Look to the Skies

I decided to take Marin up on her offer, and the next day I found myself sneaking out of the apartment to go back to the record store. Tom, Max and Jay had taken advantage of some free time and had gone out for the night, drinking themselves dead. They probably wouldn’t stumble back home until the late hours of the morning, and Siva was off visiting his girlfriend.

I was free to go do what I wanted without having to worry about them holding me back. They didn’t want to let me outside, to endanger myself and others if I lost control.

The night air was slightly chilled, but it still held the humidity and mugginess that was L.A. The sun was just beginning to dip below the horizon, and everything was cast in red and orange hues, shadows just beginning to dance.

I walked the couple of blocks to the record store, a path that seemed so familiar to me by now. Most of the other little shops lining the crowded street were closing up, their lights being flicked off. I glanced down at my watch and saw it was almost seven. I hadn’t realized it had gotten so late.

The record store was still illuminated though, and I stood a few storefronts away, warring with myself. Would it really be such a good idea to go see her? Were the guys right that this wasn’t good for me? My teeth chewed on my bottom lip for a second, and what seemed for the millionth time I forgot how sharp they were, and the fragile skin split open. I tasted the metallic tang of blood and grimaced.

That’s when the shop’s lights turned off, and someone came out the front door, arms laden down with boxes. I jogged forward a little, saw the unmistakable strawberry hair and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Marin?”

She jumped, and one of the boxes tumbled to the ground, papers fluttering everywhere.

“Oh, shit, I’m sorry,” I said instantly. I bent down to shuffle the papers back into a neat little stack and put them back in the box. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Nathan, what are you doing here?” she asked.

She shuffled her feet a little bit, drawing my attention. She had another pair of sandals on, these ones a dark, cobalt blue with gold studs, the toes tipped in black polish. I hefted the box into my arms and straightened.

“I just thought I’d take you up on your offer and check out some music. But I can see I’m a little late.” My eyes drifted to the darkened windows, disappointed.

“Yeah, sorry. We close early on Thursdays. We’re normally open until eight,” she chuckled lightly, and shook her head. “I was actually going to leave at six, but ya know. Stuff happens.”

“I know what you mean.”

There was a moment of awkward silence and I mentally yelled at myself.

Come on, don’t be such a prat. Ask her to dinner or something.

“I don’t mean for this to sound like a come-on, but I live like, two doors over. If you want to come up for a cup of coffee?” she asked, slightly hopeful.

Oh, God. I shouldn’t do this. The guys were right that it wasn’t a good idea. I shouldn’t-

“Sure. I’d love to.”

Marin grinned and motioned for me to follow. We stopped at the only door that didn’t seem to lead to a store, and she fumbled for a set of keys in her jeans pocket. The door opened onto a hallway and one flight of stairs.

“Come on. I live on the second floor.”

She climbed up the stairs in front of me, hips swaying in those tight jeans and I had to swallow at the sudden lump in my throat.

“Thanks for helping me with that box, by the way. I nearly dropped it three times leaving the store. I couldn’t imagine how terrible it would’ve been if I had tried to carry all of them up these stairs.”

She stopped at the landing and waited for me to meet her.

“No problem.”

Her grin was so wide and sunny that it made my heart ache. She stopped at a door marked with a ‘3’ and unlocked it.

I wasn’t sure what I had been expecting, but whatever it was, her apartment looked nothing like it. It was done up in lots of warm tones, with the occasional splash of green or blue. The front door had opened up into a small hallway that looked out into the living room. One wall was lined with ceiling-to-floor bookcases, stuffed full. There was a green couch and dark wood coffee table that had a partially folded basket of clothes sitting on it. A TV was sitting on a stand across from it, flanked by two tall, leafy plants.

“Sorry for the mess,” she apologized, setting the pile in her arms next to a side table. “You can drop the box anywhere.”

Marin moved into the room, scooped all the clothes back into the basket, and started clearing everything quickly. I set the box down next to the couch and watched her flit around.

“It’s all good,” I chuckled. “You should see my place.”

“I’m guessing you live with your band mates?”

“Mhm,” I hummed in response, glancing around.

She dropped a pair of shoes into the basket and walked down a different hallway with it. She opened a door and slipped inside it quickly.

I took the brief moment to look around more closely. There was a shelf above the TV littered with snow gloves of different sizes, and paintings hung on every possible wall space. I noticed a pair of slippers shoved under the armchair in a corner, a fuzzy blanket thrown over the back of the chair.

It looked so lived in.

Between the living room and kitchen, was a wall with a built in fish tank. I wandered over to it and watched the tropical, bright fishes swim around.

Meow.

I looked down at my feet, at the slinky gray-striped cat rubbing against my legs. It jumped up onto the aquarium’s ledge and sat back on its hind legs. There was white fur lined around the yellow-green eyes that it leveled at me.

“What?” I asked it.

Meow

“I see you’ve met Albus.”

I glanced behind to see Marin coming down the hallway. She had shucked her sandals and heavy cream-colored sweater, leaving her only in a navy tank and those tight, tight black jeans that molded to her hips perfectly.

“Albus?” I asked incredulously. “As in Albus Dumbledore?”

“Yeah. My little brother named him,” she laughed. As she talked, she lifted the cascade of sunrise hair around her shoulders up into a bun on the top of her head. “We were pretty Harry Potter obsessed as kids.”

Meow. Albus was looking at me with contempt, his bright eyes appearing way too intelligent for a cat. He seemed to look me over, before deciding I wasn’t important. He bent his head down and started to lick his front paws.

“I don’t think he likes me very much,” I frowned.

Marin sidled up next to me and started to scratch behind Albus’ ears. Even from a few feet away, I could hear the loud purr vibrating through his little body.

“It’s kind of odd actually. He usually warms up to people super-fast.”

I really wasn’t focused on anything she was saying, because the warm scent drifting from her skin was clouding my brain and making it hard to think anything. She smelled so fresh, and clean, like wildflowers soaked in rain. I inhaled a deep breath of it, felt it sinking all the way into my bones.

But when she turned to look up at me, those soft violet eyes widened comically, I realized I had moved closer than intended. Some of her silky hair had escaped the bun and was curling around her neck, the hair looking baby-soft. That pink, little tongue darted out to moisten her lips and something low in my abdomen clenched.

I would give anything to bend down and taste that delectable tongue.

“Nathan, I-“

I’m bulletproof, nothing to lose, fire away, fire away.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and checked the screen. Siva. I clicked ‘ignore’ and shoved it back in.

“Not important, I take it?” she asked.

A few seconds later the damned piece of technology beeped and I groaned. It was a text message from him this time.

Nath, where are you? We thought you were staying home. I already called the guys and they’re on their way. Hurry back or we’ll come find you.

“Marin, I’m really sorry but I have to go.”

“So it was important, huh?”

“Yeah, kind of. Rain check on the coffee?”

“Yeah, definitely. Maybe I could, um, get your number?” There was a slight tremor to her voice that was so endearing.

“Why don’t you put yours in my phone?” I unlocked the phone and handed it over to her. After a few seconds she passed it back, a little smile gracing her lips. “Thanks. I’ll call you or something.”

“See ya, Nathan.”

With one last inhalation of her sweet fragrance, I left the apartment. Halfway down the steps, I checked my phone and saw the little smiley face next to her name in the contacts.