?""They are not expensive!" She took a piece of his croissant and threw it at his nose, time for him to lose his own food. "Dork."Louis dramatically placed a hand over his heart, squeezing his dark blue shirt. "Dork? That is a declaration of love if I've ever heard one.""Since when?"He shrugged. "Y'know, it goes alongside things like 'less than three' and 'Rawr XD. That's just how life works, so you love me." Louis wiggled his fine eyebrows.Clementine rolled her eyes at his gesture. "Don't flatter yourself.""That's all I do," He pushed his plate to the side and dusted off his hands of crumbs. "We still have fifteen minutes left of our break, anything else you wanted to do?"Clementine wiped her mouth clean. "Maybe we can just go for a walk in the snow?"
That's so fucking romantic. Louis, you marry this girl right now-
"Sounds like fun!" Louis waved at one of the waiters, getting him to come to their table. "Give my compliments to Chef Omar, tell him he has a lovely smile. Thank you!" He left the man a tip before waving at Omar. Begrudgingly, he waved back. Louis somehow manages to make his day better.Clementine picked up a palm full of snow and threw it into the air, twirling as it fell around her. "Despite how cold it gets, I do enjoy the snow." She looked like a winter fairy with those adorable earmuffs on.Louis smirked as he picked up a handful of snow. "Oh really?" He hummed, his batting arm pegged the snowball at the back of her head, exploding all over her hair. Louis erupted in laughter as Clementine froze, the snow was making its cold descent down her back.She slowly turned around, shooting daggers at Louis. "You asshole." She quickly scooped up her own snowball and planted it right in his face, snickering at how his nose scrunched. Those baseball lessons really paid off.He wiped the excess snow from his eyes. "This means war." Clementine ran down the pavement as Louis chased her with handfuls of snow, their laughter filling the ears of those who were forced to dodge them.He made an attempt to throw a snowball at her back but missed when she ran around a corner. "Just hold still!" He called out to her."We're enemies now! I will never surrender!" Clementine crafted an extra large snowball just for him. She turned on her heels in one swift movement and ran back at him, slamming the ball atop his head. Amongst the collision, Clem had lost her footing and tumbled down alongside Louis.Except she didn't land on the snow.The warm presence beneath her was comforting, she couldn't help but melt into it."Clem?" Clementine raised her head and pushed away some loose curls from her eyes. Below her own head was Louis, at very close proximity. "I love your eyes." He stated.The heat radiating from her cheeks could melt the snow. "What?"It was the first moment he could truly appreciate them. There were brown specks in them, a pool of honey and Earth. "It's just, your eyes are the colour of gold people spend lifetimes trying to find." He whispered only for her.Clementine found herself brushing the snow away from his freckled cheek, they looked like beautiful constellations. She gently grabbed ahold of the collar on his thick coat and closed the gap between them.And suddenly everything made sense.Her heart opened like a butterfly taking flight, the fact he was kissing her had her mind reeling. An explosion went off in Louis's own heart when he saw Clementine's flushed cheeks as she pulled away. It was official, he had died and gone to heaven."You're..uh..really pretty." He stuttered like the smooth criminal he is.She giggled. "You're pretty too. Sorry if I took you by surprise, I just-""-no it's great! I'm glad you did that. I've always wanted to kiss a cute girl whilst freezing my ass off in the snow in the middle of a busy street." He teased.She raised an eyebrow at him. "How specific." Clementine moved away and got back to her feet, her legs almost becoming jelly. Louis followed her and dusted the snow off his coat."What can I say? I'm a hopeless romantic," His eyes lingered on her hands, her light purple gloves made him smile for some reason. Cuteness perhaps? Everything about her was cute."Is it okay if I hold your hand?"Clementine snaked her fingers amongst his own. "I like you a lot Lou.""As do I Clemster," He brought her hand up and kissed her fuzzy gloves. "And if we don't leave now we'll be super later for work.""Oh shit."She and Louis ran like the wind down the crowded street, swerving between the judging stares of the people beside them. Clementine let go of his hand as she made her way across the street, desperate to get out of the growing winds. "I'll catch you later Clem!" He called out, his hand waving through the air furiously."Run you clever boy!"Louis stopped dead in his tracks, his shoes skidding along the snow. His head whipped up in time to catch her suave wink. With a smile that radiated good energy, he headed back into the store, punching the air once he knew he was safe from prying eyes."What the hell is wrong with you?"Okay, maybe he wasn't so safe.Marlon chucked the damp towel into the bucket. "Why do you look so...crazy?"Louis shrugged his coat off and chucked it over the counter, sending fragments of snow flying onto the floor. "I got to know a pretty face and electric soul."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Seriously dude, go home. I can clean up just fine by myself." Louis passed Marlon his third tissue, wincing at his violent sneeze. His third sneeze of that nature within the last ten minutes.Marlon quickly grabbed the tissue, emptying the contents of his nose into it. "Don't worry about me, I'm fine-d.""When you put a 'D' at the end of fine you're not fine," Louis teased, yet there was some merit to it. This idiot Marlon was showing telltale signs of illness; pale face, a blushed nose and non-stop sneezing. "We're closed now anyway, so technically you can leave."Marlon threw the tissue into the bin, straightening out his shirt. "I guess," He poked Louis's chest sharply. "Don't do anything stupid." His face screamed 'I am sick with the plague' but his eyes said 'I will kill you in your sleep if you try anything'.Louis feigned a laugh as he passed Marlon his jacket. "You'll be seeing it on the security cameras if I do. You still going to Brody's?" Marlon graciously took his winter coat, shrugging it over his shoulders."Not in this weather and not when I'm like this. I'll give her a call when I get home. Catch you later Lou." He gave Louis a classic finger gun as he trudged out onto the thick layer of snow outside. He quickly hobbled through, trying desperately to not fall on his ass.Louis grabbed the wooden broom from the far corner of the store, sweeping away a combination of dust and crumbs into a neat pile by the bin. "Cinderella has nothing on me."Suddenly the centre light above his head began to flicker like crazy. Louis had seen enough horror movies to know where this was going, but before he could reach the door for his getaway every light in the store went out."You gotta be fucking kidding me."Blackouts were common during snow storms, Louis had a small backpack hidden away in the storeroom for emergencies. It was originally his apocalypse survival bag, but that's just crazy! He dug around the backpack for one of the flashlights Mitch had given him after the store experienced their first blackout.
