G/t one-shots and short stories

Chapter 10: Icecream 🍦🍦

Sterling Household Chapter 10---Ice cream

The bustling atmosphere of Sterling's workplace engulfed him. He worked at a small publishing company called Frans Publishing Co. Sterling typed away on his computer, filing through emails, corresponding with authors, and reading over manuscript submissions. The company always conducted a yearly writing contest with a prompt theme for their local community. Sterling was part of the team that would read and judge the works submitted.

Sterling was interrupted from his work by a familiar feminine voice.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't my favorite coworker," Brynn's playful voice cut through the ambient noise as she sauntered into his workspace, her vibrant red hair cascading over her shoulders. "Got any interesting reads?"

Sterling glanced up, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Not really; it would be easier if I didn't have to sift through all of the AI submissions. At this point, I'm a pro at picking those out." Sterling complained with a roll of his eyes.

Brynn grinned, her green eyes scrunching up as she snickered. "How can you even tell?"

"The flow of the story is off, or the way things are described.... it's wordy......too wordy......and not in a good way. It is almost like word vomit. Or some phrases get overused a lot."

Brynn raised an eyebrow, "Like what phrases?"

"Ah......like 'Delve into,' 'A tapestry of,' 'A treasure trove,' or a 'testament to,' or all the characters have bright, shining, or eyes with a glint to them." Sterling explained, his hands moving along with his words.

"Aren't those just common human phrases, like what if an author decides to use words like that?" Brynn asked with a skeptical look on her face.

"Well, sure they can, which makes it sad because some authors might choose to use phrases like these and get flagged as AI. I'm not saying that every work with these phrases and words is AI......it's just when reading through these submissions, you pick up patterns. Also, a lot of the stories are the same or too similar. Or....... I don't know; something feels off about some of them. Like the soul has been sucked out." Sterling explained with a frown.

"Sounds to me like you need a break from this, wanna grab some lunch?" Brynn asked, leaning into Sterling's personnal bubble.

Sterling leaned away, feeling a tad uncomfortable. But he was hungry and needed the break. "Sure...... I need a break."

Sterling and Brynn decided to take their lunch break at a local deli shop. As they settled into a corner table with their choice of sandwiches, Brynn took the chance to pry into Sterling's life.

"So, I've been dying to know what you've been up to outside of work. Do anything fun?" Brynn asked, one of her hands played with the long strand of her hair. Twisting it around and around her finger.

Sterling felt a flicker of unease, his mind immediately going to the tiny inhabitants of his home. Despite how kind she seemed, he knew he couldn't reveal their existence, even to Brynn.

"Oh, you know, just the usual," he shrugged, trying to keep his tone casual. "Catching up on some reading, binge-watching a few shows. Nothing too exciting."

Brynn studied him for a moment, her gaze seeming to search for something more. "Well, if you ever want to add some excitement to your life, I can show you what I like to do for fun." She winked at him and rested her hand on his.

Sterling felt a jolt of awareness at her touch, a mixture of confusion and uncertainty swirling within him. In that moment, he knew that Brynn's feelings for him ran deeper than friendship, but he found that he couldn't fully reciprocate. Yes, she was attractive......but something didn't feel right. Sterling felt a nervous ache in his stomach as he tried to figure out how to let his friend down easy.