Page 15 of Love Is: Two Bodies One Soul

‘Yes, see you Monday,’ Kate replied, still staring at her computer screen.

‘Kate?’ Owen said. ‘That’s your name, right?’

‘Yes. Short for Kathryn.’ She sniffed and shuffled some papers on her desk. ‘Was there something else you wanted?’

‘Er, no.’ He told himself he wasn’t helping, yet he couldn’t go, leaving her in distress. Not without trying to help. ‘I only wanted to say thank you, er … for, for the coffee.’

‘Oh.’ Kate glanced at him, eyes glittering with tears, before she looked again at the documents.

‘I don’t know what’s wrong, and I’m not asking you to tell me. It’s none of my business, but if … if I can do anything. Call me.’

‘Thank you.’ A wet patch appeared on Kate’s desk where a tear had fallen.

‘Kate?’ Owen stepped towards her. Instinctively he wanted to gather her in his arms. But why, he thought, would she want to be embraced by a drunk who wreaked of whisky? Have some sense, Owen.

‘I’ll call if I need anything,’ she said. ‘Thank you.’

‘Yes. Sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude. I know I look like I couldn’t help a frog out of a pond, but I’m only on the end of the phone if you need someone to talk to.’

‘That’s all right, I’ve got my friend Lexie,’ Kate replied.

‘Good. As long as you have someone to turn to.’ He briefly squeezed Kate’s shoulder, hoping he wasn’t going too far.

‘Thank you,’ she mumbled, and another tear darkened her desk.

‘I’m sorry, Kate. I’d better go. See you Monday?’

She nodded.

He walked out of the office, past a man gawping at him and the youth with his phone. The woman in the red dress and the photographer were nowhere to be seen. Apart from one tele-salesgirl pumping the air at taking a lineage ad and the other still talking, the rest of the desks were empty – a sure sign of a place in decline.

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