"Always be ready for anything dude."
Louis made a mental note to kiss Mitch next time he saw him.He fiercely pulled out the flashlight from it's hiding spot, his bright smile could threaten it. Louis pressed the small power button once, then twice...three, four, five times."I guess they're not kidding me," He huffed. It had been a while since he replaced the batteries. "Maybe Clem might have something I can borrow. A fancy candle or something." Louis glanced at the antique store from across the street, there didn't appear to be any lights on either. Also, an excuse to see Clementine was valid in every sense.Louis waddled through the snow like a baby penguin, some of it seeped into his shoes through the holes by his ankles. "Kiss Mitch, buy new shoes." He gently tapped his knuckles against the front door, trying to peek in through the frosted windows. It was eerily pitch black and Clementine wasn't answering the door.Louis slowly opened the door, flinching when it creaked. "Clemster, it's Louis. I'm coming in, please don't attack me." He called out into the desolate space. Never had it been so quiet or so cold. Louis closed the door behind him before treading lightly around the store, if he broke any of these artefacts he'd be making an early call with Death. His arms were waving around in front of him, trying to piece together where he was. "If I were in Bird Box I'd be fucking dead."There was a very faint light emerging from the gap beneath her storeroom door. It was soft but noticeable. Louis knocked on the door, hearing a soft gasp coming from inside. "Clementine? It's Louis, you in there?He heard very faint cries from inside, the light was trembling slightly. Louis immediately opened the door, stopping in his tracks when he saw Clementine cowering in the corner. Her head was buried in the crevices of her elbows, her body rocking back and forth. The flashlight was being grasped in her hand, squeezing the life out of it."Woah now," Louis immediately slid in the gap beside her, her cries becoming more audible. "What happened?""It's...it's the lights, the blackout." She murmured. Louis wrapped his arm around her, allowing Clem to fall into his body. She clutched at his shirt with a tight grip, her tears staining it."Where's Lee?"Clementine sniffled. "He went to an auction earlier today to pick up some more antiques for the store, he won't be back until tomorrow morning." It was just her and her little brother in the house, but of all the days Lee had to go trapesing off after some artefact, it's the day there is a blackout.Louis didn't like this, not one bit. "Okay, do you want to tell me what has you so upset?" She always seemed so strong, so level-headed. The flashlight in her hand began to flicker, sending the two into brief darkness. Clementine buried her face further onto Louis, squishing her nose.An ironic lightbulb went off inside Louis. "You're scared of the dark, aren't you?" He gently squeezed her shoulder. "That's why you don't like walking home alone at night."Clementine wiped her tears away with her sleeve. "Even with a light on, I still hate it," There were things that hid in the darkness; childhood monsters, recurring nightmares and haunting faces. They crept into her head, only disappearing at morning light. Lee was strong enough to help fight them, but without him..."Why are you here Lou?""My lights went out too and my flashlight wasn't working, I thought you might have a spare I could borrow. I think you need it more than I do." His goal had also changed too; get Clementine to laugh."You could have just used your phone flashlight."Oh, yeah. "Well, I also wanted to come and see you," He grinned. "Tell you what, I have a secret snack pile back at my store, you want to come over and we can have a spontaneous picnic?"Clementine had composed herself to the point where there were no more tears. "You have a secret snack pile at work?""Who doesn't?" Louis completed his goal. It was rough and broken, but she laughed. "Is that a yes?"She nodded. "Yeah, you better have good snacks."Louis quickly stood before her and let out his hand. "Only the best," Clementine embraced his hand, squealing at how easily he lifted her from the ground. "There's Skittles, Sour Worms, basically anything that has preservatives.""Well you certainly have a sweet tooth," Clementine reached for the spare flashlight on the top shelf. Before she could even touch it Louis reached over her head and took it down for her, casually juggling it between his hands. "Show off." She mumbled."Don't blame me, blame my genetics," Together they made their way through the store, with Louis by her side Clementine was a little less afraid of what the dark had to offer. He helped her make her way through the snow, the blanket that covered the entire street somehow seemed thicker. "You'll find the snacks in a little red box on the top shelf in the storeroom, it's the best place to hide it from my boss and don't worry, it isn't that high." Louis flipped through the keys before finding the one for the front door.Clementine slid her way through the darkness carefully and into the cramped storeroom, ignoring Louis's jab at her height. She turned the flashlight to the shelf and pulled out said red box, barely needing to stand on her tiptoes. Grabbing the box by its handle, Clem pulled it towards her and accidentally took down with it a black satchel. Everything inside it split by her feet, it seemed to be random junk; a couple of pens, a notebook, a pack of gum, headphones and a loose piece of paper.Clementine scooped up the mess swiftly, her curious eyes glancing at the exposed piece of crumpled paper. She slowly unwrapped the paper, trying to make sense of the rushed handwriting. "Lou, what's this?"And like a cheetah bouncing after its prey, Louis leapt through the open door and snatched the paper from Clem's hand. "Nothing, I have no idea what you're talking about."She pointed to the obvious ball of paper glued to his hand. "Don't play dumb with me."Louis sighed, preparing himself for the ridiculing he was about to face. "Sometimes whenever I'm bored I write poems." He felt his body retreat back into itself, everyone always made fun of his poetry-"Really? That's pretty