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• Hidden Memories ✓

The reader is a former extractor (someone who’s able to invade someone else’s dreams) who now works as Robert Fischer's assistant. When Robert treats her quite unfriendly she plans to manipulate his subconscious mind through "dream-sharing" to make him a better person. Unfortunately this method doesn't work and she ends up deep in Robert's subconscious mind where she discovers his hidden memories.

• In Her Words ✓

This story explores Robert's personality and describes how he met his wife (the reader) who helps him through his emotional struggles.

• Locked In Mind ✓

The reader is hopelessly in love with her boss Robert Fischer, but he doesn't seem to be interested in her. By an unexpected coincidence, they meet in the city and his sudden intense affection for her confuses her. The reader begins to suspect that something is wrong, and when she finally uncovers the truth about her encounters with Fischer the heartbreaking reality is revealed to her.

• Second Chances ✓

For the second time in his life, Robert Fischer is faced with a major decision: whether or not to take over his father's company. After his father's death, Fischer Morrow was split up and Peter Browning bought part of it but Robert remained an employee rather than a CEO. Over the past ten years, Browning has been approaching retirement and Robert is now 40. He is struggling emotionally with his divorce and the mockery of his ex-wife. The situation intensifies when he falls in love with a beautiful woman at the company and begins to see her in his dreams.

William Killick

• To William With Love ✓ | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3

Im summer 1936 William Killick takes a break from his London life and spends a few weeks at the country estate of the wealthy Hallward family. The family take an instant liking to William and try to get him to marry their beautiful daughter Norma. Also on the estate is the reader, who works as a maid. When William receives anonymous poems, he ends up falling in love with the mysterious writer instead of Norma.

• Timeless Love ✓ | Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

The reader finds a mysterious diary in a library that belonged to William Killick in the 1930s. When she writes something in it, her notes appear in the past (1937) which allows the two to communicate with each other and they eventually fall in love.

Lenny Miller

• Tainted Gold (Ongoing) | Part 1

Mini Masterlist

The wind hit against the windows and a bright flash of lightning lit up your bedroom for a split second. A moment later, thunder rumbled so loudly that it made you shiver. Shaking with fear, you curled up under the blanket. You nervously glanced at the glowing numbers on your alarm clock on the desk beside you. It was just after 1am and despite having to get up early for work the next morning you hadn't slept at all yet. You had been lying awake in bed for hours, tossing and turning restlessly. But your constant thoughts and worries about the upcoming work week, the deadlines and the unfinished tasks that kept coming up were preventing you from sleeping.

You sighed and stared at the empty space next to. Where was your fiance? Shouldn't he be home by now?

He had spent the weekend visiting an old school friend who lived about four hours away. You were happy for him because he usually didnt have much time for friends or social stuff besides his job and you. Robert was a very busy man. However, this also meant that you had spent the entire weekend without him. Even though he was only gone for two days, you missed him so much..The apartment and your bed felt so empty without him.

For a minute, you lay motionless and lost in thought in your bed while the heavy rain continued to beat against the window. Suddenly, you heard a sound that made your heart race. A key being inserted into the lock and hastily turned. You breathed a sigh of relief, Robert was finally back home.

The sound of footsteps on the vinyl hallway floor reached your ears, and your heart beat even faster. He was probably trying to be quiet, thinking you were asleep. The footsteps moved towards the bathroom and after that there was a period of silence until you finally heard the soft sound of the shower being turned on. You sighed with relief and closed your eyes.

After a while, the footsteps approached the bedroom again. A second later, the door handle was pushed down and a someone slipped quietly inside.

"Robbie!" you whispered happily, switching on the bedside lamp.

Your fiance stood in front of your bed in his dark blue pajamas, his hair was slightly messy, looking at you with surprise. "Wait, you're still awake?" he asked.

"I can't sleep. I'm constantly worrying about work, you know", you explained to him. "I told you what happened last week, do you remember…?

You looked into Robert's pretty face. He nodded, sat down next to you on the bed and pulled you into his arms. You leaned against him with a sigh and breathed in the scent of his freshly laundered pyjamas.

"I know, I know. But there's no point in worrying about it now. You can't change anything about it tonight."

You nodded slightly. "You're right.."

His hands gently moved up your neck and chin before he carefully brushed your hair back.

"I really missed you. Two days can be a really long time," you sighed softly.

"I've missed you too, babe" he whispered, pulling you in for a deep kiss. You closed your eyes dreamily, finally feeling his soft lips on yours again. Eventually, Robert took your hand. "How about I make you some hot chocolate?"

****

A few minutes later, you were sitting on your bed with a warm mug in your hands, leaning against your fiance's chest. Robert had taken a book from his suitcase, which he had bought in a small shop in a friend's hometown, and was reading you the first chapter. You listened quietly. You loved Robert's deep and gentle voice more than anything.

Finally, he closed the book. "I think we should go to sleep now. It's almost 2:30." Yawning, he reached for the bedside lamp switch and turned off the light.The room fell back into darkness, and you started to shiver slightly.

You felt Robert's warm hand, which felt wonderful against your skin. "Shh, it's okay. You don't have to be scared, I'm here with you. You're safe." You moved closer to him, feeling him wrap his arms protectively around you.

"Just try to think about something else, okay?Think about our wedding in September. Everything will be okay, trust me. Everything will be okay." He slowly began stroking your hair, repeating these words over and over again.

You could feel your whole body relaxing more and more, your arms and legs feeling heavier and heavier. The rain had eased and was pattering more gently against the window now, and the distant thunder was barely audible.

Your head rested on Robert's chest and you could feel his heart beating against your cheek as his chest rose and fell rhythmically. Your body really needed this rest and was grateful that you were finally allowing it to relax. Your worries faded away, replaced by peaceful emptiness and silence. Robert's voice also went silent and his eyes were closed now while his head was tilted slightly to one side. You could only hear his soft breathing. The wind rusteled softly as you both finally fell asleep, letting all of your thoughts drift away.

The air was cold and smelt of exhaust fumes as Lenny left the terminal. He stared tiredly at the grey, overcast sky and held out his hand as a light drizzle began to fall. Just a few hours earlier, he had been standing in the sunshine in Miami and now here he was, in a foreign country, in a foreign city, with nothing but his suitcase and passport.

The sounds of the city reached his ears. The honking of taxis, the murmur of passerby's voices, and somewhere in the distance, the rumble of thunder.

He still couldn't believe what he had done.

He had left everything behind. He had quit his job, emptied his apartment and packed his suitcase as if running away were the answer.

And all because of her.

Lenny had thought he would spend the rest of his life with her. Everything in his life had revolved around her, but now she was simply gone. She had ended things without warning, with just a short "I want to break up with you" that had come completely out of the blue. The thought almost brought tears to Lenny's eyes.

Finally biting his lip, he grabbed his rolling suitcase and set off for Central London.

The first thing he had to do was find somewhere to stay for the next few days. Luxury didn't matter to him at all, he just didn't want there to be mould growing on the ceiling.

As he walked along the streets, his legs were shaking from the long flight and his head ached because he was exhausted and tired from jet lag.

After wandering around for about half an hour, he finally found a small hotel located between a pub and a shoe store. The neon sign was flashing and there was a light on inside. Hesitantly, Lenny went in.

Inside, it smelled of stale air and old carpet. "Not very inviting," he thought.

"Good evening, sir. How can I help you?"

A woman with long black hair stood behind the counter, smiling at him.

Lenny raised an eyebrow in surprise. Judging by the hotel's appearance, he had been expecting to be greeted by a grumpy old man rather than such a nice lady.

He cleared his throat and gave her a tired smile.

"Do you have any rooms available? I'm looking for somewhere to stay for about four nights. Or perhaps longer. I'm not quite sure yet."

"You're lucky, sir. Room 112 is still available. Are you here alone?"

Lenny frowned at this question. He wanted to respond, "Of course I'm here alone. Or do you see anyone else?" But he remained silent, simply nodding slightly. The woman finally handed him the key.

The room was small, but cleaner than he had expected. Relieved, he sank onto the narrow bed and let his gaze wander around the room. Everything was very simple: a small round table with two matching chairs, a wood wardrobe, and a window framed by pale green curtains through which he could see the wet rooftops of London. Tiredly, he closed his eyes and buried his face in the pillow. He was incredibly glad to finally be able to go to sleep.

The patter of rain against the window woke Lenny up the next morning. Yawning, he held his head, sat up, and pulled the curtains aside slightly. The sky was still grey and overcast, even worse than yesterday. He sighed. The weather in England was just as bad as he had expected.

Lenny had hoped for a typical delicious English breakfast with bacon and baked beans, but was bitterly disappointed by soggy toast and tea that tasted like dishwater.

Finally, he set off towards the city center to get a better tasting coffee and a sandwich. On the way, he passed a newsstand, took the current newspaper from the rack, and leafed through it thoughtfully. "You have to buy it if you want to read it", said a hunchbacked old man with a raspy voice, sitting hidden among the racks and newspapers. Slightly embarrassed, Lenny gave him a few pounds.

He hastily flipped through the pages until he came to the job ads, which he read eagerly. When he realised there was nothing suitable, he sighed in disappointment. Tucking the newspaper under his arm, he nodded goodbye to the salesman and headed back to the hotel.

The hotel's WiFi was weak and unstable so the pages took twice as long to load. Back in his room, he sat at the small wooden table typing intently on his laptop.

Findmeajob.com - Find your dream job!

Lenny nervously clicked through the dozens of job ads.

Delivery driver needed, own vehicle required.

Lenny shook his head. He didn't have a car, so no chance.

Call center, flexible hours, modern work environment

He rolled his eyes. The thought of endless phone calls with angry customers was enough to give him a headache.

