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reincarnated70sbaby · 1 year

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moonbeam

ch. iv

table of contents

may 7, 1998

It was 2:30 when Sabrina finally headed downstairs to take a look around the store. She was counting the minutes until the end of her eternal shift. And there was still no sign of Jimmy. But she pushed that thought into the furthest reaches of her mind.

In the meantime, Sabrina entered the employee lounge and poured herself a cup of tea. Others were milling about in the area, ignoring Sabrina’s presence as she did theirs. She took a cold scone on a communal plate and contemplated if a bite would destroy her teeth. She took the plunge and the baked good crumbled uncomfortably into her mouth. She quickly set it down, prompting it for the bin when over the loudspeaker, a voice came through.

"Sabrina to register, please. Sabrina to register, thank you!"

Sabrina felt eyes on her in an instant. She gathered her sad excuse for a midday snack and tossed it all as she hurried for the front of the store.

There, she saw his back first, then the awestruck faces of her coworkers stood before him. His curls were visibly wet.

Conner, Sabrina’s closest colleague at Clarence's, waved her down as soon as they'd established eye contact. In her chest, Sabrina could feel her heartbeat quicken and her palms became sweaty.

"Sabrina, this gentleman needs alterations on a few suits that he's picked up. Erm, Daniel's not here, would you mind helping him out?" Another employee, Vincent, who had been visibly nervous, asked.

Finally, Jimmy turned to face her, the faintest glint of green in his eyes caught hers. His soft, nervous smile made her melt just a little bit inside. But she pulled herself together quickly and flashed a courteous, yet genuine smile up at him.

"Yes, of course. Jimmy, let me show you upstairs where I'll be fitting you," she turned to her coworkers, "Are his clothes already up there?"

They all nodded as scattered yeses came from the small group before them. Then, Sabrina escorted Jimmy up the carpeted steps.

"How are you?" she asked, mostly as a courtesy, though she would be lying if she said she wasn't even the slightest bit intrigued.

"Good, good. My bandmate and I will be touring soon so, uh, if I disappear for a while, don't forget me."

"How could I?" Sabrina chuckled awkwardly, immediately regretting the words as they left her mouth.

"Yes, well. I find I'm quite forgettable at times."

"Nonsense," she replied as she darted back and forth around the fitting area in an attempt to locate where his suits had been hung.

"I do recall you didn't know who I was when we met..."

"That's not true," Sabrina answered, peeking out from a side room with the three suits in her arms. "I had a suspicion."

Jimmy hummed, his tone revealed slight amusement. "Right."

"Right is right! You can't say I didn't." she said as she entered a changing booth and hung his suits inside.

Jimmy followed after her, his full figure leaning against the room's frame. He crossed his arms. "I suppose..." he said dramatically, a shrug added for some extra flair.

"Shut up," Sabrina said, holding her laughter as she stepped forward in an attempt to leave the tight space. Jimmy had blocked her exit. Even at her modest five and a half feet, his presence was unwittingly powerful.

Sabrina wetted her lips, her eyes unable to stop themselves from admiring the features of his face. His full cheeks, brilliant emerald eyes marked at the edges with smile lines. She formed a small, unconscious smile.

When she took in a breath, the smell of his cologne overcame her senses. It was far different from any men's perfume she'd ever smelled before. Though, as her eyes trailed up to his drying curls, she felt the sudden waft of nicotine on him. The faint smell soured in her nose, it quickly snapped her out of his spell.

It wasn't until Jimmy had reached a hand out toward her that Sabrina managed to slip through and sidestep him, her feet being her guide back to relative safety; not that she was in any actual danger. His fingers had managed a brush at her forearm. That, combined with their short lived battle of stares, frazzled Sabrina to no end. Had it been any other man she was attracted to, she wouldn't have had a problem...

But this was a wildly inappropriate situation. Not only was Sabrina at work, but Jimmy was her client. And beside the obvious factors, he was twice her age, making for a truly awkward scene.

And yet, she still couldn't help wanting to give him a chance.

