Heart-Bound ✅

Chapter Fifteen*

"What do you need?"

"State inspection," Georg said. "I was referred here by—"

"Oh God, not another stripper!" the mechanic behind the counter complained loudly. He turned around and headed towards a door that led to the shop. "Tyler!" the man yelled. "I told you to stop giving discounts to strippers!"

"I'm not giving out discounts!" someone shouted.

"I don't need a discount," Georg interjected, raising his hand.

Another man came out from the back, and Georg was struck speechless. He had to admit the man, Tyler, was attractive, but he also seemed...familiar to Georg.

The hair color. The eye color. He looks like—

"You're not looking for a discount, are you?" Tyler asked him warily.

"N-No, I'm not," Georg stammered. "I just—ah—heard my coworkers talk about this place positively. I'm due for my state inspection, so—"

"I'll do the inspection," Tyler told his coworker. He leaned in close and said, "Stop announcing customers as strippers!"

"Stop giving discounts to strippers!" the other mechanic hissed back.

"I'll be waiting with my car, so I'll just wait over there," Georg said, gesturing to the seating area and hurrying over to it. There were only three other customers, who didn't seem to hear the accusation that he was a stripper. He planted himself into his chair and pulled up his phone. He tried to find a video to watch, but nothing came to mind. After a moment, he hid his face in his face and sank into his chair.

The mechanic...Tyler...looked like Tomie. Tomie. He hadn't been able to get her face out of his mind. The look of abject horror on her face when he came onto the stage at Divinity. And...everything else that followed.

She was angry. Really angry. The things she said...if she liked me before, she definitely doesn't like me know

The things she said had hurt him. He had heard worse, but it had still hurt. It hurt especially since the words had come from her. He felt unfairly judged, but at the same time he knew that it was his fault. He had lied to Tomie about what he did for a living. Not maliciously, but nonetheless he had lied. And she found out about the lie in a humiliating manner.

Still...did she have to be so vicious with her vitriol?

"Sir?"

Georg quickly looked up when Tyler approached, holding a clipboard. "Ah, yes?" he asked, sitting up straighter.

"When did you buy the tires on your car?" Tyler asked him, his tone wary.

"I...don't know?" Georg answered, his stomach sinking.

Tyler sighed heavily and looked at his clipboard. "Sir, to pass inspection all four of your tires must have a tred depth above 2/32 of an inch. All four of your tires are below this mark. In order to pass inspection—hell, to even drive it safely off this lot—you're going to need to replace all four tires."

Georg gaped at him in shock. "I-I—I have to buy four new tires?!" he exclaimed.

"Yes," Tyler said bluntly.

"Can't I just buy two now and two later?"

"Sure, but the balancing will be off," Tyler said. "And you still won't pass inspection. All four tires need to be above 2/32 of an inch."

Georg rubbed both hands over his face and heaved out a loud sigh. "And...how much is this going to cost me?"

"We can discuss this at the counter. Follow me, please." Then Tyler walked back to the counter.