"Ugh," Tristan groaned. He flexed his back and neck before gasping at how sore he was. "This is what happens when designers choose style over comfort," he whispered.

"I know right," someone replied and Tristan remembered that he wasn't alone.

He got up and looked outside the building. The blizzard was over, but there was too much snow. No one would be able to drive home in that, especially not someone who lived half an hour away.

Sighing, he took the elevator to the 53rd floor. He was surprised to see Dahlia awake. She was sitting at Ann's desk looking at a laptop.

"Good morning."

"Morning, Tristan," she answered eyes still focused on the screen, "You're up early."

"The sofas downstairs are terrible."

"They can't put bean bags in the lobby, can they?"

"Of course," he gave a little chuckle," I usually wake at 5 am anyway so I suppose this isn't unusual for me."

"Ah, I see. Well, the cafeteria should hand out breakfast when most of the employees are awake but feel free to raid our fridge."

"Don't worry about me, Dahlia. I can take care of myself."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to treat you like a child. It's been a tiring 24 hours."

Tristan came closer to her, "You haven't slept, have you?"

He could now see the slight redness in her eyes. They seemed dimmer. The brown was almost black and the blue was much darker than it normally is.

"Busted," She gave a weary laugh.

"Couldn't sleep?"

"You could say that."

"I'll get you a coffee with me, alright?"

She sighed, "Ok."

Tristan headed to the break room and was surprised to see Ahmad, Mary, and Ann there.

"Good morning, Ahmad, Mary, Ann," he gave each of them a nod.

"So you're up early too," Ahmad offered him some chips.

"No, thanks. I'll just make some coffee."

"These two boomers here were telling me how important it is to get married," Mary rolled her eyes.

"Hey! I'm not that old!" Ahmad exclaimed.

"Shhhh, lower your voices," Ann warned, "I was just saying it's lonely living without a spouse or significant other."

"That's because you stay at home all day," Mary told her.

"Mary, we work five days a week. It wouldn't be too bad to have someone to go home to."

"Get a pet," Tristan wasn't sure whether Mary was joking.

"Haha," Ahmad glared at her.

"A pet can't talk you through your hard days, Mary. It can't hug you when you feel like the world is breaking down around you. It can't cook a meal with you and joke about how awful you are at cooking," Ann told her.

"Look, no offense to her," Ahmad started, "But I wouldn't want to end up like Dahlia. She's such a great person, kind, determined, smart, but she didn't have time for a partner and now she lives with her dog and bird." 

"What?" Tristan was very confused, "I thought Dahlia was in a relationship."

"What?" the three of them echoed his confusion.

"She's been single for the whole time we've known her," Ann stated. Tristan racked his brain, trying to remember what he read about Dahlia in the mission file. He'd focused on her work achievements and personality but he didn't care to dig too much into her personal life.

"I mean, it's not like she'd share that with us," Ahmad pointed out.

"No, I'm positive she's not in a relationship right now," Ann insisted.

"Well, Dahlia's the perfect example then," Ann said, "She's single, and look at where she is in life."

"And who does she go home and celebrate with?" Ahmad asked, "No one."

"That's what friends and a bar are for!" 

Tristan went to the shared bathroom. He splashed some water on his face wincing as his wounds stung. Dahlia was single. How many more obvious facts was he missing? 

"Damn it! Focus, Tristan."

He trusted his intuition and ability to read people. He felt angry at himself. No, that wasn't it. He was alone. The words Ann said sunk in. He didn't have someone to talk to after a long day. He didn't have someone to do tedious chores with. He didn't have someone to share his achievements with.

"I'm tired," he sighed, closing his eyes. If Aria were here, she'd probably wrap her tiny body around his and tell him how giant he was. Or perhaps Elizabeth would make him one of her pies and talk about how hard it was to get flour for a good price. It's been so long. 

"Me too." He jumped at Dahlia's voice, "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," she laughed.

"Dahlia, are you single?" he said before he could stop himself. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

She raised her eyebrows at him, "Do you need a fake date for a family dinner or something?" she laughed, "Because I don't think they'd appreciate you inviting an older woman."

"It's only a three years difference," he knew the manager was going to turn 39 this year, "But no, I was just curious how anyone would handle that evil parrot of yours."

She mocked a hurt gasp, "Mr. Antonov, my Cano is nothing but sweet and loving."

"Must've mistaken him with another bird then."

They both laughed for a while before Dahlia looked at him with a smile. A real one, not just her usual facial expression. Her eyes had brightened again.

"Thanks for this," she smiled, "And yes, I am single. It's important to find the right person, otherwise, you'll regret taking risks for them," she took a pause, "Or you won't take risks at all."

"Yes, of course."

Dahlia gave him one last smile before leaving the bathroom. Why did she even come here?

"Fantastic," he thought, "Just great. Now I'm being spontaneous!" Then he remembered that he was supposed to be making coffee.

"Oh, you're back," Ahmad told him.

"Are you guys going to spend the whole day here?" his voice had a slight edge.

"Maybe," Mary said. She too held a bag of chips now. Where were they even getting those?

Tristan shakily poured two cups of coffee and went back to Dahlia. His manager was now, for some reason, sitting on the floor. The sight replaced his anger with confusion.

"Uhhh, Dahlia, everything ok?"

"Oh," she took one look at his unsure face and burst out laughing, "It's fine, I was just bored of the desk." 

"I see," he smiled a little as he gave her the coffee. 

"Thank you."

Tristan left for the meeting room and sat on the same chair he sat on yesterday.

"Is this why you did it, Dad?" he watched the world outside, "Did the loneliness become too much?" He opened his briefcase and took out a ring. His mother's engagement ring. It was a simple silver band curved on the outside with three small diamonds embedded in it. That's how engagement rings are in the future. Diamonds aren't huge and bulging. Resources were much more scarce for such a waste. 

"I wish you never got married."

"I wish you never had me."

Tristan despised his father. Why would he subject a child to such a life? Why did he love a woman when he knew he wouldn't be able to protect her? Why did he have a little boy when he knew he would condemn him to such a fate?

He thought about Dahlia's words. He wondered if his father regretted risking his life for his mother. If he ever wished they never ran away together.

"Did you know, mom?" Tristan questioned for the hundredth time in his life, "Did you know your husband was a time-traveling agent?"

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GASP! I believe I've dropped two important truth bombs in this chapter. You guys never saw them coming, did you? Leave a comment telling me where you think things will go from here! Love you all! ✨