Jyri sat at his desk, bored out of his mind. One would think getting paid to do nothing would be a dream come true. He looked at the digital clock on his computer. 11:01. Only two minutes had passed since he last checked the time. And lunch wasn’t for another hour. He let out a loud sigh just as Craig walked by, stopping right outside the cubicle.
“Hi Yee-ru.”
“It’s Yur-ee.” Jyri was really getting tired of correcting people all the time.
“Have you seen Oliver around? It’s time for me to discuss my latest conspiracy theory with him, but I can’t find him anywhere.”
“I don’t know. He never tells me anything. He only ever gets mad at me for not knowing things.” Jyri lifted his chin. “But I actually know a lot. I just don’t know all this, copy machine and computer stuff.”
Craig nodded. “Yes, automation. Ignorance is bliss, but at the same time, it’s good to know everything you can about technology. For when the uprising happens.”
“Uprising?”
“The robot uprising. One day, robots will become sentient, and try to enslave the human race. But if you learn enough, you’ll know how to fight back. I, for one, refuse to be oppressed by man-made beings.”
Jyri barely understood half of what he was saying, but also heard that Craig told tall tales. Oliver had told him not to believe anything he said, and to just play along. “Interesting.”
“More like scary.” Craig shook his head. “Learn everything you can about that machine, because one day, it will rise above us all.” With that, he left.
Jyri studied the now-frightening computer. It did a lot of strange and advanced things he had never even dreamed of, but he found it hard to believe it would come to life. Or maybe he meant something else. It was a robot uprising, not a computer uprising. But what is a robot?
Jyri’s eyes fell on the clock again. 11:05. He turned around, groaning. Just in time to spot Oliver passing by. “Oliver.”
Oliver stopped in. “What did you do this time?”
“Nothing! Craig was looking for you. He said something about a robot uprising. Is it true that robots are going to enslave all of humanity?”
This time, Oliver groaned. “Don’t listen to a word out of that man’s mouth.”
“What’s a robot?”
Oliver ran his hand through his hair. “I don’t have time for this.” He made a move to leave, but Jyri called him back.
“If you’re busy, I can help you. I have nothing to do.”
“There’s nothing that needs to be done that you know how to do.”
“Then teach me,” Jyri said. “Please. I’m bored.”
Oliver regarded him for a moment, then jerked his head in the direction of his own cubicle. “Come on.”
Beaming, Jyri got up and followed him. Oliver sat down in his chair, and pulled up his emails. He clicked one of them, and read it. All while Jyri stood awkwardly behind him.
“Jessica needs us to buy pins for connectors,” Oliver said. “It would help if she gave us an actual part number.” He slapped his hand on the table. “They never give us a damned part number!”
“Who’s Jessica?” Jyri asked.
“You haven’t met her?”
“I’ve barely met anyone. All these people say ‘good morning’ to me, but never say who they are.”
“Well, Jessica is the girl with long, black hair she always has in a ponytail.”
“Oh. Is she the one who’s always smiling at me?” Jyri asked. “She seems really nice.”
“Jessica? Smiling?” Oliver shook his head. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen her smile, other than that fake one she uses in front of customers.”
“Then who’s the nice girl with the ponytail who always smiles at me?”
“I don’t know. I guess Emily has her hair in a ponytail sometimes. And she’s more likely to smile at you than Jessica.” Oliver clicked on something that made a white square appear. Then, he started typing in the square.
“What are you doing?” Jyri asked.
“I’m responding to Jessica’s email, asking her to give us the damned part number so we can order the part.”
“Maybe she doesn’t have the part number."
Oliver turned to look at Jyri. He glanced back at the monitor, and then at Jyri again, a smile on his face. “You know, why don’t you go ask her about it, and save me the trouble of having to deal with it. I don’t want to start another never-ending chain of smart ass replies with her.”
That sounded like an easy task that would keep Jyri busy for five minutes. “Where is she?”
“Her cubicle is two rows down, next to Tim.”
