Love is Patient

Chapter 8

Dear Newt,

I was greatly disappointed by your failure to reply to my letter. I'm currently still in London and would like to meet up with you if you are available. Please write back if you can. I miss you so much, Newt. I would love to hear about what you've been doing. I can't wait to see you.

Love,
Leta Lestrange

Tina felt a moment of joy. He didn't write back. But she still wasn't satisfied. Seeing another letter in Leta's handwriting, Tina grabbed it and read it. It was dated March 4.

Dear Newt, 

You still haven't replied. I hope that you're alright and are getting my letters. I would be devastated if something was wrong though I'm not sure I could live with the knowledge that you are receiving my letters and choosing not to write back. I'll be in London until June. Please find time to get in touch with me. We can arrange a time to meet. I miss you.

Love,
Leta Lestrange

Tina glanced down at the papers, searching for more in Leta's handwriting. The rest were all in the same handwriting which Tina recognized as Newt's. This was confirmed when she glanced at the signature and read:

Love,
Newt

Tina felt a pang of jealousy. He never wrote "Love, Newt" on any of the letters he sent me. She pulled herself together. It's probably just letters to his mother or something like that. Still, something felt wrong. Tina knew that if the papers were really just letters to Newt's mother he would have sent them and there wouldn't have been so many. She picked one up and let out a small gasp.

Dear Tina,

Once again, I hope that this letter never finds it in your hands. I don't know if I should even be writing this. I know that I'll never have the courage to post this and I'm praying that my clever owl, Jinx, doesn't snatch this out of my hand and take it to you. 

You, see Tina, I love you. I love you more than I've ever loved anyone. I'm trying so hard to finish my book so that I can see you again. However, I'm afraid. I'm afraid that you don't love me the way I love you. I'm afraid that you'll hate me forever and want nothing to do with me if you ever knew that I so much as thought about the fact that I love you with all my heart. 

I know I'll never send this and I know you'll never read it but if somehow you do see this please don't think any less of me. I miss you so much and I love you. I want you to know that but I'm just so afraid.

Love,
Newt

Tina felt tears running down her cheeks. The piece of paper slipped from her fingers. He does love me. She snatched up the rest of the papers and read them one by one. All of them were addressed to her. All of them said more or less the same thing. They all stated, quite plainly, that Newt loved her. 

Tina sat on the ground and cried. Minty crawled into Tina's lap and sniffed her nose, whiskers tickling her face.

"He loves me, Minty," Tina said. "He really loves me." 

When Tina had finally stopped crying, she scooped up the papers which now lay scattered on the floor. She tossed them on the desk, letting them fall messily like they had been when she had picked them up. She gave Minty a pat on the head then climbed out of the case.

"There you are," Queenie said. "I was just going to look for you."

"Is supper ready?" Tina asked.

"Yeah." Tina shut the case and set it against the wall. She stood up.

"You fell asleep at work again, didn't you?" Queenie asked.

"How did you . . . I wasn't even thinking about that!" Tina stammered.

"I can see that you fell asleep at your desk. I don't have to be a Legilimens to know that and if you looked at yourself in the mirror, you'd be able to see it as well."

Tina slipped past her sister and went to the bathroom. She glanced at herself in the mirror. Queenie was right, she was a mess. It was easy to guess that she had been sleeping at work because the left side of her face was covered in ink stains. On top of that, her hair was slightly messy and her eyes were very red from crying in the case.

She splashed water on her face and did her best to remove the ink stains and straighten her hair with magic. She and Queenie ate supper and had some of Jacob's pastries for dessert. 

When they had gone to bed and Queenie was fast asleep, Tina turned her thoughts back on Newt and the letters. He really loves me, was her last thought before she fell asleep.