"Voila!" Garfield pointed to a black and green building on the sidewalk.
Rachel and Garfield were spending the day in Steel City, a town that was a couple of miles away from Jump City. Steel City was an industrial town on the Atlantic coast. It was the home of business, market, and trading. Silver skyscrapers stood like elegant fingers, homes sat like brown squares.
The geometry of the landscape was complex, but unique. Even though it was easy to get lost in such a place, the outline was absolutely signature.
Garfield and Rachel were at Scott Menville's Collectibles, a comic book store on Main Street. Upon entering, they were greeted by a dark-skinned woman, who appeared to be about their age. Her hair was afro-textured, spiraling to her mid-back. Her eyes were a warm brown, similar to melted chocolate. Instantly, it was easy to tell that the worker has a pure, attractive spirit.
"Hello, welcome to Scott Menville's Collectibles. We have a sale going on, buy one and get two fifty percent off. If you need any help with anything, please do not hesitate to let me know!"
The couple said in unison, "Thank you," then advanced into the store.
Shelves were stocked with comics, manga, journals, notebooks, and other types of books. Mugs, t-shirts, posters, vinyl records, and other items were open for the customers' purchase.
"Rae, I gotta show you sumn'." Garfield takes Rachel by the hand, pulling her down an aisle.
He stops in the manga section, his eyes brimming with excitement. His mouth is curved into an eager grin, and his voice is light as he speaks. Rachel can't help but smile at her partner, because his joy was infectious.
He comments, pointing to the shelves, "Allow me to brainwash you into the world of manga."
"Man...ga?"
"Yes, they're like Japanese comics. Some of them get animated into something called "anime"." he throws jazz hands in the air.
Rachel giggles, "I see. So, it's like Marvel Comics. Tons of storylines and characters."
"Yes. Except, manga isn't all about superhero versus villains. Some of them also have stories about monsters, romance, magic, slice of life, dark fantasy, horror, and so on."
"Interesting," Rachel picks up a manga off the shelf, "Death Note? This sounds... morbid." she opens the book, beginning to skim through it.
"Hm? Oh, Death Note, one of my favorites."
"What's it about?"
"Well, are you interested in reading the manga or watching the anime? I'm not someone who likes to give out spoilers."
"Um..."
"I'm sure you'll like it, it's a story of dark fantasy, thriller, and has a complicated plot concerning morality."
"That's my kinda thing," Rachel considers, "Is there any horror stuff here?"
"A good amount. Deadman Wonderland, The Flowers of Evil, From the New World, Gantz. Those are the ones I remember on the top of my head. But, uh, yeah, Death Note is good, I think you'll like it. My favorite genre is action. Anime like Attack on Titan, Cowboy Bebop, Naruto, One Piece, and Hunter x Hunter are some of my favs."
"I've seen some of the One Piece stuff around our room. As a matter of fact, your wall is full with that kind of stuff. You're such a dork. My dork, that is." Rachel tenderly kisses the corner of his mouth.
Garfield's cheeks flush in red, "Ew, Rae cooties." he playfully wipes away the kiss.
Rachel laughs, "You know I'll just kiss you again."
She lays a warm peck on Garfield's cheek. He surrenders with a pout, and lets the kiss stay.
Garfield announces with enthusiasm, "Like I was saying, I love action. I have a hard time sticking to romances or other genres. Actually, thriller is really good, if it keeps me hooked. But if it isn't people crashing each other into walls, screaming at each other, and blasting magical powers everywhere, I don't want it. Man, I just love a good fight."
"Yeah, TV usually disappoints me. Some shows are so boring, and others are just horribly written. That's why books are my holy grail."
"I getchya, but pwwwweaaaaaaaaaaase try. I'll buy the manga you want, any manga. And we can watch some anime together and see how you like it. Pweaaaaase, Rae." he implores, giving Rachel the most irresistible stare.
"Fiiiiiine, I'll try it out. I'll get Death Note."
"Yes!" he pumps his fist in the air, "Alright. I'm actually gonna buy some Berserk." he claims, taking a book into his hand.
Rachel requests, "Can we look in the vinyl section?"
"Of course."
Rachel and Garfield move from the manga section, to the vinyl records, to the merch, to the mugs, and to other areas of the store. As a final purchase, Garfield leaves the store with one manga, a pack of Mike and Ike, and a Bleach poster. Rachel leaves with one manga, vinyl records of Billie Eilish and Tame Impala, and a pack of Kit Kats.