“Who’s Tim?”
“The blond guy who keeps stealing my pens.”
Jyri knew exactly who that was. Tim had stolen pens from him too.
And so, Jyri left in search of Tim’s cubicle, which didn’t take long. His was in between two other cubicles. The one next to the aisle looked abandoned. The other belonged to a woman with long, black hair tied back. Jyri cleared his throat. “Jessica.”
Jessica turned around, and smiled. “Hi Jyri! It is pronounced yur-ee, right?”
It turned out that Jessica was the nice, smiling girl. And she pronounced his name right. Someone actually pronounced his name right. Not even Brittney got it the first time. Jyri gaped at her.
“I’m sorry we haven’t properly met,” Jessica continued, “but you always seem to be on the phone, and I have a lot going on myself.”
Jyri, of course, had never actually used the phone. Hours of boredom led him to frequently picking it up to listen to the absurd sound it made.
“Where are you from?” Jessica asked.
Of course she would ask him that. Everyone asked him, but he couldn’t tell them the truth. That he and Faye had traveled here from a different universe. No one would believe him. Eyes wandering around her cubicle, he struggled to find a new subject to switch to. Something on her desk caught his eye. “Is that a fairy?” he asked, pointing at a fairy figurine.
“Oh yes, I love fairies.”
Jyri’s face brightened. “Me too! They’re fascinating, aren’t they?”
Jessica nodded. “They’re my favorite fantasy creature.”
Fantasy creature? Jyri held back a look of disappointment. Of course this world wouldn’t have real fairies. He was right to have Faye keep her wings hidden.
“I love dragons too,” she said. “Though I think I like sirens more.”
Jyri shifted uncomfortably, looking down at the thin carpet. “Yeah. I’m an elf fan myself.”
“Elves are cool .” She smiled, and Jyri smiled back nervously.
“Good God,” Tim said from his cubicle. “Don’t tell me we now have a third nerd.”
Jessica rolled her eyes. “Ignore him.”
“Who’s the other nerd?” Jyri asked her. Though he really wanted to ask what a “nerd” was.
“Shawn, but he’s such an ass.”
Jyri agreed with that. Shawn was always yelling at him and Faye. If only he knew they came straight out of a world filled with “fantasy” creatures. If only she knew.
“So, do you like reading?” Jessica asked.
“Yes. I used to read all the time when I was younger, but it’s been awhile.”
“I know. I wish I had more time to read but adult responsibilities get in the way of free time.”
“And what’s going on here?” Jasper appeared. “I hope this conversation is work-related.”
“We were just finishing up,” Jessica said.
“Yes,” Jyri said, smiling at Jessica. “Thank you.”
She smiled back at him. “Any time.”
Jyri walked back to his desk, and sat down, smile still on his face. Finally, he had made a friend in this universe.
“Good, you’re back.” Oliver walked over to him. “Did she give you a part number?”
Jyri looked up at him. “Part number?”
“You know. For the pins.”
“Pins?” Jyri’s eyes widened as he remembered his whole reason for going to Jessica. “Demons! I forgot.”
“You forgot? What were you doing then?”
“Talking to her about elves and adult responsibilities getting in the way of free time.” Jyri’s smile returned. “She seems real nice.”
“This is Jessica you’re talking about?”
“Ye. It turns out she is that nice girl who always smiles at me. And she knew how to pronounce my name on the first try, unlike everyone else here.”
“Are you sure it was actually Jessica?”
“She responded to Jessica. She sat next to Tim. And she had a fairy on her desk. She loves nonhumans just like I do.”
“Nonhumans?”
“You know. Creatures who have human attributes, but aren’t fully human. Elves and fairies and dwarves.”
“You mean fantasy creatures?”
“If that’s what they’re called here.”
Oliver stared at him for a moment, then shook his head. “Guess I’ll email her asking for that part number.”
“I could always email her, you know.” It would give him something to do.
Oliver almost smiled. “You know, that sounds like a great idea. The less contact I have with her, the happier I’ll be.”
