Sage was gone.

She woke up, stumbling into the living room and yawning countless times at 6:30 in the morning. Solace expected him to be comfortably snoring on the couch with half of his limbs dangling on the floor and the blanket a wrinkled mess. But he was nowhere in sight, worry creeping up inside. It hadn't even been a week, and already, Sage had implemented himself into her life just to leave again.

Solace even peeked in Emi's room, gathering the courage to face her wrath when she was woken up early. She hadn't seen him either. Calling him would be her next move, but she didn't have his number. Did he have a phone? Solace wasn't sure how this whole assassin and hiding-from-authorities thing worked.

All his things were gone, and she began to convince herself that it was a good thing he was gone. She would no longer have to aid and abet in art fraud or get tangled up in his mess. Nor did she have to worry about the thievery of her baked goods or her rising grocery bill. No matter what time it was in the day, he was constantly eating. She couldn't find him without some sort of snack in his hands.

It wasn't when she was about to open the refrigerator to make herself breakfast, did she see the note.

Got some things to take care of. See you later – Yours, Sage.

P.S. you're out of pop tarts. Buy some.

Solace scoffed. The nerve on this boy. She wrinkled up the note, imagining it was his head, and tossed it in the trash. She wished he had left. He was more trouble than it was worth.

But she couldn't afford to spare him another moment as she quickly ate, got dressed, and headed to the bus stop for another dreadful day at her internship. The ride there and the walk up the stairs to the office with Senator Moore's green juice were filled with reasons as to why she shouldn't quit when that was all she wanted to do. Solace thought about quitting at least five times a week, and the urge to send in her resignation letter grew even more severe the closer she got to the office.

I would do it in a dramatic fashion. Possibly fire off an arrow with the letter attached. Oh, and how about jumping out of a box with balloons that spell out 'I quit.'

As she considered all the different ways to renounce her internship, Solace was met with the laughing faces of Mr. Moore, Miles, and Wyatt. She scowled at their rambunctious and rich-sounding chuckles, her hand tightening around the plastic cup. She wiggled out of her winter coat and hung it on the rack with too much force, earning a surprised gasp from the secretary, Nancy, one of the only employees who actually talked to her. She was in her late fifties, who loved red lipstick that stained her teeth and read Pro Wrestling Illustrated that was more for the shirtless men than it was for the actual sport.

"Sorry," she muttered, throwing on a sickly bright smile as she made her way towards the three trust-fund babies. Solace was aware they weren't conversating over schedules or policies, and that it must have been something totally unrelated like golf at the country club or their oh-so difficult lives. Today, it turned out to be a trip to the Bahamas.

"My father is headed to the Bahamas for Christmas, but he'll be back for your New Year's Eve party," Miles said, his knitted sweater vest and tacky Gucci shoes giving off an air of pretension.

"I know interns aren't invited," added Wyatt, "but we would be honored to attend this legendary soiree we have heard marvelous things about."

The two of them had an IQ so low, they could trip over it, but the one skill they mastered was successfully smooching up to the senator.

"Excuse me, Senator Moore," Solace interrupted, the pitch of her voice rising to display politeness, "I have your green juice."

As always, his gaze flickered towards her momentarily, and simply raised his hand to grab the cup out of her hands. "Thanks," he said, dismissing her as he continued his conservation about the party with the two. "I'll think about it."

Fighting back an eye roll, she sulked back to her desk. She walked past the senator's office, taking a quick peek into the room to see the Servus Autem Fortuna hanging on the wall. Suddenly, stealing the painting didn't sound so terrible. She would be doing it right under his nose, and as he snobbishly talked about how he spent 100 million dollars on it, Solace would be smirking to herself, fully aware that it was her painting he was praising that was worth nothing in the market.

She passed by several other staff members as they typed away on their desktops or chatted with coffee mugs in their hands. The press assistant, Frank, was on a phone call, his eye interestingly swollen as Suzy, the field representative, gossiped with a few of the caseworkers. Solace listened in carefully, catching some of the exchange. Evelyn is going to love this. Peter and Rosalia, the senator aides, were discussing some of the new policies Mr. Moore was going to be supporting, such as the pro-choice movement and stricter gun laws.

