So Much (for) Stardust

I Saw You in a Bright Clear Field

A few moments of this went on until she wandered into the same aisle as him. At first, she didn’t seem to notice him, to which Darren took the chance to slowly back away only to freeze midstep when he heard her begin to speak.

“You know, if you’re going to follow someone around in a store, you can at least breathe through your nose.” She said as Darren’s eyes widened and his face became beet red.

“I - uh - sorry…” He said with a small, nervous tone in his voice. He slowly kept his gaze down, fearing he had really done it and had lost his newly found friend. Well, to him, at least, they were friends. She was always vague when they would contact each other, but that alone was enough allure for him to want to spend more time with her.

“It’s fine… it’s a free country, right?” She shrugged ever so slightly, grabbing an album from the shelf. “So, what made you come out here?”

“Oh, I wanted to clear my head…long day at the studio, you know?” Darren chuckled as Anna gave a soft hum in response.

“So you decided to raid a local record shop and blow your paycheck?”

“Uh, something like that. What about you?” He asked.

“Today’s my day off. Just wanted to see if I could find anything. Looks like I did.” She said, making her way up to the register.

“Huh, I - wait!” He called. Anna turned around, wondering why he would want her to wait so badly.

“Yeah?”

“Uh, what album did you grab? Sorry if I’m being nosy, I just…clearly I’m indecisive. Figured maybe seeing what you picked would help narrow my options?” A nervous chuckle left Darren as he waited for her response, only adding to his anxiety. Anna, however, felt stunned by the request. Almost as if it was mildly invasive. On the one hand, she could show him, allowing him to see a small glimpse into her world. On the other, she could just keep the mystery alive and well.

With a small breath, she turned the album to face him, revealing (What’s the Story?) Morning Glory by Oasis as the album in question. He noted how an album from 1995 seemed to have high significance to her.

“That’s a great choice. I guess that means I should just leave with a couple of these then. Um, if you don’t mind me being forward, I’d be happy to buy it for you.”

“Thanks for the offer, but I’m good.”

“Oh…okay. So I’ll see you around?”

“Yeah.” With that, Anna made her way to the register and then out the door.

Darren watched every step of the way, again noting her movements. He shook his head to snap himself out of his emotions and made his purchase.

When he arrived back at the apartment, it was around 6:30 P.M. and Leo was sitting on the couch watching TV still while Eric and Johnny were screaming at each other down the hallway over what sounded like a lost game of Mario Kart.

“Where the hell have you been?” Leo asked, not moving his eyes from the screen.

“Driving and then to a record shop.” Leo gave a soft nod while Darren set his bag down onto the table.

“Cool. You put gas in the van?”

“I always do.”

“So what’d you get?” Leo asked, hearing the bag rustle around.

“Just some old Bowie, Ramones, and Eagles CDs. There any food?”

“Yeah, we got some Chinese. There’s some left over for you if you want.”

“Thanks Leo.”

Leo gave a soft wave as Darren went to reheat the food, noting how the band had left a pile of paper plates near the sink and groaning softly. Though he didn’t bother to complain. He knew how tired they all were and figured at least one of them would want to clean it. If not, he would remind them of the chore chart Eric had made for all them.
When his food was ready, Darren sat by Leo in the living room with a breath.

“Any luck finding a group yet?” Darren asked. Leo gave a small huff and shook his head. “Leo…I know I sound like a broken record but remember what Mr. Costello said? You have to find a group here or else we take everything back to Chicago.”
Leo rolled his eyes as his friend’s words landed on his ears.

“I told you and money bags that I’m working on it. As soon as I find one, I’ll tell you. But for now, just drop it.” Darren gave a sad look but decided to not push any farther. He sighed, giving his friend a side hug before he began to eat his food.

“I ran into her today…” Darren said quietly as he munched on his food.

“Who?” Leo asked, raising a brow at his friend.

“Anna.”

“The girl from the concert? What, you ask her on a date?”

“No!” Darren cried as Leo only grinned in response. “I only said that I ran into her. How did you get, ‘ask her on a date,’ from that?”

“Hey, it’s a fair question seeing as she cut your hair…what, a week ago? Maybe try seeing her in person instead of waiting by your phone like a little lost puppy?” Leo replied, crossing his arms.

“You don’t get it.”

“Then help me get it. Because right now all I’m seeing is my best friend falling head over heels for someone who barely gives him the time of day.” 

Darren gave Leo a slight glare as he shoveled some food into his mouth.

“She’s… she’s just different. Something about her just drew me in. I can’t fully explain it. If I could, I would, I can’t. The only thing I can kind of explain is how much I want to get to know her. When she cut my hair, it was like she was a completely different person. Her smile, her laugh…I saw her.”

As Leo heard his friend's explanation, he couldn’t help but think of how much this girl who they only knew for a short time had such an effect on Darren. He felt a slight ache for Darren pinning the way he was. However, at the end of the day, this was his best friend. They supported each other in every aspect. From the moment they met, they were like brothers. Even when they got on each other's nerves, they were practically inseparable. With a soft breath, Leo finally said,

“Okay, I’ll make you a deal. You find a more functional way to get to know this girl, and I’ll find a group so we don’t have to go back to Chicago early. Sound fair?”
Darren stopped chewing on some chicken in his mouth and swallowed quietly.

“Promise?”

“Promise on a stack of bibles and all that shit. Womb to tomb?”

“Birth to Earth and I’ll live to regret it.” The boys clapped their hands together as they made their promise to one another. Darren, with a promise to be brave and Leo, a promise to get better.