Page 41 of The Library of Second Chances
Stand up straight, boy, Clementine admonished. Or he would have, if he could talk.Like this.
He rose up like he had to attract a female, walking with straight legs and his tail up and confident. Eric didn’t notice him, looking at Chloe with earnest eyes.
‘I really like you, Chloe.’ Eric’s voice held a tremor now. ‘I have since I first met you. You’re so beautiful, and you’re always nice to me. I’d like to go out with you.’
Clementine risked a glance at Chloe. He didn’t understand all of the emotions that flickered across her face, but he understood pretty well when she took a step back.
‘Oh, Eric.’ She put a hand on her chest. ‘I . . . I’m so sorry. I don’t think of you that way.’
‘What?’ Eric’s face crumpled up. That’s the only way Clementine knew how to describe it. Like he was in pain.
‘You’re a nice kid, but I see you more like a little brother.’ Chloe rushed behind the desk and picked up her bag. ‘Erm. Myshift ends in half an hour, but I’m going to go now. I’ll adjust the shift schedule tomorrow, okay?’
‘I’m sorry. I thought you liked me, too,’ said Eric, looking stunned. ‘I mean, those conversations we had. The time we’ve spent together here. I love you, Chloe.’ He winced as soon as he said it, as though aware he was blurting things out in his panic.
She let out a groan, clutching her bag to her shoulder. ‘I’m really sorry.’
She slipped outside, leaving Eric standing on his own.
Clementine pawed at his leg, meowing softly. He knew heartbreak when he saw it. He had felt it, too.
Eric sniffled and ran from the room, leaving the lobby empty. Clementine followed him, chasing the boy’s retreating skinny legs until Eric sank into an armchair in the lower archives. Clementine watched from a dark corner, tilting his head.
There they were. The leaking eyes, smelling of salt. They ran down Eric’s cheeks as he sniffled, wiping at his face.
Clementine understood. He ran back through the lobby, his bell jangling, and back to the children’s section, looking at all the books on the shelves. He searched until he found it – the large book about the tabby cat, the darling female snatched from him all too quickly. Using his paws and cursing the feline gods for not giving him opposable thumbs, Clementine managed to tug the book out enough for him to clamp his jaws around it. He scurried back to Eric, the book in his mouth.
Eric had his face buried in his hands when he found him, his shoulders shaking. Clementine deposited the book on the ground and mewed until Eric glanced up.
Clementine put his paw on the book, willing him to understand. Sometimes you liked someone, but they left anyway. It didn’t mean you were worth less.
‘You like that book, boy?’ Eric wiped his face and picked up the book. He patted his lap and Clementine leaped up. He sat onthe armchair, tail swishing, then sniffed at Eric’s face. Still very salty. This boy was in a bad way.
He did what he knew made humans happy. He gently butted his head against Eric’s skinny shoulder, purring. Eric pulled him onto his lap and stroked a hand down his back. He wasn’t as gentle nor as attentive as Mrs Cook or Chloe, but Clementine put up with it. He wanted Eric to feel better.
He licked Eric’s cheek, tasting his sadness. He gently meowed. He didn’t fully understand what all of this meant, but what Clementine did know was that one of the kind humans who looked after him was upset. He purred on Eric’s lap until he could feel the human’s heart rate starting to go down.
‘You’re such a good friend, Clem.’ Eric cuddled him close. ‘Thanks. I think I’m okay now.’
Chloe welcomed the sting of the cold air on her cheeks. It was cool against the flush of embarrassment.
What the heck had just happened? Chloe had thought – assumed, foolishly – that it had been Harry leaving the notes all over the place. After all, they often showed up shortly after he did. She’d had no idea Eric liked her. He was a kid, still in school. Eighteen, but still far too young for her. She had always assumed his chatter was friendly. Just two colleagues making conversation.
She groaned, walking as fast as she could, as though to flee the problem she had left behind. She had not handled this well. It had been brave of him to confess his feelings like that, and she had dashed away from him.
She brought out her phone and found Mrs Cook’s number. Then she hesitated. Would it be wise to involve their boss in all this? She wouldn’t want to embarrass Eric further. Clutching her phone, Chloe was unsure what to do, and reached home without messaging anyone.
When she’d deposited her bag in her room and flopped onto the couch with a cup of tea, she felt a bit calmer. Hopefully Eric wasn’t having too bad a time. He was an adult, after all, even though barely.
She held her phone in her hand, still unsure what to do. Text Hannah and ask her for advice? Message Eric, saying . . . what? That she was sorry? She hadn’t done anything wrong.
She decided to sleep on it, but by the next morning she was feeling sick. Whether it was nerves or she had caught something, she was unsure. But she rang Mrs Cook and told her she couldn’t come in today.
‘I just don’t want to give you what I’ve got,’ she mumbled. ‘I’m sorry. Will things be all right without me there?’
‘Oh dear, are you all right? Have a rest today. Eric and I can hold the fort until you’re back. If you need to take tomorrow off as well, let me know.’
‘Thanks. See you tomorrow, hopefully.’