cool," Clementine leaned against the wall, opposing Louis. "Can I hear it?"She somehow magically played the strings to his heart, did she really want to hear? He saw the curiosity burning in her eyes. "I can't say no to a face like that," Louis took in a deep breath, bracing himself for the hard impact. "With all that remains, dare I say, she takes me back to my best days."The softest smile graced Clem's face. "That's really sweet Louis. Do you have a favourite poem?""I do! It's by Shel Silverstein, it's about this girl who is blue and she's going around trying to find someone else who is blue but she is wearing a mask and the other blue person is also wearing a mask so the two just walk right by each other. They never knew that there was another blue person out there because they weren't being their true self, it ties in with my life motto. You just need to be the best you possible and all of the good people will come out of the woodworks," Louis smirked. It wasn't life advice he had always followed, especially when he was living under his parents' law. "Do you have a favourite poem by any chance?"Clementine tried to remember all the poems she had to study for her English class in high school. "To This Day by Shane Koyczan. It's about bullying and since I was bullied in high school it just resonates with me."Louis's shoulders fell. "You were bullied? What for?""Some kids in my school found out I was adopted and felt the need to make it their business. It stopped after I socked a kid in his dick." She giggled, making Louis just a tiny bit afraid.He pulled at the collar of his work shirt, trying to suppress the lump in his throat. "What uh, happened to your birth parents? If you don't mind me asking."Clementine crossed her arms and looked at the cracks in the floor. "They went on vacation when I was eight and never came back. I was put into the adoption system after that, luckily Lee found me and took care of me not long after." It was the best day of her life. She was sitting in the playroom of the adoption centre when Lee leaned down to her height and asked about her drawings."Oh, I'm sorry Clem," Louis gently kicked his own ankle as punishment for prying. "I can tell you about my family, to make it even."Clementine pulled up a chair. "I was hoping to know more about you than random small talk, considering that we're now...y'know, dating.""So we are dating? I like that very much," He grabbed another chair and sat directly across from her, her pretty face dangerously close to his own. "So like I told you, there's my mom, dad and my little brother. His name is Edward but I call him Teddy, he's turning twelve next month and I haven't seen him since I moved out. He's a good kid though, he sticks his tongue out when he colours. I could listen to his stories all day." Louis found himself falling into the past, a dangerous pathway for him to traipse down.Clementine waved her hand in front of his face. "Louis?"He shook his head from such daydreams. "Sorry, I just miss him. My parents kinda...forced me to move out before I was ready. I was relying on their money to help me find a place but then they cut me off after I told my dad I wouldn't be following the family business, telling me that I could either be happy or rich, not both. I chose happiness."She reached for his hand and held it softly, her thumb grazing his knuckles. "They kicked you out?""I mean, I had been wanting to move out but I just hadn't found an apartment yet. Marlon let me stay with him until we found a place together," Louis tried his best to smile past the painful memories. "So, you have a little brother don't you?"Clem knew what he was trying to do. "Yeah, he's only ten," And she played along. "He isn't my brother biologically. Lee was close friends with his parents, they were good people. His dad was gunned down during a robbery and his mom died during childbirth not long after. Since Lee was mentioned in their will as his next form of custody, he was given AJ.""AJ?""Alvin Junior. His dad's name was Alvin. His mom mentioned to Lee once how she wanted to honour her husband by naming their son after him," Clementine sniffled once more, surprised at how she still had tears to shed. "I was eleven when it all happened, I've watched him grow up."Louis swung her hand back and forth. "I'll have to meet him someday.""Bring him some sweets and he'll be your best friend," Clementine reached into the bag of Skittles and threw a purple one into her mouth. "I should probably go home soon, make sure he's okay."Louis glared at her. "You think you're going to be able to drive in this weather?" He gestured to the front door where snow was falling quickly to the ground. "The roads are covered in snow, you wouldn't get anywhere.""What the hell am I supposed to do then?""You could..." His foot tapped against the wooden floor on instinct, he stopped when an idea came to him. "You could stay at my place tonight."Louis couldn't tell if Clem wanted to slap or kiss him. She tried her best not to cough back up the Skittle she just had. "Seriously?""The bus is going to be late cause of the weather, so I was going to walk home anyway. I don't live too far. You can call your brother, sleep on my couch and I'll walk you home in the morning."Clementine tried to figure out his plan. "Don't you live close to me? I mean, you got off at the same stop as me on the bus.""Well, about that," Yeah he was going to get slapped. "I may have gotten off at an earlier stop so I could spend some more time with you...""Louis," Clementine leaned in closer and pecked his nose. "You're so weird."He giggled, trying to burn into his memory how soft her lips were. "Yet you're the one who kissed me first, admit it, we're both weird."Clementine rolled her eyes as she got up from her chair. "Did you wanna go now?" She was gently pulling at his arm like a bored child."Seems as though I don't have a choice," He allowed himself to be controlled by her strength, quickly grabbing his coat from the hook on the wall. "It'll be nice to have a companion to talk to again. I miss my bus buddy.""Why doesn't Marlon catch the bus with you?" She inquired.Louis opened the door for her gracefully. "He always visits his girlfriend after work and catches a later bus home. Usually, I don't mind being alone, I get to listen to my music and talk to Wilson. But now that I've been spoiled by your company I can't imagine anything less." It was true, the rides home were longer and the empty spot next to him was more noticeable."I hope I'm not intruding, would he be okay with this?" Clementine rubbed her shoulders ferociously. Of course, she left her damn jacket back at home.Louis had one arm in his jacket when he noticed her shivering. "You cold?"She shook her head. "I'll be fine-"There was no point in arguing with Louis, his jacket had been whipped off of his body and onto her shoulders within two seconds. The trench coat cascaded down her body, hovering slightly above the snow."Here, I hope this helps." Louis dusted off the snow that had already settled atop her hat. His coat was a blanket on her.