They exit the store, making their way down the street. The roads are nosy with the daily business of Steel City. The day is coming to its peak, so the citizens are hustling and bustling about.
"I'd love to come back here some time soon, Gar. Can we?" Rachel slips her hand in his.
"Of course, and I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. Where we stoppin' next?"
"Wanna have some tea?"
"Sure. We out to Starbucks?"
"Ew," Rachel sticks out her tongue adorably, "No, we don't like Starbucks."
Garfield's eyebrows angled in confusion, "We don't?"
"We do not. We like cafés, depressing cafés, more specifically. Starbucks is too happy-go-lucky for my taste. No pun intended." the couple exchanged a laugh.
In ten short minutes, Garfield and Rachel arrived at Spilled Tea, a white building with black accents in the design.
The inside of the café was pleasing to the eye. The tables, stools, and chairs were well-polished, wooden sets. The floor was a lighter shade of wood, which helped give contrast to the appearance. The furniture were aligned, and paintings of all kinds decorated the walls.
Lamps hung from the ceiling, shedding light in every area that needed it. The windows were squeaky-clean, each pane gave the customers a view of the outside world, and by-passers a perspective of the world of the café.
Shortly after Rachel and Garfield found a seat, a waiter took their orders. Rachel ordered a strawberry shortcake and herbal tea. Garfield ordered an avocado salad and green tea.
"Rae, what's so good about herbal tea?" Garfield questioned.
"It keeps me calm. If I skip herbal tea, that's like a coffee addict missing a cup of coffee."
"That's kinda me with tofu. If I miss out on that, my soul feels empty. And my heart feels broken. Whoever invented tofu deserves a raise."
Rachel laughs lightly, "Hehe, it's cute that we both have our obsessions."
"Sure thing. I'd drink tea more if I didn't burn my tongue, or feel like a river of fire is going down my throat, and into my stomach. No matter how much I blow tea before I drink it, it's always too hot."
"You blow your tea before you drink it?" Rachel smiles, her face creasing in curiosity.
"Yes, do you?"
"Nope, I like to feel the burn." she states comically.
Garfield chuckles, adoring Rachel's spunk, "You're a classic, I swear."
The waiter arrives at the table and kindly distributes the food and beverages to the couple.
Rachel noshes on her shortcake without delay. Her teeth sink through the layer of whipped cream, golden, downy cake, and lusciously fresh strawberries.
"Oh, gosh," she chews, her cheeks moving cutely in circles, "This. This right here. Good, very good."
"Is it really? Gah! Rae!"
Rachel swiped a swirl of whipped cream on Garfield's nose, then giggled.
"Hmmm?" she acted clueless, continuing her dessert.
Garfield chuckles, feeling warmth develop in his cheeks. As he begins his meal, his eyes droop a bit as his gaze focuses on the girl in front of him.
She's doing it again, and he adores it.
Rachel's unfolding into a more liberated personality. She's acting silly, she's giggling, she's smiling, she's cracking jokes, and she's learning to be herself. Her spirit was sweet and pure; it was as if the strawberry shortcake reflected her soul perfectly.
"Rae," he smiles, holding her hand.
Rachel takes a few more hungry crunches, then holds his hand back. She hastily cleans her mouth with a napkin, then locks gazes with him. As a result of her hurry, Rachel drops the cloth that was on her lap, onto the floor.
"Yeah? Crap, I'm not acting romantic at all, am I?"
"You're acting perfectly fine, Rae. You being happy makes me happy. I just want you to know that... I wish every moment we have lasts forever. The good ones, the bad ones, the funny ones, the emotional ones. I appreciate all of them, especially you."
Rachel shyly shifts her eyes, "Oh, come on, Gar. Don't make me cry."
"Aww, mushiness makes you cry? Looks like you're blushing to me." he teases.
She gives him a stern stare, "Be quiet."
"Aye, aye, no need to get all worked up. I was jus' bein' nice." Garfield defended playfully.
"You're too nice for me, but I don't mind. Also, Gar. Don't worry about our moments lasting forever. We have so much time to create new ones, and recall the old ones. They have no choice but to last forever, because we are each other's forever." Rachel affectionately squeezes his hand.