In the evening, the streetlamp right in front of Daniel Hawk and Emma’s house cast just enough light into the room for them to have dinner without needing to turn on the lights inside. They weren’t trying to save electricity, but somehow the light from outside made it feel more magical—almost romantic, Daniel might’ve said, though Emma would’ve given him a sideways glance if she ever heard him say something like that. Still, she loved that light too, even if she wouldn’t admit it. He’d often caught her standing there, reading a book late into the night, bathed only in the free glow spilling in from the street. But if Daniel ever had to sleep on the couch down there—not beside her in the bedroom—that same light became a nuisance.

  Daniel Hawk was sitting next to Emma in the living room. He tossed his small suitcase—the one he’d taken to work—aside and leaned toward her, his eyes never leaving her face.

  “Couldn’t you at least wash up first?” Emma said, swallowing her food slowly, glancing at him out of the corner of one eye.

  Daniel reached into the breast pocket of his jacket and, with the same enthusiasm he’d brought home from work that evening, pulled out two tickets and placed them on the table. Emma gave them a quick look before returning to her dinner—a strange mix of vegetables and nuts.

  He waited for her to ask what the tickets were for, but she didn’t. So he started himself:

  “They’re invitations.”

  “For what?” Emma didn’t bother hiding her boredom.

  “A tech park. Ever heard of FutureRobot?”

  “No.” Her reply was even colder.

  Daniel searched her eyes for a spark—surprise, gratitude, or even curiosity—but found none. He pressed on anyway:

  “It’s a park full of robots. For the first time, something like this is open to the public. You can immerse yourself in any era you want. There are all kinds of robots, and they’re all so lifelike.”

  “Sounds like one of those dumb computer games. No, no. I don’t have time, Daniel.”

  “No, it’s not a game. It’s completely real. I saw one of the robots—they sent us a video. I can’t show it to you, but they’re… real, honestly.”

  “And you’ve got invitations because…?”

  “Because I work in the field. You know that’s what I do.”

  “You don’t work there. Or at least I don’t know about it. This is the first I’m hearing of this…” Emma picked up one of the invitations and glanced at it. “FutureRobot… No. Never heard of it.”

  “Hugo Barnes? Doesn’t that ring a bell?”

  “Not at all.”

  “Fair enough. You’re not in those circles. That’s probably why. They’ve sent invites to people from all fields—IT, doctors, accountants, pilots—a few from every industry.”

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  “And somehow you’re one of the chosen ones. Isn’t that a bit suspicious?”

  Her words stung, and Daniel felt a twinge of disappointment. Didn’t she know how good he was? That those twelve years at his company hadn’t been for nothing? He’d never stayed in the same position—every year brought a step up in his career and within the firm. Well, not every single one of those twelve years, but since starting as an intern there, he was now just two steps below the board of directors. Technologically, he considered himself the best. He’d told her about his work countless times and was ready to do it again now, but more and more, it felt pointless.

  “Yeah. And there are two invites,” he said, clinging to the same hope.

  “Who’re you taking?”

  “You’re offending me.”

  Emma didn’t say anything and went back to her food. Even when she was annoyed, she was beautiful. Sure, her thirties had started leaving faint traces on her forehead, but she was still a woman anyone would notice—dark-haired, dark-eyed, with thin lips and a slender frame. She didn’t have much in the chest department, but she had a cute backside. He loved watching her dance while she cooked. Though it’d been a while since she last danced. Now she just walked to the counter, mixed some things in a bowl, and sat down to eat. She didn’t even wait for him to get home anymore.

  “Honestly, I think it’s nonsense. Are you sure we won’t just be wasting our time?”

  “In two or three years, the whole world will be talking about this. Trust me. Even my company’s blown away by the scale. It’s been Hugo’s dream for years, but aside from interviews, nothing’s been shown to the world. Until now…”

  “Another billionaire’s whim. Sorry, babe, it sounds dumb to me.”

  “It’ll be crazy expensive later. Right now, you’ve got the chance to enjoy a whole different world for a week. For free.”

  “A whole week? A week with robots? No, no. This thing’s got no future. I don’t get it like you do, but I’ve heard of robot stuff before. It’s exciting at first, then no one cares. This’ll die out too. I’d rather not waste my week.”

  It was one of those days when Emma was in a bad mood again. It’d been happening more often lately. Things hadn’t always been like this. Except for those first two months when Daniel found out she’d cheated on him, they’d had no real issues in their relationship. And that relationship had lasted ten years now. Well, everything was fine until recently, when her coldness started showing up more and more.

  Emma worked as an intern at an architecture firm. For years after graduating, she’d been a waitress—tips were great, and she had no intention of wasting time studying. But as the years piled on, the tips started going to her younger coworkers, and all she got were smiles from customers that didn’t pay the bills. At twenty-eight, she started studying, and at thirty, she landed the internship. The pay wasn’t much, but Daniel earned enough for both of them. They lived well—finances were solid, rent wasn’t steep, the neighbors were cool, and the sex was good. When she was in the mood, that is. If she wasn’t, they’d just sleep apart to avoid a fight.

  Daniel stood up and took off his jacket. The two invitations still sat on the table. Emma looked everywhere but at them. The streetlamp outside flickered, plunging the room into darkness for a moment.

  “Can you turn on the light?”

  Daniel reached for the nearby switch, and the room lit up. He thought they’d keep talking about the park. He’d researched so much, he needed to share it with someone. But it clearly wouldn’t be her.

  “You could go with Jasper if you want. Or Colin.”

  “I wanted to go with you. This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing.”

  Emma smiled—not the smile he loved seeing, but a mocking one.

  “No, honey. How long did you say? A week?”

  He didn’t answer. He grabbed his jacket and the invitations and headed to the bedroom. He tossed everything into the laundry pile and lay on his back on the bed. One of the invites was still in his hand. “Hugo Barnes invites you to the first journey through time…” That’s how it started. After a long explanation he knew by heart, it ended with, “We’re not wizards, but we’re damn good with machines.”

  Emma was right. Not about the park, but about his next options being Jasper and Colin.