Don't combust from cuteness, don't combust from cuteness.
Clementine settled into the warm inner fur lining. "Thank you, Lou."He grabbed her hand once more and began to pull her along through the winter wonderland. "And don't worry about Marlon, he's a good guy. If by some chance he isn't okay with it he better be ready to catch these hands." Louis karate-chopped the air, feeling like a master of the air when he heard the 'whoosh'.Together they admired the few Christmas lights store-owners had begun to set up, some were extravagant whilst others kept it simple. "I need to put up my Christmas tree tomorrow." Clementine felt a rush of excitement, the tree decorating aspect was frustrating but AJ always got super keen about the bright lights, so it was all worth it."Marlon and I have a cactus in the kitchen we use as a Christmas tree. Her name is Carrie cause of her small red flower." Kiss Mitch, buy new shoes and get a new friend for Carrie.Louis pointed to a tall building around the corner. "That's me!""You do live close, seriously why do you catch the bus?""Cause Wilson, duh," He thought it was obvious. Louis skipped up the stairs leading to the ground floor of his apartment building. "Welcome to castle Louis, mi casa es su casa." He beat Clementine to the door, opening it for her again.She eyed him down as she entered the building. The walls were bathed in old artworks, Clementine was instantly drawn to an original Hans Heysen watercolour by the mailboxes. "If this painting ever goes on sale or gets thrown away let me know.""Sure thing my little historian," Clementine followed him up the stairs, wincing at how loud the neighbours were. "You learn to ignore them."Louis slowly turned the doorknob and stuck his head through the gap. Marlon was laying on the couch with a bottle of Pepsi in one hand and his phone in the other, his finger carefully typing away."Hey dude," Louis entered the quiet space, chucking his bag onto the small coffee table. "I brought home my girlfriend-friend." He stuttered over the term, was Clem his girlfriend now?Marlon almost spat out his drink. "So you're the girl he keeps spending his lunch breaks with," He set the drink down onto the table and rubbed his hands on his knees. "Nice to finally meet you. I'm Marlon."Clementine waved. "Nice to meet you too, I'm Clementine.""I've heard a lot about you. Louis here hasn't shut up about the pretty girl across the street."Louis stared Marlon dead in the eye and ran his finger along his throat slowly. "I will kill you." He mouthed.Marlon took his friends warning to heart. "What brings you here Clem?""It's not safe to drive in this weather and my home is a bit of a walk, so Louis is letting me stay the night if that's okay with you?" It was a lovely apartment. The walls were a faded green with pictures of Louis, Marlon and the rest of their friend group scattered around. They were smiling in every single one, doing various poses and funny faces."I don't mind, I'll make sure to not disturb you two." Marlon wiggled his eyebrows at Louis before grabbing his drink and sauntering to his bedroom."She's sleeping on the couch, you animal!" Louis kicked his shoes off and gestured for Clem to do the same. "Sorry about him, he is a fun guy to be around I swear."Clementine sat herself down on the lounge and pulled her phone out from her backpack. "I'm gonna call AJ, make sure he's okay.""And while you do that I'll grab some blankets and pillows." Louis headed down the small hall, clasping his hands together before opening the linen closet. The blue blanket and black pillow that had been hiding in the back corner of the closet for who knows how long called out to him, finally they had a purpose. Louis slid them both beneath his arm, hearing Clementine's soft-spoken voice made him smile, she was in his apartment!Clementine shoved the phone back into her bag. "AJ's okay, he still has power which is good. I told him to not answer the door until Lee gets home." She took the pillow from Louis and set it down along the side of the couch.Louis set the blanket down by the pillow. "Good advice. I hope the blanket is warm, our heater is broken at the moment.""I'm sure it'll be good, you've already done enough," She played with the sleeve of the coat, suddenly remembering that it wasn't hers. "Oh, here's your trench coat back. Thanks for letting me borrow it." Clementine slid it off and handed it back to Louis."Anytime Clemster. You need anything else?" Already he was wishing she would put it back on. Somehow it looked so much better on her.Clementine set her backpack onto the floor and threw the blanket over her body. "I'm alright Louis, thanks again for this."Louis leaned down and plucked her hat off, chucking it onto the coffee table. "Don't mention it. Goodnight Clem." He saluted."Sweet dreams Lou."Louis slowly turned on his heels and marched to his small bedroom. His soft bed sheets called his name as he fell face first onto his pillow. Sleep came fairly quickly for him, his dreams were blessed with visions of a beautiful girl laying in bed beside him, arms wrapped around his own.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
There was just darkness. Simple and suffocating darkness all around her. Clementine stretched out her hand, losing them to the dark. There was nothing, yet somehow everything felt..wrong. Oh so wrong.
