Page 78 of Quiet Longing

“This is my work BFF, Stephanie,” Maeve introduced. “She runs the PR department upstairs.”

“But I come down here to see my bestie whenever I have a spare few minutes,” Stephanie added, and the two of them bumped hips. Well, their little friendship was certainly adorable.

“Here you go, my lovely,” Stephanie went on, handing Maeve a cup of fancy looking coffee with all sorts of cream and syrupy toppings. “Are you free for lunch? I was going to grab a salad here at the hotel. What do you think?”

“A salad sounds perfect,” Maeve replied. “I need to start working on my summer body early. Charli, would you like to join us?”

“Sure,” I said, since they seemed nice, and I had no plans yet.

“What about you, Barry?” Stephanie asked. “Will you join us ladies for lunch?”

“No, thanks. I brought a sandwich,” Barry replied, deadpan, and I almost chuckled. I got the feeling these two asked him to lunch all the time only to receive a firmno. Their bubbly energy evidently didn’t mesh with Barry’s quiet, reserved demeanour. I’d only just met him, but I pegged him for an introvert.

Stephanie left then, leaving a plume of heavenly smelling perfume in her wake, and Maeve, Barry, and I got to work. The accounts department wasn’t too dissimilar from the offices I’d worked at in the past, so it didn’t take too long for me to get my head around everything. Before I knew it, Stephanie was back, and I was being whisked away to lunch with her and Maeve. Barry cast me a glance like he didn’t envy me, and I began to wonder if their cheeriness grated after a while.

In my current newly divorced, starting over state, though, I could do with a little overdose of cheerfulness. Dining with Meave and Stephanie was also a good distraction from looking over my shoulder for Rhys all the time. I hadn’t seen him yet, which only made me more anxious to catch a glimpse.

The hotel’s restaurant was close to the lobby and looked busy when we entered. Luckily Stephanie was on good terms with one of the servers, who’d kept us a table.

I was busy digging into my sandwich when I realised Stephanie and Maeve were suddenly having a moment. They’d been happily chatting about work and the social media campaign that Stephanie was gearing up for when Maeve reached across the table and placed her hand on top of Stephanie’s.

“Real talk, though, hon, how are you holding up?” Maeve’s voice was gentle.

Stephanie blew out a breath, and a crack in her cheery facade broke through.

“I’m surviving, you know. It was all just so sudden.”

“What happened?” I asked quietly, hoping I wasn’t intruding.

Stephanie shook her head, her expression overwhelmed like she didn’t know where to start. “My partner and I broke up over Christmas. It’s been a rough few weeks.”

“Oh, no, I’m sorry,” I said, taking a sip of water before I continued. “I’m in a similar boat. I’m recently divorced, though it was a long time coming, and I’m happy to be moving on. Still, break ups are always hard.”

“I just miss him so much,” she said, a thread of emotion in her voice like she might cry. “We were together for two whole years, were supposed to get married. It’s hard to move on from that.”

I pressed my lips together in sympathy. Poor Stephanie. The breakup was obviously taking its toll on her.

“Hey, you’re so strong, Steph. You’re going to get through this,” Maeve encouraged, and Stephanie nodded, sniffling and straightening up.

“You’re right. I’m sorry. I’m depressing both of you with my sadness.”

“Not at all,” I told her. “As I said, I understand what you’re going through.”

“How long were you married?” she asked, finally looking at me fully, her eyes taking me in as though trying to decide something about me. I wasn’t sure what.

“Almost fifteen years,” I replied. “We met in college.”

“Goodness, you must’ve only been a baby when you tied the knot,” Maeve exclaimed.

“I was twenty,” I said. “And I was definitely too young to have made such a permanent decision, but I guess we can only see where we went wrong while looking back long after the mistakes are made.”

“You see,” Maeve said, looking to Stephanie. “This breakup might seem awful right now, but looking back, you’ll realise it was the right thing all along.”

Stephanie nodded quietly though she didn’t look very convinced, and I felt for her. It was scary being single after a long-term relationship. The fear of being alone was half the reason I’d stuck with Jesse for so many years, believing and hoping he might change.

The conversation turned to other topics, and I felt at ease. I liked both Stephanie and Maeve, and it felt good to have already made two new work friends.

Remembering I’d promised Mom I’d call and give her an update on how I was settling in, I made my excuses to the ladies before heading back towards the accounts office. I was almost there when I spotted two tall figures standing in the corridor. It was only as I drew closer that I realised it was Rhys and another man who looked a lot like him. Although the other guy was slimmer and an inch or two shorter.

---