"But for real, Anna– you deserve to hear it more often. Even if it makes me sound like some sappy idiot." The car turns into the electronic store parking lot, but Zack does not make any move to shut off the engine immediately. Instead, he kills the ignition and turns fully toward her in his seat. "Let me make it up to you tonight," he says quietly, his competitive nature surfacing again in the form of a challenge. "You don't sound like a sappy idiot," Anna says firmly. "You sound like a loyal amazing boyfriend." Despite having heard the word 'boyfriend' from Anna's lips several times before, the word still stirs something in Zack. His entire body goes still for a moment, processing the casual way she claims him so definitively. The possessive part of his roars in triumph while the vulnerable side feels exposed and terrifyingly happy.
"You are right," Zack says finally, his voice rough with emotion. "I am your boyfriend. And I am going to prove it every damn day." His hands moved from Anna's thigh to tangle in her brown hair, pulling her forward until their foreheads press together again. "I am buying you that phone today," he declares with renewed determination. "And then I am taking you somewhere we can actually be alone so I can show you exactly how loyal I can be." Anna bites her lower lip and says, "Good, I like it when you take charge." Zack's breath hitches at her response, his dark green eyes flashing with satisfaction. The combination of her biting her lip and admitting she like it when he takes charge sends a visible tremor through him. "Good," he repeats roughly, his hand tightening in her brown hair to tilt her head back farther. "Because I am done sharing you with anyone else."
Zack's other hand slides down from Anna's hair to grip her waist possessively through the thin fabric of her white skirt. The car's confined space suddenly feels electric with tension as he leans in closed, his lips brushing against hers without actually kissing her yet. "You are mine," he states simply, leaving no room for arguments. "And I am going to remind you exactly how much you enjoy letting me take charge." With that declaration hanging in the air between them, he finally releases her and climbs out of the car into the afternoon sunlight. Anna takes a deep breath to compose herself and then follows him out of the car, her attention drifting to the electronic store Infront of them.
The electronic store is in a single-story structure on the corner of a strip mall, primally made of reddish-brown bricks, with lighter beige trim along the top edges and corners. A dark green awning runs across the width of the entrance, which is a glass automatic door surrounded by large windows. Posters and promotional displays are visible through the window as they approach. Above the dark green awning is the shops sign that reads "Game stop," with the word "Game" in white letters and the word "Stop in red letters– set against a dark background and followed by a smaller text that reads "Power to the players." The automatic doors slide open with a whoosh as Zack strides purposefully into the brightly lit electronic store. He scans the displays with practiced efficiency, already mapping out their route to find exactly what they need.
Inside, the electronic store is well-organized and brightly lit with evenly spread recessed ceiling lights. The floor is covered in light grey wood-style planks, and the walls are mostly white, while sections of the walls feature colourful branding and graphics– particularly shades of blue and teal. In the middle of the store is a rectangular display table with a white base and a smooth top surface, housing several electronic devices– mostly smartphones and tables, arranged neatly for customers too view and interact with. Along the left wall, there are vertical shelving units filled with accessories– phone cases, chargers, headphones and other small electronics. These items are arranged in rows, creating a colourful mosaic of packaging.
"Over there," Zack points toward the left wall display case, his hand finds Anna's automatically, lacing their fingers together as they head towards the display case. "They probably have custom designs near the cash register too," he explains conversationally when they are standing in front of the display case. "We can pick out our Batman stuff while we are here." His competitive nature kicks in again as they approach displays filled with branded merchandise. "Look at these cheap knockoffs," he scoffs dismissively at a rack of poorly made phone covers. "No way are we settling for something that looks like it came from a dollar store." He pulls Anna closer against his side protectively as they browse through options more seriously.
"Here," Anna said after a moment of browsing and points to two Smartphone covers places side by side, designed to form a single continuous illustration when aligned together. On the left phone cover is Batman, from the shoulders up, his muscular build emphasized by his suit, showing his defined shoulders and upper back. Above him is a large, pale full moon that glows softly and contrast against the dark sky, casting faint rim light along the edges of Batman's figure. On the right phone cover is Catwoman in her typical black tight suit, a plume of smoke curling through the scene and originating from behind her. In the background, a city skyline rises– tall buildings with lit windows, similar to the comic images of Gotham.
Both cases feature a dark, comic-book style artwork and is made up of deep blacks, cool blues and muted grey. Together, the two cases create an image of Batman holding Catwoman and kissing intimately. These phone covers are more intimate that the phone covers they saw online and fit Zack's style better. Zack's green eyes widen dramatically at the sight of the connected covers. A slow, predatory grin spreads across his face as he immediately scoops both packages off the display case. "Holy shit, Anna– you have excellent taste," he declares loudly enough to draw curious glances form nearby customers. "This is perfect. We are definitely getting these." He holds up the paired covers side-by-side to admire them better under the fluorescent lighting. "We have to get them," he insists, practically vibrating with excitement.