"Stop it you're fine." She mumbled, her voice buzzing in the air above her. A slight breeze washed over her foot, causing Clementine to jump high into the air. Hidden amongst the darkness an empty row of nails began to surround her, creeping in from every direction. Clementine fell to her knees, desperate to sink into the floor and hide.
Her words couldn't break the silence. "Leave me alone." She gave a final cry before her vision went blurry, her lungs exploding in her chest.
The world around her fell together like puzzle pieces. Clementine immediately sat up, clutching the bed sheet that her legs were tangled in. Sweat collected beneath her knees, sending chills up along her thighs. A warm hand broke through her icy layer."Clem,"Her head followed the hand on her shoulder to the body it belonged to, finding Louis kneeling beside her, his brows furrowed deeply. "What's going on? You were shouting in your sleep," He brushed some damp curls from her face, his heart sinking at the tears welled up in her eyes.Clementine brought her knees up to her chest, holding herself tightly. "Yeah uh..it's fine.." She closed her eyes and took one long breath after another, thinking of the treehouse she had as a child. Lee told her to think of a peaceful place, a place where good memories hide."You wanna talk about it?" Louis whispered. He pulled the small lamp on the corner table closer to her, pushing away the darkness that always threatened her. "Sounded pretty serious." His pulse was running like a train in the night. Her screaming bloody murder had him thinking there was an intruder in the apartment, a physical threat would have been easier to deal with than an emotional manifestation that only she could see, that only she understood.Nevertheless, his grandmother taught him never to leave someone crying alone."I have bad dreams from time to time, it's nothing new." Clem kept her eyes focused on the soft light beside her. If she even dared look at Louis she would reveal anything and everything about her, why her dreams are there and why they'll never go away.Louis' eyes darted back and forth between her and the skinny hallway behind him. "Do you, uh...wanna stay in my bed? Just so you feel better!" He immediately adds to dial down her wide eyes. "You don't have to-""Okay," Part of her agrees just so she won't have to remain alone for the rest of the long night, the louder part of her brain agrees just so she can be closer to him. "I...don't really want to be alone." She voices the quiet side of her brain.Louis wiped both his palms against his pants, unsure of where to tread now. "Well, let's go then." This situation wasn't included in the etiquette lessons his mother taught him as a young boy. Was there a protocol? Maybe offer her a glass of water? Tequila??He would have grabbed her hand had his own not been sweating like crazy. They padded towards his room, both desperate to not wake Marlon. Somehow he remained asleep through the commotion.When in his room, Clementine immediately gestured to the piano in the corner of his room, it took up the majority of his living space, standing as his prized possession. "Hey, it's Perry." The piano gleamed beneath the pieces of moonlight that found their way in through the crack in his curtain.It was the first time Louis had noticed just how much space it soaked up in his room. It was also the first time both of them had felt a connection to an inanimate object. "I can't believe I said that to you in our first conversation." Who would have thought they would be where they are now when their first encounter was merely business?"It wasn't as dorky as you thought it was," Her voice was hushed, dim like the streetlamp outside. "I haven't given my guitar a name yet." With a slow movement, she presses her index finger against the A key, bouncing away at the surprising loud noise."There's a rule in this place, no music at night," Louis lowered his head, implying that this was a rule he was prone to disobeying. "So...""So..."Louis fumbled with the loose band of his flannel pants, trying to remember the French alphabet, the words to 'La Vie En Rose', how much money he had hiding away in his piggy bank. Anything to take his mind off the fact that a girl was in his room. His. Bedroom. This wasn't just any girl too, this was a girl he had a crush on. A girl who actively liked him back! "I'll...see you in the morning," It would have taken him an easy three strides to get out of his stuffy bedroom, but a small hand latched onto his arm halfway through his second step."You're going?" She didn't mean to sound so meek, desperate even. His exposed skin burned her fingertips in the best way possible, a feeling she wanted to remember.He almost looked like a puppy being given an unfamiliar order; head lunged to the side, big inquisitive eyes. "I don't wanna impose-""It's your room, Louis. You're not imposing." She gently tugged on his arm, bringing the two closer to his double bed shoved against the far corner by the window. Clementine slid her legs in one by one, immediately finding comfort in the cotton-polyester.Louis moved slower than her, making sure she had taken up her desired space before closing the blanket around them. "Goodnight, Clemster.""Night Lou. Thank you." Her slurred voice almost had him melting. It was odd to see this relaxed side of her and not the stoic face she puts on every day. The last thing he saw before drifting away again was the ghost of a smile on her face, blessing him with simple yet sweet dreams, just like her.