The realtor's pen clicks in the quiet office.
"Sign here, here, and initial here."
Leonard's beside , reading over my shoulder like a nervous parent. Which, honestly, helps. My hands want to shake.
The lease is forty-seven pages. Standard comrcial terms, security deposit, insurance requirents, maintenance responsibilities. All the bureaucratic frawork that turns "good idea" into "legal obligation."
I sign the first page: STUART BLOOM
The signature looks confident. Doesn't match how I feel.
"And here."
Leonard leans in. "The buildout allowance is standard. You're not getting screwed."
"You sure?"
"I had Sheldon review it. He found three grammatical errors but no legal issues."
The realtor smiles professionally. "Your friend's thorough."
"You have no idea."
I sign page after page. Each stroke of the pen feels heavier. This isn't like the first shop—that was desperation, last-ditch survival. This is deliberate expansion. Empire building.
"Final signature here."
I pause before the last line.
Stuart Bloom signed a lease one year ago terrified and alone, betting everything on a failing business model.
I'm signing this lease with sixty-two thousand dollars in investnts, twenty thousand in business reserves, and a track record of success.
Different person. Different circumstances.
But still scared.
I finish the signature.
"Congratulations." The realtor slides the keys. "You're now leasing two thousand square feet of premium Burbank retail space."
Leonard shakes my hand. "Empire builder."
"Idiot with ambition."
"Those aren't mutually exclusive."
The space is empty when we arrive. Two thousand square feet of raw potential and dust.
Our footsteps echo. No fixtures, no shelving, no product. Just blank walls and possibilities.
"You're really doing this," Leonard says.
"Apparently."
"Thirty-five hundred monthly rent plus buildout costs. Probably fifty grand total to open." He's calculating, physicist-brain running numbers. "You've got the capital. But that's most of your investnt buffer."
"I know."
"And if it fails—"
"Leonard."
He stops. "Sorry. Just—this is real money. Real risk."
"A year ago I ran a successful shop from nothing. With an Iron Fist ordering disaster that should've sunk ." I walk to where the counter will go. "I can do this."
"You can." He follows. "You're actually good at business. It's weird."
"Thanks?"
"No, I an—you were this depressed artist guy. Now you're opening a second location, consulting for TV shows, making investnt calls that keep working out." He leans against the wall. "It's like you beca a different person."
The tingle flares. Warning.
"People change," I say carefully. "Success builds confidence. Confidence enables more success."
"That's circular logic."
"Welco to business psychology."
He accepts this. Doesn't push. But I file the mont away: Leonard's noticing the transformation. Attributing it to natural growth, but questioning the speed.
Need to be more careful.
I pull out my notebook, start sketching layout.
"Counter here. New releases there. Back issues along this wall. Gaming space in the corner—four tables, tournant setup."
The vision crystallizes as I draw. The mory provides context—where Warner Bros employees grab lunch, what studio people want from comic shops, how to position this as THE industry hangout.
But the layout itself is mine. The Magnetism draws people, but I have to build what they want.
"What about employees?" Leonard asks.
"Need at least two. Manager and sales associate. Manager handles daily ops, I oversee both locations."
"You calculated labor costs?"
"Three tis. Sheldon checked my math twice."
"And you're sure about the March opening?"
"Four months to buildout. Two for inventory setup. One buffer for disasters." I look around the empty space. "Yeah. March."
Leonard's quiet for a mont. Then: "You know what I think?"
"Tell ."
"I think you're terrified right now. Trying not to show it. But this is huge, and you're worried about failing."
He's not wrong.
"Also think you're going to succeed anyway. Because you're actually good at this. Not lucky—good." He pushes off the wall. "So I'm investing."
"What?"
"Five thousand dollars. For five percent equity." He pulls out his phone. "Sheldon and I discussed it. He's in for another five. Howard wants in for three. Raj for two."
"You guys—that's fifteen thousand dollars."
"You helped . Blog posts, consulting gigs, just—being a good friend." He ets my eyes. "Let us help back."
The tingle's gone quiet. No warnings, no affirmations. Just... silence.
This decision is mine alone.
"Equity ans legal paperwork. Profit sharing. Actual partnership."
"We know."
"And if I fuck this up, you lose money."
"Stuart. We trust you." Leonard grins. "Also, Sheldon calculated ROI projections. He thinks you'll triple the investnt in two years."
"Sheldon said that?"
"Actually, he said 'statistically probable return exceeds acceptable risk paraters.' I translated."
I look around the empty space again. Not alone anymore. The gang's backing financially, emotionally, practically.
The powers gave advantages.
But these friendships? I earned those.
"Okay. Partnership deal. I'll draft terms, have everyone review before signing."
Leonard extends his hand. "To Bloom's Comics: Burbank Edition."
We shake. His grip is firm, trusting.
"You're going to be great at this," he says.
"You don't know that."
"Yeah, I do. You've been great at everything else."
Driving ho, keys to the second location in my pocket, I think about the difference between the first shop and this one.
First shop: survival. Desperation. Last chance.
Second shop: ambition. Strategy. Growth.
First shop: alone.
Second shop: partnership.
The city passes outside my windows. Warner Bros Studios to the left—future custors. Universal City to the right—potential third location soday.
The powers showed the future. But I'm building it with friends.
That's the difference.
That's what makes it real.
My phone buzzes at a red light.
lissa: How'd it go?
: Signed the lease. Official.
lissa: Proud of you. You're doing amazing things.
The light turns green.
I drive toward the Pasadena shop—my first success, my foundation.
In four months, I'll have two.
In a year, maybe three.
The empire's expanding.
And for the first ti since waking up in this impossible life, I'm not just exploiting advantages.
I'm earning success.
One lease at a ti.
Note:
Please give good reviews and power stones itrings more people and more people ans more chapters?
My Patreon is all about exploring 'What If' tilines, and you can get instant access to chapters far ahead of the public release.
Choose your journey:
Tiline Viewer ($6): Get 10 chapters of early access 5 new chapters weekly.
Tiline Explorer ($9): Jump 15-20 chapters ahead of everyone.
Tiline Keeper ($15): Get Instant Access to chapters the mont I finish writing them. No more waiting.
Read the raw, unfiltered story as it unfolds. Your support makes this possible!
👉 Find it all at patreon/Whatif0
User Comments
0 comments from readers