Solace despised the senator, but she agreed with his policies. Although, he would never go for increasing the taxes on the rich, at least he had some sense in him. She had an inkling that he was just doing whatever his aides and assistants recommended. His agenda was really to follow in his father's footsteps as a senator, and then run for president. Only fools would vote for him, and America is overflowing with them.

"Guess what?" Evelyn prompted excitedly when Solace took a seat beside her.

"Frank cheated on his wife with Suzy, and when she found out he was married, she teamed up with his now ex-wife to beat him up," said Solace, swiveling in her chair with a grin.

"Not what I was going to say, but no way!" Evelyn whisper-yelled, leaning closer towards her, her make-up done perfectly and her blue eyes kind.

"I just saw him. His concealer wasn't good enough to cover his black eye."

"Serves him right," she laughed, craning her neck to get a look at him. Her brunette hair was in a slick bun, and her heels clicked on the floor as she shuffled her chair.

Workplace gossip was another thing that the two of them bonded over. They would never hang out beyond the office with two different definitions of fun. When Solace enjoyed her day-offs staying home and watching sitcoms with the occasional dining out, Evelyn was the type to go out for mimosas on her yacht or a weekend trip to the Hamptons. But they would always have gossip. The office was usually filled with some sort of drama, whether it was a cheating scandal or being disinvited to dinner. For adults with adult jobs, they sure acted like they were in high school.

"What were you going to say?" Solace asked, unloading her backpack, and organizing it on her side of the desk.

Evelyn faced her. "Moore has a meeting with Senator Amal Ibrahim. She's coming in from New York to talk about the Green Act, which means he'll be gone all day."

"Is he taking any of the interns?" she wondered hopefully. Solace would rather shave off her beloved eyebrows than willingly spend more time with Moore, but it was the perfect opportunity to meet Amal. She was the first Sudanese senator and a force to be reckoned with. She had no problem calling out politicians and speaking on controversial – that shouldn't at all be controversial – topics. All in all, Amal was her inspiration.

She shook her head. "I'd rather him take no one than those two over there. But on the upside, we won't have to deal with his bullshit. You know he had me contact the janitorial staff seventeen times to fix his door since it keeps locking from the inside."

"Lunch at Calypso's, then?" Solace offered with a sly smile.

"Uh-huh, and this time, you have to try the pastitsio."

Solace hesitated. She hated trying new foods, especially when it meant wasting money on something she might not even like. It didn't help that she was a picky eater. "I'll see how I feel."

Evelyn pursed her maroon-tinted lips. "You always say that."

"And today might be the day I actually do it," she grinned.

So, for the next four hours of overseeing courier deliveries, photocopying, and organizing files that were so messy, someone had to physically clutter them, the only thing keeping her going with the prospect of food. She had taken a few phone calls from concerned civilians about the horrors of public education and how there should be trash and recycling bins on every street corner. It was surprising how many people were passionate about garbage. Seagulls and crows were a massive problem in the summer, though. It was laughable at the number of times she had lost a perfectly salted soft pretzel to a demon bird.

Solace glanced at the clock on her computer screen to see there were ten minutes left until noon. She quickly typed an email regarding Senator Moore's presentation at a local elementary school, and as she clicked sent, Evelyn rushed over to her.

"Hey, I'm all done," Solace said, standing up, and straightening her dress pants and plaid blazer. "Should we go?"

She ignored Solace, her eyes narrowed in an accusing way. "Why didn't you tell me?" she demanded.

Solace frowned. "Tell you what?"

"That you have a boyfriend," Evelyn exclaimed, smacking her in the arm.

She rubbed her arm, her frown becoming more pronounced. Solace wasn't dating anyone. She had never even had a boyfriend before except for a few dates here and there. She would surely know if she was someone's girlfriend. "Huh?"

"Your boyfriend, Marco," she emphasized, her eyes wide. "He's tall with black hair and a scar on his jaw. Ring any bells?"

Sage. What was that moron doing here? "Where is he?" Solace demanded.