Lenny scrolled on, still no luck, and was about to close his laptop in frustration when his gaze suddenly fell upon a fairly new ad.

Personal Assistant, Full-time, Private Household. Experience preferred, but not required. Reliability essential.

With furrowed brows, he stared at the screen. What exactly did it mean? Scheduling appointments? Sorting mail? Or was it something else entirely?

Lenny leaned back, his fingers still resting on the keyboard. He felt a small spark of curiosity inside of him. Why not?

Finally, he took a deep breath, straightened his shoulders, and began typing a message to the email address listed in the advertisement. He tried to sound as formal and professional as possible, briefly introducing himself, stating his strengths, and expressing his strong interest in the job.

He frowned thoughtfully, skimmed the text several times to ensure there were no typos, and finally pressed send.

With a grin, he rubbed his forehead as he continued scrolling through the job adverts.

The sun was low on the horizon, and Lenny had already applied for two other positions. Both were simple office jobs and he was way overqualified for, but they'd be enough for now. It was only temporary, after all, until he had built a new life for himself here in London.

Suddenly, he saw an email pop up at the bottom of the screen. Lenny's heart began to pound as he read the subject line:

Your application for the position of a personal assistant

That was fast. His hands began to tremble. Quick responses usually meant rejection. Lenny opened the email and began to read it nervously.

Dear Mr Miller,

we would like to thank you most sincerely for your application to be a personal assistant at the Y/LN estate. Lord Y/LN was impressed by your application and would like to invite you to an interview on 29 September at 10 am.

Please let me know if you are able to attend.

I have attached directions to the estate. As the family places great importance on traditions and order, we kindly ask that you are punctual, treat the staff and other guests with respect, and maintain a neat and formal appearance.

If you have any questions beforehand, please do not hesitate to contact me. My contact details are also attached.

We look forward to meeting you.

Kind regards,

Thomas Blackwell

(Butler)

Lenny almost spat his coffee onto the screen. He pressed his hand to his mouth to suppress a laugh and the woman at the next table looked at him with concern.

Sir? Butler? Traditions? What had he gotten himself into? British high society?

There was no way he could go there. He had never dealt with such people before and would undoubtedly embarrass himself. A neat and formal appearance wouldn't be a problem, since he always had to wear suits in his previous job. But how was he supposed to behave on such a posh estate?

Lenny stared absently at his laptop screen and sighed. A job like that must come with a pretty good salary.

He felt his nervousness rising, but suddenly, deep inside, he also felt the tiny spark of curiosity again. Why shouldn't he just try it? What could possibly go wrong?

***

That morning, Lenny stood in front of the hotel mirror, checking his reflection for probably the twentieth time. He was wearing a smart black suit that had been a bit wrinkled when he took it out of his suitcase, but it had smoothed out easily.

His dark hair was neatly styled and he was clean-shaven. Admittedly, there was a certain nervousness in his light blue eyes. He looked well-groomed and professional, just as the butler had requested in the invitation. The longer he spent in front of the mirror, examining every single hair, the more nervous he became about the job interview. Finally, he bit his lip, grabbed his black coat, and left the hotel room.

When he finally arrived at the mansion, he gazed up at the building amazed. Rarely had he seen anything so magnificent, yet still so stylish. The enormous house was built of reddish sandstone and had tall windows with beautiful carved designs. A wide driveway, partly paved and partly covered with gravel, lined with large, ancient-looking oak trees. The entrance consisted of a large, solid wooden door, flanked on either side by two stone lions. Beyond this stretched a big garden where every single blade of grass looked as if it had been cut with nail scissors and a ruler.

Lenny stepped a little closer and immediately felt his heart begin to race again. The gravel crunched under his leather shoes and he nervously ran a hand through his hair, which had been styled so perfectly just moments before.

Suddenly, the massive front door opened and a thin, elderly man stepped out. He glanced at Lenny briefly, then nodded. "Sir, you must be Mr Leonard Miller. Please follow me, Lord Y/LN and his daughter are already waiting for you."

They were already waiting? Lenny glanced quickly at his wristwatch. He was ten minutes early.

Mr Blackwell, the butler, must have noticed his shocked expression, because he quickly replied in a reassuring voice, "Don't worry, sir, you're certainly not late. Lord Y/LN simply likes to arrive earlier than his guests."

Lenny swallowed nervously and smoothed down a barely visible crease in his suit. Finally, he followed the butler into the house. The entrance hall alone left Lenny speechless. It had high ceilings, the walls were entirely covered in dark red velvet, and dozens of portraits of ancestors, probably long deceased, lined the walls, their eyes seemingly following him.

The heels of Lenny's leather shoes clicked softly as he walked across the black and white marble floor. Finally, the butler stopped, opened a heavy double door and led Lenny into a large room.

An older man with slicked back silver hair sat at a table and immediately gave him a careful look. He had a deeply lined face and wore a dark blue pinstripe suit. His tie was precisely knotted, and his hands rested on the tabletop with his fingers interlaced. Lenny instantly sensed the authority he radiated.

Lenny's gaze wandered further. Next to him, a young woman sat on a chair wearing an elegant, light blue dress with a large bow at the front.

He couldn’t help stopping for a moment to watch her. She was very beautiful, he remarked.

The older man finally rose from his chair and shook Lenny's hand. "Mr Miller, how kind of you to take the time. Please, have a seat. He pointed to the chair opposite.

Lenny nodded silently and sat down.

Lord Y/LN thoughtfully leafed through some documents, but then turned back to Lenny.

"You should know that the purpose of this position is to assist my daughter. Why do you believe you are suitable for this position? I should mention that after graduating with a degree in English Literature and gaining some professional experience, she is planning a career change. She wants to become a professional actress."

Lenny nervously bit his lower lip at first, but then smiled.

"Well, sir- uhm…my Lord," he began, "I can't really claim to have experience working with actresses, but I do have excellent prioritisation skills. I understand that the role of a personal assistant is to stay calm under pressure and handle multiple tasks effectively."

Lord Y/LN nodded slowly and took notes. "How exactly would you proceed in the kind of situation you just described?"

Lenny clasped his hands in his lap to hide his trembling fingers and nervousness. "I always stay organized and make to-do lists, schedules, and reminders. I can't stand chaos and disorganisation."

The older man smiled with satisfaction. "We could definitely need someone who is well organised and tidy. Mr Miller, what makes you stand out from other applicants? Why should we hire you?"

"I…" Lenny glanced at the young woman in front of him, who sat silently next to her father, studying him intently. " I would describe myself as a very empathetic person. I can put myself in other people's shoes, adapt well to different people and situations, and quickly figure out what someone really needs, even if they don't say it directly."

"That is really great, Mr Miller!" A quick smile appeared on Lord Y/LN's face before he went back to his papers. "You have to understand that my daughter can be very demanding. She is passionate about her work and needs an assistant who knows what she wants before she even asks.. You have done a really good job so far. Now I have another question for you: I read in your documents that you are American. What made you decide to come to London?" The older gentleman smiled slightly. "And please don't tell me that London is a beautiful city. Every child knows that." He laughed.

Lenny immediately felt his heart begin to pound wildly when he heard the question, nervously fidgeting with the collar of his shirt. He couldn't possibly tell the truth about running away from his ex. "Well..." he began cautiously. "Your point about the beautiful city is certainly true, but that wasn't the deciding factor for me. Even as a child, I dreamed of living and working in London. This city simply offers wonderful opportunities for me to reorient myself, gain new experiences, and develop professionally. I love taking on new challenges."

Lord Y/LN wrote down every word Lenny said, then smiled when he had finished answering. "Wonderful, Mr Miller! I think we could work well together. You're hired."

Lenny's jaw dropped. He tried to speak, but the words caught in his throat with surprise and relief.

The older gentleman stood up slowly, still with a friendly smile on his lips, and offered Lenny his hand, which Lenny shook, still slightly trembling.

The young woman also extended her hand. She hadn't said a word throughout the entire interview and she remained silent now too, only smiling mysteriously.

"My daughter has an audition tomorrow afternoon in South Kensington. Your task will be to accompany her," he said slowly, making sure Lenny understood. He was still standing there, staring at the older gentleman in disbelief.

"While you're employed by us, you're welcome to stay with us. I'll provide you with a room."

Lenny nodded, his heart racing so fast that he was afraid it would burst out of his chest.

Finally, he managed to utter, "Thank you, my Lord."

Was this his chance for a fresh start? A chance to leave his old life behind and finally forget the pain that had been weighing on him for weeks?

***

The church clock struck twice as Lenny stood in the driveway again the next day, gazing up at the massive building.

He wore his elegant black suit again, this time with a dark red tie. The night before, he polished his black leather shoes until they were totally spotless.

He had also brought his suitcase. After all, this would be his home for the next few months. He still could hardly believe that he had been hired.

Suddenly, the hum of an engine sounded in the distance, getting closer and closer. Lenny turned in surprise and saw an elegant car, which he immediately identified as a Rolls-Royce Ghost, driving along the wide driveway.

The luxury vehicle finally stopped beside him. Shortly afterwards, the driver's door opened and a tall, thin man in his late 50s got out. He introduced himself politely.

"Good afternoon, sir. You must be Mr Miller. My name is Mr Lawrence, and I'm the family's chauffeur. I'll be driving Lady YN Y/LN and you to her important audition today."

Lenny also introduced himself politely and shook his hand.

"I've already checked all the details with Lady YN Y/LN's schedule to make sure we'll arrive on time. It will be your responsibility to do the same in future."

Lenny nodded eagerly. "Of course, sir."

