the dj.

He watched Sloane take in the sights before them. He'd never witnessed someone as beautiful as her, especially in this moment. "Yeah, I did do all of this for you." Xavier nodded his head as his pulse quickened with the thought. "I didn't bid on you just to save you from an old man." The admittance fell from his lips. "I've always found you to be beautiful, Sloane." Xavier spoke softly, not letting his gaze draw away from her. @sloanemercer

"You won't believe what I found at home." she stated, a cardboard box placed on the counter top as she entered Vinyl Fantasy. This place had become her escape more recently than not and she'd made a promise the next time she found something she didn't enjoy she'd bring it in for him to go through. Her own personal thanks for all the albums he found for her. "I went through it and didn't recognize anything that I knew just by looking at it -" she paused, opening it up. "But If you find anything you think is valuable I may have to fight you for it." she smiled, lifting the first record out of the box, looking at it and then looking back at him. "What do you think?"

Xavier had just been sorting through some new records at the register when a box was placed atop the counter that stretched from it. His gaze lifted, looking up and landing on his new found friend, Marin. "Hello to you, too." He quipped with a warm smile tugging on the corners of his lips. As the box opened up on the counter, he looked at the first album record that she pulled out of the box. "I don't recognize that one off the top of my head, but I'm happy to go through the box and see what's of good use here. Though, I'm bettin' with your taste, even though you don't recognize some of them, you've got some winners in there." @marincole

Xavier gave a head nod of acknowledgment as Alfonso pressed his hand over his heart. It was a simple enough gesture but one that he new was genuine from the other. "More cohesion in the community, yeah," his head gave way to nodding in agreement. The vision that Alfonso had was one that Xavier full heartedly supported. "I think that's important and the people value that here." His smile pulled the corners of his lips upward, "Great." It stretched even more with the word. "Now that's something to look forward to." @alfmorales

Xavier let out a huff of laughter at Sloane's statement. "I promise you I'm not a serial killer, though I imagine that all of them have probably said that at one point." He held up his hands in a mock surrender. "If we were in Los Angeles, I also wouldn't have planned a date like that for this reason." Not that Kismet Harbor hadn't seen it's share of drama over the years in the news, it was nothing compared to Los Angeles. "Not far. Only about five minutes, actually." Far enough away from the parking lot but still close enough should they need to leave for any reason. "C'mon." Xavier gestured, leading the way. The five minute walk was just that. He was quiet, his nerves bubbling beneath the surface of everything. When they arrived at the spot, Xavier took a step to the side to reveal the faux candles lit up, a record player sitting next to a picnic blanket with a variety of records and a cooler that had remained untouched. @sloanemercer

"Yeah, I get that." Work could be all consuming, in ways that seemed impossible to escape. "But if anyone can find a way to manage that, it definitely would be you. I'd be happy to come lend a hand around the theater if it meant you got to participate." Xavier offered to him, sincerity threaded through his tone. "I'm in agreement there," his head gave way to the slightest of nods. "It's one that young kids especially should remember." Xavier continued, giving him a smile. "I don't think they're not kid friendly, but I can definitely make one that's geared toward more kids and what they might like." He told Alfonso, "That's a great idea, honestly." @alfmorales

"I think we all would. He's a pretty lovable guy." Xavier's tone was genuine. He wanted that for Cal too and if he could give it to her, he absolutely would. As her best friend, he would give her the world if he could manage. "Oh, yeah, absolutely." Xavier was laughing gently now, a smile curling against his lips. "Honestly, I do have video but the sound is lacking. They were humming and not singing so it didn't pick it up that well. It's definitely given me the idea to add a little microphone closer or something. I can't even repeat what they did but I was baffled." @calxwallace

"Okay," Xavier said with a nod of his head. He kept small talk with her, not wanting to give anything away while he drove to their destination. He had found the spot on accident a few weeks ago and knew it would be the perfect location. Xavier had gone and set it up before picking her up, trusting that the residents of Kismet Harbor wouldn't stumble across his set up all the same. He pulled into the parking lot, parking the car and turning off the engine. "Okay, it's a short walk, I promise." They were near the water and he exited his vehicle, he pointed to a trail. "It's just a few minutes down this trail." His lips curled upward in excitement. "I've got it all set up for us, unless some teenagers decided to come through and make a mess of it in the last twenty minutes." @sloanemercer

"The diner it is." He said, careful not to nod his head too much so that he did not hit her in the head. That's all he needed, was to be responsible for giving her a nose bleed. At her words, he felt laughter bubbling over his lips as he picked up the pace. "Shit, shit," he laughed some more as he high tailed it away from the complex. His hands held onto Rosa tighter until they had successfully rounded the corner. Though in shape, he didn't regularly run with someone on his back. He came to a stop, though he didn't let go of her. "Do you think we are in the clear?" @rosadelavega