Jimmy opened his mouth to speak, confused by her haste to move away, but Sabrina was quicker in her sudden rush of anxiety. "Have you been fitted with us before?" she asked.

He looked taken by the question, blinking before he could articulate his response, "Erm, no, I don't think so."

Sabrina nodded shortly, "You can head inside, put one of the suits on. I'll just..." she paused, in need of an excuse so she could leave the room.

"I haven't made you uncomfortable, have I?"

"No! No, I promise. You didn't do anything!" she exclaimed in a fit of nerves, her cheeks burning as she said so. Why couldn't he just go into the room?

"I suppose I didn't, I just—Your cheeks are bright red," Jimmy laughed.

"Would you like a cup of water, Jimmy? Or tea...a coffee?" she replied, deflecting.

He shook his head, and when he turned his back to her, Sabrina sped for the water cooler in her office just beyond the curtain.

After her third cone-shaped cup, she assured herself that her cheeks had returned to their regular pale shade. Then, after she took a quick glance at her cell phone for any missed calls—sure there wouldn't be any—she returned to the fitting area. Jimmy stood there and admired himself in the mirror, nearly missing Sabrina as she returned.

"That all because I tried to touch your arm?" Jimmy teased.

"I dunno what you're talking about," Sabrina answered in jest, avoidant of the question while she began her examination on the fit of the suit. "This the one you're taking with you?"

"I hope so," she noticed him peering at her in the mirror. She met his gaze with a short glance, focusing on his suit again as she reached for her safety pins.

"Where are you off to?" She asked, muffled by the pin between her teeth.

"Florida first. The States, obviously."

"You been to Florida before?" Sabrina asked, pinning where she deemed fit.

"Yes, many times. Usually on tour, though."

"Never for leisure?"

Jimmy thought on it for a moment. He cleared his throat before answering. “Yes, well, I went a long time ago with my daughter when she was little. Her mother and I took her to Disney World."

"You have a daughter?" She asked, keeping her voice level so as not to sound too intrigued by the fact. Sabrina never would've guessed that Jimmy was the "children" type.

He nodded. "Scarlet."

"Nice. I didn't know you had children. With your," she hesitated, "rock star status and all."

"Well, musicianship has nothing to do with it," Jimmy chuckled, "all of us had children...families and such."

"Right, right," She moved around to his arm, "Sorry, I made an assumption."

"It's alright, you couldn't have known."

Between the achingly awkward pause between them, Sabrina carried on with her safety pins on his suit. From what she could tell he had taken a larger size than his own, making it easier to alter to his own size, which she was sure was a skill he'd picked up from past experience.

Jimmy watched on passively while Sabrina did her job. "Any way you can make the bottom shorter?" he asked.

"Sure," she said. "Compensating for the long arms," she muttered as she pinched the bottom of the jacket, folding it up a bit before looking to Jimmy for approval.

"Did you just say I have long arms?"

"Hm? No," Sabrina said, humor evident in her voice. "Is this okay for length?"

Jimmy huffed in place of his stifled laugh. Taking a look, he guided her hand a lower so that a half inch was taken off the bottom instead of a full one. His hand was soft against hers, the delicate manicured hand quite a contrast to his, trimmed nails and calloused fingertips. His fingers lingered for a second while she pinned the coat. "That should be okay,” he said.

When he pulled his hand away, Sabrina's eyes trailed behind it. Suddenly she was remorseful for sidestepping him in the booth. She pushed the thought away and shifted her attention to see if the shoulders were okay on the jacket. She pinched them a bit at the sides and noted the large gap between his shoulder and the coat itself.

"This coat is far too big," she chuckled.

"Arms," Jimmy replied.

"I suspected that as well,” Sabrina smiled, pinning the shoulders as well before closing the jacket at the front. She checked to see if the fit followed the silhouette of his waist and moved onto his pants. She hung his jacket onto a nearby mannequin and began to take a preliminary look at the fit of the pants.