Finally, one side of the massive front door opened, and the butler, whom Lenny had met yesterday, appeared and held the door open for someone behind him. Lenny subconsciously held his breath as Lady YN Y/LN stepped out. She looked beautiful again today. She wore a pastel pink dress and a matching coat, carrying a small gold handbag. She approached the two waiting men elegantly, and the butler followed her.

The smell of her perfume reached Lenny's nose, it was subtle and unmistakably expensive.

She looked at him and giggled. Lenny bowed slightly in response.

"Good afternoon, Lady Y/LN. I didn't have a proper chance to introduce myself yesterday. My name is Leonard Miller, and I'm your new assistant."

The lady giggled again. "Nice to meet you, Mr Miller."

"The pleasure is all mine, ma'am," Lenny replied immediately, and he was struggling to look away from her.

Suddenly, a voice from behind pulled him out of his thoughts. "I'll take this with me sir, and bring it to your room. So you can settle in as soon as you get back."

The butler had taken the suitcase from him and was carefully carrying it to the entrance of the estate.

Lenny immediately called out: "Thank you so much!" Then he held the car door open for Lady YN Y/LN with a charming smile, and she got in elegantly.

Lenny sat down next to Lady YN Y/LN and looked around in amazement. He had never sat in such a luxurious car before. The interior was lined with cream colored leather and featured stylish, gleaming dashboard instruments.

Mr Lawrence sat at the wheel, watching them both intently in the rear view mirror. Once they were both buckled up, he started the engine and drove slowly down the wide driveway, past the golden entrance gate, and finally onto the street.

Lenny leaned back in his seat as the streets of London passed by. The sun had disappeared behind a cloud again, and the light dimmed slightly.

Next to him, Lady YN Y/LN rummaged in her handbag, finally pulling out a leather bound notebook and handing it to Lenny.

"This is my appointment book. I also have a digital version in case the book is forgotten. I would ask you to carefully enter every new appointment in it and keep it up to date. I hate it when my schedule gets messed up."

"Of course, ma'am." Lenny nodded as he took it, leafing through it with interest.

Meanwhile, the young woman beside him was absently examining her makeup in a little hand mirror. "How do I look?" she finally asked.

"You look gorgeous," Lenny replied, noticing his cheeks getting warm.

She smiled confidently. "That's exactly what I wanted to hear. Your predecessor said I looked 'quite pretty.' Quite pretty? I'm not satisfied with that." She closed the mirror and put it back in her handbag. She tilted her head slightly and looked him up and down. For a moment, their eyes met. "If I have a man as an assistant, I want him to compliment me and tell me how beautiful I am."

Lenny was still sitting there, the appointment book on his knees, watching as the South Kensington neighborhood came into view. He saw wide avenues lined with well kept houses and expensive cars parked along the roadside.

He exhaled softly and glanced again at Lady YN Y/LN. Her eyes were now closed, as if she were trying to calm herself. Perhaps she was thinking about her audition and what lay ahead. Was she nervous?

Finally, the Rolls-Royce turned silently and quickly into a street lined with large trees, their leaves already beginning to change color. The further the car moved, the better he could see the white Victorian-style house. The academy's name was written in elegant gold lettering on a large sign and the window frames were painted in the same shade.

Lawrence skillfully parked the car in one of the parking spaces and immediately after pulling the handbrake, Lenny got out, hurried around the car, and opened the door for Lady YN Y/LN like a real gentleman.

"Thank you," she said, giggling again as she gently placed her hand in his. Her fingers felt warm, and Lenny noticed his heart begin to beat faster.

"See you later, Mr Lawrence," she said, and he gave her a friendly nod. "Good luck, Lady YN Y/LN."

Their footsteps echoed down the long corridor. Reaching the lobby, Lenny walked to the reception desk, leaving Lady YN Y/LN a short distance behind him.

"Good afternoon," he said, leaning slightly over the counter. "Lady YN Y/LN has an audition at 3 pm today."

The woman nodded slightly. "ID, please," she said.

"Um..." Hesitantly, he turned to Lady YN Y/LN, who immediately began rummaging in her bag. "From now on, keep my ID with you for auditions."

Lenny approached the counter again with a slightly uncertain smile, and the woman checked the ID. Then she handed him two visitor passes.

"Please take a seat in the waiting area. You will be called."

Lenny nodded thankfully. He turned to the young woman. "If you would please follow me, ma'am."

She nodded slightly, and they walked down the hallway together. Black and white photographs of famous actors from past decades hung on the walls, but she didn't seem to notice them at all.

When they reached the waiting area, she sat down, crossed her legs, and took a deep breath. Lenny stood beside her for a moment, unsure what to do.

"Please have a seat", she said without looking up. "This could take a while."

He nodded and sank into the chair next to her. Lenny glanced around curiously and bit his lip when he noticed the other applicants. They were all young women from wealthy families who shared the same dream as Lady YN Y/LN. They all wore beautiful, elegant dresses that looked like they'd come straight out of the latest fashion magazines. Some were reading their scripts intently, while others were touching up their make up to make sure they looked perfect.

The atmosphere in the room was incredibly tense, and this seemed to be affecting Lady YN Y/LN as well, because she suddenly didn't seem nearly as confident as she had been in the car. Her legs were crossed tightly, and she was nervously tapping her long fingernails on the back of the chair. She looked as if she wished she could just disappear. Lenny couldn't help feeling sorry for her.

She looked nervously at the other women around her, then also pulled out the script and began to read it carefully.

To break the awkward silence, he leaned towards her with a smile and said, "It's an impressive building, isn't it?" He gazed up at the high ceilings. "The architecture here is truly special. Every detail seems to have been carefully considered."

She immediately looked up at him and raised her eyebrows. "You can talk to me normally, as long as no one from my family or the other staff is around. I'm not as old-fashioned as the others. By the way, you can call me YN."

Lenny stared at her in surprise. He certainly hadn't expected that because he thought the entire Y/LN family placed so much importance on etiquette. But then he smiled.

“Okay, YN. I'm fine with whatever you prefer. My name is Leonard, but nobody actually calls me that. Just call me Lenny.”

YN's laughter filled the otherwise silent waiting area. "Lenny," she repeated with a grin. "That sounds kind of cute."

Lenny nodded and leaned back slightly. "So, what role are you auditioning for?" he asked curiously.

She sighed softly. "Oh, it's a very classic role in a drama. It's a quite big film with a large budget, so I don't have much hope that they'll cast someone inexperienced like me. The director is very strict. Every word, every gesture, every facial expression has to be perfect," she said quietly, adjusting her dress. "In a few weeks I have an audition for another film. A small indie project. I think I have a better chance there. It's a romantic comedy about a woman and her husband but I don't care which role I end up getting, I just want an offer."

Lenny nodded and listened attentively. "Sounds challenging. But I bet you can do it. Is this your first audition?"

"No, it's my second. God, I'm so nervous," she whispered, gripping the script tighter, her hands trembling slightly. She nervously brushed a few strands of hair out of her face. Her shoulders were tense, her breathing quickening.

Lenny was afraid she was going to faint, so he immediately asked, "Would you like something to drink?"

"No, what if I suddenly need to go to the bathroom during the audition?" she replied immediatley.

"Then... would you like something to eat? There are chocolate bars in that vending machine over there. Should I get you one?" Lenny continued.

"No, what if something gets stuck in my teeth?" she asked anxiously.

Lenny sighed softly. She was a bit exhausting, he had to admit.

"Could you please check my handbag for my calming drops? I think I need them now." She glanced at him briefly.

"Uhm, okay…" Lenny carefully picked up the small gold handbag, which seemed almost too delicate for all the things she had crammed into it. He gently opened it and peered inside. It was a strange feeling, going through someone else's personal belongings.

He found make up, perfume, the small mirror, and chewing gum. Lenny ran his free hand through his hair while he searched carefully. Finally, he found a small bottle and carefully handed it to her. "Are these the right ones?"

She nodded and accepted them gratefully.

"Uhh… and what exactly are they?" he asked curiously.

YN shrugged casually. "Just something herbal. It calms you down a bit. Don't worry, it's harmless and not addictive or anything."

She put a small drop in her mouth.

"I could have used that at my interview yesterday," Lenny muttered and YN looked at him, amused.

Shortly after, the door to the audition room opened and a woman stepped out. She looked at the waiting applicants kindly. "Lady YN Y/LN, please. It's your turn."

YN sat up immediately and quickly stood from her chair, the script sliding from her lap and scattering across the floor. "Oh no," she murmured softly, her cheeks flushing pink. Lenny bent down quickly, gathered the loose papers, and handed them back to her.

"Here," he said quietly.

"Oh, she can't take that with her," the woman said, pointing to the script. "She has to know the scene by heart. This audition is very special because it's off-book."

"Wow. How much harder were they going to make it for YN?" Lenny thought.

He nodded quickly, folded the script neatly, and put it back in her purse. He noticed YN's legs trembling while she nervously ran her hand through her hair and gave him a helpless look.

He looked at her with concern and silently prayed that she wouldn't faint and he wouldn't have to call an ambulance.

The woman must have noticed YN's look, because she immediately nodded and smiled at her understandingly. "It's alright that you're feeling nervous, madam. Would you like to bring your husband with you to the audition room?"

YN immediately raised an eyebrow, and Lenny had to suppress a grin.

"He's not my husband. He's my assistant," she corrected the woman. "He can wait here, I've got this."

"I'm rooting for you. Good luck, you can do this" Lenny whispered as YN turned and followed the woman into the audition room.

He yawned and sank back into the comfortable chair. Tiredly, he crossed his legs and looked at his watch. Time just wouldn't pass. All around him was the soft ticking of the clock and the quiet murmuring of the other applicants.

