Eyes Closed

the beginning

Chaeyoung slowly opened the front door to her favorite record shop and greeted the shop assistant.

"Hey Coley!" her voice echoed through the shop and about three people turned around to take a peek at her. Her clothes were drenched in water due to the rainstorm outside and her hair was messy, but her beauty still shined through. A wide smile appeared on her face as she unzipped her jacket and walked to the counter.

"Do you have anything new?" her voice was quieter now, and you could sense the excitement running through her body.

The girl on the other side of the counter giggled and reached for something under the desk. "I know you were here yesterday, but we do have a few new arrivals actually."

She pulled out a few vinyl records in shiny cases and a small cardboard box. She pointed to a some of the records and started naming the artists.

"I saved these for you because I knew you were searching for them."

Chaeyoung smiled and grabbed one of the cases. "Oh Coley! I don't deserve you." she ran her fingers over the glossy plastic, but her eyes were focused on something else.

"What about that other box though?" her voice was filled with curiosity.

The shop assistant looked surprised, but she still answered her question. "Oh, this? I dont know honestly. It's been here for a few days, some girl just came in and donated it. I haven't opened it yet, but im pretty sure she mentioned something about cassettes."

"Can I take a look?"

"Of course." Coley collected the vinyl records and stacked them on top of each other. "We don't sell cassette players though, so you won't be able to listen to them."

"My mom has one at home." Chaeyoung replied and opened the small cardboard box. Coley was right, it was filled with cassettes. Chaeyoung wasn't sure how many there were, but she grew more and more curious as she explored the package. Each cassette had a few words written on the back and a picture at the front. The photos were old and grainy, but Chaeyoung could tell it was the same girl over and over again, in different poses and places.

Her face was round and defined, with chubby cheeks and dark brown eyes. Chaeyoung found a picture she particularly liked. The girl was smiling and holding a small dog in her arms, her face radiated happiness and it felt as if she was subtly glowing. Chaeyoung was stunned. Something about this girl made her feel calm and at peace, yet curious and excited.

She put the cassette back into the box
"How much for all of these?"

The shop assistant raised her eyebrows and hesitated for a moment. "How many of them are there?"

Chaeyoung ran her fingers against the backs of the cassettes as she quickly counted them. "Twelve."

Coley shrugged, "What about ten bucks?"

"Deal." the taller girl took out a twenty dollar bill out of her pocket and put it on the counter. "I'll take the records too."

The shop assistant nodded and put all of the newly purchased items in a plastic bag. "I hope the cassettes were worth it."

Chaeyoung smiled. "So do I."