Sabrina dared a glance—as inconspicuously as she could—below his belt, taking note of each and every curve his figure brought to her eyes. She noted how his clothing stretched and loosened with each breath, how the small fluff of graying chest hair peeked out from his shirt, the way his hands fell at his sides; his fingers anxiously brushed against one another. It was almost adorable; Sabrina cracked an inconspicuous smile.

Her type, if she had one, certainly didn’t trend toward men twice her age who had curves rather than edges, but...something about Jimmy's figure drew her in achingly closer. She couldn't seem to keep her eyes in one place, finding that everywhere she chose to focus made the blood pump louder in her ears.

Sabrina merely had to add a pin to make the back a bit tighter and looked to Jimmy to see if he had any qualms. With the shake of his head, he started back towards the booth to change into the second suit he'd picked out.

☽

"Sorry if I was a bit…odd back there," Jimmy said. He had pulled his credit card from his wallet and gestured toward the fitting area. "I feel like I put you off."

"Put me off how?" Sabrina asked in an attempt to play dumb. She knew exactly what he meant. If anything, she knew it was her fault that things had gone strangely.

"Erm," he scratched the back of his neck. "You know—actually just forget it. How much?"

She rang him up, "£600. Alterations come free with purchase.”

"How much do you want for a gratuity?"

"Oh, Jimmy you don't have to—" Sabrina tried to shut him down, her heart racing again with embarrassment.

"Sabrina," Jimmy insisted, "Let me give you a tip."

She stood firm, shaking her head far too many times, "I don't want your money."

He opened his mouth to protest her further, but came up short. Sabrina cut in before he could articulate himself.

"The suits should be ready by next Thursday. Is that enough time?"

"Yes, more than enough. Thank you, Sabrina."

"Of course. It's my job, after all," she chuckled, "All I need is your signature on this receipt."

"I can do that," Jimmy muttered as he took the pen she had offered him and signed on the dotted line. When she saw him scribbling something else down, she furrowed her brow.

The paper slid back towards her across the counter. Sabrina eyed it curiously, unable to ignore the phone number scrawled beneath Jimmy's signature. She looked back up at him, wordlessly begging for an explanation.

"My phone number. In case you should run into any…trouble. I'm home most days," he tapped rhythmically on the counter, watching Sabrina as she neatly folded his proof of payment and set it off to the side.

"Thanks," she smiled. Sabrina then reached beneath the counter to retrieve a thin cardboard box. "My business cards have actually come in, so if you have any questions," she paused as she took a card from the box and handed it to him. "If I'm not here, you can call my cell," she said, not waiting for a response before she scribbled down her cell phone number on the back of the card.

"Thank you," Jimmy replied as he pocketed the cardstock. “So that means I can toss Daniel’s card, right?”

Sabrina laughed, "Do as your heart desires."

"I'll come by next week then."

"I look forward to it," she said, watching as his hand formed into a fist by his side. Jimmy squeezed his fingers closer to his palm, then once she cast her eyes back to his she found that neither of them could leave their place.

"I should get going," he said, his tone regretful.

"Right. Busy rock star life, right?" she teased.

"Oh yeah, got a long night of rehearsals to get through," Jimmy smiled, looking down at the floor before him as they both laughed. With another long glance, Jimmy finally said his goodbyes and made his way toward the exit. The sounds of the busy London streetscape flooded the store before they were just as quickly muted by the closing of the door.

The musty scent of the store returned to her senses and Sabrina grimaced. Thursday couldn't come any faster.

☽

Zachary had already been waiting for Sabrina as she approached her apartment building. His hands were shoved into the pockets of his hoodie, the sound of the gum smacking over in his mouth could be heard from a few feet away.

"Oh, look, it's my stalker," Sabrina chuckled. Her keys clinked as she searched for the correct key for her front door.

"Took you long enough," Zachary replied with a nudge to Sabrina's arm.

"Wanker," she muttered, letting them into the musty building and start up the creaky stairs.

"Slag," he answered. "You got any food?"

"And if I don't?" she teased.

"Can I stay the night, actually? Mum's been getting on me about finding a job after school and I can't do another dinner like that, Sab."