He sat there with YN's tiny gold handbag on his lap and his gaze kept drifting to the door. Every footstep and every sound made him sit up a little straighter.

He stood up, filled a cup of water from the dispenser, and took a large gulp. Then he picked up a magazine from the stack beside him to pass the time.

"Excuse me, sir, could you help me please?" he heard a voice behind him and he turned around.

A pretty woman with straight brown hair and wearing an elegant black jumpsuit held out a bottle to him and smiled. "I can't open it,"she pouted playfully.

Lenny smiled charmingly, took the bottle, and opened the admittedly tight lid with a quick twist.

"Thank you so much," she said, taking the bottle back. She sat down on the empty chair next to him and giggled softly as she twirled a strand of hair around her finger.

"I'm Ari, and who are you...?"

"My name is Lenny" he replied kindly.

"Nice little bag," she giggled, pointing at YN's handbag. "It's a Prada. I used to have one like that."

"Thanks. I thought it would go well with my outfit today." Lenny grinned and held it up slightly. "Just kidding, it's not mine."

Ari tilted her head up and pouted slightly. "Is it your wife's or girlfriend's?"

"No, my… uhm… boss's…" Lenny said quickly. He wasn't quite sure what to call YN.

The pretty woman nodded with interest and then twirled a strand of hair around her finger again. "So…you're single?"

Lenny felt his face heat up a bit. He knew women liked him, but it still made him a bit shy sometimes.

Suddenly, the door to the interview room opened, and YN slowly stepped out. Lenny knew in a split second that something went wrong. Her shoulders were slumped, her head was slightly tilted, and tears glistened in her eyes.

"I have to go, I'm sorry," he whispered quickly to Ari.

"Oh, that’s a shame you're leaving already," she said, sounding a bit disappointed. "Maybe we'll see each other again. Bye, Lenny." She blew him a kiss.

YN walked slowly towards him, her steps unsteady. Lenny stood up, took her coat from the rack, and gently draped it around her shoulders. He looked at her attentively. "And...?"

The woman who had accompanied her shook her head. "Unfortunately, that doesn't quite meet the jury's expectations for this role."

YN began to sniffle at these words, and her jaw trembled. Subconsciously, Lenny placed a hand on her shoulder. YN seemed a little surprised by the touch, but she allowed it and leaned slightly against him.

The woman who had been watching smiled slightly and then said, "At least you have such a caring husband…."

"He's not my husband," YN sobbed, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye.

Slightly embarrassed, the woman adjusted her glasses. "I'm sorry, I forgot." Clearing her throat, she looked down at the clipboard in her hands and then called out loudly, "Miss Arianne Mason! It's your turn!"

With a confident smile, Ari stood up and strutted toward the interview room.

For a brief moment, Lenny's eyes were still on her, then he turned back to YN, a small tear running down her cheek. He immediately opened her purse, rummaged through it, pulled out a tissue, and gently handed it to her. "Don't cry, please..." he said soothingly.

He saw YN's lips tremble as she carefully dabbed her eyes, causing her makeup to smudge even further.

"I think you just need a little more self-confidence. Did you just see that lady? Did you see how she walked in like the whole place belonged to her? She had a very different vibe."

After Lenny uttered these words, YN immediately frowned and looked at him suspiciously. "Oh okay, then go ahead and be her assistant if you really have nothing better to do than hang around with my competitors."

"I was just having a friendly chat with her..." Lenny tried to defend himself, but YN had already turned on her heel and stormed down the corridor towards the exit.

"Hey, wait!" Lenny hurried after her without hesitation. "It's not the end of the world that you didn't get that stupid role. Sometimes you just have to fail before you can move on. That's totally normal. And I just want to help you."

"Then why are you talking to me like that?" She had her arms crossed and avoided his gaze.

Lenny put his hand to his forehead and sighed. He must be the first person who was honest with her because he could imagine that she was usually surrounded by nothing but yes-men.

"I'm sorry... I'm such an idiot, I know. Are you still mad at me?"

YN's expression brightened slightly at his words, and she giggled a little as she shook her head. Lenny could feel the tense atmosphere easing.

Together they left the building and walked across the courtyard, where Mr Lawrence was patiently waiting for them in the parked Rolls-Royce. When he saw YN, he glanced at her curiously, but she just sadly shook her head. "I'm sorry, Lady YN Y/LN," he murmured kindly.

"It's okay," she replied quietly and got into the car.

The drive was silent. It seemed as if each of them was lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Lenny pulled the little appointment book from his coat pocket and leafed through the pages. He noticed that YN had no further appointments for the rest of the day and was quite relieved.

Absentmindedly, YN stared out of the window, then looked at Lenny. "We're going back to the estate now," she explained. "You can settle into your room for a bit, and then you can meet my family."

He nodded in agreement.

"And I'll give you a task for after dinner. I'd like you to find new auditions for roles I could attend. Please make sure they're all in London or the surrounding area," she continued.

Lenny's expression immediately changed at these words. "Oooh, great attitude. You don't let anything get you down and you just keep going. I like that."

With a slightly stern look, she glanced at Lenny and nudged him in the side. Then, she subtly pointed at Mr Lawrence who was sitting relaxed behind the wheel, confidently navigating the car through the streets of London.

"Shh, please be careful to sound formal when my family or other staffs are present," she whispered in his ear, so quietly that the chauffeur couldn't hear her.

Lenny cleared his throat and looked down at his knees, embarrassed. "Of course, Lady YN Y/LN. That's a brilliant idea. I'll take care of your request this evening," he said, raising his voice slightly. He hastily pulled a pen from his pocket and wrote down her instructions on a small notepad.

Satisfied, she nodded and leaned back into the comfortable seat.

Then Lenny returned to the notebook. "Acting class tomorrow at eleven, then an appointment at the beauty centre, and afterwards shopping with Gracie and Maddy. Are those your friends?"

She nodded and sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Oh no, tomorrow's going to be a terribly stressful day. Mr Lawrence, are you available tomorrow?"

Lenny had to suppress a grin. Stessful? To him, it sounded more like a spa day.

With an apologetic look, the chauffeur shook his head. "I'm so sorry, madam, but I have to drive your father to an important appointment. Mr Miller will have to drive you with your own car."

YN nodded absently. "Okay, thank you, Mr. Lawrence."

Lenny's hands began to tremble slightly at these words. He was going to drive her? In a big, fancy car, and on the left side of the road?

Finally, the Rolls Royce turned into the long driveway of the estate. It rolled almost silently over the cobblestones, and Mr Lawrence stopped a few feet before the wide stone steps leading up to the entrance.

When they got out of the car, the cool autumn wind ruffled their hair. Lenny immediately buttoned up his coat and shivered.

He pulled the front door open and held it for YN, a small smile on his face. She stepped past him into the pleasantly warm entrance hall. He had already seen it during his job interview, but it was still quite impressive. Lenny followed YN across the black and white marble floor, rubbing his cold hands together. "Hey, can I ask you something?" he said hesitantly. YN turned to him with a questioning smile and studied him briefly.

"I, uhm... I'm a little embarrassed to say this, but I honestly have no idea how to drive on the left side of the road. Everything's the other way around in America. I was wondering if I could do a test drive tonight. And of course, you can come along if you're worried about your car."

A grin slowly spread across YN's face. "Of course you can. I trust you, you can manage it on your own. I'll give you the car keys later."

Relieved, Lenny nodded while YN was still giggling. "You're really cute", she said.

"Lady YN Y/LN, how lovely to see you!" Lenny suddenly heard an unfamiliar voice behind him. A small woman wearing an apron approached them.

"And you must be Mr...?"

"Mr Miller, my new assistant," YN added.

The woman smiled kindly. "Welcome! I'm Mrs. Ashburn, the housekeeper. If you'd like, I can show you to your room."

"I'm going to tell my family about the audition. See you later." YN waved, then turned on her heel and disappeared down the corridor.

Lenny nodded gratefully to the housekeeper and followed her down the wide hallway. The wooden floor creaked under their feet, and the air smelled of fresh flowers.

"You'll be staying in the west wing, right next to the staff quarters," Mrs Ashburn explained while they were climbing a wide staircase. "It's quiet, and close enough in case Miss Y/LN needs you."

"Sounds good." Lenny smiled.

Finally, she stopped in front of a dark wooden door, pressed the golden handle and opened it. "Come in," she said. I hope you like your room."

Curious, he took a step forward and peered into the room. Lenny's eyes widened slightly at the sight.

The room was much bigger and fancier than Lenny had expected. After all, he was still just a member of the staff. Maybe he was getting some special treatment because he was the daughter's personal assistant. He entered and turned slightly. Carefully, he drew back one of the heavy, cream colored curtains with gold embellishments, letting the evening light stream in. In the center of the room stood a huge canopy bed with elegant looking light blue cushions. To the right and left of it were two dark wood bedside tables. In the corner was a writing desk with a leather top, beneath which lay a large, dark red rug that looked so soft one could sink into it.

"And do you like it?" Mrs Ashburn stepped beside him with a broad smile.

"Of course I like it!" Lenny turned to her. "It's absolutely amaz-… Uhm, I mean, the room has completely exceeded my expectations, madam."

"I'm so glad, sir," she replied kindly, smoothing down her apron.

"Oh, and one more thing: Dinner is always at 6:30 pm. It's freshly cooked every day, and the staff eat together in a smaller room next to the family's main dining room. If you need anything, fresh towels or something to drink, just let me know." She gave him a friendly wink. "But I'll let you settle in for now."

Once the door closed, Lenny happily dropped onto the soft bed, still unable to believe his luck. "I'm in paradise," he whispered to himself.

