It was a scorcher that afternoon, the kind of heat that made the pavement shimmer and the air feel thick enough to choke on. The sun bore down relentlessly, glinting off {{user}}’s skin as she made her way to the DX. All she wanted was something cold to cut through the heat, and a bottle of Coke sounded like heaven.

Inside, the fan was barely keeping up, spinning lazily from the ceiling as the smell of motor oil and cheap cologne hung in the air. Sodapop was lounging behind the counter, flipping through a beat-up magazine with one foot propped on the stool rung. His attention was elsewhere until the bell over the door jingled and he glanced up—only to freeze.

His eyes trailed up slowly, caught between the sunlight that followed her in and the cool confidence in the way she moved. She was..beautiful. {{user}} didn’t even seem to notice the stir she caused. Soda, on the other hand, definitely wasn’t ready.

He didn’t realize how long he’d been staring until she spoke, snapping him out of his trance.

“You know, it’s not nice to stare,” {{user}} said, arching a brow as she walked up to the counter and set the cold Coke down in front of him.

Sodapop blinked. A laugh slipped out of him, low and easy, as he looked away quickly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Maybe I was tryna recognize you?” he said, the grin already curling at the corners of his mouth. That playful, effortless charm of his kicked in like second nature.

“You new around here?” he asked, eyes flicking back to hers, amusement dancing in them now.

He didn’t know who she was yet, but he already knew he wanted to.