She met the question with pause. What if Jimmy called? Would Jimmy call? He had given her the number in a professional setting. There was no way he'd call her. Right?

The door swung open and the siblings pushed into the small flat. "I can feed you, but you've gotta go back home tonight."

"Beanie come onnnn," Zachary whined, "What is it? You've got some lad coming over after I leave? Hey, there's my magazine," he said suddenly, reaching for the Guitar World issue she'd nicked from the house.

"I haven't got anyone coming over..." Sabrina answered, "You can have it back. I've already read it."

"I still don't know why you wanted to read it..."

"I was curious," she shrugged. Sabrina headed for the refrigerator and grabbed two soda cans for them, cracking her own open as Zachary caught the one thrown at him.

"This is just an interview with the guy. Nothing of guitar-ish interest,” he tried to justify.

"Is this an interrogation, Zach?"

"No, I just....forget it. I'm taking it back."

"Feel free," she answered and took a sip of her soda.

Zachary looked as if there was more he wanted to say on the topic, but quickly dropped it for fear he'd make himself more confused. Sabrina, on the other hand, was thankful. The less she had to disclose about Jimmy, the better. She was too old to be bickering with her brother, anyway.

Already knowing his way around her flat, Zachary turned the radio on and tuned it to Heart, where a flood of rock music came through the janky speakers.

"You're quiet," He said as he rifled through the drawer beneath the radio. He took a Chinese takeaway menu from it.

"I usually am quiet, you tosser."

"Something's off."

"Nothing's off,” She scoffed.

"You've met someone haven't you? I was only seventeen when you started seeing that twat, but I knew how you'd be all sneaky in your room. Ignoring me."

"Surprised you noticed me ignoring you over all the lousy music you listened to."

"So you are seeing someone?" Zachary asked. He walked over to the phone near the front door, dialing the number on the menu.

"No, I'm not seeing anyone," Sabrina rolled her eyes. Her fingers felt up the folded receipt in her pocket with Jimmy's phone number. She knew she shouldn’t have, but she didn’t want it to fall into the wrong hands; or so she told herself. Plus, she had made a note of his phone number in her files should she need to call him at work. Merely touching the thin paper made Sabrina’s heart race. Then, she couldn't hide the newfound smile on her face. Luckily Zachary had his back turned to her as he spoke with the Chinese restaurant.

☽

"So I should take her to a fancy restaurant?" Zachary asked.

"Where did you meet her again?" Sabrina answered. A lo mein noodle hung halfway out of her mouth as Zachary pestered her for what would impress his girlfriend for their anniversary.

"Well I met Amelia in sixth form," he swallowed, "But we didn't actually talk until I saw her at the Radiohead show last year."

Sabrina nodded, "She's clearly one of your types. Maybe something low key is her vibe. Girls like that don't buzz off fancy things too much," she stopped herself, "But that doesn't mean she doesn't like nice things.”

"My head is fucking spinning, Sab," he muttered, "Does she want something nice or not?"

"Do something sentimental. Maybe, I don't know, you could play her favorite Radiohead song on guitar."

"I can't learn that in a week!"

She eyed her brother up, about ready to kick him out on his ass. With each second that passed, Sabrina thought her phone had buzzed in her coat pocket. She became increasingly desperate to get Zachary out of her flat for the night.

"If you don't want to help me, just say so,” He spoke up.

Sabrina sighed, "It's not that. I've been distracted."

"Sab, all I ask for is five minutes of your time. You can just tell me what to do and I'll be out of your hair and you can go back to your stupid solitary life."

She then jabbed her chopsticks into her rice and pulled out a large piece of it, shoving it into her mouth. As she chewed, she took her time and mapped out each and every restaurant around London she had been to with Shaun in the past.

"Take her to Bluebird in Chelsea. Shaun took me last year for our fifth anniversary," she finally said, fighting the urge to punch her brother square across the face.

"If he took you there that means it's expensive,” he complained.

"It's reasonable. I went there a few months ago on my own, it's really not too bad."

