The Researcher

Tyler was getting exhausted by the end of each day, but all he could think about was that he had truly chosen what he wanted. He loved it—he simply loved everything. It was incredible. The classes were amazing. Alia always stopped by whenever she could to watch him, and he loved knowing that she was there in some way. It was comforting to be aware of her presence, to know she was following his progress in some way, because, whether he liked it or not, he was her subordinate.

But what he really enjoyed was that, even during training, he could observe her. People might say she was ordinary—brown hair, brown eyes, nothing particularly remarkable about her—but he didn't see her that way. To him, she was different. Her brown hair, flowing with the wind in soft waves, had the most beautiful chestnut shade. Her eyes, though often judgmental, hid secrets that could make him lose himself in them for hours. He saw her as the most beautiful of all, even if to others she seemed ordinary. In truth, she was very beautiful. She was slender, and by modern standards, quite tall—though Tyler was still several centimeters taller than her.

Every time he saw her there to help him in some way, whether teaching or simply being present, he felt reinvigorated. Seeing her was so good that he could spend the entire day doing just that. At night, before falling asleep, he would lie in bed, close his eyes, and picture her in his mind, letting the memories play until sleep finally took over. It was his hope that, in doing so, he might at least see her in his dreams. Unfortunately, he wasn't the type to remember what he dreamed.

That day had already become a routine for him. It had been about a month since they had started his real training. He wasn't sure if he was absorbing everything well, but he was certainly learning sign language. Talking to Helena was becoming easier and easier. He was loving learning this language—it was incredible to discover different languages. Melanie had mentioned the other day that she would teach him other languages over time, but not yet—he already had too much on his mind.

On the days when he had classes with Alia, he felt even more motivated. He ended up paying more attention to her than to anyone else, which was why he was doing exceptionally well in her lessons.

That specific day, however, he didn't have a class with Alia. In fact, she had left earlier and hadn't returned yet. He had sat at the kitchen table after finishing his class. He was exhausted, so he forced himself to get up and take a shower—he didn't want to bother anyone with his sweat. He knew that someone from his team might find him disgusting for it, but in truth, he just wanted to be presentable for Alia.

He washed his hair and left it damp, almost to the point of dripping as he walked through the apartment. When he sat back down in the kitchen, his eyes were already threatening to close, but he needed to eat. Luckily for him—or maybe thanks to his determination to stay there and eat—Alia walked through the door.

— Hello, Tyler, did everything go well in your training today? — she asked as she passed by him. He didn't see it, but if he had looked at her at that moment, as she walked past him toward the fridge, he would have noticed her biting her lower lip, a slight blush on her cheeks. He didn't know it, but the way he was dressed—just a robe, with a towel draped around his neck—was utterly tempting.

— Yeah, it went well. I'm exhausted — he said. He needed to keep the conversation going—he needed it. At that moment, it was all he wanted: to talk to her, to be close to her, and he didn't want to waste the opportunity. — And you? Everything okay?

— Yes, I went to see the researchers today. It was a productive day. It's nice to be around other scientists, especially those researching the same field as me.

— I imagine you must love being able to see research from all over the planet — Tyler commented, giving her a small smile. He loved seeing her smile.