LoveGame || Billy Hargrove (1/2)

TWENTY-THREE.

"This why we DON'T do last minute shopping." Adrienne groaned irritatedly as she crossed her arms with hands carrying gifts, alongside Johnathan and Nancy who were all standing in the slowest line in the record store in search of a Vinyl record for Will and Eddie.

"We're in here because you forgot to get a gift for Eddie and Will, this is your problem." Johnathan harshly mumbled at Adrienne, both siblings irritated with the fact they were shoved in a line with strangers, waiting in long slow paced lines, crying and screaming demon spawns of children.

"You're my problem actually." Adrienne gritted through her teeth in hopes to compose herself of the irritable nature of year long shopping.

"Okay you both obviously need to be separated because you're both children." Nancy declared at both her boyfriend and Adrienne, grabbing Johnathan by his hand and leading him out the store leaving Adrienne alone in this miserable line.

"Didn't know you listened to Iron Maiden and...Bowie?" Steve suddenly appeared right behind Adrienne, brushing lightly against her shoulder as he leaned into her to to clearly see the records in her hands.

"Spying on me now are we Steven?" Adrienne scoffed bluntly her eyes remaining on the slow paced line.

"What? No—I just saw you in here with your brother and Nance, and I was gonna already come up and talk—" Steve rambled nervously, struggling to form any sort of sentence, making Adrienne laugh shortly at his nerves.

"Steve." Adrienne spoke in between her giggles making Steve's shoulders fall, realizing his nerves were a bit too obvious by being caught.

"Sorry, but seriously I wanted to invite you and whoever even Nance even...I wanted to invite you to my New Years Eve party I'm throwing, I know tonight's already Christmas Eve and I'm getting ahead of myself but—"

"Steve, please stop rambling." Adrienne chuckled at him, making his cheeks flush red. "Thank you for the invite, Steven, like seriously I need a night where I can get shitfaced without feeling you know stupid."

"Well—" Steve started with a tilt in his head as they began to move slowly up towards the registers.

"Don't finish that sentence."

"I was going to say you can have a good time without feeling "stupid" actually, but anyways you should come, you know to my party." Steve grinned to himself before looking down beside Adrienne.

"I'll be there Stevie."

Stevie.

The nickname that now haunted Steve's memories of not only him, but of Adrienne. A forced grin curled at his lips as Adrienne took no thought into what she had just called him after so long, continuing with her last minute shopping bluntly avoiding the cashier's flirty remarks at her.

"I'll um, see you in a couple days?" Steve immediately brought himself out of his thoughts leaning into Adrienne's shoulder.

"See you in a couple days Harrington." Adrienne grinned softly at him grabbing the bag of records that were handed to her and giving him one last look before leaving him alone.

➶➴➷➹

"HOLY SHIT YOU GOT ME THE IRON MAIDEN VINYL!" Eddie exclaimed hugging at his present in his arms tightly secluded off in her room, after the night of Adrienne's Christmas celebration with her family.

"You're welcome, I had to stand in like for like 45 minutes for that thing."

"You're making my present look like a joke now honestly." Eddie sighed dramatically reaching into the depths of the pockets of his old trusty Dio sleeveless jacket, pulling out a messily wrapped small box and tossing it for Adrienne to catch.