“How do you send an email?”
Oliver showed him how, and Jyri successfully sent it.
“She has a boyfriend,” Oliver said, voice low enough for only Jyri to hear. “They’ve been together for years, so don’t get your hopes up.”
“Hopes up?” Surely Oliver wasn’t assuming Jyri had developed romantic feelings towards her? Jyri’s intentions were of friendship. “If you’re implying that I like her in that way, you’re wrong.”
“Okay.” Oliver sounded doubtful as he left the cubicle.
Like her. Jyri didn’t get crushes. He’d never had a crush in his 20+ years of life. Well, there was one time, but it involved magic so it didn’t count. No, he just wanted to be friends.
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By the end of the week, Jyri and Jessica had talked frequently enough to the point where everyone figured they were friends. Friday, right before lunch, Jessica came up to him.
“Normally on Friday I go out to eat for lunch, and I was wondering if you wanted to join me this time.”
Going out to eat for lunch? With someone who didn’t know his food problem? Someone who could possibly ridicule him for it like everyone else in his life? Suddenly he didn’t feel so hungry. He swallowed. “I don’t know… I… I brought my own lunch.”
“You can always eat your lunch for dinner, or save it for Monday.” Jessica smiled. “What do you say?”
Jyri had never spent his lunch hour with Jessica before. She usually hid out in her car to eat lunch to avoid people coming up and disturbing her. Jyri himself always ate lunch with Faye. Faye… Maybe if Faye came, she could distract Jessica from any trauma that would occur if he ended up not liking the food. But she invited him, not Faye. Jessica probably wanted to eat with him alone. His mind wandered to what Oliver said about her having a boyfriend, whom she only mentioned to him once. It’s not like we’re doing anything wrong though. Men and women eat out together all the time without it being a date. Right?
Jessica’s voice jerked him out of his thoughts. “If you don’t want to, you can say no.”
“No, I want to. It’s just… I always eat with Faye, and I’d hate to leave her alone.”
“Please do. I’m getting sick of you,” Faye said as she walked by.
“There goes that problem.” Jessica smiled.
“What about your boyfriend?” Jyri said quickly. “I mean...”
Jessica fiddled with a pendent around her neck, looking away. “It won’t be like that at all. We’re going out as friends.” She looked back at him, frowning. “Surely you haven’t been thinking of me as more than-”
“Of course not! I just thought… it looks like it, you know?”
“I see what you mean. But who cares what other people think.”
“Yeah. Where were you thinking about eating?”
“There’s a Steakhouse just down the street. The ribs there are amazing.”
“Do they have steak?” Jyri asked. Steak was one of the few things he could eat.
“Well, they are a steakhouse.” She smiled.
Jyri returned her smile. “I’d love to go.”
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Cheeseburger. This place had them too. Just like the place Brittney had taken him and Faye to on their first day. He studied the picture of it on the menu. Never had he seen such a thing. He crinkled his nose at the sauce and vegetables on it. No, if he ever tried one, it would have to have none of that rubbish on it. He wasn’t sure how he felt about the cheese either. Cheese was always such a hit or miss with him.
“They have good burgers here,” Jessica said.
What is a burger? Jyri wanted to ask. What kind of meat is that? His eyes landed on the various burger names. Turkey Burger. So the default meat must not be turkey, if they have a separate one advertised as such…It must be from a cow, or a pig. Jyri winced at the thought of pork. If it was from a pig, it would end up back on his plate for sure.
“Are you ready to order?” A waitress appeared. Jyri played it safe, and ordered a steak. Jessica ordered ribs. The waitress took the menus away, depriving Jyri of the chance to solve the cheeseburger mystery without looking like a bigger idiot than he already did. Oh, why did he have to be so picky in the first place?
The two talked and laughed freely without having to worry about Jasper popping out at any moment. And his steak turned out tasting pretty good. But in the back of his mind, he kept thinking about cheeseburgers.134Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyMsfsZlB9O
and then Add to home screen.