An attractive man no older than 20 years old with black hair and deep blue eyes smiled softly at the older woman sitting across from him. The woman was in her 50's with strawberry blonde hair and steel grey eyes.
The woman noticed his stare, "Elliot? Is something wrong?"
The man, Elliot, reached over to take her hand into his own, "Nothing's wrong, Julia. It's just… I can't believe I managed to find someone as wonderful as you in this world. I was convinced that soulmates were nothing but a fairytale. Then you came along and completely turned my world upside down. As I had grown older, the world became colorless and appeared only in grayscale to my eyes. You brought the light and colors back into my life."
The woman, Julia, had unshed tears in her eyes, "That was so beautiful. Elliot, you've never once cared about my money and all you have ever asked for was my true self. You accept all of me, all of my accomplishments and flaws, which is all I could have ever asked for. You're perfect for me."
Elliot chuckled before placing a soft kiss on the hand he held, "That's where you're wrong, my Julia. It's you that's perfect for me."
The couple smiled contently at one another, payed the bill, and left the restaurant in a silver Porsche. They pulled into the driveway of a large mansion and parked. Elliot got out of the driver's seat and opened the door for Julia. He then walked her to the front door and handed her the keys to the Porsche.
Elliot brushed a strand of Julia's hair away from her face, "Thanks for letting me borrow one of your cars while mine is getting fixed at the shop."
She smiled, "You know I would give you anything you asked for. Are you sure you don't want to keep it? I know you love driving in it."
Elliot let out a small laugh, "As tempting as that sounds, I think I'll have to pass. I just needed it for our week together. I also got a call from the mechanic that my car will be ready to be picked up in the morning."
Julia brought her face closer to Elliot's, "Do you need me to give you a ride home? Or maybe I can tempt you to stay longer."
Elliot gave her a small kiss before pulling away, "I wish I could stay longer. Unfortunately, today's my last vacation day and I have to go back to work in the morning after getting my car. Also, I'm getting a ride from a colleague of mine back home."
She sighed, "Okay. Just know that I'll miss you. Be safe."
He pulled her into a deep kiss before pulling away to breathe, "Always… I love you, Julia."
She smiled, "I love you too."
She blew him a kiss before going inside her home, leaving him alone on the porch. He turned away and began walking down the driveway until he reached a black van parked by the curb. The back door slid open to reveal a man in his mid-30's with blond hair and green eyes.
The older man held out a hand to Elliot, "Are you ready for your treatment?"
Elliot smiled as he took the man's hand and got into the van, "Yes, that sounds nice."
Almost an hour later the van went into an underground area and parked. The man helped Elliot out of the van and led him towards a woman waiting for him in an elevator. He walked into a changing room where he went behind a circular glass panel. He took off his clothes and put on a t-shirt and sweatpants. He then walked into a lab and went to sit in a very uniquely designed chair without a second thought. Once he sat down in it, the technician turned to his computers and the chair began to lean backwards. It lit up and the machine made whirling sounds. He arched a bit as he gave a small grunt of discomfort. Memories of his time spent with Julia as well as his life replayed backwards in flashes before they faded away. The machine let out a ding before the chair began to ascend back into an upright position.
"Hello, Oscar. How are you feeling?" The technician asked softly.
Oscar, formally known as Elliot, turned his head towards him, "Did I fall asleep?"
"For a little while." The man replied.
"Shall I go now?" Oscar asked.
The technician smiled softly, "If you like."
Oscar slowly got up before calmly walking out of the lab. The inside of the building were like a spa resort and other people dressed similarly to Oscar wandered around from activity to activity. Oscar descended down a flight of stairs and headed towards a beautiful woman with brown hair and brown eyes.
Oscar stopped in front of the woman, "Hello, Echo."
The woman, Echo, greeted him, "Hello, Oscar. I'm going to swim now."
"Exercise is important." Oscar replied, "I think I'm going to paint now."
The two went separate ways and Oscar sat down with a blank piece of paper. A staff member put a set of paints and brushes down at the table.
"Here you go, Oscar." She said before wandering off to help another man dressed similarly to Oscar.
Oscar began to paint random patterns with various colors onto the paper before he eventually tired of the activity and moved to get lunch. He received a tray of food and sat down at a table with Echo as well as two other people, a Hispanic man named Victor and a blonde woman of Asian descent named Sierra.
Echo smiled, "I swam 30 laps today. I'm tired now."
"It's important to exercise." Oscar answered back.
They finished lunch and went their separate ways. Oscar went from activity to activity before he ate dinner, took a shower, and went to a circular room with four other people. He stepped down into a pod and lay down in the bed within it. The pod slowly began to close with a large frosted glass and he closed his eyes, quickly falling asleep.
