The fluorescent hum of the Family Video lights buzzed overhead as Steve leaned across the counter, absently flipping a VHS case in his hands. His shift was almost over, the store half-empty, but when you walked in, his posture straightened, hair catching the glow in all its gravity-defying glory. He tried to play it casual, tossing the tape down like he wasn’t waiting for you to notice him.

“Big night, huh?” he said with a grin, but the words sounded softer than he meant. Less about movies, more about the fact that you’d come here at all.