Crooked Smile

"Hey, Joe?" he called the honey blond guy playing the guitar at the back of the store.

"I'm about to close," a warm smile and a little tap on the counter set things in motion.

"Sure, thanks, man." He placed the instrument back on the wall, next to all others, before heading for the door where AJ was already waiting patiently. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"What are you talking about? I just enjoy a free show," he teased, shrugging.

"You are the only one that lets us play for free…"

The guy shook his head, well-aware nothing he could say would make the other accept the credit, so instead he just smiled lazily and headed out after patting the man on the shoulder. He was going to come back the next day for sure. Outside, the air was warm and dry, perfect for a late walk.

It had been one of those days he was glad it was over. His shoulders were hurting from lifting so many boxes and sorting the upper shelves.

When he took over his uncle's store, he never thought it would involve so much muscle work. How heavy could a couple of boxes be if they only had some guitar strings, right? But of course, as always, he overlooked the instruments and other objects that turned out to be a whole other thing.

However the day was finally over. All he wanted to do was get upstairs, take a hot shower before dinner, and rest. The cashier ring was the last thing he wanted to hear, but it felt oddly familiar and welcomed; like the ring at the end of school. That one sound you waited anxiously for the last couple of minutes so you could go running with your friends, maybe get together at someone's house and play to be a rockstar.

It was the sound of the doorbell that made him freeze, painfully aware that he had yet again forgotten to place the "CLOSED" sign on the door.

He sighed tiredly, ready for his rehearsed speech of "we're closed" that he had learned by heart, but the words got stuck in his throat at the sight of the newcomer.

A young guy, definitely younger than him, was staring at him through big, round eyes, pleading for him to let him do his business before closing. He looked anxious and a ball of nerves, even a little scared if you paid close attention.

All of AJ's fighting spirit vanished the minute he saw the crooked smile on his lips. It was a weird twitch of his upper lip on his left side that gave his rather handsome face an interesting edge.

It reminded him of a younger version of Milo Ventimiglia, only more polished and groomed, with long silky waves of brown hair falling down his forehead and covering his ears wildly.

AJ had always enjoyed watching people come and go at the store. He liked to study their styles, their expressions, the way they played the instruments and even the way they moved. Sometimes, he played little stories in his head about the people there, imagining their life stories from the way they felt or looked. But this was the first time he caught himself so interested in someone. There was something about this guy that he couldn't make him fit into any of his categories.

Though he took a few seconds to answer his silent plea, the way his eyes shone as if he had just won the prize of being the thousandth client made it clear it had been the right choice.

The kid walked to the counter, still on shaky legs, while squeezing his backpack strap with his life. The little piece of leather that went across his chest would have been destroyed if it weren't such a sturdy material.

Everything about this character was calling to him. His loose slacks that waved with every step he took, along with the button-up that was clearly a couple of sizes bigger and with big ugly flower prints that made him look more like a flower vase than a person. It wasn't the most assertive outfit, but he seemed to make it work somehow.

"Thank you. Sorry for making you stay so late," deep velvet voice was yet again something he didn't expect of the young guy. He sounded like those singers his uncle made him listen to when he was a kid. The dark touch of Presley with the fresh flavor of a young Bublé. "My classes just ended and I couldn't get here earlier…," he continued to apologize.

A smile drew on his lips, realizing his first assessment of the boy being shy was mistaken. He for sure was not shying out from staring at the ink on the store owner's right arm. He was not a stranger to the attention; quite the contrary, he was used to being stared at out of curiosity or obvious interest. Somehow it came out more on the cute side than anything else, so he just shook his head and enjoyed the sight of that particular crooked smile before he got back.

"I think I overdid it with the tuning…," he began explaining with visible shame while taking a guitar string out of his bag.

"Did it hit your face?" He didn't bother hiding his worry. It wasn't uncommon that rookies got hit on the face by a wild string and it could get pretty ugly if it reached the eye.

The guy denied with a quick movement of his head and continued to explain how the whole thing had happened. It was like listening to a kid tell the most exciting story from school, with his eyes opening wide and his hands moving way too fast to show as clear as possible the way the string had gotten cut and he managed to not get hit by it.

Laughing his heart out trying to find the string he needed among the many boxes behind the counter, all he could think was that this guy would be a great partner for a Pictionary game.

"Here you have," the crooked smile flashed once again. "Be careful. I hope the next time you come here is for a new pick, ok?"

For a moment, there was a flash of doubt. The guy blinked twice as if the information hadn't registered completely in his brain, but then smiled shyly again, nodding and holding on to his strap as when he had just entered the store.

Cute.

A goodbye shaking hand and a pat to the back had the new guy out of the store and the owner finally could close the door; not forgetting this time to hang the "CLOSED" sign.