The next day, Stanley headed for work, his shoulders slumped over as he yawned. He rubbed his eyes and went to a smaller shop to get a cup of coffee to help give him some energy. That study session seemed to have done a number on him. He hadn’t seen Hilary or Jordan on the way to work and wondered how their days have been. As soon as Stanley entered the Purple Spoon, the boss approached him with a concerned look.

“You ok?” The boss asked. “Do you seem to be...?”

“Yeah, I’ll be alright,” Stanley replied. “Why do you ask? Did you need anything from me?”

“Well, unfortunately, we’re losing more and more workers here. And I need you to do a different job.” He took out a mop and bucket. “You know how to use these, right?”

“Am I getting demoted?”

“No, this is just as important as all the rest. Just clean up on aisle five.”

“Oh, alright...” Stanley muttered in response. The boss handed the stuff over to Stanley and walked off.

Stanley went over to the aisle, dunked the mop in the bucket, and cleaned the floors. He had a hunch this scenario felt foreboding, since not many people roamed around as much anymore.

Another tap hit his shoulder. He turned around and found Jordan standing there with a stupid grin on his face. He said nothing, though.

“Do you mind?” Stanley asked, rolling his eyes.

“Not at all. I’m taking a break,” Jordan mentioned. “What are you doing?”

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

“Something important. Don’t you have other things you can do right now?”

“Not really. I got nothing better to do than to bother you. Hey, that rhymed!”

Stanley sighed in disbelief. Out of the corner of his eyes, he looked over as Hilary talked with another female employee while working on some extra shifts. Jordan, quick to notice, bumped Stanely’s chest to get his attention and get his mind off them for a moment.

“Oh my gosh, you’re in love with a woman!” Jordan whisper-yelled.

“What? No, I don’t! Keep it down!” Stanley whisper-retorted.

“Don’t you lie to me. I can see it in your eyes. I never thought you’d be the type to be interested in women, though...”

“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?”

“But don’t worry, I’m an expert on this, so I’ll help you out. Consider this as thanks for cleaning my room last night.”

“Wait, how did you—?”

“Who else could’ve done it?” Jordan pointed out. “You were the only other one there.”

Jordan walked over to where the two ladies stood, as Stanley turned around, covered his ears, and shut his eyes tight. He hummed a song in his head to avoid hearing what happened on the other side.

Eventually, Stanley felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned, and Jordan stood in front of him. It didn’t look like it took that long, did it?

“Huh, did you finish already?” Stanley questioned. “How did it go?”

“Oh, uh, it went well,” Jordan claimed with an enormous smile. Stanley had a feeling he lied through his teeth. “But you need to prepare yourself.”

“You know you could’ve said something like that sooner.”

“Maybe if we set you up with a bit of confidence, then you can ask her yourself.”

“So, what you’re saying is, it didn’t go as well as you planned, did it?”

“Quiet. Look, that woman knows you more and seems to like you, so if you’re honest with yourself...” Jordan’s voice faded as he went quiet for a moment, thinking about what he said, much to Stanley’s confusion. “I know where to meet up after work!” He exclaimed.

Oh boy.