Three scientists in the room

"What a beautiful dress!" sighed Tam, as she glued herself like a little girl to the window of a store of dresses in the mall.

"What nonsense, it's just fabric and a bit of thread," Lucas replied.

Tam looked at him with disdain, a little disappointed. She was hoping to have a date alone with Lucas a while ago. It had not been planned, but on the way to see the president, Lucas reached out and asked if he could accompany her. She accepted immediately and did not wonder why he left the lab so hastily, she only set out to enjoy a small walk that she earned by going out to the interview long in advance.

"Perhaps..." Tam looked at Lucas with mischievous eyes.

"What?" Lucas asked, impatient to know what his partner was thinking.

"Would... you like to try on that dress?" Tam smiled.

Lucas looked at the dress and the unthinkable, unimagined, extremely rare event happened... Lucas smiled.

"You imagined it, I know!" exclaimed Tam, who began to laugh with satisfaction at her joke, who with laughter tried to cover up how blushing she was about to see a smile from Lucas.

"Can we continue?" Lucas finished while with his index finger and thumb of his right hand he took the base of the nose, just above his glasses and between his eyes, in a clear sign of psychological defeat. Even though his expression was annoying, he was having fun and Tam knew it.

Nearby from there was a very elegant cafe that with a look inside one could notice that placing an order in a place like this could be very expensive. Yet Lucas invited Tam to come in and take a short break before going on her way. Tam was really delighted and did not hesitate to pass because, without minimizing the gesture of his partner, she knew that such an expense could be attributable to the laboratory as per diem.

Once inside, they sat at a very bright table that was against a window. The atmosphere was pleasant, the cold of the winter disappeared between the murmur of the people and the intense smell of coffee. The fluffy cushions invited you to stay in place for hours and the friendly  attention made you feel comforted. The time is ripe to talk about trivial topics and enjoy the moment.

After the coffee and its accompaniment, among topics such as climate and musical tastes, the most uncomfortable word for Lucas emerges.

"I thought you would stay longer in the lab, I did not expect you to reach me so quickly."

"As a child I used to be the best in 100-meter races...," said Lucas with great pride.

"Until you looked at the books," Tam interrupted.

"Something like that," Lucas continued with a small smile, was definitely a glorious day to Tam.

"It's weird that you get out of the lab so fast, did something happen?"

Lucas sighted.

"I heard it again."

"From Mio, right?"

"That's right."

"It's been five years, you can't keep letting that situation take over."

"But... why? That card in Mark's pocket, it just said R.E.M., just what we investigated in the lab. Do you think what's a coincidence?"

"If it was a message, don't you think we'd already heard? Come on! You're the psychologist, if you can't handle the situations that happen in your life, what's left for others?" Tam was beginning to worry about Lucas' health. "I'm not trying to lecture you, I'm just worried that you're gonna drag this situation out for too long or it's gonna get worse and be an impediment in your life."

"And I really appreciate your effort and that of others, I will try to control it, really."

"We thank you... I thank you." Meanwhile, Tam takes Lucas' hand almost without thinking about it, in an attempt to show affection to his partner who looks very distressed by the situation.

"You're boyfriend and girlfriend?"

They both look out into the hallway and meet Mio, whom they never saw arriving. The girl smiles as if she understood everything. Tam and Lucas look at their hands and look at each other. Extremely embarrassed, they decide to separate while trying to clarify the situation.

"Not at all," says Lucas.

"It's just a misunderstanding," adds Tam.

"Ah... I understand."

"Do you need anything?" Lucas asks in the face of Mio's inactivity.

"Ah! Yes, I just wanted to thank you for letting me into the lab, it is a great pride for me to be a part of this project." Mio makes a bow.

"The honor is ours, let's have a good season of research." Lucas looks at her seriously and makes Mio at first think that she made a mistake by going there, but his words are so kind that she is instantly careless.

"But how did you find us?" asked Tam.

"Marcus told me a little story."

Moments before, when Marcus finished showing Mio the place, the girl asked him where she could find Lucas to thank him for accepting her into the group.

"It's just a hypothesis, but considering it's a while before Tam has an interview with the president, I'd say they're in the mall cafe two blocks away."

"The fancy cafe?" Mio asked.

"That's it. Lucas told me he has a friend, he has feelings for a roommate and he wants to take her to a nice place, if that cafe would be appropriate. I said yes. Evidently he is talking about Tam and himself."

"Yes, of course. I've seen this in many series, two people love each other but they deny it in public and everyone else pretends we don't know," says Mio.

Marcus laughed, he found it very funny that she captured the romantic dynamics of the laboratory with just a few minutes.

In the cafe, Mio avoided repeating the dialogue and preferred only to say that Marcus informed her of the place.

"He told me that it was possible for you to be here. So I immediately came to this place. Well... not immediately. On the way out I accidentally hit a man and threw away his suitcase... it was weird because he wore a strange mask..." Mio keeps thinking.

"So it is in the city, there are many strange people, just be careful," said Lucas.

"Sure."

"Well, maybe we should leave, the time is coming," said Tam, sorry to have to leave that place.

The two girls took their bags and left immediately, while Lucas stayed a moment at the place. As soon as he left, they set out on their journey to the university's central building, where the president's office is located. Mio separated from them within a few minutes, since given the context of that walk, she preferred to leave them alone. However, the pleasant walk with dating tints, would soon be interrupted by a phone call to Lucas. He picked up his phone, answered nicely, but suddenly Tam noticed how every expression on his face vanished, just listening to what they had to say. The girl asked him what was going on, but there was no answer. When the call ended, he put his phone in his pocket and just said one sentence.

"The meeting is canceled, come with me."

"What's wrong? Lucas!" Tam shouted without understanding anything as Lucas ran desperately in the direction of the laboratory.

Tam decided to follow Lucas, who wearing shoes in heels was doing his best to keep up. At one point, in the main street the number of people began to increase, something had happened and Lucas was sneaking between them quickly.

"Come" Lucas Told her who was ahead.

When he got to the police tape, he ran it under and was followed by Tam. They entered an abandoned shop, The dirty glass barely let in any light, there was no furniture and the dust was easily lifted. There were police and technicians working on the site and the plashes from the cameras illuminated the gloomy room. Far from the door and on the floor is a sheet that evidently covers a person. Lucas and Tam intend to reach him but were immediately stopped by the police.

"Who is it? Who is it?" Lucas shouted. He manages to get rid of the two policemen who were holding hin and advance to the sheet to remove it.

At the moment both companions look horrified at a scene that is known to them. The loss of strength caused by the shock gives to the police the opportunity to remove two of the three scientists in the room; Lucas and Tam are removed from the room, while the sheet will again cover to Marcus.