About an hour later, after unpacking his suitcase and hanging up his shirts, he heard a knock at the door.

Lenny quickly turned around. "Come in."

YN came in smiling. She'd swapped her audition dress for a white blouse with a pearl-trimmed collar.

"I hope you've settled in a bit," she said, tilting her head slightly.

Lenny grinned. "Yes I did. It's incredibly beautiful…. The whole house is fantastic."

"I hear that quite often," she replied, amused. "How about I introduce you to my family now? They should all be in the dining room by now." She smiled at him. "My dad thinks introductions are really important. He wants everyone in the house to know each other and their names, whether they're guests or staff."

"Sure," Lenny said, following her out of the room and down the long corridors. The butler, Mr Blackwell, passed them and greeted them politely.

"Okay, a few things first: You already know my father. He runs several foundations and sits on the boards of a few companies. He's usually very busy, but he's basically a very nice person. Just a little old-fashioned." YN smirked, then paused and looked at Lenny as she walked down the wide staircase.

"And then there's my mom. I'd be a bit careful with her. She’s really serious about manners and proper behavior. She notices every spoon that's out of place and every tiny crease in a suit. She sees everything, trust me."

Lenny looked at her with a slightly worried expression.

"But she's basically a nice woman. She just wants everything to be perfect because she hates disorder. She can be a bit... intimidating to strangers, though" YN added quickly.

He could smell rosemary and fresh bread as he followed her into the dining room. A table stood in the center of the room, and above it hung a large chandelier, its light reflecting off the already set plates.

"Ah, there you are!" came a deep voice from the head of the table. Lord Y/LN slowly rose from his chair and nodded kindly at him. "Mr Miller, I hope you've made a good first impression of our house."

"Absolutely, my Lord! I really like it here," Lenny replied.

His eyes wandered further and finally settled on an elegant woman in a dark green dress. She sat upright in a chair, gazing at Lenny from head to toe.

"This is my mother, Lady Y/LN," YN said, introducing her.

The lady inclined her head slightly but never took her eyes off Lenny. "Good evening, Mr Miller," she said curtly. She studied him for another moment, deciding whether his suit met her standards. Finally, she turned her attention back to her plate.

The silence was suddenly broken by the sound of cheerful and excited voices, followed by laughter and three children ran into the room. A blonde boy, who looked about eight years old, was holding the hands of two giggling younger girls.

"Children, how many times have I told you not to run in the dining hall?" A woman with blonde curls appeared behind them, looking somewhat tired and stressed.

"This is my sister, Glenda," YN whispered to Lenny, as the woman walked confidently towards them.

"YN! How did the audition go?" Glenda pulled her sister into a hug.

YN looked at her with a slightly crestfallen expression. "Not well. I didn't get the role."

"Oh no, I'm so sorry," she said softly, taking YN's hand. Then her gaze fell on Lenny, and a wide grin spread across her lips. "Oh wow, you finally brought another man home?"

Lenny blinked in surprise, and YN immediately blushed. "Glenda!" she hissed indignantly. "He's my new assistant."

Glenda covered her mouth in embarrassment and lowered her gaze. "I'm really sorry, sir. That wasn't exactly a great first impression from me."

"No problem," Lenny replied while trying to suppress a grin.

Glenda glanced at the other family members. "I… uhm… I'll go join the others," she murmured, walking over to the other side of the room.

Lenny stood motionless for a moment, then giggled softly. "Twice in one day."

"What?" YN asked immediately.

"Oh, nothing," he replied. "It's just that everyone thinks I'm your date or your husband."

Lenny received no answer because YN simply stood there silently, staring at the floor.

"Do you have any other siblings?" he tried to break the awkward silence.

"An older brother. William. But he doesn't live here, he lives in Wales with his wife."

Lenny nodded, intrigued. Suddenly, he felt a slight tug on his trouser leg and looked down in surprise. One of Glenda's daughters was staring at him curiously with large brown eyes. She must have been about four years old and looked like a miniature version of her mother.

"Who are you?" the child finally asked.

He grinned and crouched down to be at her eye level. "I'm Lenny," he replied kindly. "And who are you?"

"Lotti," she answered proudly, holding out her small hand.

He shook it gently. "Nice to meet you, Lotti. And who are your siblings?"

Lotti turned around, her dress rustling with every step. Then she pointed to her older brother, who was already sitting next to Glenda at the table. "This is Philip. He's mean because he's always teasing me." Then she pointed to the other girl. "And this is Vicky. She's usually nice, but she told on me yesterday. It was so unfair."

Lenny grinned, and YN looked quite amused too.

"Glenda is often busy, and her husband Henry travels a lot for work. We have full-time nannies but sometimes the children stay with me and I look after them," YN explained. "Don't be surprised if they want to play football with you in the garden. They just miss their dad, and you're one of the few men in this house who's around his age."

"That's fine with me. I like kids," Lenny explained.

He hadn't even noticed that an older lady had approached them and was eyeing him with interest.

Finally, he turned his head and flinched slightly when he saw that she was suddenly standing right next to him. Her posture was slightly stooped and she wore round glasses with thick lenses that made her eyes look twice as big.

"Hello, Madam," Lenny said quickly. YN must have seen his questioning look because she immediately explained: "This is my aunt Agatha. She's my father's older sister, and she lives here with us. She owns half the house."

Lenny nodded at her kindly. "My name is Leonard Miller. I'm pleased to meet you.."

"Leonard, how lovely! What a handsome man. Eyes like diamonds and wonderful cheekbones."

"Agatha!" exclaimed YN, staring at her aunt in shock. Lenny raised an eyebrow with a grin. This family was definitely a bit odd.

Agatha winked mischievously. "Oh, I'm just telling the truth."

YN shyly buried her face in her hands while Lenny laughed sheepishly. Barbara tapped him on the shoulder. "Well, enough chatting. Let's have dinner before my brother complains that everyone's talking too much and the food's getting cold."

Lenny looked at YN for a moment. "Okay," he said, smoothing down his suit. "I'll go with the staff to the other dining room."

"Wait…" She rummaged in her pocket and then pulled out a car key. "I wanted to give this to you."

Lenny looked at it, impressed. "Wow! A Bentley Mulsanne Speed! Are you just going to trust me with it like that?"

YN waved it off with a giggle. "Sure, you'll manage."

"I hope so," Lenny murmured, taking the key reverently.

"Enjoy your dinner, Lenny," YN said softly.

"Thanks, you too."

Dinner was excellent. The meat was cooked to perfection, the herbs were fresh, and the dessert was so beautifully presented that it was almost a shame to eat it. Later, he went to his room, turned on his laptop, and searched the internet for upcoming auditions in London.

Finally, he came across a role in a fantasy film. It wasn't a lead role, but good enough for a start, he thought, and quickly wrote down some notes to discuss them with YN the next day. Meanwhile, the keys to the Bentley lay beside him like a treasure. When he finished, he closed his laptop and grabbed them, still surprised YN had trusted him so easily.

The gravel crunched softly under Lenny's shoes as he walked across the courtyard and headed for the garage where the family cars were kept. It was almost 10 pm., and silence and darkness lay over the estate. The butler had given him directions, since it was easy to get lost on such a huge estate.

As he pressed the button on the car key, the heavy gate opened slowly, and Lenny stepped inside with a feeling of anticipation mixed with a spark of excitement. He hoped he wouldn't wreck YN's luxury car on the first evening.

Inside, the cars were parked in a perfect row, as if someone had measured them with a ruler. Lenny walked along the row, his jaw dropping in awe. There was a large silver-gray Range Rover, a cream-colored Porsche parked next to it, and a Bentley Continental GT. Lenny had never seen so many expensive cars in one place.

Finally, he stopped in front of a bright red Bentley Mulsanne Speed ​​and puffed out his cheeks. This could be interesting because the car was enormous.

He opened the door cautiously and climbed into the driver's seat. Inside, it smelled of leather and expensive wood polish. With raised eyebrows, he examined the steering wheel as if he had never sat in a car before. It was more than strange that everything was on the other side.

He started the engine with trembling hands. It began to hum and he rolled out into the yard.

The huge gate opened automatically, and he turned onto a side street that led to the main road.

The first few minutes were incredibly stressful for Lenny. His heart was pounding in his chest, and he constantly felt like he was about to drive into oncoming traffic. He'd gotten his driver's license at 16 and felt like he was back in his first driving lesson.

"Stay left, stay left, stay left," he kept whispering to himself, catching himself subconsciously drifting into the wrong lane. He gripped the steering wheel so tightly that his fingers eventually ached. After a while, he noticed himself relaxing. He leaned back and took a deep breath. Fortunately, the car was quite easy to drive, and with every intersection and roundabout, the driving became smoother and safer.

As he headed back towards the estate, the moon had long since risen over the neatly tended gardens. He parked the Bentley exactly as he had found it, got out, and let the door close softly.

Later, he fell into bed exhausted and rubbed his eyes. His head ached from the many new impressions and he could hardly process them all. He couldn't remember the last time he had experienced so much at once.

Lying there, Lenny stared thoughtfully out of the large window beside his bed. The curtains weren't fully drawn, and through the gap, he could see the opposite wing of the house, where, according to Mr Blackwell, the family's living room was located. In the light of a floor lamp, someone was sitting by the window, seemingly reading a book.. Lenny squinted slightly to see better.

It was YN. He smiled and studied her for a moment before drawing the curtains and turning to the other side.

***

Thanks to Lenny's test drive the previous day, the next morning started off fairly relaxed. He was glad he had practised beforehand, as it meant he could safely drive YN to her appointments. He did make a few small mistakes, but fortunately, she didn't seem to notice

Lenny was now sitting in the parked Bentley near the mall, holding a warm coffee, waiting patiently for YN to finish meeting her friends so he could drive her home. Soft music played on the radio as he watched the people passing by. Couples with their children hurried past, and delivery drivers carried heavy baskets and bags.