Marin had been scared moving back to Kismet Harbor. Not because the place itself scared her but because she'd held onto so many memories here he idea of coming back made her anxious. Yet she'd taken her move back here seriously, getting a job doing something she loved, navigating living in the same town with her ex again. It wasn't the most promising thing, but something she was learning that she cared more about this town than she'd thought. "Definitely haven't gotten soft but-" she paused. "I have learned that there are things that I don't care to waste my time on; music isn't one of those so if the only places I go are to work, here and back home then so be it." she laughed. "I can see why." she nodded, eyes shifting from the other to the building they were standing in. Marin could spend hours in here; music was one of her favorite ways to escape. "I'm for sure a full album type of person." she nodded. "Most of my favorite songs are actually not even songs that were the hits." @xavierxromano

"Those are not bad places to go." He agreed with a lighthearted chuckle. There were some days that Xavier only went to work and home, he was just lucky that his work and this place were one in the same. He was constantly involved in one of his life's greatest passions. "Good." Xavier smiled as she mentioned that her preference was full albums. "That's really the only way you can get it, in my opinion." He nodded his head to her words. "Yeah, I get that." Xavier didn't mind the hits a lot of times, but there were so many unspoken gems out there. "The hits are for everyone to listen to, to bond over. But the other songs? If you're listening, that's when the artist is really saying what's on their mind."

"It is a surprise," he said as they reached his vehicle. He opened up the door on her side, letting her in before he moved to the driver's side. Settling into the vehicle, the engine purred to a start as he turned the key. "I promise it's nothing that should make you anxious about it being a surprise. I know they can be unsettling." He smiled warmly at her. "Do you trust me?" His brow raised curiously with the question. "I'll spoil the surprise, though, if it helps put you more at ease." @sloanemercer

"Yes, there are." Sure, he could understand that there would always be the pressure to grow a family in a traditional way. That was the pressure that society put on people. "I know it won't be in the way that you saw for yourself, but that doesn't mean you have to turn away from having a family. You should still take some time to grieve, this, you know?" Xavier spoke softly, resting his head against his hers as it rested on his shoulder. "With me? Well," he chuckled softly, lifting his head, "I swear more people have been coming in and asking me if I know a song and they just hum, but it's completely off-key." He held a faint smile on his lips. "Like I can just find the song based on vibes alone. It's been a real fun challenge for me. I'm starting to wonder if I'm being punked or something." @calxwallace

Xavier let out a soft huff of laughter with Alfonso's words. "It is a different kind of alive feeling when you're in it." That was something that the man could relate to on a deeply personal level. It resonated deep within his soul. A smile grew against his lips as Alfonso continued to speak about the business. "You don't get that kind of turnout if you're not doing something right." He'd said with appreciation threaded in his own words. "Staying stagnant is not good for anyone, I'll agree with you there." It never sat well with him, either. "I'm looking to bring in more local artists. There's a new band that moved to town that I'm letting rent the studio every now and then as they need it. They're, uh, Scarlet Sirens I think is their band name. I've got a few vinyl records in the shop to help get the word out about them. With the summer coming up, I'm going to do some listening nights. I want to remind people that music is better when you're in the room with it." @alfmorales

"It's not, I agree." Marin nodded. "But I don't tend to live a typical life." she shrugged. Vague enough she hoped he wouldn't ask too many questions but informative enough to say she wasn't someone that put herself in the same category as most people. "I wasn't going to. she admitted. "But I can't not. All the money that I've put into the vet bills and the similar personalities I feel it's only fitting." she admitted with a shrug. "My life is a little more chaotic with the little devil in my life and I can't get too boring. People may start thinking I've softened through the years." she paused, letting herself look at the other. "I can imagine." she nodded. "I'd have to come in here to look around when I know I have no where else to be." she admitted. "Because not only would I spend hours searching through things I'd also spend hours getting distracted. Not that it takes much for me but." she paused, shrugging. "I like a lot of different types of music." she nodded. "I've been really into Motley Crue, Talking Heads, and Duran Duran recently though, just to name a few." @xavierxromano

He let out a small huff of laughter. "Yeah, you didn't strike me as typical." There wasn't judgement threaded through his words, rather more of an observation. "And we can't have that." Xavier was prompted by her words, a curl of his lips as he finished his own statement. He didn't know her, not well enough to even begin to think that she had softened over the years. "But something tells me that no one is in danger of thinking you've softened." There was no hiding the amusement in his tone. He nodded his head to her words, an understanding. "It's easy to get lost in this place. It's why I love owning it." He smiled at her range, "That's an impressive rotation. But are you a full album listening or are you only in it for the hits?" @marincole

He knew she'd try to play off needing it, but he had also known her for far to long. "You're welcome." Xavier responded quietly as she rested her head against his shoulder. There was a quiet pull at his heartstrings as she answered his question. It carried the kind of weight that didn't leave, it just settled. "I know." He didn't, but he could feel her sadness as it were his own. "It's important to grieve the loss of what could have been." Xavier spoke softly, not wanting to overstep. @calxwallace

Xavier knew he should have expected trouble with the likes of Rosa, yet it was that same trouble that had his lips curling with her words. Laughter came quicker that time, hearing the excitement threading through her words before she was placing her hands onto his shoulders. Within a quick second, she hopped onto his back and he was hold onto her as he straightened himself out to begin walking. There was something about the whole situation that felt effortless, all things considering. "Hold on tight." He teased, knowing that he would not let her fall. "Where to?" @rosadelavega