The Fate Of Broken Hearts

Chapter 36

"Surely, there has to be someone. I remember when I was your age-"

"In the 1960s?" Kate laughed. "You remember that far back? I didn't know dinosaurs had such good memories."

Arthur squinted his eyes, "Make all the age jokes you want, but I remember being nineteen like it was yesterday."

"So you say..." Kate rolled her eyes.

"Really?" I asked him, curious. "What was it like?"

"Well. We didn't have all these fancy devices we do now. Everything was on paper; Schedules, assignments, everything. Especially in England, we had those old, small cars. But the women? Oh, the women..." He closed his eyes with a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "The women were refined and delicate. Some more than others, of course, but all were sophisticated and still, graceful."

"Did you ever get married, Arthur?"

Kate looked at me.

"I did. Her name was Margaret. I called her Maggie." His tone dropped.

"What was she like?"

"She was the most beautiful woman I had ever met. The only person in the world who ever truly understood me for who I was." Arthur rested his spotted hands on his thighs, thumbing the creases. "She died a few years ago."

"I'm so sorry..."

I watched Arthur stand from his chair, grunting under his breath, and walk back to his office, closing the door behind him.

"Maggie passed away in her sleep," Kate told me once everything went quiet. "He began working here a few years before her death. She loved reading, so every week on Friday night, he would bring her a new book he knew she would love." Kate looked through the window into the office and then continued doing her tasks. "He's been here every day since. Never taken a day off."

I frowned.

"Don't feel so bad, though." Kate waved her hand. "He'll probably 'remind' you that you'll die lonely before him."

"He does that?" I snorted.

"Every day I'm here."

I carried out the cart filled with books and went through each aisle, placing each one in its designated spot. It was satisfying how each one fit perfectly between the gaps, all the while lowering the amount on my cart. Repeating this action many times, my head effortlessly began to wander to Aiden and Elijah.

It was obvious that the relationship between Elijah and I would be different now, to say the least. He hadn't come in today, nor the day before, so there hadn't been any chance to talk or clear things up between us. I knew that conversation would be difficult and awkward, so I understood why he wanted space and time.

Thinking about Aiden, however, was overwhelming and frustrating. I continued to replay our argument in my head, wishing I had said things differently, that I hadn't attacked him the way I had. I wished I could take the whole thing away and just begin again. But no matter how much I wanted it to happen, I knew that it wouldn't. Attempting it was pointless.

When I reached back to the main desk, my cart empty, I placed both of my elbows on the wood and looked at Kate, her eyes skimming over the computer screen. She hadn't even noticed I arrived.

"What are you up to?" I asked her when her face lit up.

"Online shopping." She grinned. "Want to join? They have some really cute blouses here."

With a smile, I grabbed a chair and slid it next to her, meeting the countless varieties of blouses ranging from long sleeves to off the shoulders. Every color imaginable there in front of us.