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Story Notes:
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

1.         He has been lonely for awhile; he knows that about himself, and he doesn’t really like it. But when you’re alone all the time, it starts to seem like that’s the only way life can be. You don’t have to be happy about it, but you can’t do anything about it. That’s just the way it is.

            And so when his stomach turns at the sight of her hand without an engagement ring on it, he thinks that maybe he’s just experiencing a little residual sadness—for her broken engagement, for his own broken wedding vows. He knows what it was like to be by yourself for the first time in a long time; he understands that very specific combination of misery and relief.

            But when he finds himself coming to work later in the morning so that she’ll already be at her desk when he walks in, and he catches himself timing his visits to the break room to match her usual schedule, he knows that he is feeling something more than shared sadness. And that just makes him feel even lonelier.

 

2.         Her face always looks a little sad, no matter how she’s feeling. It’s something about the corners of her lips. Her mouth is always in a tiny frown. And she has never been good at talking about her feelings, good or bad. She always feels like she’s bothering people; when they ask her if she’s okay, she’s sure they’re just being polite. 

            But he’s a very nice man, and he has a very nice smile. When she first meets him—accidentally, during a brief conversation with Daryl about a late shipment—she thinks that if she could always be near him, she would feel warm inside all the time. He is a little older than she is, but his eyes sparkle as he shakes her hand and introduces himself. She thrills at the touch of his hand and admires the quiet pride in his voice.

            She finds excuses to meet him again and again. And one day, she hears him ask for her phone number. She doesn’t stop smiling for three days. 

 

3.         Her hair is so straight. It falls in a perfect line across her back on the four days a month that she wears it down. These are his favorite days.

 

4.         Oh god. He’s wearing that tie—the tie. The tie he wore on his first day in the office. And he got his hair cut. God, he looks so cute. She loves to watch him when he drinks coffee, and when he microwaves his lunch, and when he stands in front of the vending machine trying to decide what to eat. He’s just the right size for her. Tall guys are fine and all, but she’s always liked guys who didn’t have to bend down to kiss her. And he’s funny—she knows he must be funny, because he makes other people laugh. She knows he would make her laugh if she ever talked to him—really talked to him—because she’s got a good sense of humor, too. Plus, boys love her laugh. It’s one of the cutest things about her. Maybe if he asks her out, she’ll get him to take her to a comedy club or something so he can watch her laugh all night long. And then, when he drives her home, she can laugh at all of his jokes so he knows that she thinks he’s just as funny as any comedian. And then he’ll kiss her, and that won’t make her laugh at all.

 

5.         Once, a long time ago, he’d met the right girl. He’d noticed her in the crowd, and he knew right away that he would never see a more amazing woman. Every other detail of that night was blurry—hell, pretty much every detail of that decade was kind of fuzzy—but he could still see the glow in her eyes and the sheen of sweat on her skin. And he could remember when she found him backstage, and they’d found their way to a couch somewhere—why was there a couch? He couldn’t remember. And he had run his hands through her curly hair and tasted the alcohol on her lips and tongue.

            He goes whole days where he does nothing at work but daydream about her. She was the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen. And even though he’s never met another woman who even comes close, if he stares long enough at the pictures on his computer, he can feel a little like he did that night, when he—of all people—had been with the prettiest girl in the world.

 
Chapter End Notes:
My first fiver!


Pseudonym is the author of 8 other stories.



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