"With Nancy. I have a lot of questions, missy," Evelyn called out, but Solace was already speed-walking across the office until she broke out into a mini-sprint towards the secretary's desk. When she turned the corner, the fool known as Sage was leaning over the counter, grinning at a blushing Nancy. And he's flirting with the secretary. This boy really has no shame.

She got closer, purposefully closing her fists to refrain from strangling him. He must have heard her footsteps as he turned and directed his grin towards her. "Babe!" Sage said, sauntering towards her in a black suit that looked like the one he wore the first night and a bag of take-out from Antonio's Kitchen in his hand.

Solace gave him a look of disgust at the word 'babe.' "What are you doing here?" she hissed, half of her words muffled as he unexpectedly wrapped his arms around and squished her face into his chest.

"Go along with it," Sage whispered to her as he swayed them back and forth a bit too eagerly.

"Solace, your boyfriend here brought you lunch. Isn't that sweet of him?" Nancy cooed, her cheeks pink and teeth stained with red.

Now, there were two ways this could go. She could expose him as a liar and call him a deranged lunatic, or she could play along with him and get Sage out of here as quickly as possible.

Solace pushed him off her as gently as she could. She grabbed his free hand and squeezed it as tightly as she could, smiling at the pained expression. "He really is the sweetest," she lied. "I just wasn't expecting him to be here."

"I thought I would surprise you, so you could finally give me a tour of the office like you've been saying for weeks. Doesn't that sound fun?" smirked Sage with a challenging glint in his eyes.

What was he playing at? "I'm busy today," Solace said. "Maybe another time."

"Nonsense," Nancy waved dismissively. "I'm sure you can show this lovely boy around. I know you already have all your work finished."

Curse my amazing time management skills. Solace could deny and come up with some other excuse, but that would only look suspicious. What person wouldn't love their boyfriend to surprise them with delicious food?

He gazed down at her, smirking and victory in his eyes. "Sure," Solace said through gritted teeth, sending another bone-crushing squeeze. She dragged him roughly down the corridor, fuming and ready to pluck out his eyes.

Once they were out of Nancy's vicinity, Sage leaned down and whispered, "Lighten up on the death grip."

Solace crushed his hands ever further. "Why are you here?" she hissed.

"Nancy over there is a real cougar," Sage remarked, struggling to rip his hand out of her grip. She gave up and let go as he shook it and then proceeded to fix his black wool coat. There were snowflakes scattered on his tousled hair that were beginning to melt, and he looked carelessly handsome. How disgusting.

"I will murder you in your sleep."

"I'd like to go peacefully," he muttered mindlessly as he gawked at the vast office, the high-ceiling windows, organized cubicles, and fancy sub-offices for the higher-ups. "Cool place."

She inhaled a deep breath, reminding herself that she couldn't murder him. Not with these many witnesses. Solace looped her hands around his upper arm and pulled him forward towards her desk. It was far enough back that they could talk quietly without the risk of being overheard. A few of the staff peered in their direction, and she had no doubt that it was the horrendous but nice face on this idiot.

As they walked past the cubicles to her desk with Sage looking fresh off the runway in his suit and the massive scowl on Solace's face, he abruptly stopped, and so did her menacing train of thought. She followed his line of gaze to see him staring at the Servus Autem Fortuna. As a matter of fact, he was scanning and analyzing every aspect of the office from his eyes flittering to the windows to the vents. He was scheming.

"So, that's why you're here," Solace sighed.

"I wanted to get an idea of the layout," Sage said quietly, his eyes fixated on the target. She could practically hear the gears turning in his head.

"You could've given me a heads up," she whispered harshly, only to smile at Rosalia as she left for her lunch break.

"Did you not get my note? I said, see you later."

She dug her nails into his arm. "Yeah, back at the apartment. Not at my internship."

"You shouldn't have assumed," Sage shrugged, cherishing how her grimace deepened and her jaw clenched. "Can you stop looking at me like you want to kill me? People will think I'm a terrible boyfriend."

"You're not my boyfriend," she pointed out apathetically.

"Thank god for that," he mused.

