A post on TikTok has gone viral

"Do you have any idea how dumb you sound?"

Behind the counter of the café portion of The Sleepy Owl, three employees stood together, looking at their phones. The place was almost entirely empty, so there were no customers to neglect, no books to put away, nothing really to do -- except perhaps stand around idly looking at one's phone.

"I don't know, dude," said a blond man. "I mean, there's nothing saying it's not you."

Standing opposite him, a tall Black man shook his head. "It's not me. You sound like a fool." He looked up at his friend. "You are a fool."

Olivia Blink made her way to the back of the shop and walked around the counter. "Morning, fellas."

The three guys on their phones all mumbled a vague greeting in loose unison.

"Morning, Liv," Olivia said to herself, perching on a stool next to the refrigerator, scanning the store for customers. "Quiet morning?" She asked the question out loud, but none of the three men replied. "Yup, quiet morning," she said.

"Okay, I've watched it a bunch of times, and I've decided it's not you, Tyler." A balding man with a bit of a beard stuck his phone back in his pocket and looked at the Black man. "I mean -- it's someone named Tyler. But what of it, it's a common name."

"It's a common name, exactly," Tyler replied, his low voice higher in pitch than usual, a clear air of discomfort in the tone. "You see, Evan? Geno understands."

The blond man looked at each of his friends. "I don't know. It's not just Tyler, it's Tyler Jones."

"Dude. Evan. I don't even know who posted it."

The blond, Evan, scoffed. "Maybe a burner. Maybe a secret account, like a fake. You know, you have your normal TikTok, and then you have the second one for the stuff you don't want associated with you." He looked at his phone again. "This is from ... barbaroni2727, so whoever that is."

"Exactly," said Tyler. "I don't know anyone like that."

The bald man pulled his phone out again, his energy renewed. "But you know ... it's not just Tyler Jones. It's Tyler Jones ... who's Black ... and tall ... and has a low voice ... and reads books."

Tyler looked at Geno. "I thought you were on my side."

"I am. I mean, I was. But -- you understand, it sure seems like you."

Olivia had listened long enough, and needed to either experience the end of this inane conversation, or become part of it. "What is going on here, guys? I've never seen you so focused on your phones for so long. What's so amazing?"

"There's a TikTok post," said Geno. "It's like a screen shot of a story or something."

"A sexy story," Evan offered.

"And it's had like eighty thousand views," Geno added.

"And it's about Tyler!" Evan exclaimed.

Tyler pushed between the other two to intervene and talk to Olivia. "It's nothing, Liv. Just a dumb post on TikTok. Like all the other dumb posts on TikTok."

Olivia smiled. "And it's about you?"

"No."

"Yes!" said Evan and Geno together. Evan continued. "It's like a kind of sex story about Tyler. Like something an ex might have put online."

"What does it say?" Olivia asked. Her curiosity over the TikTok part of things was minimal, but if the story was sexy and had anything to do with Tyler, she might be interested. "I don't do TikTok, so I don't know what it is."

"Look," Evan said, turning to her and showing her his phone. "It's just a screenshot. But it's like from a blog or something."

Olivia started to read the image. At first, she was smirking, expecting something quirky and weird. But as she read, her smile faded, and she felt her heart pounding a little harder.

Her eyes followed Tyler's lean body as he poured a small drop of cream into the steaming coffee. He smiled broadly as he held the cup out to her. "Is this how you take it?"

"Mm, it is," she replied, reaching for the cup, her fingers grazing his for a moment. She felt sparks flying in her mind as her heart skipped a beat.

Tyler turned away slowly, but doing so only helped to emphasize his toned body in his tight shirt. His chocolate-brown skin shimmered in the dim overhead light. She admired his broad shoulders, his strong hands, and couldn't help but feel a passion welling up inside her. She bit her lip and stifled a small moan.

Just then, Tyler turned back, holding a copy of A Court of Thorns and Roses. "Have you read this?" he said softly. "It's one of my favorites." He smiled at her, one slight dimple appearing on his cheek.

Her eyes widened and she stepped closer to him, her voice breathless, her mouth dry. "Tyler Jones, I love that book. Read me a little, won't you?"