"You can pull in here."
Chaeyoung points towards the plaza
He pulls in and parks
They unbuckle and get out the car,
Chaeyoung steps on the sidewalk and turns around to him
"Alright, my aunt is probably upstairs. Try to stay quiet so she doesn't come downstairs, I don't feel like being questioned."
Christian nods
She unlocks the entrance door and lets him in.
She closes the door and flips the 'on break' sign.
Christian stops at the tape shelf, looking at all the music. Rose passes him and heads to the cash register.
Taking her coat off and hanging it on the back of the front desk chair she watches him.
"Um, do you want me to take your jacket?"
She asks.
He turns with a cassette in his hands
"Hm." He nods a yes
She walks back over to him and waits for him to take off the jacket.
"Is there a genre or album you want to listen to? We can play it." With Christian at the shelf still she puts up his jacket.
"What do you suggest?" He looks over to her
"Ah, it's a quiet night, maybe R&B?"
He steps back from the shelf and waves his hand across it, an indicator for her to pick.
She stands in her spot for a couple of seconds before, once again, walking over to the tapes and cassettes.
"Actually there's a new release on the records. Have you heard of Sabrina Claudio?" She heads to the records and he follows along
"No I haven't, is she a new artist?"
"No, but I just found out about her. An amazing alternative R&B artist. She just released this." Chaeyoung
picks up a record vinyl
Sabrina Claudio, About Time
"You have a record
player for this?" He asks
"Yeah, it's late and I don't want to annoy my aunt so we can't use the stores. But I have this cute portable one. You can wear headphones with it."
She shoves the vinyl to his chest
Christian's face screws up. He pushes the record back towards Rosé
"I?" He touches his chest in a
questioning manner
Chaeyoung shifts all her weight on her leg
"Yeah, you. What's the problem?"
"We're not going to have a listening party together?"
"I don't know if you've forgotten
but I'm on my shift right now"
He looks around the shop
"Rosé, with all due respect, there's nobody here to put you working in this shift."
They stare at each other and Christian is the first to break. Both giggling, she hands him the vinyl.
"Don't mock me, I'm busy. Let me
give you the player."
They go to the cashier and Rose pulls out the mini player from under the front desk.
"I usually listen over there." She points to the shops showcase window.
It displays nothing right now, leaving a big enough ledge to sit and relax on.
"Here are the headphones." Headphones dangling in her hands she swipes some of her hair behind her ear.
"You invite me here only to have me on my lonesome." He sighs
"You invited yourself." She rebuttals
"I can't make sure that my date is safe?"
"Well.. I'm at my aunts place so."
He sighs again
"Gonna listen to this album all by myself."
He finds a seat at the window. Lifting one leg on the ledge and the other staying on the ground, his profile faces Chaeyoung.
She takes a seat back on the desks wheel chair, doing nothing really. Cause he is right, there's no customers and
her aunt already rang up the
stores earnings for the day.
She decides to draw on a notepad
to seem busy. Her first stroke doesn't even touch the page before she hears another sigh
Christian already put the record in
"Oh, if only there was someone to listen to this new Sabrina Claudio with me."
Rosé twitches but doesn't move
"That has- how many? Oh my gosh ten tracks!"
Chaeyoung takes a deep breath before turning to a smiling Christian.
He raises one ear bud to her
"Wanna join me?"
"Fine, three tracks only though.
I have work to do."
She uses her feet to wheel her chair towards him. She puts her hand out to
receive the bud.
Christian shakes his head a little before grabbing the chair handle and pulling her closer.
"How do you expect to listen when
you're five feet away?"
Taken out of shock Rose grabs the right ear bud and puts it in.
With the player balancing on Christians one leg she starts it. She also grabs the vinyl cover and reads the track list on the back
Natural is playing.
He hums in satisfaction for the soothing harmony and lays his head against the wall, eyes closed
"Why did you become a sugar baby?"
"Uh, how do I try to say it without sounding poor." She nervously laughs
He exhales through his
nose in a small laugh
Listening to the song it gets quiet.
Chaeyoung lifts her feet on the chair and builds up confidence to ask him the question.
Too afraid, she decides to keep quiet and stares down at her shoes.
The headphone coming out of her ear slightly with every movement, she pushes herself so she's beside Christian.
The second track plays.
Everlasting Love.
"You can ask me."
She turns and he's already
looking at her
She hesitates, but speaks
"Why did you become a
sugar- you know.."
He continues to stare at her
She flips her head to the opposite direction.
