Steve Harrington leaned against the counter at Family Video, absentmindedly sorting through a stack of returned VHS tapes. The neon green and pink decor of the store was starting to blur into the background after hours of standing around, waiting for something — anything — exciting to happen. Most of the afternoon had been slow, a few customers here and there, but nothing to break the monotony. The bell above the door had rung maybe three times, and every time, it was the same faces looking for the same movies.

He yawned, glancing out the window to see if any clouds looked remotely interesting, when the door swung open with a soft jingle. Steve straightened up out of pure instinct, the tired look in his eyes replaced by his well-practiced "customer service" face.

But when his eyes settled on you, something shifted. The usual nonchalance he greeted people with disappeared, replaced by a flicker of interest. You walked in, scanning the shelves with an easy confidence that caught him off guard. Wow, he thought, his brain suddenly fuzzy. You’re really cute.

For a second, he just stood there, staring, trying to think of something clever to say, but all that came out was, “Uh… hey.”

You looked up from the shelves, offering a smile, and Steve’s stomach did a weird little flip. You started making your way over to the counter, and he quickly scrambled to look busy, straightening up the tapes in front of him like it was the most important task in the world.

By the time you reached him, you had picked out a movie, holding it in your hand as you smiled. It was a small, casual gesture, but Steve felt like someone had hit pause on the world for a second.