-♥-Was there a better feeling than waking up to no alarm?Louis shifted amongst his blanket, blinking rapidly against the flakes of sunlight that greeted him through the curtain. His free arm stroked the other side of the bed, slowly caressing the empty space beside him. It was still slightly warm from her presence...her...her? Louis gripped the bedsheets with new-found adrenaline, his body sliding upright immediately."Clementine?" He called out. How did she slip away so quietly? Louis threw the sheets off his body, immediately freezing to the cold air hanging around. He reached for his dinosaur slippers, sliding them on one by one. His ears perked up when he heard giggles coming from the room next to his; the kitchen."Alright Lou, it's a brand new day." His voice was situated at its usual morning croak. A swift cup of tea with a spoonful of honey would fix that. He trudged into the bright kitchen where stains adorned every counter. A small breeze flew in through the open window and it carried itself along with the laughter of Clementine.Marlon noticed Louis' presence first, then again Clem had her eyes shut tightly to repress her tears. "Morning dude, I was just telling Clem here how you lost that tooth."His shoulders fell at having such an embarrassing secret revealed. "I was nine, cut me a little slack," Louis ignited the stovetop, choosing to focus on which flavour of tea to have. Peppermint or Apple Cinnamon? "Did he also tell you that it was his idea to climb that ridiculously tall tree in the first place?""No way," Marlon chewed up the rest of his toast before wiping the crumbs on his raggedy jeans. "You'll have to fight me another time cause I'm off to see Brody, my headache has gone so I can at least think properly."Louis chucked two teaspoons of sugar into his yellow mug. "You sure you're feeling better?"Marlon raised his hands in defence. "I'm fine." He tossed his winter coat over his should, beaming a smile full of pride. The power of a hot shower and NyQuil was stronger than he thought."Ah, no D at the end of fine this time. Carry on good sir." He waved his first mate out the door, nearly forgetting about the other presence lingering behind him. She made herself known by peeking over his shoulder, staring directly at the steaming kettle."I'm more of a coffee person myself."Louis turned around in one fluid motion, if he was an ultimate chef, he would totally whip out some expensive cutlery and hors d'oeuvres (who needs breakfast foods). "May I interest you in some mediocre Peppermint tea instead?"Clementine's smile somehow made the already sunlit room brighter. But soft what light through yonder window breaks... "No thanks.""Damn, I would have given it to you on the house," He quickly turned off the cooktop just as the kettle began to screech. The hot water was quickly thrown into a very scratched travel mug as Louis mixed the little bag of leaves around. "Y'know, 'cause you're cute.""I don't think that's how the exchange of goods and services works-""-Does now." Louis chucked the little spoon into the sink, the fresh smell of peppermint filled the small kitchen, even Clem had to admit it was appealing. They stood in silence as Louis sipped at his drink, playing off just how hot it really was.Clementine peaked a glance at her watch, a gift from Lee for her sixteenth birthday. "I should be heading home, don't want AJ to worry.""Your dad wouldn't be worried?""He hasn't called me yet, so I take that as a good sign. AJ always tries to protect me." Whenever Clem would awake from a nightmare AJ would be there at the ready, flashlight in hand to take down the monsters that threatened her."Let me walk you, it'll give me an excuse to get in my daily cardio," More like monthly cardio, but she doesn't need to know that. "I just gotta change my shoes, and pants, maybe my shirt too...gimme a minute to change my whole outfit." Louis bounded back to his room, eager to continue this already perfect morning.Within minutes, Louis was bounding out of his room in an entirely different getup; grey hoodie, his favourite black jeans (his only black jeans really) and a navy blue beanie. Or as Marlon would have called it 'fucking hipster getup'. "Hippity hoppity let's get back to your property.""Really? Hippity hoppity?""Let's just roll with it for now."Clem wrapped her jacket around her shoulders before heading out into the new day. A very cold day already, already feeling the need to shove her hands into her pockets."Getting cold already?" Louis teased, despite also shoving his hands into his large pockets. What is it with men's clothing having bigger pockets? "That's just Jack Frost nipping at your nose.""Jack Frost?""Y'know, like the fable? My brother loved those fairy tails and I loved reading them to him. There was Jack Frost, Snow White, Red Riding Hood and my personal favourite, The Little Mermaid.""I always liked Aladdin," As the snowflakes fluttered onto her feet, Clem wondered about this small town she now called home. It was all a fresh start, to put all that happened in Savannah behind her. Never in her wildest dreams had she expected to find someone as charming, funny and kind as the boy whistling beside her. "What are you whistling?""Just a small tune I've been working on.""Oh yeah? You write music?"Louis shrugged, brushing off the fact that he had a whole box of unwritten music hidden beneath his bed. "Occasionally, I reckon this is gonna be my greatest piece yet.""Really? What's it called?""I'm not sure yet. Maybe 'Clementine'. Y'know cause I like fruit...and I like you even more." He gently bumped her shoulder, his eyes locked onto his feet. Louis was a smart man and he knew that if he took one look into Clem's wide brown eyes he would melt quicker than the snow beneath his shoes.Soon enough her house came into sight, seeing Lee's snow-covered car in the driveway took a weight Clem hadn't realised was on her shoulders. "Nice to know he made it back safe." She skipped up the front steps and knocked with a little too much force.It didn't take long at all for the door to get pulled open rapidly. "Clem!" A small boy charged right at Clementine, bear tackling her leg. "You're back!"She pushed him off her leg and kneeled down to his height, pulling him into a proper hug. "Hey AJ, were you okay last night?"Louis' brain began to tick over. 