#stationarystore

‘You’re okay with closing up right?’

Claire was already undoing her apron as she asked.

‘Mmm, yeah don’t worry about it,’ Willa murmured as she rearranged notebooks on the shelves.

‘It just suddenly popped up. You know I wouldn’t just ditch you.’

She had already changed and was walking towards the door.

‘Just go already. I’ll be fine, the store will be fine, everything is going to be fine.’

‘Thanks, babe!’

‘Catch ya later.’

Willa placed the last notebook in its place. She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and sighed. Closing time wasn’t for another hour and she had doubts she’d see any more customers. It was going to be quiet without Claire around, so she turned up the radio. The station they had played lo-fi music, chilled out remixes of songs from underground artists.

She’d only been working at the stationery store for a few months, but it already felt like a second home. ‘Fringed Pink’, was an unassuming stationery store off the left side of a florist. It was dainty and warm, like an eternal spring sprinkled in between the pens, pencils and books.

Willa hung up her work apron beside Claire’s and grabbed a broom and pan. She gave the store a thorough dusting when there was a beep from her phone. She tapped all her pockets, panicking briefly before she remembered it was in her apron.

A text: Don’t close yet I’m coming to visit, Nate.

Nate was a close friend, they’d known each other way back since primary school days. She was the quiet girl that no one really noticed, and he was the kid who was friends with everyone. It happened that one day he saw her sitting alone on the edge of the playground. He marched over to her with a big goofy smile. ‘Let’s be friends’, he said.

After high school, they started to drift apart. Nate was going to study interstate and Willa decided she’d take a year to figure things out for herself. So, he went away, and she stayed at the store.

She turned the ‘open’ sign on the door to ‘closed’ and sat at the counter. She was anxious.

The store bell chimed: Nate.

Willa could tell how long Nate had been awake by looking at the state of his hair. The tangled mess of brown meant that he’d just woken up. His walk was different, not his usual carefree bounce something slow and laboured.

‘Hey, what’s up?’

‘Hey’, he lifted his head and gave her a weak smile. ‘Things are bad.’ His eyes were heavy, and she wanted so much just to hold him.

‘Yeah?’

She watched him fiddle with the pens on the counter and waited.

‘It’s Quinn.’

Willa tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. It was a familiar song.

‘I just loved her so much. I thought we were going to be forever. Imagined our wedding, how many kids we’d have, holding each other as we grow grey and wrinkly, you know?

He slumped his shoulders.

‘Thought she was my end game’, he whispered.

She watched him and weighed the words on her tongue. Too many times she watched him hurt over other girls. If she wanted things to change now was the time.

‘Nate.’

‘Hmm?’

‘I love you.’

Silence.

‘I don’t expect you to love me back. I’m okay if things don’t change between us either. I just like, I don’t know.’

She chewed on her lower lip and wished he’d say something.

‘Say something please.’

‘How long have you felt like this?’

‘It’s been a while. But that doesn’t matter. When I’m with you, or even if we’re just talking it just feels comfortable. Like it’ll be okay, I can just breathe.’

She could feel her heart beat faster.

‘I know you don’t feel the same way I feel about you.’

‘Willa…’

He looked up and tried to meet her eyes, but she looked away.

‘Just don’t worry about it.’

She glanced down and noticed he’d brought a small black case with him. It was tattered in some parts but still holding together. Much like how she was.

‘What’s that?’

He looked startled as if he too only just noticed it as well. He picked it up and opened it. Inside was a violin. The bow was a little frayed, but it was fine otherwise.

‘I found it as I was cleaning and found laying around. I remembered there’s an op-shop somewhere close to your place. Thought I might as well take it with me since I’m passing through.’

Willa glanced at one of the working clocks on the shelves: half-past five. They’d been talking well past closing time.

‘Walk me home?’

She closed all the lights and locked the door on her way out. They walked alongside each other, their steps in sync, the way it always was.

‘Why’d you come to visit?’

‘Do I need a reason to visit my best friend?’ she could hear him smiling.

‘I wanted to see you, cause sometimes I miss you. It’s lonely without your laugh.’

She ran her hand along the fences as they walked past her neighbours. Thought about how they’d walked this same path so many times before, but it was different today. They came to a brown brick house with peonies growing in the window sill.

She turned to face him.

‘Do you love me?’

‘It’s a lot to take in.’

‘Then it’s a no.’

‘Willa please.’ His eyes were pleading for more time.

They walked up to the door of her house. Nate turned to leave but she caught his sleeve.

‘Can we just sit here? Just…let’s sit.’