A few minutes later, he heard the sound of quick footsteps approaching the car, accompanied by laughter. YN then appeared with two other young women.

"Hey, Lenny! I'm back!" YN greeted him. "Could you drop Gracie and Maddie off in Fulham first? It's getting dark, and I don't want them walking around alone."

"Hi, sure, no problem. But you'll have to help me with the directions, my GPS is acting up for some reason."

YN and her two friends sat down in the back seats and Lenny turned to them with a polite smile to check that everyone was buckled up. Soft light fell across his face and the two women immediately started giggling.

"Oh wow, he's so cute," one of them whispered, stealing glances at him.

"Seriously YN, where did you find him? I want one too!" The other woman burst into laughter.

YN snorted in annoyance and rolled her eyes. "He has a name: Mr Miller."

Lenny, who had heard the entire conversation, raised his eyebrows in surprise and then tightened his grip on the steering wheel as the car rolled out of the parking space.

Out of no where, it began to pour with rain, hammering against the windshield. Lenny flinched instinctively and, almost at the same moment, the windscreen wipers switched on.

"Damn, British weather is crazy," he muttered. "Do you guys have anything else here besides rain all day?"

"Sometimes there's fog too. Then it's really miserable," YN replied absently while chewing gum.

Raindrops pattered on the roof of the Bentley, and the headlights cast shimmering reflections onto the wet road. Lenny concentrated on adjusting his speed and steering carefully while YN and her friends chatted and giggled loudly in the back seat.

He tried not to listen, but he kept catching snippets of their conversation.

"Girls, I've told you before, I'm getting married in April! Now, can you guess where?" said one of the friends (he thought it was Gracie).

"Where?" the others asked.

"In Sicily!"

Excited squeals came from the back seat.

"I need to plan the bridesmaids' dresses, and you two are going to help me!"

"April….That's really close to my due date," said Maddy.

"Oh honey, that's okay. If you can't make it, that's totally fine. The most important thing is that you and the baby are okay," Gracie reassured her.

“So, YN, how are things going with men?” Lenny heard Maddy ask.

He stiffened slightly and instinctively gripped the steering wheel. He didn't want to eavesdrop, but somehow he couldn't help himself. He glanced quickly at the back seat and his heart skipped a beat. "Wait," he thought. "Why do I even care so much?"

YN cleared her throat. "Well, you know, Dylan's still an idiot. Maybe I have feelings for him, maybe I don't. It's complicated. But I'm thinking about seeing him again. He brought me flowers last week."

"Oh no, Dylan again? Really, YN?" Gracie leaned against YN.

YN just shrugged and smiled resignedly. "I know, I know... it's complicated."

Lenny suddenly realised that he had found the conversation more interesting than he would have liked. He forced himself to loosen his grip on the steering wheel, and then he suddenly felt a strange pain in his chest. It was just a hint of barely perceptible jealousy. His gaze drifted to the rear view mirror again and he tried to observe YN and her friends without them noticing. Then the memory of his ex flashed through his mind - the reason he had come to London in the first place - and his heart ached a little more.

He sighed softly, forced a neutral expression onto his face and refocused his attention on the road.

"Honestly, when you compare Dylan and Mr Miller, our driver is definitely the more attractive man," Gracie giggled, stealing another glance at Lenny.

"Leave the poor man alone," YN said sharply. "He's just doing his job."

The two women went quiet, but a faint grin stayed on their lips.

It was silent in the car now, except for YN who occasionally gave directions. A few minutes later, they reached a stylish townhouse. Lenny carefully parked the Bentley at the side of the road.

YN turned to her friends and hugged them goodbye.

"Thank you for bringing us home," Gracie said to Lenny.

He nodded politely.

"Yes, thank you so much! Bye, Lenny!" Maddy called, and the two of them got out.

The Bentley rolled back onto the main road. Although the rain had eased up a bit, the roads were still wet.

Silence returned to the car, but this time it felt different. Lenny had put on his glasses, as the fading daylight was making it harder to read the road signs and see the traffic. The silver frames suited his handsome face perfectly.

After a while, he cleared his throat and glanced in the rear view mirror again. YN sat lost in thought in the back seat, staring out the window.

"Is everything okay? ...Are you thinking about your Dylan…whoever that is?" Lenny broke the silence.

YN raised her eyebrows slightly and glanced at him briefly before looking back at the window. "Hmmm... Maybe a little," she murmured quietly. "Why are you interested?" she asked.

"I'm not interested at all," Lenny replied immediately.

"Then why did you ask?" YN laughed.

"No, no, I'm not asking. I'll just stay quiet and drive you home," he answered.

YN bit her lip, knowing he was lying and that he was interested.

Later, Lenny sat at the desk in his room, typing on his laptop. One last time for the day, he clicked through YN's digital planner to get an overview of the next few days.

Acting class, Pilates, a hair appointment, a manicure. Finally, his gaze fell on a new entry under 'Notes', added by YN herself.

Saturday in four weeks: Dylan and his father are coming for dinner. Please enter the appointment and if necessary, reschedule any other appointment that might conflict with it.

……………………………………………………………………………

YN sat in a small, chaotic kitchen, her thoughts absent, staring at the table before her. The furniture in the kitchen seemed mismatched, and it gave the impression that the pieces had been randomly collected from various antique shops.

YN would have liked to make small talk with the lady but thoughts kept circling back to the past few hours, to the book, to William, and to the fact that the librarian was his granddaughter. She had agreed to provide more information about him and to show YN old photos of William at her house.

The librarian stood focused before a drawer, rummaging through it. Finally, she pulled out a white envelope and approached YN with a serious expression.

“These photos of him are very old. He must have been in his mid to late twenties, the same age as when he wrote in the notebook.”

YN’s fingers trembled as she reached for the envelope and opened it. She held her breath as she took a glance at the old, yellowed photos. It was indeed William. His smile, his dark hair, and his eyes were immediately recognizable. The photo showed him in front of Big Ben, with another young man beside him, around the same age. He was slightly taller and broader.

“Who is he?” YN asked, pointing to the man beside William.

The librarian, who had introduced herself as Mrs Garrick, hesitated for a moment.

“Oh, that’s William’s friend Richard Watson, everyone called him Rick. The two had known each other since childhood and moved from Wales to London when they were teens. My grandfather didn’t have many social connections in his younger years. He lived in poverty, barely had enough to eat, and usually worked six days a week, 10-hour days just to get by. There wasn’t much time for friends. But the friendship with Rick remained constant. He was one of the few people who understood him."

YN gently stroked the old photo, afraid it might crumble under her fingers as it looked so fragile. "Yes, now that you say it… I remember that he wrote about him in his previous diary entries."

Carefully, she set the photo aside and picked up the next one. A cold feeling gripped her heart as she saw it. The photo showed middle aged William, probably in his early forties. Standing next to him was a pretty, slender woman with dark hair. They were both smiling at the camera and looked very happy.

“And who is this?” YN asked, although she had a feeling she already knew who the woman might be.

“This is my grandmother,” Mrs Garrick said. “Her name was Vera Killick. She married my grandfather during World War II. He always said he loved her, but it was clear to me that it wasn’t really true. He appreciated her, but when I was a little girl, he once told me, after he had been drinking, that he loved another woman. A woman he had never seen in his life. I never understood it. I was still very young when he told me.”

YN’s heart suddenly began to race. He loved a woman he had never met? Did he mean her? But that couldn’t be. William couldn’t love her, she was from a completely different time. But Mrs Garrick’s words kept echoing in her mind.

The librarian closed her eyes and exhaled slowly. YN sensed it was difficult for her to speak about it.

"I often spent school holidays with my grandparents. They lived in a house right by the coast. It was truly a dream to live there. I only have brothers and male cousins, so I was the only girl in the family. My grandfather was always kind to me, but I knew he had a secret he never shared with anyone, except me. I was about 16 when he told me one day that I would one day work in a library. I had always been interested in books, so the idea didn't seem strange to me. I thought he was just imagining my future, like most grandparents do, wondering what I might do later in life. But it wasn't just fantasy. He told me the exact name of the library where I would work. And he was right about it"

YN listened intently. It all sounded so unbe-lievable, as though she were dreaming.

Mrs Garrick paused, gathering her thoughts.

"Please, continue," YN begged.

She nodded slightly. "He told me that one day, just a few years before I would retire, a young woman would come to the library and ask for a specific biography. This young woman would change his life and remain his true love forever. He even told me your name, YN."

YN could hardly believe what she was hearing.

"When I was a teenager, I never really believed him. I thought it was all just nonsense. By that time, he was already quite ill and started to lose his memory. A few years later, he passed away. He was 70 years old when he died. I really have no idea how he knew about you. How did he know your name and who you are? My grandfather died long before you were even born. You look to me like you're in your early to mid-twenties." She looked at YN with a peculiar expression. "Are you a time traveler?"

With an embarrassed laugh, YN shook her head. "I wish I could give you a logical explanation for all of this. But there simply isn't one. Believe it or not, I can communicate with your grandfather through the notebook. I know it sounds completely insane."

Mrs Garrick froze for a moment, her eyes widening in disbelief. Then, she nervously laughed. But when she saw the serious expression on YN’s face, her smile vanished. “This can’t be…,” she whispered, slowly shaking her head. “How is this possible? What did he tell you?”

YN slowly pulled the notebook from her bag and handed it to Mrs Garrick with trembling hands. “Here,” she said quietly. The older woman took the book carefully. With a raised eyebrow, she flipped through the pages as YN explained how William had shared his life in London with her, about the streets he walked every morning and and his work as a carpenter.

