Warnings: None

Word Count: 2070

Request: what if you did one where Josh works at Guitar Center and the reader comes in because she is interested in learning an instrument (drums? uke? guitar? idek man) and the rest is history :)

Author's Note: Surprise! Requests are starting to get posted! Sorry it took me so long to get to, between working on Rose Colored Boy and just generally having a lack of inspiration for one shots, it took me awhile to get started on these. As I've said many times before, I want to make the best content possible for all of you, which means not forcing myself to write until I feel ready, which I finally am! Hopefully this fic makes up for the wait (especially to those of you in Josh's lane, sorry for depriving you of content lately!) :)

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You sat in your car, staring at the half-lit sign that hung above the door of your local Guitar Center. There were only a few people inside, mostly employees who were lazily moving about. One of them was standing on the other side of the door, wiping it down with some cleaning solution. Hopefully he hadn't seen you sitting alone in your car for the last five minutes.

"Ok, come on, Y/N. You're never going to learn a new instrument if you don't buy it in the first place."

You finally shut your music off, knowing that the longer you let it play, the more likely you would be to turn around and go home. The guy that had previously been cleaning the door had disappeared, so you took this as your opportunity to get inside with the least amount of human interaction as possible.

You felt overwhelmed the moment that you stepped in the doors. There were countless different instruments sitting all around the floor and hanging on the walls. Despite the fact that you had already done your research about all the different types of guitars - and decided which one was the best fit for you - your head still felt like it was spinning. The confusion must have been evident on your face, because you had hardly been in the store for more than a minute when an employee was asking you if you needed help.

"What? I'm sorry," you said upon noticing the employee. The words that had come from his mouth had been muffled in the midst of your confusion.

"I asked if you needed help," he said. There was the slightest hint of a smile on his face. "I can point you in the right direction, if you need it."

You took a moment to size up the stranger. He didn't look to be much older than you, a year or two at most, and his hair was a mop of brown curls on top of his head. The shirt he was wearing was a plain baseball tee, not unlike most of the other employees in the store. You tried to find a nametag on it somewhere, but a quick glance around the fabric yielded no results.

"Um, yes. That would be great, actually," you said, giving him what you hoped was a grateful smile. "I have a guitar picked out, I just have no idea where to even begin."

"Great, let's take a look at what you've got."

You grabbed your phone from your pocket and opened your photos. The stranger took a step closer to you so that he could look with you, leaving hardly any space between your shoulders. Your muscles tensed in an attempt to keep from brushing up against him, but you still felt your face getting hot just from his close proximity.

To your dismay, the first photo to pop up when you opened the app was one of you and your friend at a concert you had recently gone to. Your tongue was hanging out of your mouth as you leaned into your friend, both of your faces illuminated by the purple lights in front of you. You hastily slid the photo away and took a moment to take a deep breath before you looked for the actual photo you needed.

"Sorry about that," you said, trying to turn your shaky exhale into a laugh.

"No worries," the guy smiled. "I have worse pictures than that on my phone."

You shook your head a little as you quickly swiped through your recent photos, looking for the screenshot you had taken of the guitar you had decided on. After a solid thirty seconds of searching, you found what you needed and passed your phone off to the employee.

"This is what I'm looking for," you said.

He brought your phone a little closer to his face and read over the details of the guitar. After a moment, he began to nod and passed your phone back to you.

"I think we have that in stock. Let me go grab it for you real quick." He started to turn and walk away, but paused and looked back at you before he had gone more than a few steps. "And feel free to take a seat over there, if you want."

"Ok," you smiled.

While he went off to get the guitar you wanted, you decided to wander around the store and take a look at all the other instruments. The store was relatively empty, aside from a couple guys having a heated discussion in the piano section. You decided to stay far away from them, not wanting to get somehow dragged into the crossfire.

"Hey, there you are," a familiar voice said. You turned around to face them. The guy from before was standing a few feet away, holding a guitar case in one of his hands. "Got your guitar."

"Oh, awesome," you smiled, reaching your hands out to take it from him. "Thank you so much."

"Did you want to try it out first? Might be a good idea before you sink a couple hundred dollars into that thing."

You took a moment to consider his offer. Although you had done your fair share of research, trying the instrument out in person didn't sound like such a bad idea. Plus, it would buy you some more time with the attractive Guitar Center employee.

"I don't really know how to play guitar, but I'm sure I could give it a shot."

"I can help," he smiled.

"You play guitar?"

"Well, no, but I'm sure together we can figure something out."

You couldn't help but laugh as you took a seat on a nearby stool. The employee grabbed another stool and dragged it over so that he could sit across from you. You could practically feel his gaze on you as you reached down and grabbed the guitar from its case, resting it carefully across your legs.

"I'm Josh, by the way," he said, breaking the silence. "I probably should have mentioned that a little earlier."