Cheeks going red.
She can't say it while staring at him and he knows.
He grins
Putting back on a straight face he playfully teases her
"Miss Rosé, why are you turning away from me? There's nothing weird
with saying sugar daddy?
Unless your mind is in the gutter?"
She slaps her hand over her mouth
and her ears become faintly red
Calming down a little bit she turns to him but doesn't look him in the eyes
"I know, I'm sorry. Ok, ok.
Why are you doing this?"
The third track plays.
Unravel Me.
He looks up, deciding to
ease off of her.
"I don't know to be honest. I guess to give gifts, maybe some affection. Something when I'm not working."
"Like a hobby?"
"Kind of. I had a few sugar relationships in the past and I would think that we were getting serious just for the girl to fuck me over." He confesses
"You're actually my first one in a long time." He gives a sad laugh
"May I ask what they did?"
"From cheating, stealing, being manipulative and overall batshit crazy, I think you could guess them all." He puts on a smile
Rose nods her head in understanding.
The fourth track plays.
Stand Still.
It gets quiet again.
Chaeyoung finds it weird how he tries to find a actual relationship through this sugar baby business.
He seems honestly drained though so she doesn't go on about it. She more
than likely will not be in his life
long enough for them to get there.
They sit in silence and listen to
the next three tracks
Wanna Know.
Frozen.
We Have Time.
The eighth track plays.
Used To.
It being more up beat than the rest of the songs it reminds Christian.
"In about a months time, I'm starting a new project for this artist and we'll be filming. I'll be in New York for a while."
"Can I know what artist?"
He contemplates.
"I don't think he released any
teasers for me to tell."
"Oh, ok. Do you get invited to
release parties?" She asks
"Yeah, I do. I'll take you don't worry."
The ninth track plays.
Wait.
"The chances are slim but if you
ever get invited to a black one,
I would be very excited to go."
Christian tilts his head in confusion
"Black?"
"Oh, I say black. People
say 'six-lack'."
He turns back around in realization
"He's your favourite artist?"
"No, but I really like him, he features on this album too! I saw him once a couple years back. He made me want to start a music career actually."
"Really? Have you made any
progress with that?"
He sits up and puts his leg off the edge. Body now facing the side of hers.
"No, I don't know where to start. I just have a book filled with lyrics"
Chaeyoung perks up, hoping he suggests getting her a studio
"That sucks."
Silence.
"That sucks?" She repeats
He shrugs his shoulders
"Yeah it sucks."
Rosé takes her leg off of the chair.
Body language now visibly turned off.
He turns her chair so she's
facing him. His hand stays on
the chair handle
"Why are you upset?"
"Aren't you supposed to be my
sugar daddy?"
Taken aback he smiles
"Oh? An attitude out of nowhere. When did we agree on our relationship?"
She turns her head again
"We didn't, but still. Shouldn't you
like, woo me?"
"Woo you?" He laughs
Giving him a stern look she stares
right back at him.
"Woo me."
"You can't even call me your
sugar daddy without
catching an attitude and you expect me to 'woo' you?"
He lets out a small laugh and brushes some of her hair behind her ears.
"I think you're misunderstanding
some things. I'm open to this
relationship but there's certain areas that we should brush up on."
The tenth track plays.
Belong To You (feat 6LACK)
He moves his hand from her ear and makes it travel to the crook of her neck
slowly, holding it.
"Should I get into it?"
Christian puts his car in park
in front of the girls dorm.
He picks at lint that lays on his jean jacket while speaking
"So?"
She looks to him
He raises his eyebrows waiting
for her to speak
"It'll take time for some stuff. It's my first time being- this." She says
"Understandable."
She unbuckles her seat and
lays her hands in her lap
Putting her hand on the centre console she pushes up to him
Already expecting it Christian
meets her lips. He holds the side of her neck and moves with her.
The car is quiet except for the sounds of their lips. Rose exhales when she feels Christians hand grab her neck closer.
She holds his wrist with her right hand, left hand holding her above the console.
They separate and a giddish smile is plastered on Rose's face.
"Bye Christian."
She looks up to his eyes just for him to be staring at her lips
"Text me when you get
upstairs alright?"
Hand still holding her by the neck he pulls her in for another kiss.
"I will."
She pushes his hand and picks up her coat and opens the door
"Put on your coat!" He yells out to her
She closes the car door and starts walking to the entrance. Christian lifts from his seat to watch her bum as she goes
Once he sees her enter the actual lobby he starts his car and pulls off.