A 'familiar' face beats him to it.

Before he could exercise a peanut of agency, however, Josh felt a smack **** him right on the bottom.

His bottom, that was.

"Hey there, babe," a uniformed young woman suddenly sidled next to him, leaning on a shelf with her arm and tipping her hat. Her jaw went up and down, probably with a stick of now waddled gum inside of it. "So. Do you see anything you like?"

Josh knew this day's been filled with unconventionally interested women making odd glimmers at him. But even so.

This young, pretty lady was advancing on him!

And not just any lady. He swore, she had been in this same store every other day and each of of those he'd stroll in here to get a slurpie or macedonia cookie or granola bar or what have you, she gave him the same level of attention: utter indifference. Same old smile. Same ****, sideways laugh. It was all routine communications bullet points.

Except, Josh backtracked, if, in this world, the tables were turned...

That's right.

It would've been him being the indifferent one, the subject of said interest. Wouldn't it? Which explained her somewhat chummy tone. This was likely not their first rodeo, or stack in the hay, or chop in the chipper. To put it Roald Dahl-style.

Clearing his throat, Josh looked the girl and her captivating eyes over once more. His eyes flitted to her nametag: Cassie Sanders. He knew that. Just... needed confirmation.

Finally, he spoke, "Right. Yeah, I was just -- "

"Those bitches over there bothering ya?" Cassie gestured behind him at the pair of girls who now gave her knowing smirks. She squinted back at them. "What you looking at? Are you trying to bother my customer here?"

"We're your customers too, cunt," Jennifer folded her arms testily. Gina said nothing, but her entitled look made no secret what side she was on.

Uh oh.