Star-Crossed

Another day, another dollar, I thought to myself as I rolled out of bed groggily. "I really don't want to go to work, I'm just so tired of the same meaningless things." I said to no one in particular. This is how every morning went for me...wake up at 7 a.m., shower, eat, attempt to look decent for my cheap retail job and dash out the door five minutes later than I should. Today was no exception to my usual routine besides the fact it was my 21st birthday, and only one Happy Birthday text from my mom. God, how I missed her... I should probably tell you a little about myself, more than just how meaningless my life is. My name is Jupiter and, like I said, today is my 21st birthday. I live in a tiny 1 bedroom, 1-bathroom apartment. There's nothing truly remarkable about me besides my sky blue eyes. Everyone always says they're my most striking feature. Besides that, I'm just barely five-two on a good day, not honestly super fit, I have muscle but a pudgy tummy, dull blonde hair and somewhat tanned skin. I went to college for a simple degree in business and ended up dropping out not because of grades. I was top of my classes, I had ample opportunities presented to me to continue to make something of myself. However...showing up is what was hard for me. The eight a.m. lectures were not one, if you know what I mean. I even tried online classes, but they always felt so bland and boring. No real human interactions, just boring old discussion posts and a copy and paste assignment basically. That's what drove me to drop out, and I ended up at a retail store. At first it was enjoyable work, but now it's very monotonous. I do the same routine every morning, opening the store at 8 a.m. on the dot, welcoming our regulars and working until my 30-minute lunch break. My job is to help customers find whatever outfits they're looking for that day or help them exchange a previous outfit. We don't tend to get new customers, but today, today was a weird day... I felt the hairs rise on the back of my neck. "JUPITER!" my manager, Venus, yelled. "Why don't you try to do your job and speak to the gentleman at the door?" she looked at me with her hands on her hips. Venus was not in any way attractive. If anything, she made every man run for the hills. She was six-one at least, with a round protruding stomach but well-defined arms and legs. Her muscular parts looked like they were carved from stone. Venus' skin was whiter than snow, which didn't help offset her cropped hair, since she loved to dye it a new color every week. Her color of choice right now is blood-red. She had crows' feet around her eyes and very deep smile lines. I don't know what from because I had never in my whole time working for her ever seen her crack any sort of smile. "GO. GREET. THE. GENTLEMAN. AT. THE. DOOR." Venus repeated one more time with her teeth clenched in the most unpleasant way possible. "Maybe you should try greeting people for once..." I mumbled to myself while I shuffled my feet to the door. "Welcome to Venus' Varities...the clothing store for all your clothing needs, from wandering around your house to climbing a mountain. We've got it all from wall to wall." I half-heartedly muttered, not even acknowledging this strange new person. This was the first new person I had seen since I started working here 3 years ago. "Well that's no way to greet a customer is it, why don't you try smiling next time or put some enthusiasm into it?" a deep male voice boomed at me. I immediately stood up straight. " I'm sorry sir, are you trying to tell me how to do my job?!" I said as I turned around, feeling the heat already creep into my cheeks. If there's one thing I despise working in retail, it's when customers tell you how to do your job better. As soon as I turned around, I was immediately awe-struck. This newcomer was about the same height as Venus, he had short silky-looking brown hair, dark eyes like chocolate and a neatly trimmed beard. From his build, I could sum up that he had somewhat of a muscular build underneath his coat. Even though he had beautiful features for a man, his scent stuck with me. It was warm and woodsy and made me feel instant comfort, I just wanted to crawl to him and melt at his feet. However, that still does not excuse how he talked to me. I refuse to be talked down to by anybody, especially customers. "Sir, please excuse my associate. She's not the brightest." Venus said with a huff while looking at me, "How can we help you today Mr…?" Venus looked puzzled about the fact a newcomer was there. "Mr. Typhaon, if it makes it easier you can call me Mr. Ty," he said with a smirk. I rolled my eyes. Arrogant, stuck up, trust fund baby. These were all the thoughts running through my head while looking at him. "Were you looking for anything in particular, Mr. Ty?" I said with a fake smile plastered on my face. "Well, I was recommended to this shop by my good friend. He said you can 'help' me with certain outfits for my upcoming trip." Mr. Ty said while looking around. Looking closer, he seemed on edge and jumpy. Beyond his smirking attitude, it seemed like he needed his outfit as fast as possible. "What specific type of 'trip' did you need an outfit for?" Venus asked with an arched eyebrow. "We have an outfit for everything." She said over her shoulder, casually beckoning both of us to follow her. I knew my role well. Whatever the customer asks for, I must get, no matter how obscure, but the thing is our stockroom always seemed to have everything. It even happened to have a very specific cerulean blue 2 inch button! The one and only time so far that I needed it. " Well, I'm specifically looking for an easy-to-wash outfit, like if I happened to be in a pinch I could simply wash it in a river, and it'll dry fast." Mr. Ty said to Venus. "Well, you're in luck today, Mr. Ty we have these extremely nice dry-fit bodysuit, it's fast drying and the material is extremely easy to get stains out of." Venus said while pulling a bright yellow full length bodysuit off the rack. "Do you have anything less...yellow?" he asked, staring at the yellow monstrosity with disgust. "Any color you want, we have just ask Jupiter to fetch it, and she will," Venus' said with 100% certainty. "Black, preferably in the case it does stain. I don't want it to be noticeable...certain colors will show up on it if it's that bright yellow. If you could hurry, that would be greatly appreciated." He said with a nervous smile while checking his watch. "Right away sir, I'll get that immediately!" I said with a fake smile and even faker enthusiasm. As soon as I turned around, my smile dropped and I hustled away. The faster he leaves, the faster I can go back to meaningless work. Beep,beep. I quickly check the notification on my phone while walking to the stockroom. I love you no matter what and I hope everything makes sense soon. I protected you as long as I could, sweetheart. Remember anything that happens is part of a bigger plan. You will never disappoint me, no matter the choices you may come to make. I love you! That's weird. God, today is a really weird day.