the record store; vii; the nbhd.

"You could make more than hand gestures to me to describe the date." Laura said, making a simple sentence sound like a command, but still welcoming at the same time. "Frankly, I don't understand a jolting hand movement to the question I just asked."

I sighed internally. I had kept details of the date on the down low because of my obviously over-interested mother who was trying to make her listening into of the conversation even slightly conspicuous. She had, clearly, failed. I jolted my head back to try and gesture that there was one more person in the room than I wanted when I began to talk.

"Now the hair flips." Laura was completely oblivious. "I would say that's the first sign of madness, but you've gone way past that, Hollie."

"I think I feel like taking these cookies outside." I hinted, pushing back the stool with my legs and swinging off, minding the glossy kitchen counter as I went. Laura copied my movements, and instead of following me, walked towards the window.

"Rain. Nope." She said, walking back to the kitchen counter where our snacks and drinks were still resting. "I have no intention of the sky peeing on me today."

It seemed she could not get the hint.

Laura picked up her drink and moved back off of her seat, moving away from the kitchen to sit with my mother, who was currently watching a bad remake of 'Next Top Model' or something along the lines of that. She smiled as she sat down, and I soon found myself following, knowing that it would be better if I was there too.

"So what do you think of Hol and Davie, Laura?" Her eyes drew away from the television and became focused on myself and Laura as she started a simple conversation.

"I haven't seen them since they together since they first met, Julie." Laura replied. "But they are exceptionally cute."

I resisted the urge to cover my face with my hand, which probably would have been useful, as I sensed I was turning a little red. This wasn't the usual conversation I had with Laura and my Mum, seeing as Davie was the first boy I'd taken an interest in for a very long while.

"Which reminds me." My mum stated. I prepared for the question I knew would inevitably be asked. "How did the date go, yesterday."

"It was nice. I had a nice time."

"You sound like you're taking adjectives from that little vocab book the school gave us when we were six." Laura stated, and my mum laughed, starting to put her attention back to the show that was playing in the background. Currently, it seemed the girls on the show were having mindless arguments over dresses they'd been handed to wear to some party.

"Well." I asked Laura. "What do you want me to say?"

Mistake number one.

"What did you do?" She asked. I felt like this would be the first of many questions.

"We went for coffee, he brought me a drink. We talked."

"Yada yada. I might be experiencing deja-vu here. Maybe?" Laura stated, simply, letting her words drag out a little, adding emphasis to every syllable she pronounced.

"Well then." I said, not realising these words were falling out of my mouth. "Ask me questions, and I'll say yes or no."

Mistake number two.

"Jeez, extracting information from a date with a cute guy from you is like placing sense into a pigeon, which is impossible, by the way." She laughed at her own joke. "But as you wish, question one. Did he kiss you?"

"Yes."

At this point, the ears of my mum pricked up, and she swivelled around from the television, pausing it on a candid pose of somebody or another. I sighed internally.

Mistake number three. I was racking up these quicker than I thought was possible.

"I'm going to conveniently walk away now, so I can let you guys gossip." She said as she stood up, brushing down her clothing, as if to remove the crumbs which were not actually present in the first place. "But I may be listening from the kitchen. Funnily enough, it's a mothers job to take some interest in her daughters love life."

I blushed and she picked up on it, before smiling to herself and walking out of the room. I guess I'd inherited her slightly strange sense of humour, and her nosiness: we were exceptionally similar, and pretty close because of it, which was nice.

As soon as she'd left the room, it looked like Laura was starting to hyperventilate.

"I knew it, I knew it, I knew it." She said, whilst waving her hands everywhere, with no particular aim. "I guess he asked if he could see you again?"

"Sort of, I guess."

"Sort of?"

"He said soon." I replied simply. "When is soon?"

"Men." She sighed.

"Men." I repeated her words. "But very cute men."

"Uh-huh."

- - -

It was then, the next day, when a loud thudding sound was heard on the floor of the hallway, just inside of the front door. I wouldn't have twigged it, if it wasn't for Laura, who is basically Hawkeye.

"Door." She stated simply, fixing her eyes back onto the movie that we were half watching.

"Who on earth posts stuff at this early in the day?" I questioned.

Laura rolled her eyes at me, tapping the small wristwatch that usually swung around her tiny wrist. "It's ten in the morning. It's the postman."

"Should I get it?" I asked, too overly comfortable on the chair opposite Laura's. I was too lazy.

"Food discount vouchers. Everyone always gets them. I want to know what food I can order more of this week." She stated. "Go."

My eyes rolled as I stood up, my feet slowly dragging along the carpet to make it to the front door. As I passed the staircase, there was one thing that stuck out to me. Along with all of the food coupons, the daily newspaper that everyone received whether they liked it or not, and generally other letters, there was a small, brown paper package.

As I picked up the other pieces of paper and moved them out of the way to get to anything that would be of interest, I picked up the brown envelope and started studying it. Before I could get too far though, Laura came up behind me, making me jump slightly.

"How long were you planning to take? And more importantly, where are my pizza coupons?" She outstretched her hands and I placed the multiple pieces of paper within her grasp. She smiled. "Thanks."

"No problem. Just don't eat your weight in food all at once." I joked.

"What's that?" She asked, pointing to the envelope in my hands. It had caught her attention, too.

"No idea. Wonder who it's for?"

"You." She rolled her eyes, for what could have been the tenth time today. "Has your name on the back."

I could only muster up an 'oh' before I flipped the envelope over, seeing my name written, in a reasonably neat script on the front.

"Are you going to open it, then?" She questioned, impatiently.

I nodded, carefully tearing the top of the envelope off, revealing a small little cassette tape with attached sticky note, and another small envelope inside. I pulled out the tape first, reading the small message that was placed on top of it.

'I made you a tape. After that I realised that nobody uses tapes any more. So here's the tape, and here's the link to the same songs in a Spotify playlist. Have fun typing it into your computer.'

The short message was followed by a misshaped smiley face and, as promised, a link. After a while of staring at it, I recognised the handwriting as Davie's.

I pulled out the envelope next, taking a little more care into unsealing whatever was inside. It was also a sticky note, and it read:

'Friday? - Davie.'

Laura, of course, was following all of this from behind my shoulder. And all she could muster up, was an equally obvious: "I told you so."

- - - -

band of the chapter: the neighbourhood

favourite song of said band: afraid or let it go (not a frozen cover)