Once I located the restrooms, I sat on the bench closest to the doors and waited a solid fifteen minutes. There was an older man walking in the direction of the restroom, so I got up and headed toward him.

"Hi," I said as gently as possible. "I was wondering if you could do me a big favor?"

Both of his salt and pepper eyebrows went up in response. "Okay."

Oh God. He probably thought I was a hooker. "I'm a little worried about my friend who was in the bathroom. His name is Tristan. Do you mind seeing if he's still in there?" I spat out as quickly as I could.

The man nodded sharply before ducking into the restroom. Only a couple of minutes later, he came out, shaking his head. "Sorry ma'am, no one else was in there."

"Oh, okay." I told him as evenly as I possibly could.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Where was he? I didn't want to risk walking around the Seaquarium looking for him because it might take hours to run into each other. A slight panic clawed its way up my spine, reminding me of the time that my dad forgot to pick me up from school and I got stuck being taken home by my principal. I cried the entire way there feeling alone and abandoned. I didn't think Tristan would just up and leave me, but I had no idea where he could've gone. I didn't move an inch while I waited for him.

Plopping back down onto the bench, I tried to steady the tremor in my hands while trying my best to control my emotions. Nikki's office was only a few blocks away so I could walk over there to get a ride home, but then I ran the risk of showing up only to have her be gone. I couldn't remember whether or not she had a trial today. Shit.

A long figure stopped in front of me and I looked up, expecting to see green eyes and lightly tanned skin, but the eye color was off, it was a shade of sea foam green and the skin color was a creamy white. "Do you need some help?" the stranger asked in a gravelly voice.

"I don't know," I replied, taking in the polo shirt he had on with the aquarium's name stitched neatly over a pocket. The man was really good-looking and I mean really good looking. He was almost as hot as Tristan with a straight nose, flat forehead, inky black hair, and full lips. Fuck me. I was worried about being abandoned but didn't waste any time in checking out the nice employee like the hussy I was. Ha.

The man squatted down so he was almost eye level with me. "I've been watching you for awhile," he said before grunting, pink coloring the cartilage of his ears. "That makes me sound like a stalker, I'm sorry. What I mean to say is that you look lost."

I giggled a little at his words because he did sound like a creep by saying he'd been watching me. Hell, he was a hot creep so I was okay with it. "I came with my friend and he disappeared."

"Have you tried calling him?"

I pointed at my leggings and lack of pockets. "I left my phone in his car and I don't have his number memorized," panic laced my words at the end. I knew there wasn't a real reason to freak out but my body couldn't comprehend it.

"Boyfriend?" he asked slowly with a twitch of his cola colored eyebrows.

"No," I told him, trying to fight back a smile at his question.

This time the man smiled. "Do you want to wait a little while longer and see if he shows up?"

I had to remind myself that if I left it would probably be harder to find him. I'd gone on quite a few field trips with my kids that the words my mantra to them, floated through my brain. If you get lost, stay where you are. Did it count if I was technically not lost but Tristan might be? I voted yes. Looking at my watch briefly, it was barely three. If Nikki was at work she normally didn't leave until closer to five, so I was safe to catch a ride but only as long as long as she was there.