"Y/N," you smiled.

"Alright, Y/N, let's hear you make some music."

You hesitantly adjusted the guitar in your arms and strummed it a couple times. It sounded beautiful, even with your complete lack of knowledge about how to play a guitar.

"Very nice," Josh nodded.

"That wasn't very impressive," you said, glancing up at him for a moment. "But thanks."

"Do you know any chords?"

"Not really. I really am just starting out, that's why I needed the guitar in the first place."

"Do you want me to show you some?"

"I thought you weren't a guitar player?"

"I'm not, but my friends have shown me some chords here and there."

"Ok, show me what you've got, Josh."

He scooted forward a little, once again leaving just the tiniest bit of space in between your knees. You pressed your lips together to keep from smiling and tried to focus on what Josh was about to show you.

"Do you mind?" he asked, gesturing to your hand.

"What?"

"I need your hand, you know, to show you the chords."

"Oh, right," you said sheepishly, holding your hand out toward him.

He gently took your hand in his own - which was covered in calluses, you noticed - and placed your fingers in the correct spots. You tried to focus on what he was showing you, but it was hard when your hand was practically tingling where his skin met yours.

"Try that," he said, finally pulling his hands away from yours.

You dug your fingers a little harder into the strings and carefully strummed the guitar again, listening to the difference in sound. Josh smiled, obviously pleased that he was able to teach you something. It was hard not to stare when he had a smile like that.

"Look at me, learning stuff before I've even left the store," you smiled.

"Here, I'll teach you another one."

Josh had just barely started rearranging your fingers before another employee walked over. You immediately pulled your fingers away, prompting Josh to look up at you with furrowed eyebrows. It wasn't until his coworker cleared his throat that he realized what was going on.

"Someone needs help with drums," he said plainly.

"Can you help them out? I'm kind of in the middle of helping someone right now."

"No, because you were hired to help people with drumming. None of us have anywhere close to the amount of knowledge that you do in that area, so you need to go help. I can handle the guitar stuff, since I actually know what I'm doing."

Josh sighed and turned back to you, mouthing a quick apology before standing up and heading to the other side of the store where all the drum equipment was. You watched him go, already regretting not getting his number when you had the chance. At least you knew where he worked.

"So, what are you thinking about this guitar?" the new employee asked, sitting down where Josh had previously been.

"I think I'm going to get it," you smiled, already putting it back in its case.

"Great, I'll meet you up at the front."

The new guy walked off, leaving you to finish locking up the guitar case on your own. You sat for a moment, debating just sitting around and waiting for Josh to come back, but ultimately decided against it. Seeing him one more time wasn't worth potentially coming across as a creep.

The bickering duo was at the counter when you arrived, buying something of their own. From the sounds of it, whatever debate they had been having earlier had finally been put to rest in favor of friendly conversation. You listened in while waiting for them to finish their transaction.

"Is it going to be ready by the show on Friday?" the first one asked.

"They said it would be, but I'm not so sure. Is it the end of the world if it isn't?"

"No, but having merch at shows would be a nice step forward for the band."

"We'll get there, Tyler."

"Alright, you're all set. Have a nice day."

The two guys thanked the employee and walked off, still talking about whatever show they had on Friday. You pushed the conversation from your mind and leaned your guitar up against the counter. Thankfully the employee remembered what guitar it was, meaning you didn't have to try and rack your brain for the name you had already forgotten.

You covertly glanced around the store as he rang you up, looking for any sign of Josh. Unfortunately, you couldn't even hear his voice, let alone see him. When you were handed your copy of the receipt, you figured that whatever tiny chance you had with him had been squashed entirely.

You stuffed the receipt into your pocket, scooped up your guitar case, and headed for the front door, already fumbling around for your car keys. Your hip had just come into contact with the door when someone called your name, stopping you dead in your tracks. The voice was familiar.

"Y/N! Hold on!"

You turned to look over your shoulder, only to see Josh half-jogging towards you, holding a small sheet of pink paper in his hand. He came to a stop just in front of you and held the slip out towards you. His chest was heaving slightly.

"In case you ever want to have a jam session or something."

You smiled and took the paper from his hand, keeping it held securely between your fingers. Your mind was already running wild with possibilities of what "something"s you and Josh could do together.

"I'll definitely be taking you up on that offer," you grinned.

"I'm glad," he said, very obviously sharing your excitement. "And good luck on learning guitar, by the way."

"Thanks, I'm going to need it."

"You're going to be great at it, I'm sure."

You were about to say something else when one of Josh's coworkers called him over. He dramatically rolled his eyes before giving you a little wave and returning to his job. After a slight adjustment of all the things in your hands, you pushed the door open again and crossed the parking lot to your car.

You definitely hadn't expected your trip to Guitar Center to be that successful.