Tristan: "Honesty is the best policy. You made your bed, Tristan, now it's time to lie in it. The early bird gets the worm… of course the early worm gets eaten. I'm really hungry."

He pulled slowly into the parking lot of Deanna's apartment complex, then slowly made his way to the lobby. He was moderately pleased to find there was a wait for the elevator, though he hadn't yet ruled out taking the stairs.

Jade: "…So then I said that he should spend a little more time mopping the floors and a little less time staring at my monitor."
Glass: "What do you think he was looking for?"
Jade: "I have no idea what goes on in his head -- he may not have been looking for anything. He gives me the creeps. I'm beginning to think I may have been wrong about him."
Glass: "No, you're not."

Tristan tried to stay a respectable distance from the couple also waiting in the lobby, partly out of courtesy and partly because they left him feeling distinctly uncomfortable. They seemed familiar yet frustratingly just out of the reach of his conscious memory. He was about to head for the stairwell when the elevator happily chimed its arrival, the doors sliding open with a cheery swishing noise. He hesitantly stepped in after the couple, smiling as politely as he could manage and wondering if it came out as more of a snarl.

Glass: "What floor?"
Tristan: "Nine please."

The man smiled before pushing the button, instantly causing the hairs on the back of Tristan's neck to stand up. There was something in his eyes that caused him to take an unconscious step backward, something deeply threatening hidden behind a thin layer of civility.

Tristan tried his best to ignore the woman smiling strangely at him. It was a mixture of recognition with something perhaps a little sinister. He'd encountered more than his fair share of This Velvet Oblivion fans and knew he'd be best off not acknowledging her in such a confined space.

When the doors opened upon reaching the ninth floor, he nearly leapt off the elevator.

Then, he stared at the door to Deanna's apartment without moving. He could hear the muted sound of a television set and knew she was home, and suddenly he realized that he'd reached forward and knocked on the door.

Deanna: "Tristan?"
Tristan: "Hi. Can I come in? I really need to talk to you."
Deanna: "Sure. Is your phone broken?"
Tristan: "What? No, it's fine. I just needed to talk to you in person."

Deanna: "Is everything all right?"
Tristan: "No. And I don't even know how to say half of what I need to say."
Deanna: "Why don't you start with the half you do know how to say."
Tristan: "Because I don't even know if I can say that half, either."

Deanna: "What's wrong with you? You're acting really weird. Well, weirder than usual anyway."
Tristan: "I really care about you, I really do."
Deanna: "Oh god."
Tristan: "I'm so sorry. Not just for the past few days but for all of this. It was never my intention to hurt you in anyway. I really thought I could be happy with you, I thought I was happy… Hell maybe I don't even know what happy is."

Deanna: "You really suck at this."
Tristan: "You deserve more than this, more than I can give you."
Deanna: "Don't forget 'I love you but I'm not in love with you' and 'It's not you, it's me'. Oh yes, and 'We can still be friends.' How could I have forgotten that one?"
Tristan: "I'm trying to set things right. Or at least make them less wrong."

Deanna: "I really don't want to hear any more."
Tristan: "What do you want me to do? Keep lying to you?"
Deanna: "No, I want you to get out."
Tristan: "I'm really sorry. If you need anything at all…"

Deanna: "I need you to leave."
Tristan: "Then I'll do that."
Deanna: "You're such a bastard!"
Tristan: "I know."

Deanna: "Why did you keep taking me back if you didn't give a shit about me? There are other ways of getting laid you know!"
Tristan: "I'm well aware. That's not why I did any of it."
Deanna: "Stop being so calm!"
Tristan: "Sorry? Come on, Deanna. You know we're not right together. Pretending that things are different won't change that; all it will do is make things worse in the long run. You said so yourself a few months ago."

Deanna: "I was hoping you'd be able to forget about her and finally see me."
Tristan: "I could always see you. I just can't lie to myself anymore."
Deanna: "She doesn't want you."
Tristan: "Maybe not, but that doesn't change things between you and I. I'm honestly sorry."

Deanna: "Just get out."

Tristan could see tears beginning to well up in Deanna's eyes and knew the last thing she wanted was for him to see her crying.

Without another word he turned and left, closing the door softly behind him and pausing for just moment in an attempt to gather his thoughts. When he heard the glass shatter against the inside of the door behind him, he realized just how much he'd caught Deanna off guard. It hadn't been exactly fair, but it was far better than continuing the lies just to spare feelings in the short term.

With a heavy heart, he stepped into the waiting elevator.