As an only son, AJ was used to spending time with friends, but never felt the warm feeling others described when talking about his brothers. That instinct of wanting to protect someone, take care of them and make sure nothing wrong happens with them, but without it being a romantic thing. He was used to caring for the particular girl he was seeing at one moment, but this was different.
Since day one, he had felt a connection to the guy; some sort of interest he hadn't been able to point out yet. But watching him all happy and shy, knowing he would help him with his guitar lessons, had him warming up to the idea that he might have just found a little brother in him. He definitely wanted to help him, but messed up with him at the same time.
AJ was no role model, and he was fine with that, but he could definitely help a soul in need find his way into music. Especially if that soul was willing to take the hard road and learn from scratch, instead of wanting everything to come to him fast and easily, as it was the global trend lately.
AJ was an avid believer in process and hard work; not a popular motto these days, but he based his life on it. Nothing ever came as simple or easy, but he found himself enjoying the process far more than the destination more than once.
Once again, his day had taken an unexpected turn thanks to the crooked smile guy. He now had a new student anxious to start his lessons. The guy left soon after that, ginning like a fool, and AJ couldn't help but mirror his enthusiasm.
A couple of hours later and several people less in the store, a new ring let him know his day was still not over and could, in fact, get better.
"Maria!! To what do I owe this pleasure? Are you finally giving me a chance?" a soft playful smile traveled through the line quickly setting his heart on motion to win an nonexistent race.
"Keep dreaming, kiddo. I have an open spot next weekend, if you're interested," she waited for a reaction that didn't happen, so she continued. "Friday, are you in?"
This was nothing but a formality. There was no way he was going to pass on the opportunity and they both knew it, but still the game seemed to be entertaining for the both of them.
His band made up of college friends always took on the opportunity to play at her bar, but the adult life had hit each of them very differently. Contrary to AJ, who had kept up with the rhythm by continuing to be involved in music, the rest of them had to prioritize survival at the expense of their younger selves' dreams. Still, AJ knew they would find the way to be free by Friday after months not being able to gather and play.
They had a week to be ready, which was enough if he hadn't just accepted to tutor someone. He pushed his lip piercing with his tongue in a pensive tic while considering how his life had gone from moderately free to a total madness within a couple of hours.
The CLOSED sign looked at him mockingly from its place against the window after bidding goodbye to the last one of his customers. He let out a deep sigh. The store was finally empty and his stomach made clear its desires were not to be ignored. Unfortunately, the last of his frozen food had served as dinner the previous night and now his fridge was empty.
Delivery was always an option, but with how busy he would be the next few days, he knew he had to stock himself with supplies or he would starve to death. This was not his favorite part of housekeeping duties, but he had to go to the supermarket.
His faithful 2000 Ford F150 shone like an exquisite sapphire, waiting for him to get a ride. It was old, but it had never let him down and always got the job done. His uncle had gifted it to him when finishing high school. The envy of everyone else when he first showed up in his metallic blue gracefulness made him feel he had touched the sky.
Now, his glow was a little humbler, but AJ still found it beautiful and fit perfectly for what he needed, which this time were supplies.
The closest supermarket was three blocks away from his apartment, a couple of minutes by truck; especially when the streets were deserted due to the summer. His neighborhood was not the most touristic place of the city, so everyone wanted out when summer vacations came along. Most stores were already closed too.
Waiting for the green light when there was no one around seemed absurd, but he did it anyway. It was the perfect time to sing along his song of choice, which now had him singing along with Serj Tankian's Chop Suey and playing his air drums while bobbing his head to the strong rhythm that always had him pumped up, despite the dark tint the song had.
His mind was already playing the many options they had to play on Friday. Anticipation ran through his veins, thinking about the audience's cheers and screams while singing along with him. His smile was about to crack his fame from how wide his mouth was.
The supermarket welcomed him with fresh air and empty aisles. Luckily, he knew exactly what he wanted and most of it was on the same section, allowing him a quick pickup mission that would have him back at his comfortable apartment in no time.
He slid his shopping cart through the frozen products aisles throwing different boxes in; lasagna, pizza, pie, anything that could be heated in a microwave. He was about to turn around the next aisle on his way for some beers when he heard what seemed to be a heated argument between two people.
AJ should have continued on his way, minding his own business—like anyone would have in his position—but this particular couple caught his attention. Very few times he met someone he couldn't place into one of his categories in his mind, but now he had two people he couldn't quite figure out. It was like trying to identify someone wearing a clown costume full of makeup and weird clothes.
Curiosity was stronger than common sense and instead of him walking away, he backtracked his steps, hiding his position right around the corner. Lurking like a freak, he stayed, quietly listening to their argument. He was barely hanging on the stalking line, but his interest to know more about them was blinding him.
The discussion seemed to be related to chicken or meat for dinner. A common everyday argument, simple and not glamorous at all, yet they had turned it into a blown-out debate. None of them seemed inclined to concede to the other.
He sighed, entertained. The answer was so obvious: meant, always meat, which is exactly what the little one was saying, but his partner was in the mood for chicken.
Even though they weren't backing off and arguments kept flying around, AJ noticed the taller guy had extra care when dealing with his friend. He chose his words carefully and controlled his voice so he wouldn't come out as extra strong or angry, even when the subject seemed to really rile him up for some reason.
On the other hand, the masked guy paid no attention at all, shredding to pieces the fragile image he had left after their first encounter. The guy was setting his foot down, and no argument was enough to make him change his mind. AJ was fascinated by his voice, the deep strong edge it had was nothing like he would have imagined, he didn't have the velvet depth the other had, but instead he had this peculiar intonation that made him sound as if he was singing softly.
AJ had never heard such a melodic voice, let alone in the middle of an argument. He was stuck with it and wanted nothing more than to keep listening to it and maybe discover more about the owner, who seemed to be full of surprises.
After a few minutes, it was evident the debate was a mere formality. The decision had already been made the minute the bag of meat hit the cart, yet the crooked smile guy was not surrendering so easily. It was like watching the older brother beg the younger one to have his toys back.
Cute.