When Mrs Garrick finally came across William’s message, she stopped abruptly. Her eyes scanned the words, and with each line, her gaze softened until her lips began to tremble. “This… this is really his handwriting,” she whispered, pressing a hand to her chest. “I can hardly believe it…”

Then she took a deep breath and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. “But you know,” she began hesitantly, “I’ve always been a very spiritual person. I believe in things that can’t always be explained rationally. My grandfather was the same. He often told me that there are things on this planet earth we can't explain."

Mrs Garrick thoughtfully looked at the notebook in her hands, gently stroking the cover with her fingers, murmuring, “Maybe… maybe there’s some kind of rift in space and time within this book. An anomaly that somehow formed. Perhaps it’s meant to lead to something, to accomplish something. I don’t know why or how, but one thing is certain… This notebook connects two souls that would otherwise never have met. It explains so much. Now I understand why my grandfather knew all of this. It always felt like he knew things before they happened. And I always thought he was just…special. But now…”

A moment of silence settled between them as she gazed at the notebook. Then, without warning, she froze, her eyes widening. “My grandfather once told me, when he was a young man, that he almost became the victim of a terrible accident. But he said a higher power prevented him from going to work that day.”

Mrs Garrick suddenly leapt up, rushing to a drawer, and pulled out an old newspaper. “Here,” she said, handing YN the yellowed, faded article.

"Horrific Fire at Incomplete House on King's Road, London, 26th September, 1937."

She pointed with trembling fingers at the text. "This must be the accident he was talking about. The fire broke out in a house he helped to build. I know that he often worked in that area of London as a carpenter. It was his regular spot. You're it, YN. You and the notebook are the 'higher power' he spoke of. You saved him from this tragedy."

YN was speechless. She could hardly believe what Mrs Garrick had just said.

"You mean... I have to warn him through the notebook before the accident happens?"

Mrs Garrick nodded, gripping her hands and looking at her with determination. “You must do it before it’s too late.”

Mrs Garrick clutched the notebook to her chest and gave YN one last look. “You are the link, YN. You are the bridge between the past and the future. And you are the reason my grandfather lived to be 70, passing away peacefully in his home by the coast, and not as a young man in a fire in London.”

In that moment, YN knew that the task given to her was something she was destined to fulfill. She was meant to influence the course of history..

****

Later, YN lay in her bed, the blanket tightly wrapped around her. Why her? Why was she the one meant to save William’s life? It was hard to understand that her life was suddenly connected to a man she had never met. The thought alone seemed almost too crazy to be true.

But then, she remembered Mrs Garrick’s words: William had called her his true love until the end of his days. A strange feeling swept over her. He had loved her more than his wife, with whom he had spent all those years. How could that be possible? She was just a stranger, someone he had never seen. And yet, there was this connection between them, this deep bond.

Suddenly, YN realized that she felt drawn to William in a way she couldn’t explain. It was as though she somehow belonged to him. She flipped through the notebook, smiling as she read William’s latest message. He wrote about his new kitten, which he had named Charlie, and of his hard work.

Could it be that two souls were somehow connected, beyond time and space? Perhaps they were meant for each other, yet separated by different timelines.

With a racing heart, YN read on. William wrote that he was relieved as he mentioned that the building he was currently working on would soon be completed and how much effort and work had gone into it.

“It will burn,” YN whispered softly, biting her lip. “There will be nothing left of it, William.” Even though she knew he couldn’t hear her.

With trembling hands, she reached for the old pen and began to write..

𝒟𝑒𝒶𝓇 𝒲𝒾𝓁𝓁𝒾𝒶𝓂,

𝑡𝘩𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑠𝑜 𝑚𝑢𝑐𝘩 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑚𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑠. 𝐼 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝘩𝑒𝑚 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑑𝑎𝑦.

𝐼𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝘩𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑟𝑒𝘩𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝘩𝑜𝑤 𝑚𝑢𝑐𝘩 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑒. 𝐼 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙 𝑎𝑠 𝐼 𝘩𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑛 𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑦, 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑡𝘩𝑜𝑢𝑔𝘩 𝑤𝑒’𝑣𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑚𝑒𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑜𝑛. 𝐼𝑡’𝑠 𝑎𝑠 𝑖𝑓 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑠𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑛𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑑.

𝐼’𝑚 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑠𝘩𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑𝑛'𝑡 𝑔𝑜 𝑡𝑜 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘 𝑜𝑛 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝟸𝟻𝑡𝘩 𝑆𝑒𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟, 𝟷𝟿𝟹𝟽. 𝑆𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑡𝘩𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑟𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑔𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝘩𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑛. 𝑃𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑦 𝘩𝑜𝑚𝑒, 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑖𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑛𝑦 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑣𝑖𝑣𝑒. 𝐼 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝑏𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑡𝘩𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔𝘩 𝑤𝘩𝑖𝑐𝘩 𝑤𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒.

𝑇𝑟𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑚𝑒, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑒𝑒 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑 𝑎𝑠 𝑎𝑛 𝑜𝑙𝑑 𝑚𝑎𝑛 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑐𝘩𝑖𝑙𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑛. 𝐵𝑢𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢'𝑙𝑙 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝘩𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑑𝑎𝑢𝑔𝘩𝑡𝑒𝑟. 𝐼 𝑠𝑝𝑜𝑘𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝘩𝑒𝑟. 𝑆𝘩𝑒 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑦𝑜𝑢. 𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝘩𝑒’𝑠 𝑎𝑙𝑠𝑜 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑛 𝑤𝘩𝑜 𝑔𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝑏𝑖𝑜𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑝𝘩𝑦 𝑖𝑛 𝑤𝘩𝑖𝑐𝘩 𝐼 𝑓𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑛𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑏𝑜𝑜𝑘.

𝐼 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑒 𝘩𝑎𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑐𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑡𝘩 𝑦𝑜𝑢, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑖𝑡 𝘩𝑢𝑟𝑡𝑠 𝑚𝑦 𝘩𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑡𝑜𝑜 𝑚𝑢𝑐𝘩 𝑡𝑜 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑡𝘩𝑎𝑡 𝐼 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑏𝑒 𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑡𝑜𝑢𝑐𝘩 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑜𝑟 𝘩𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑣𝑜𝑖𝑐𝑒. 𝐼 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑖𝑡 𝑠𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑠 𝑎𝑏𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑑 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑤𝑒’𝑣𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑚𝑒𝑡, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝐼 𝑚𝑖𝑔𝘩𝑡 𝘩𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑟𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑐 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢. 𝐻𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝐼 𝑡𝘩𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑠𝘩𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑔𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑏𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑦. 𝑃𝑢𝑡 𝑖𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝑏𝑖𝑜𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑝𝘩𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝐺𝑒𝑜𝑟𝑔𝑒 𝑁𝑜𝑟𝑡𝘩𝑤𝑜𝑜𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝑏𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑏𝑎𝑐𝑘 𝑡𝑜 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝑊𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑅𝑒𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝐿𝑖𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑟𝑦 𝑖𝑛 𝐿𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑜𝑛. 𝐼 𝑑𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑡𝘩𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑒𝑙𝑠𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝘩𝑖𝑠 𝑏𝑖𝑜𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑝𝘩𝑦 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑥𝑡 𝑑𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑠. 𝑇𝘩𝑖𝑠 𝑏𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑏𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑦 𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑟𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒. 𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑖𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑤𝑎𝑖𝑡 𝑡𝘩𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑙𝑚𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝟿𝟶 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠, 𝑔𝑎𝑡𝘩𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑑𝑢𝑠𝑡, 𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑙 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑑𝑎𝑦, 𝑎 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑠𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒. 𝐼 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝑤𝑒'𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑎 𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑝, 𝑊𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑎𝑚. 𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑤𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑛'𝑡 𝑏𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑘 𝑖𝑡.

𝐼 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑤𝘩𝑎𝑡’𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢. 𝐽𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑑𝑎𝑢𝑔𝘩𝑡𝑒𝑟.

𝐴𝑙𝑙 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒

𝑌𝑁

………………

YN dropped the pen and closed the notebook. Immediately, she buried her head in her arms and began to cry, wishing more than anything in that moment that William were sitting next to her, his hand resting on her shoulder.