'AJ...oh shit the little brother.'AJ squeezed the life out of his big sister. "I did what you said, kept the lights on and didn't open the doors for anyone.""Not even me," Lee hovered in the doorway to the kitchen, a dish towel flung over his shoulder. "Had to convince him that I was indeed the man I claimed to be."Clementine giggled, letting AJ run back to his colouring book. "Sounds rough," She fully embraced the tall man before her, letting any loose thoughts about her nightmare wash away. "Hey, Lee.""Hey there Sweetpea, you doing good?" His voice was soft, nothing compared to the booming roar that Louis' father used to speak with."I am," Her eyes glanced between Lee and Louis, wondering which of the two was more curious to know the other. "Lee, this is Louis. He works at the music shop across the street.""So you're the one who keeps her out longer than her scheduled lunch break?"Louis jolted out of his fake confidence. He hadn't been keeping her time that much...had he? "Uhh-sorry about that. She makes for good company."Lee clasped Louis' shoulder. "You and I can agree on that. Name's Lee, nice to meet you, Louis.""It's nice to meet you too, sir." He had never met a potential girlfriends parent before, you actually need to have a girlfriend for that. It was more nerve-wracking than performing on stage."C'mon Lou, I wanna show you something," Clem helped to subside the panic clearly growing on the poor boys face. Was this all too much for him? Meeting her family? "You don't have to stay, really. If you got places to go-""No, no it's fine! They seem real nice." Louis couldn't pinpoint the last time he was in a loving home; he was simply raised in a house, devoid of the attributes that strengthen a home and a family.Clem didn't dare to poke around in his private thoughts this time, if he wanted to talk about it more he would, instead she lead him up the stairs to the last door down the hall. A couple of stickers were peeling off from around the door handle. "AJ stuck those on when he was four, didn't have the heart to remove them."There were no visible stickers inside the room, but instead an absolute explosion of Clementine's personality. Purple walls with a wide array of photos, old and new, friends and family. Even some messy drawings, clearly done by AJ."I didn't bring you here to show you the photos," Her comment broke Louis out of his deep curiosity and instead got him looking at the corner by the window, where Clem was leaning against, a cedar guitar at her feet."Hey! It's the guitar I sold you!" Louis frantically pointed at the familiar guitar resting beside her bed, shining beneath the fresh sun.Clem always smiled at the memory, albeit an awkward first introduction. "I haven't given it a name yet, what would you suggest?"Louis hummed it over, his fingers stroking an invisible beard. "I reckon we shall name her...Ginny! Ginny the guitar!"Clementine stroked the neck of the guitar. "I like it. Ginny and Perry will have to get together sometime for a mashup.""Ohmigosh can I name their band?" Louis clapped his hands together as so many silly names flew through his head. "They're gonna take on the world!""Okay calm down cowboy, one step at a time." Just as Clem flopped down onto her bed, soft yellow bedsheets welcoming her home. AJ zoomed into the room, jumping on the pillow beside her head."Lee says we can finish putting up the decorations for the tree!"So much for hanging out with Louis. Repressing a sigh, she flung herself back to her feet. "Alrighty kiddo. Louis, you're strong, could you help Lee carry out the last couple boxes from the garage?" If she was going down, she was gonna take the last man standing with her."You're roping me into this? Luckily I'm very skilled in the art of decorating." He stood proudly, flexing whatever muscle he had on his arms, despite not having put up a single Christmas decoration in his own apartment yet.AJ left the room somehow quicker than he had entered, calling out for Lee to "get the boxes!"Clem slowly stretched out her back, her rough night of sleeping beginning to catch up on her. "Sorry about that, I know you probably didn't come over with this in mind."Louis waved his hand at her, brushing off the comment. "Don't worry about it, it could be nice to decorate. My family wasn't super big on it, a couple of odd decor items here and there. Could be fun to go all out." Putting up the tinsel was his favourite part, only because it was his brothers' favourite decor item."C'mon slowpokes, these decorations don't put themselves up!" This time it was Lee calling them from downstairs."We better go or we won't hear the end of it," The duo bounced down the stairs, both having to repress a laugh at AJ, who had already gotten himself tangled in a long rope of red tinsel. "Slow down kiddo, before you break something." Clem began to seek out the source of the knot, whereas Louis headed to the garage.
