#marrah

Sarah eased her car into a spot next to the strip mall outside of New Haven.  There was an art supply store there that was sure to hold the supplies necessary.  She’d asked around town a little bit and found out that not only did they have a wide selection, but they were decently priced.  It was good for her, since she did have a supply budget.  After making sure it was locked, Sarah walked into the store.  She smiled to herself at the little bell that signaled her entrance.  Not many stores had something like that nowadays, so it caused some amusement to her.

  Sarah decided to start her adventure with getting brushes.  Not really sure which ones to use, Sarah simply grabbed what looked good and decided to look for the actual paint.  Once she located the paints, Sarah realized that she was a little in over her head.  There were at least twenty different kinds of paint, all which seemed to have a different purpose to them.  Some seemed to be used on canvases, while others didn’t appear to have a clear cut medium.

  After deliberating for five minutes on what to do, Sarah huffed and looked around.  She spotted a man standing not too far away who had paint splattered clothing and wearing what looked to be an employee apron.  “Excuse me!”  The man turned around, looking confused.  Sarah gave a little wave with her hand.  “Do you work here?  Can you help me?”

  The guy, whose nametag said he was called Marcus, walked over and wiped his hands on his pants.  “Um, sure.  What do you need?”

  “I need to make some posters for my floor and I need some paint.  I just don’t know what kind of paint.  And there’s like a bazillion here.  I need something that will work on posterboard.”

  Marcus studied her for a moment.  He hadn’t seen anyone come into the store acting so flustered before.  Truth be told, it was kind of cute, which added to the fact that he thought she was rather cute herself.  He shook his head a little to bring himself out of the slight daze.  “Pretty much anything that’s acrylic will work.  However, I recommend that brand.”  He pointed towards a small group in the corner.  “The colors are really vibrant and the paint goes on smooth.  You won’t really get any clumps, which is a typical problem with acrylics.”  Wow.  That was the most he’d ever said to anyone in a really long time.  Especially about paint.

  Sarah smiled widely.  “Thank you so much!  I would have been so lost.  You’re a life saver…”  She quickly scanned his nametag and totally not noticing that he looked to be rather fit.  “Marcus.”

  While Sarah started to pick up some paint, choosing colors that really stood out, Marcus couldn’t help but notice the brushes in her hand.  “Um, are you planning on using those?”

  Sarah glanced down at the brushes in her hand.  “Yes.  Why?  Is that a problem?”  She frowned and bit her lower lip.

  Marcus chuckled.  “Unless you want really thick letters, yeah.  Here.  I’ll put those back and get you something you can use.”

  He reached out to take the brushes from her hand and managed to brush his hand against hers.  Both of them looked down at it, but neither chose to acknowledge it.  Marcus quickly turned and went back to get the right brushes while Sarah busied herself with picking out a variety of colors.  She noticed that it felt unusually warm in the store, but then realized that it was simply because she was blushing of all things.  Sarah shook the thought away from her head.

  Marcus returned shortly, carrying a small package in his hand.  “I wasn’t sure exactly what you needed them for, so I got you a variety pack.  These with that paint…”  He scratched the back of his hand.  “Well, you’ll be sure to make something great.”

  Sarah took the brushes from him, taking note not to touch his hand again.  “Thanks.  You really know your stuff.”

  Marcus opened his mouth like he was about to say something, but closed it again almost immediately.  Instead he shrugged.  “Working at an art store.  You learn some stuff.”