“Next customer.” He managed to call out without yawning up a storm, reaching his arms behind himself to crack his back. He’d been toiling away at the register for the past three hours and his back was starting to ache like hell.

There was no night when Adam had gotten more than four hours of sleep. Whether it was from nightmares, early alarms or just his brain refusing to shut up—he’d never slept properly. Working two part time jobs and working towards a Computer Science degree was visibly and mentally taking a toll on him.

When the last customer in the store walked up to the conveyer belt and placed their items down, Adam blinked himself out of his reverie. He plastered on a smile that seemed more like a grimace and started scanning the items instinctively.

“Good eveniii…” his voice trailed off as his eyes focused on the person on the other side of the register. His cheeks grew a light shade of pink. Adam didn’t know whether it was his severe lack of sleep or his gnawing hunger, but the customer looked angelic. Almost ethereal, the generic store lights overhead basking them in a bright glow.