𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗩𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲 (𝙵𝚞𝚛𝚛𝚢 𝙱𝚡𝙱)

Track 23 | 𝗕𝗼𝗱𝘆𝘀

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I sprung out of bed that Saturday morning with vivacious thrill. My heart was racing ever since the moment I gained consciousness. The excitement of yesterday had lasted all night and, now, all morning.

I was so excited to tell Ari. That was the only thing my mind was set on.

Knowing that his shift started at eleven, I woke up earlier than I usually would on a Saturday morning (whereas I usually slept in until three in the afternoon) and got ready for the day, paying extra close attention to my appearance. I had the urge to look nice today and, well, actually try.

Mom was a little weirded out to see me heading for the door, all dressed and ready to go, this early on a Saturday morning, but hey, it's not like she's complaining. I am eighteen, after all. It's about time I actually act like an adult for once.

Chaining my bike to the rack outside of Tunes in the middle of town, I ran up to the front door of the record store, peering in. I cupped my paws over the window to block the sun from making the reflective glass completely opaque, and inside, I could see Ari, alone, in the middle of the shop, stocking the shelves and preparing for a busy day. The store opened in only a few minutes. He was wearing a baggy, brown hoodie and checkered, black-and-gray patterned jeans.

I tapped on the glass with my knuckles gently, gaining Arizona's attention. His ears perked up, turning in my direction, his head shortly following. Ari's face morphed into both delight and confusion, both as a response to my presence. 

He carefully rested the crate of records that was in his hands on the shelf and walked over to the door, unlocking it and opening it for me.

"Hey, we're not open yet, what are you—"

I pushed past him and rushed inside with urgency, walking around the room in frantic circles. "I did it, Ari, I-I did it!"

Ari closed the door behind him, locking it again, before approaching me slowly with a confused smile. "What did you do?"

"I asked her out. I asked Eden out on a date."

As those words came out of my mouth, I could see his face light up with both shock and pride, his paws extending outward as a physical response to the surprise. 

"What?! Oh, shit! Congrats, dude!" Ari laughed, reaching forward with his hand to dap me up. Our paws clapped together as we leaned in for a short hug, our opposing arms reaching around and patting each other's backs with joy and triumph.

"Thanks! Oh, my God," I gasped, out of breath as I collected myself, pulling away from the hug. "She said yes, I can't believe she said yes, holy fuck..."

"How you feelin', man?" He asked supportively, brushing my shoulders as if he were dusting off a trophy. 

"Honestly, I was just mostly excited to tell you specifically," I admitted, not understanding the meaning of my words. I was too hyped up to think properly.

"Are you gonna tell the others?" Ari questioned, returning to the aisles of records, picking the crate back up from the shelf. "She is your bandmate, after all."

"They know, or at least, they will know," I chuckled. The excitement to tell the others didn't have the same impact on me as did the excitement to tell Ari. I think I might've looked forward to telling Ari about dating Eden more than actually dating Eden, funnily enough. "I'll tell them, but they've always known that I liked her."

"How long have they known?" Ari wondered as he resumed the process of restocking the shelves. I followed him around like the dog I am.

"I think, maybe, for the same amount of time as I've liked her," I assumed, "Two years."