The Stranger on the Train

Chapter 39: New opportunities and costumes

Pov y/n

We arrived pretty much at the same time as Lizzie and Rose. Rose seemed a bit exhausted but totally happy. Both of them had huge smiles on their faces and it melted my heart how good they get along and how happy they looked.

We got into the house and started preparing dinner while one of us was playing with Rose, switching every few minutes. Rose really enjoyed having the three of us to play with and giggled a lot. Dinner was also fun because Lizzie and Rose told us what they did on their special day. Sometimes I caught Lizzie glancing at me, which told me that Scarlett told her that I would be taking her on a date. But Lizzie seems happy for the both of us.

After dinner I said my goodbyes because I have work on Monday and have to get up early for that. Rose hugged me quite long which was probably partly because she was so tired and almost feel asleep in my arms.
Lizzie also hugged me and said we'll probably see each other in about a month, which confused me.
She noticed and looked from Scarlett to me before she explained that it's Scarlett's birthday on the 22nd of November.

Call me a bad girlfriend or anything but I didn't know that since we never talked about our birthdays.
Scarlett gave me an apologetic look, telling me later she totally forgot to tell me. But I'm happy to see Lizzie again, I liked hanging out with her.
Last but definitely not least, I said goodbye to Scarlett and since Lizzie and Rose were heading upstairs, we allowed ourselves to get lost in a longer kiss before I pulled away and smiled at her before heading home.

We still texted a little bit that night, she thanked me for the date and wished me a good week at work before wishing me a good night. I also wished her a good week and night and starred at my ceiling in contentment. Scarlett really makes me happy and sometimes I can't believe how lucky I got.

It's currently Tuesday and I'm on my way to the aquarium. The shift at the coffeeshop was good but Jesse took a day off today, so another employee took his shift. I missed Jesse and our usual talks in between customer waves.

As I get out of the subway station and walk to the aquarium, something catches my eye. There's a booth on the pier that usually isn't there.
After a short glance at the clock, I know I have a bit of time left before I need to be at the aquarium and decide to take a closer look.

I first notice the pop-up sign with a shark on it and smile to myself. The man and woman in the booth both seem to be around my age and smile kindly at me. I smile back and look at the flyers they have spread out on a table.

"Hey, can we interest you in saving the ocean?" The man asks and I look up at him. He seems to be happy that I am interested in what they're promoting.

"Yes, very much. I don't have a lot time though because I have to be at work in a few minutes." I say and for a second his face falters but the woman takes over with a smile.

"No problem, we can keep it short. We are part of an organization that works close together with scientists to save the ocean and the animals that live in it. It's not just about collecting money, it's also and maybe even more, about people understanding how important it is to take care of the ocean and it's creatures." She explains excitedly and I nod along.

"We have grown quite a lot the past three years and now have a good team of scientists and helpers and many more that want to change something. You may wonder why scientists? Well, apart from wanting to save the ocean, we also want to know more about the different species and what they need to have a good life and increase in number. Our scientists also figure out what exactly the most common problems are and how we can change that." The woman explains further and the longer I listen, the more interested I get.

"That sounds really amazing!" I say and both of them smile at my enthusiasm.

"Do you have a website or something like that, so I can read more about this program?" I ask and both of their eyes light up. The man nods eagerly and takes some of the flyers that lay on the table and hands them to me.