Lily asked when Ryan's car finally arrived in front of the laboratory. "You want to come inside?"
Ryan asked Lily back. "Can I come inside?"
Lily chuckled softly. "Of course, you can."
"Your father is still in the lab this late?" Ryan asked curiously.
Lily nodded her head. "He never leaves this laboratory. Unless he has to go on a meeting with other researchers."
"I think I know where your not very outgoing nature comes from," said Ryan.
Lily laughed softly at Ryan's words. "He doesn't like crowds. Just like me. We only socialize as necessary."
"Does your father mind if I come inside?" Ryan asked Lily again.
"If you're not sure about going inside, I'll go in myself. Wait here, just a moment," said Lily. After that, Lily removed the seat belt she was wearing and immediately got out of Ryan's car.
Seeing Lily get out of her car and walk towards the laboratory entrance made Ryan want to follow her. He then unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of his car.
"Lily!"
Lily turned and smiled when she saw Ryan walking toward her. "I thought you would be waiting in the car."
"After I thought about it, I should meet your father. Maybe it will buff my steps to conquer his daughter's heart," said Ryan.
Lily chuckled in response to Ryan's words. "Let's go!"
Ryan nodded slowly. After that, he followed Lily's steps to enter the laboratory.
----
Ryan couldn't hide his amazement when he saw the room filled with cryonic tubes used to store frozen bodies. "I'm still thinking why would someone freeze their own body," Ryan said.
"Because they want a second chance," Lily replied.
"Are all the tubes in here filled?" Ryan asked.
"All of them are filled. But not all of the tubes contain bodies. Some are just the brains of someone dead," said Lily.
Ryan looked directly at Lily with a look of disbelief. "They keep their brains after they die?"
Lily stopped in her tracks and looked at Ryan. "Again, they wish they had a second chance at life."
"Then is Matthew dead?"
Lily shook her head. "Matthew is the first case where my father froze the body of a living person. My father said, at that moment, Matthew's life expectancy was getting smaller because his condition continued to deteriorate."
"And his family decided to take him to this facility?"
"I guess so," answered Lily.
"Then what is Matthew's life expectancy after twenty years have passed?"
"My father has started to raise the temperature in the tube that holds Matthew's body. That means he has a bigger life expectancy than before," Lily explained.
Ryan chuckled as he looked at Lily. "Of course, his life expectancy is high. A beautiful researcher is working hard to make that happen."
Lily replied to Ryan's words with a small smile. She then continued his steps towards his father's room under the cryonic tube storage room.
Ryan followed Lily again. Sometimes he pays attention to the cryonic tubes he passes because he is curious about who is behind them.
----
Mr. Graff had just taken off the glasses he was wearing before the door to his room opened, and soon Lily appeared from behind the door. Mr. Graff's forehead frowned when he saw a man walking behind Lily. He put his glasses back on.
"Is this just my imagination, or did you bring a man into this room?" asked Mr. Graff when Lily put the paper bag containing Mrs. Thomas's meat pie on his desk.
Lily laughed softly at her father's words. "You're dreaming, Dad."
Meanwhile, Ryan looked awkward standing behind Lily. But then Lily withdrew his hand and immediately introduced Ryan to Mr. Graff.
"This is Ryan. He's Catherine's friend," Lily said to her father.
Ryan smiled awkwardly at Mr. Graff. "Nice to see you, Mr. Graff."
Mr. Graff stood up from his seat and went straight to Ryan. He then looked at Ryan and Lily alternately. "Since when did you two get along? I don't think Lily ever brought a man in here. I think I was dreaming."
Lily smiled at her father's words. "We're just stopping by to deliver Mrs. Thomas' meat pie. Would you like to eat it right away? I can heat it for you."
Mr. Graff nodded slowly. "Maybe I'll eat some of it. You can heat it and put the rest in the fridge."
"Sure," said Lily. She then returned to take the paper bag that she had placed on Mr. Graff's table and led that to the back.
Meanwhile, Mr. Graff tries to chat with Ryan. "So, how long have you two met?"
Ryan muttered for a moment. "We met at Catherine's birthday party. We bumped into each other on the balcony."
"Of course. Lily must be out for a breath of fresh air. She's not a woman who can linger at a party," said Mr. Graff.
Ryan smiled and nodded his head. "We chatted for a while. Then she left the party."
Mr. Graff nodded his head. "I think you're lucky that Lily still wants to contact you."
Ryan shrugged. "I think so. Even Mrs. Thomas said I was the first man Lily introduced to her."
Mr. Graff laughed softly. "You're also the first guy Lily brought to see me. I'll admit, for a woman of her age. She doesn't hang out very often. So, I'm glad that Lily can finally make a new friend."
"You guys must be talking about me," Lily interrupted. She carried a tray containing a piece of Mrs. Thomas's meat pie and a glass of water. She then placed the tray on Mr. Graff's table.
Mr. Graff took a deep breath. "The smell tickled my tongue," he said. He then returned to his table.
"Can I take Ryan around here?" Lily asked Mr. Graff.
Mr. Graff looked at Lily through his glasses. "You brought him all the way here, and you're still asking if you can take him around?"
Lily chuckled. She then took Ryan's hand and led him out of Mr. Graff's. "Bye, Dad."
Mr. Graff chuckled when he saw the two of them come out of his room. He was grateful that Lily could have another life outside the laboratory. He also felt happy when Lily seemed to be enjoying her friendship with Ryan.
"Hmmm..." muttered Mr. Graff when he fed Mrs. Thomas's meat pie into his mouth. "This pie is delicious. Martha should have started a restaurant to sell her homemade pies."
****
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