Aaron just nodded his head as his train partner went to work setting up her bed. 

"I'm going to step out for a minute," he said, opening their sliding door. "I'll come in quietly. Good night."

He slid the door shut and made his way to the lounge car.

---

At the bar, Aaron found a few men worthy of conversation and ended up having a few rounds. It was a fun night; the game was on television, there were drinks, everyone was laughing, and overall, it felt nice to just have some fun.

However, as the night went on, Aaron couldn't get his parents off of his mind. No matter how many shots he took. Eventually, at around midnight, he slid himself out of the car, and fumbled his way to the restroom; getting his clothes from his luggage, grabbing his toiletries, and stepping into the shower.

After the shower, Aaron left most of his clothes back in his luggage, and walked back to his roomette with only gym shorts on. It wasn't as if it mattered.

Tired, depressed, and slightly drunk, Aaron silently crawled into his own bed and passed out. It was going to be a long train ride.