"I want how it was before. I want it all with you in my life again... I'm asking you to stay."
Miles Cobain-Smith
An aloof and detached logician, he scrutinizes the simplest things through microscopic lenses. Academic validation, family expectations...
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"These dresses are so beautiful. They have somewhat of an old-fashioned look that almost gives 1800s vibes. Are they tailor-made?" Bridget asks, examining the green dress Juliet is wearing with puffed sleeves and a white ribbon at the waist.
Juliet nods in agreement. "I had given up looking for similar styles in the malls, they just don't keep these sorts of dresses anymore. I love modest clothes which also look elegant, and these old designs seem just like my type. On top of it all," she does a little twirl, holding her dress dramatically, "they also make me feel like an aesthetic Regency era woman."
As a fit of giggles overcome them, the sound of their laughter reaches Maddie and Tristan across the living room, who have been wrestling with each other using video game consoles for a while. Tristan's attention drifts to the two girls for a second, and it may have been more than a few seconds because the next thing he knows, Maddie is screaming in victory and calling him a loser. Shrugging it off, Tristan tosses the gamepad toward the coffee table and leans back into the couch.
"Enjoy your once-in-a-lifetime moment, love. Consider it a surprise gift."
"Everyone has an excuse ready when they lose," Maddie scoffs, even though that goes unnoticed by him as his focus fixates on something, or rather someone, else again, with a faint smile on his face. Maddie's eyes follow him and, just as she finds the source of his attention, realization hits her. She despondently shakes her head and gives Tristan a sympathetic look.
She knows where it's heading, and it saddens her that there's nothing she could do to change it. Another heartbreak is on the way, and she can sense it clearly.
At times, Maddie wishes that she had never introduced Juliet to him. She didn't have the slightest clue of what she was doing, but still, it all started with her. And for that, she feels like some of the blame will always be hers.
"I bet you feel like you were born in the wrong era!" Bridget exclaims, and Juliet's face lights up with shared enthusiasm.
"Exactly! If I could go back to the past for once, I'd never come back again."
"You'd probably die from flu or tuberculosis anyway," Tristan adds, laughing jokingly.
Juliet throws him a narrowed glance. "Look on the bright side. There were so many beautiful things too, apart from diseases. I could have had a small farmhouse in the countryside of Edinburgh and ride a white horse in the-"
"How am I supposed to look on the bright side? There was no electricity, you know."
He laughs in amusement while Juliet stands there with a sullen expression. Maddie seems to take her side.
"Ah, Tristan, stop being such a pessimist. Practically speaking, life from a century ago was indeed simpler than it is now. Less complexity, more connection, empathy, and kindness. Sure enough, it wasn't perfect still, but in comparison to our present world, it definitely was more peaceful. Most people nowadays just want fleeting entertainment even if it's at the cost of one's peace of mind."
