The Lonely Librarian

Chapter 10

"The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at broken places." ~Ernest Hemingway

She saw him one day after dropping the baby off at daycare. Surprise was the only emotion that ran through her. She had moved to the city pretty quickly after the baby was born. She enrolled at the local University. She was finally dating. A nice boy too, he was in her accounting class and he liked to bring her spaghetti while they studied together and managed to take care of the baby.  Hell, she even took a yoga class once a week at the community center. She was in a good place, or at least she felt like she was until she saw him.

He was talking loudly on his phone, yelling about something. His harsh tone was all too familiar, yet instead of listening with annoyance, Millie let the harsh words sooth her ears. Nothing had changed. She wondered if he noticed her, patiently waiting for her plain tea before work.

"Well get the best divorce attorney you can find, I can't afford to lose anything that comes out of this." He loudly demanded.

Her eyes widened at the word "divorce", but she minded her business, and continued to let her eyes wander anywhere but near him.

"Millie," the barista called out.

Trying her hardest to be invisible, she reached for her tea, only to meet Easton's eyes from the corner of the room. His mouth hung slightly open, and he simply mumbled, "I gotta go," into his phone before taking three strides to her.

Her hands were shaking as he gave her a soft smile, "Hello," was all he said.

"Hi," she managed to croak.

Just him standing in front of her was enough for a flood of memories to come back. She remembered him calling and calling in the middle of the night, but she ignored every one of them deeming that if she truly needed something, he'd have to find her. She remembered the day she cowardly left his house when she should have screamed and yelled in his face. She remembered the tender and passionate kisses, and the all too expensive dinner in the city, and the wistful sex on the library floor. She remembered it all, it was as if it only happened yesterday.

She wondered what her life could have been with him.

Just her eyes made him feel enough. Those endless brown pits staring back at him made him wonder what emotion was behind them. Just her standing in front of him was enough for a flood of memories to come back. He remembered calling and calling while Joanna was asleep in the other room, just to see if she wanted money for the baby or needed anything. He remembered the look of pure heartbreak plastered across her face as she left his house that night. He remembered the way her chapped lips felt upon his, the way she ate her pasta at dinner, and the way she glowed in the light of a single candle on the library floor. He remembered it all, it was as if it only happened yesterday.

He wondered what his life could still be with her.

"How the hell did we end up like this?" He asked.

She did not reply, but she wondered the same thing.