Thanks for the ice cream; I might be back later.

  -∞

  Ever walked up the familiar path to the ice cream shop, staring at the note. So just like that, Chaos was gone. How was it that even having an extra pair of hands to help out for the week, he felt so much more weary? Maybe it was the responsibility of management that weighed him down. That would explain why Taylor always looked so worn down by the end of the day.

  The mornings had been crisp so far; walk briskly enough and your body would warm up, cancelling out the cool air. Today, Ever found that he was already breaking out in a sweat, even though he chose to wear his short-sleeve uniform to work.

  A raven-haired woman stood at the entrance to the ice cream shop, swiping on her phone. Ever jogged the last few steps towards her.

  “Did ya miss me?” Taylor said, not looking up from her phone.

  “I missed you,” Ever responded.

  Taylor looked up from her device. The sun shone into her face, illuminating her eyes as she examined Ever’s face for lies.

  “You’ve been working on your smile," she said, a hint of a smile on her own face. "Unlock the door.”

  Ever hurriedly took the keys out and did as he was told.

  “Did you finish your assignment?” Ever asked, heading straight into the back room.

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  “Mm-hmm. Done and dusted.” Taylor responded. She laced both hands above her head together and sighed upon release. “Good to get that one done. How did you go last week?”

  “Yeah good.”

  “Was it busy?”

  “Yeah, I felt like there were more customers than usual.”

  There were familiar clunking sounds of Taylor taking out the tubs of ice cream from the freezer and plonking them on the bench. “No surprise, we’re heading into midsummer. More heat, longer days equals more customers. Did you pay yourself double?”

  Ever hesitated. “I had some help.”

  The silence clung in the air. “What?”

  “I had some help.”

  “Who?”

  Ever had been so caught up with getting through the week that he hadn’t even thought about how he would tell Taylor about the new hire, who apparently had decided he would disappear for an indeterminate amount of time.

  “Chaos.”

  “Did you say ‘Chaos’?”

  “Yes?” This was unravelling fast. But as crazy as things had been, Taylor had always been able to tell if he was lying or not. No point starting now. “I put up the sign that you used to hire me,” Ever said tentatively. “I thought if you hired me that way, then I could do the same thing.”

  Taylor narrowed her eyes at Ever. “How much did you pay him? Or was it her?”

  “Him, sort of. I… he didn’t want to be paid in money.”

  “‘In money?’" Her frustration was bubbling over. "What did you pay him in then, handjobs?”

  “What are handjobs?”

  “Cut the crap, Ever!”

  The door opened up. “We’re not open yet,” Taylor and Ever said in unison.

  “I know, I’m here to help open up.” Chaos strode in, mustache and beard groomed neatly, wearing suspenders over a T-shirt with horizontal red and white stripes. “Oh hello, you must be Taylor, the boss. Ever’s told me all about you.”