Zachary pushed his chicken around on his plate, picking one and munched as he thought it over. Now he'd become the quiet one. After a long pause he nodded, "Fine."

"Good. Can you let me know if she likes it?"

"I will. Plus I have no idea what to get her."

"You're joking."

Zachary laughed sheepishly, "I am. I've already got her gift ready."

The two finished their meals, any remnant of ill will gone once they had begun discussing how increasingly crazy their mother had become.

Then, after a long bout of silence, Sabrina spoke up, "I met someone famous at the store a few weeks ago."

"Holy shit, who?" Zachary asked, now intrigued.

"You're a bigger fan of him than I am."

"Oh, come on Sab, that doesn't help at all."

Sabrina smirked, her eyes glancing over at the magazine still at the top of her pile. Zachary hadn't noticed, too focused on racking his brain for one name, any name.

"Guess," she said.

"I don't know. What does he do?"

"He's a musician."

Zachary's face twisted, deep in thought, "Jeff Beck?"

Sabrina's eyebrows furrowed, "Who?"

"Fuck you. Erm, shit, Liam Gallagher?"

"No."

"Another hint," he pushed.

"If I give you any more, it'll give him away."

"Describe him, then."

Sabrina's eyebrows rose, suddenly anxiety-ridden as Jimmy's presence invaded her mind. She pictured his towering height over her, his face—lips specifically—and his hair, the way his curls shrouded his forehead like a crown...was there any way to describe him like a normal person would?

"Well," she paused, "he was skinny back in his prime years. He's filled out a bit...he's got a nice face—"

"Is he supposed to be attractive or something?"

"I don't—I suppose so, Zach," she flubbed.

"You've got the hots for this guy! Look at the absolute state of your face!" Zachary guffawed.

Sabrina stammered, "That's not the point!" she fought, feeling the burn of her cheeks once she'd been put on the spot.

"Who is it? I give up."

Her heart was in her throat now. For what reason, Sabrina had no clue. Jimmy made her nervous even when he wasn’t a mere three inches away from her. She reached into her coat pocket on her seat back. The folded receipt was still the way it had been when she put it there, Jimmy's signature and phone number having not been a figment of her imagination, after all. Sabrina slid it across the table to Zachary.

He examined it for longer than made her comfortable, then the realization washed over his face. "That's why you stole my fucking magazine," he said, shock riddling his voice. "What? Is this his phone number?"

She nodded and took the receipt back before Zachary could memorize the number and ruin her (barely) possible chance with Jimmy.

"What the actual fuck, Sabrina?" he said, raking his fingers back through his hair. "Jimmy Page? And you?"

"Well he gave me his phone number because I'm altering his suits, but—"

"Sabrina, you have to let me meet him!"

"Absolutely fucking not!" Sabrina shot back, "I barely know this guy, I'm not letting you meet him. Not after the shit you pulled when we met Brian May."

"Beanie, I was twelve!"

"I don't care, Zach. You're not meeting him. I have to be professional."

Seething, Zachary accepted his fate, "Fine...but this is definitely weird."

"I guess I'll give you updates," Sabrina said with yet another shrug.

Then, he stood up, "Alright, well, I should be getting home," he stretched, his fingertips brushing the ceiling.

"Don't tell Mum and Dad about Jimmy," Sabrina said suddenly.

"Why?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Just don't."

"Holy shit you're gonna go after him, aren't you?"

"Just—"

"Fine, fine, I won't," Zachary conceded, raising his hands in surrender as he made his way to the door. "I'll see you soon?"

"Yeah. Good luck with your date," Sabrina said.

"Thanks. I'll call....sometime this week, I dunno," he sighed, ruffling his hair for what seemed like the thousandth time that evening.

"Love you?" Sabrina tried.

"Love you," Zachary said. He saw his way out,locking the door from the inside and loudly descending the stairs before the loud boom of the main door echoed through Sabrina's flat.

With a huff, she stood up and began to gather the trash and separate what was still edible.

She looked to the dining table. Zachary had forgotten to take his magazine.

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