Luke and his friends entered the shop not realizing what they were getting into. For the other three it was a good laugh, trying to find strange toys to persuade their girlfriends into using with them. For Luke, however, it was embarrassing as hell. First of all, he didn't have a girlfriend, so he really didn't have a reason to look through sex toys. More importantly, though, was the fact that he was closeted. He was actually more than a little attracted to all his friends, so being here with them was super uncomfortable for Luke.
The four were roommates at the local college, so he had become almost immune to seeing them naked or hearing gay jokes they didn't realize hurt him. But to outright look at dildos and condoms with them? This was too much for Luke, so he decided to peel off from his friends and explore further down the aisles. Which was sounded easier than it was. He'd already passed about forty aisles before he came across someone else. A cute girl he waved to as he passed.
"Ooh, what's going on down here?" he asked, going out of his way to sound stereotypically gay so she wouldn't think he was hitting on her. "Anything look good, sister?"
"Nah, I think this aisle's more for men. I'm looking for something kinky for my girlfriend."
She was openly gay? Wow, Luke thought, that must be nice. He shared as much, this time dropping the false accent.
"Oh, honey! It's nothing to be ashamed of! In fact, I was afraid to come out as bi until I found this place, too. The manager's real helpful, though, and he gave me something that...well, never mind that. You'll find out for yourself. I think he's in the next aisle over; you should really go talk to him."
"Thanks..."
"Viola. I'm a bit of a regular here now, so maybe I'll see you around. Good luck!"
As Luke walked around the end of the aisle, thinking how nice that girl had been, he found himself face to face with an old man. He wasn't wizened or wrinkly looking, in fact he looked rather handsome for his old age, but something still screamed "ancient" about him. He wore a full two-piece brown suit and a matching bowler hat. His white hair and mustache were perfectly groomed and his gold monocle completed the air of old-timey gentleman.
"Ah, Lucas, my boy!" he greeted, putting an arm around his shoulder and walking the young man down the aisle. "I was starting to wonder if you'd, oh, how do the youngsters say...chicken out?"
"How do you know my name?"
"I'm a man of much knowledge and many secrets, few of which I can freely share. What I can tell you is that I know all about your problem and I have a solution." With that, the old man handed Luke four rings: one gold, three silver. "The gold one is for you, the others for your friends. If each of you wears one, I'm sure the whole business will work itself out."
"Really? Well thank you, sir. But how much are they? I don't have much money with me."
"Oh, nonsense, dear boy. They're my gift to a troubled soul. Just make sure you wear them as I told you and if you have any questions or want to try anything else, you come back here and ask for me first."
"Thank you, sir! I will."