Be cool dude, don't say dumb shit that could get you thrown out.
The garage was a crypt of boxes, filled to the brim with furniture that hadn't been given a place yet. 'KITCHEN', 'FRAGILE', 'MORE KITCHEN'.Louis pushed past some of the boxes, finding where the Christmas ones were hiding. "Where did you move from again?" If he was good at anything, it was talking.Lee had already begun to lift one small box onto his shoulder. "Savannah. I was originally a Macon boy myself. After my marriage fell apart, I thought a change was what I needed."Louis pulled apart a box labelled 'TINSEL'. "You were married?""Yup, right as I got my teaching degree. I wanted a family, she wanted to travel. I guess she was right, I don't use my degree anymore. What about you Louis? You got family?"Louis tried to think of an answer that wouldn't sound so completely disheartening. "I do, we're not as close as what you, Clem and AJ are though.""Oh?""I kinda got kicked out,""Oh."Great. Him and his big mouth. "It wasn't anything bad! There was just a...disagreement that my father couldn't move on from. I have a little brother too, he's a couple years older than AJ." The only positive of his family life."How's he doing?"His brief silence gave Lee an unsettling answer. "I, uh...I haven't seen him for a while. Not since I left home.""I'm sorry, that would be difficult." Just like Clem, Lee didn't sound patronizing. Some only saw Louis as a broken man, rejected by his family. As much as it pained Louis to wonder, it seemed as if Lee knew exactly what that feeling was."I mean, it's not like I haven't tried. Things with my parents aren't that smooth." That was putting it mildly. His father threw some choice words when Louis took that final step out of his house. He didn't even look back.Lee shifted the box on his shoulder, gaining a smoother grip on the cardboard and his very own thoughts. "Lemme tell you a story. After I got divorced, my parents and I had a falling out. My wife was...cheating on me and I didn't take it very well. I left before I could do anything crazy. I kept in touch with my brother for a while but then he..." Lee shook the words from his head. "People say we don't get to pick our family, but that's bullshit. I picked Clem, all those years ago I got her. Then AJ, although I wish he didn't have to lose his parents.""Clem mentioned it the other night.""As much as I miss my parents, I would do it all again for those two. You got a family out there Louis, sometimes it just takes a while for us to find it."The silence wasn't awkward, for both men connected on a personal level. Lee had lived that life, Louis was just getting over it. No new words were needed. They knew."C'mon guys, AJ wants to decorate the tree!" Clem called from the living room, breaking the peace. A smaller voice echoed her words, further pushing the two men to work faster.Lee gently rolled his eyes at their eagerness. "Could you grab that box of tinsel over there? That should be the last of it," Lee nodded to a dusty box furthest away from the other decor items before heading back into the living room.Louis grunted a little beneath the weight of the boxes. "Probably should have gone to the gym with Mitch." He somehow got the boxes back inside, trying to not seem as breathless as he was.Lee was the first to open a box, pulling out a small reindeer ornament. "So Louis, Clem mentioned to me that you work in the music store across the street. You play anything?"Louis feigned the best heart eyes he could. "My pride and glory is my fifteen thousand dollar Perzina piano. Takes up the majority of space in my room but worth it."Clementine almost let the delicate bauble in her hands slip to the ground. "Did you just say...fifteen...thousand dollars? How...how did you get that?"Louis began unpacking the box with AJ, finding some golden lights inside. "My parents got it for me when I was a kid, they wanted me to learn only on the best." He was unbothered by Clem's garbled gasps. A connoisseur of fine music himself, he was unphased with the number he just said.Clementine was desperately trying to coax more information out of him. "Why did you take it with you? How would you even get it out of your house? That thing is huge!""It's one-hundred per cent German hand-made! I wasn't about to leave that at my parents' house!""I can't believe you gave me crap for the six-hundred dollar spoons! You could buy two sets of those spoons and still have some cash leftover." Clementine stood with her hands on her hips, the task of decorating now long gone from her mind.Louis rolled his eyes so far back they started to hurt a little. "My piano has a floating soundboard, a reverse-crown soundboard and a super-stretched bass bridge. All your spoons have is a ringing noise. Oh and the fact that they don't tarnish. Whoopee.""I don't see your piano being held in the National Museum of American History."It had somehow become a battle of wits, to see who could know the most about their respected work trade. AJ paid them no mind, a spoon is a spoon who cares? Whereas Lee hid his smile, trying to not burst out laughing at how ridiculous the two sounded. Yet it was clear, they held a close passion for their work. He tried oh so hard not to laugh, but a small croaked chuckle burst from Lee, gaining the attention of the two bickering adults. "Sorry, you both just seem to know so much about your work...maybe you two can open your own store someday," Lee slyly left the room, leaving Clementine and Louis to linger on that thought.Louis chucked on the last of the tinsel, thinking of a small corner store where he and Clem could sell all their hearts desired. A historian and a musician. "You know what, I'd like that very much."