“Hmm…” Garth adjusts his name tag – “Martin” printed in a font similar to that of the Star Wars logo. He prefers his last name. His shirt is baggy, hiding his belly. His black jeans are tucked into his heavy-soled black boots.

“Ah, waiting for your egirl?” Garth’s brow crinkles. “You know, I could just make you a robot like my beautiful wife.” He scoffs at the customer.

“Shut up.” Garth shoos Gabe from his countertop, wiping it down. He’d spent the better part of the day cleaning his shop. “First, you’d probably program any robot to kill me, second, having sex with a glorified flesh light doesn’t make you pathetic.” Garth peers at Gabe, who laughs.

“Yeah yeah.” Gabe quiets down. Garth’s lips tighten; every time someone enters, he turns towards the door. It’s not Anon. He doesn’t know what Anon looks like. “Hey, they’ve been here a while. Did that new hire try helping them earlier?” Gabe points towards a quiet patron.

“They already clocked out.” Garth replies, going to talk to the customer. “S’cuse me, are you looking for anything in particular? There’s a Barnes and Noble down the road.” He assumes they’re in the wrong place.