Solace bit the inside of her cheek, refusing to start a brawl in the middle of the workplace. "Look, did you get everything you need? Because you can leave, now."

Sage nodded, and as she began to push him to the front door, she caught Evelyn's eye at their desk. She had a grin on her face, ushering for them to come. Damn it, why did she have to be so friendly and interested in my personal life?

"Come on, Evelyn wants to meet my boyfriend," she spat out as if it was poison.

"You're introducing me to your friends, already?" Sage drawled as he followed her. "I didn't think we were that serious yet."

Yup, he is going to be the reason I commit homicide. Evelyn smiled widely at her, clearly excited and Solace felt guilty about lying to her. She would have to lie every time she asked about Sage, or Marco, in this case. I'll wait until this whole shenanigan is over to tell her we broke up. Something tragic like him dying in a car crash or moving to Alaska to pursue his dream as a fisherman.

"Evelyn, this is Marco, my boyfriend," she introduced with a fake smile she was beginning to master.

"It's so nice to meet you," Evelyn grinned as she shook his hand.

"You, too," Sage said coolly. "Solace has told me so much about you."

"Really?" she asked, happily glancing over at her. "I wish she had told me about you."

Sage's lips pulled into a smile as he casually swung an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. She stepped on his foot causing him to squeeze her shoulders tightly. "This is all pretty new, but the moment I laid eyes on SoSo, I knew she was the one for me."

I think I just vomited in my mouth. And Sage was beginning to look a whole lot less convincing as he basically had to force those words out of his mouth.

"That's so cute," Evelyn cooed, her eyes wandering his face as if she was trying to recall a memory. "You look familiar."

Solace's heart dropped, and Sage's arm around her slacked. They casted each other a worried glance. Had she somehow seen him on tv? He was on the news for quite some time, but that was months ago. It was a big story in Portland, but she didn't think it would travel all the way to Boston. Did Sage not have enough brain cells to think this one through? This was another reason why helping him was a terrible idea. They barely even started, and it was already a dumpster fire.

Evelyn snapped her fingers, and Solace's pulse spiked. "You're from Solace's drawing," she exclaimed.

She calmed down for a moment's notice until Evelyn was grabbing her notebook. The smug look on Sage's face was enough to send a wave of embarrassment up her neck. She didn't want him to think she spent her time thinking of him. That was the farthest thing from the truth. And now, he was going to think of me as some sort of obsessed fan.

"Evelyn, don't. It's not even him," she spluttered, trying to reach out for the notebook, but Sage was too quick for her.

"Do all guys have a scar on their jaw?" Sage mocked with a knowing smirk. "You got the scar on the wrong side, by the way. How is that possible when you're the one who gave it to me?"

"Solace gave you the scar?" Evelyn chimed, curiosity gleaming in her eyes.

"She attacked me with scissors," Sage retorted.

Evelyn looked shocked. "It was an accident," Solace cleared up. "And I apologized."

"No, you didn't."

"I vividly remember the words 'I'm sorry' leaving my mouth."

"And I vividly remember you laughing in my face."

To any other passerby, they would think it was cutesy banter between a lovey-dovey couple, but if only they knew the rage that coursed through Solace. She was about to give him another scar if he didn't shut the hell up.

"Anyway, shouldn't you get going?" Solace wondered innocently as she pinched him in the side.

Sage thankfully got the message. "Yes, you're right. I volunteer with orphaned children, and I really can't be late."

"Wow," Evelyn sighed, placing her hands on her heart. "That's amazing."

He waved dismissively as if he was some divine saint. "It's really about the kids."

Did lies only ever leave his mouth?

"I bought some lunch, and there should be enough for the two of you," Sage said, placing the bag of Mexican take-out on the desk. "There are no beans since I know how you get with them."

Solace gritted her teeth. He should start counting down his days. "Alright, bye then!"

Sage smiled at her and while others would think it was loving and sweet, she saw the amusement in his eyes. This bastard thought this was funny. "I'll see you at dinner, SoSo." He pulled her into a goodbye hug, and she could feel the movement of his chest as if was suppressing a laugh. She wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed tightly as she could, hoping to break a rib or two.