In the Video Store #AtoZChallenge V

Veronica meandered through the aisles, unsure what she was looking for. Action? Drama? Horror? She skipped the "family video" and "romantic comedy" sections. This old video store was one of a kind these days, but she liked coming here. It was quiet. And retro. Of course, it wasn't truly a "video" store anymore. Almost everything they had was DVD or Blu-Ray. 

What to watch? She hadn't been here in a few weeks, and a new guy was manning the register. She eyed him surreptitiously over and between the shelves. His black t-shirt advertised a band she hadn't heard of. At least she thought it was a band. It was possible he was supporting a video game or YouTube channel she didn't know. His head was down, flipping through a magazine or comic of some sort, so she couldn't make out his eyes, and his dark hair flopped over his eyes even when his head was up.

Returning her attention to the horror movies, Ronni debated over renting an old classic or trying something new. She pulled a Japanese horror that she'd heard was the original of a recent Hollywood flick. The original was usually better. Especially if it was Japanese horror.

Ronni took her selection to the counter and slapped the case on the counter. The dark haired guy looked up with dark eyes. "Wow. You actually picked something." She didn't realize he'd been watching her peruse the shelves for the last half-hour. He glanced up at her and took in her black leggings, black tee, and black and grey flannel shirt. "You in black to protest Valentine's?" 

It was a valid question. Tonight she was the only one in the store because the majority of people were out dining with a lover. That was the myth, anyway. Ronni scoffed and pulled at her flannel. "Psshhh. I could ask you the same question."

He looked down at himself as he swiped the DVD across the scanner. "Eh. Not protesting. I don't care about Valentine's either way. It's just a nothing day." He stopped and lifted a corner of his mouth at her. "Don't you think?"

"Yeah, that's pretty accurate." She handed him her member card. "I'm not anti-love, just anti-focusing-it-all-on-one-day." She placed a five dollar bill on the counter as he checked her membership.

"Exactly. I mean, I'm working tonight, why? Everyone else requested off for a made-up holiday." He shook his head and entered the cash in the register. As he handed her the change he asked, "What about you? A date with Japanese horror for the night?"

"Yep. Probably a three-way with a pizza, too."

"I like your style." As she crossed around the counter to collect her DVD he pointed a question at her. "Want to get together sometime?"

She eyed him more closely. "Why not? Anytime that's not February 14th, of course."

"Of course." He pulled the receipt out of the machine and wrote his number on it. "Here's my cell."

She looked at the paper. It gave the name "Tony", followed by ten digits. "Cool. I'll call you." And she would. Just not tonight. Not that she cared about Valentine's day, but she wasn't going to honor it, either.

Thanks for visiting my #AtoZChallenge! All month I'll be writing flash fiction, with the theme "Audience Participation".
Now it's your turn, lovely audience member. Do you have a writing prompt to suggest? Don't worry about choosing a letter of the alphabet, just leave me a word, a thought, a place, a concept... anything! and I'll add it to the list.

"In the Video Store" came from the prompt "Valentine" provided by Deborah Weber of Temenos, in a comment left on my P post, here.