………………………………………………………………………

𝟐𝟔𝓽𝓱 𝓢𝓮𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓶𝓫𝓮𝓻, 𝟏𝟗𝟑𝟕

𝒟𝑒𝒶𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓉 𝒴𝒩,

ℐ𝓉 𝒾𝓈 𝒿𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝒷𝑒𝒻𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝓂𝒾𝒹𝓃𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉, 𝒷𝓊𝓉 ℐ 𝓌𝒶𝓃𝓉𝑒𝒹 𝓉𝑜 𝓈𝑒𝓃𝒹 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝓂𝑒𝓈𝓈𝒶𝑔𝑒. ℳ𝓎 𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎 𝓁𝒶𝓈𝓉 𝓂𝑒𝓈𝓈𝒶𝑔𝑒 𝒷𝑒𝒻𝑜𝓇𝑒 ℐ 𝒽𝒾𝒹𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓃𝑜𝓉𝑒𝒷𝑜𝑜𝓀 𝒾𝓃𝓈𝒾𝒹𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒷𝒾𝑜𝑔𝓇𝒶𝓅𝒽𝓎 ℐ 𝒷𝑜𝓇𝓇𝑜𝓌𝑒𝒹 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓉𝒶𝓀𝑒 𝒾𝓉 𝒷𝒶𝒸𝓀 𝓉𝑜 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓁𝒾𝒷𝓇𝒶𝓇𝓎. ℐ 𝒹𝒾𝒹 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝑔𝑜 𝓉𝑜 𝓌𝑜𝓇𝓀 𝓉𝑜𝒹𝒶𝓎, 𝒿𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝒶𝓈 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝑜𝓁𝒹 𝓂𝑒 𝓉𝑜. 𝒯𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝒶𝒻𝓉𝑒𝓇𝓃𝑜𝑜𝓃, 𝒶 𝓋𝒾𝑜𝓁𝑒𝓃𝓉 𝓈𝓉𝑜𝓇𝓂 𝓇𝒶𝑔𝑒𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝓇𝑜𝓊𝑔𝒽 ℒ𝑜𝓃𝒹𝑜𝓃, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒽𝑜𝓊𝓈𝑒 ℐ 𝒽𝒶𝒹 𝒷𝑒𝑒𝓃 𝓌𝑜𝓇𝓀𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝑜𝓃 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓂𝑜𝓃𝓉𝒽𝓈 𝒸𝒶𝓊𝑔𝒽𝓉 𝒻𝒾𝓇𝑒 𝒶𝒻𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝓁𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉𝓃𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓈𝓉𝓇𝓊𝒸𝓀 𝒾𝓉. ℐ 𝒹𝑜𝓃’𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝓀 ℐ 𝓌𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝒷𝑒𝑒𝓃 𝒶𝒷𝓁𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝑒𝓈𝒸𝒶𝓅𝑒 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒 𝒾𝒻 ℐ 𝒽𝒶𝒹 𝒷𝑒𝑒𝓃 𝒾𝓃𝓈𝒾𝒹𝑒. 𝒜𝓁𝓁 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓂𝑜𝓃𝓉𝒽𝓈 𝑜𝒻 𝒽𝒶𝓇𝒹 𝓌𝑜𝓇𝓀 𝓌𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝒾𝓃 𝓋𝒶𝒾𝓃, 𝒷𝓊𝓉 ℐ 𝒶𝓂 𝒶𝓁𝒾𝓋𝑒. ℐ 𝓈𝒾𝓉 𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝒶𝓉 𝓂𝓎 𝒹𝑒𝓈𝓀, 𝒶𝓁𝒾𝓋𝑒, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒾𝓃𝒸𝓇𝑒𝒹𝒾𝒷𝓁𝓎 𝑔𝓇𝒶𝓉𝑒𝒻𝓊𝓁 𝓉𝑜 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝓉𝓇𝓊𝓈𝓉𝑒𝒹 𝓎𝑜𝓊.

ℒ𝒾𝒻𝑒 𝒾𝓈 𝓈𝓊𝒸𝒽 𝒶 𝓌𝑜𝓃𝒹𝑒𝓇𝒻𝓊𝓁 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 ℐ 𝓁𝑜𝑜𝓀 𝒻𝑜𝓇𝓌𝒶𝓇𝒹 𝓉𝑜 𝑔𝓇𝑜𝓌𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝑜𝓁𝒹 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓈𝓅𝑒𝓃𝒹𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝓂𝓎 𝑔𝓇𝒶𝓃𝒹𝒸𝒽𝒾𝓁𝒹𝓇𝑒𝓃. ℰ𝓋𝑒𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓊𝑔𝒽 𝒾𝓉 𝓈𝒶𝒹𝒹𝑒𝓃𝓈 𝓂𝑒 𝒹𝑒𝑒𝓅𝓁𝓎 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 ℐ 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝓃𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝓈𝑒𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊, 𝓃𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝒷𝑒 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝓎𝑜𝓊, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓂𝓎 𝓉𝓇𝓊𝑒 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒 𝑒𝓍𝒾𝓈𝓉𝓈 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓌𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒻𝓊𝓉𝓊𝓇𝑒.

𝐸𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎 𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒 𝐵𝒾𝑔 𝐵𝑒𝓃 𝓈𝓉𝓇𝒾𝓀𝑒𝓈, 𝐼 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝓀 𝒶𝒷𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝒽𝑜𝓌 𝓎𝑜𝓊’𝓇𝑒 𝒽𝑒𝒶𝓇𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒾𝓉 𝓉𝑜𝑜. 𝑀𝒶𝓎𝒷𝑒 𝒾𝓉’𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝒸𝓁𝑜𝒸𝓀 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝒸𝑜𝓃𝓃𝑒𝒸𝓉𝓈 𝓊𝓈 𝒷𝑜𝓉𝒽. ℐ'𝓁𝓁 𝓂𝒾𝓈𝓈 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒻𝑜𝓇𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇.

𝒲𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝒶𝓁𝓁 𝓂𝓎 𝒽𝑒𝒶𝓇𝓉,

𝒲𝒾𝓁𝓁𝒾𝒶𝓂

𝐹𝑜𝓇𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇. 𝒰𝓃𝓉𝒾𝓁 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝑒𝓃𝒹 𝑜𝒻 𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒.

…………………………………………………………………………..

Ok, time for some explanations because this story is quite confusing:

Questions i got: how did William know YN will come to the library when he told his granddaughter about it?

William knew that YN would come because the events were part of a time loop that could not be broken.

• The notebook already existed before YN found it (closed time loop)

William received YN’s warning through the notebook, survived, grew old, and told his granddaughter about it. Since he knew the notebook connected through time, he deliberately hid it in the library, trusting that YN would eventually find it.

→ The book was always meant to be found, making it part of a repeating cycle. William knew about YN only because it had already happened.

• William renembered YN as an old man

After surviving, William spent his whole life thinking of YN. As he grew older, he told his granddaughter about the woman from the future, the woman he loved but could never meet.

→ His granddaughter remembered the story and recognized YN when she eventually came to the library.

-> The granddaughter and the notebook are ways for William and YN to pass on information

angst, divorced parents, girl-dad Robert, age gap, but not that big, both characters are adults (8 years) Robert is 40, OC is 32.

if i should continue this please let me know

thought about quitting writing but i‘m just having way too much fun lol

I know some people don't like OCs but i'm actually big fan of it … i made a moodboard for Victoria, this is how I imagine her :)

Masterlist

The room was filled with the shrill ringing of the alarm. Robert rolled over grumbling and buried his head sleepily under his pillow. Finally the noise stopped and he sighed with relief, closing his eyes and trying to fall back asleep. He lay there for half an hour before suddenly jumping out of bed and grabbing the clock on his bedside table in a panic.

Damn it, he had overslept again!

He climbed out of bed, rushed to the bathroom and began to shower in record time. When was he going to learn to get up at the first alarm? Since she had left, this had happened to him almost every week. He quickly got out of the shower, dried himself off, brushed his teeth and tried to get dressed at the same time. The white shirt smelled of detergent as he put it on. Lost in thought, he spat the toothpaste foam into the sink and began to knot his tie. He was lucky to have mastered this almost instinctively, as Robert, the son of a once powerful energy CEO, had worn formal attire since childhood.

It was far too warm for a suit and tie today, but the company he worked at had a strict dress code for men. He quickly zipped up his black pants, fastened his belt, combed through his hair and finally stormed out of the bathroom.

"Daddy?" he suddenly heard a quiet voice from the hallway, and Robert turned around.

He saw two large blue eyes staring up at him, and then it hit him like a ton of bricks. He had almost forgotten that his daughter was staying here for the weekend.

"Chloe, sweetheart, I... Damn, school starts in fifteen minutes!" He slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand.

Chloe pulled her stuffed animal, which she was holding in her arms, a little closer and shook her head in confusion. "No, I have summer vacation. You were supposed to take me back to Mommy."

Robert closed his eyes briefly and exhaled. If he had to take his daughter to his ex-wife now, he would definitely be late for work. On the other hand, he couldn’t leave Chloe here alone all day. "Can’t your mother pick you up?"

Yeah, she could, but she won’t, Robert thought. He could almost hear her voice echoing in his head, even when she wasn’t even present: "It‘s your own fault if you can’t get up on time."

"What about Mr Norton?" Chloe asked.

"You know he's injured right now," he sighed.

Norton had been Robert’s personal chauffeur since he was 17. As a teenager, Robert never really appreciated the luxury, as wealth seemed completely normal to him. But as he grew older, he realized how lucky he had been. Especially now that Norton had suffered a herniated disc and Robert has been left to fend for himself. He would rather die than hiring someone else as his chaffeur, Norton was the only one he trusted.

Sighing, Robert ran a hand through his hair and shrugged. "I guess we have no choice. Quick, get changed," he said, pointing to Chloe's pink pajamas.

***

The morning sun shone brightly in the sky with not a cloud in sight. It was already clear that it would be a beautiful summer day. Robert slowly drove his black Bentley into the slightly too small driveway of his ex-wife's house. It was always a big change for Chloe to move from her father's mansion with a swimming pool, a big garden and a garage for four expensive cars to her mother's small apartment.

Nicole had obviously noticed his arrival and was standing at the front door with her arms crossed, scrutinising her ex-husband who was holding their daughter's hand and carrying her purple backpack in the other. She approached in a mocking tone: "It's always amusing to see you trying to park that thing. If you own such a fancy car, you should at least be able to drive it."

Robert sighed. "You know I usually have a chauffeur."

At his words, she simply rolled her eyes. "Isn’t Mr Businessman a bit late for work?" Nicole asked.

“Chloe comes first,” Robert replied firmly.

“Oh really? Suddenly now?” she hissed angrily, so quietly that only he could hear it.

Without another word, he handed Chloe’s backpack to his ex-wife, knelt down, and hugged his daughter. “Goodbye, Chloe. See you next weekend.”

“No, Daddy, please don’t go,” Chloe began to cry, burying her face in Robert’s white shirt, and it almost broke his heart.

Nicole stood beside them, observing the scene with her arms crossed and lips pressed tightly together. She knew exactly that Chloe loved him more than her, and no matter how much she tried to make her not like him anymore, he remained her favorite.

Robert gave her a farewell kiss on the forehead, released her from the hug, and waved one last time at little Chloe. "Take care!'"

“Bye, Dad!” she sniffled a bit but forced a smile.

Nicole put a hand on her daughter’s shoulder and then guided her towards the front door.

Robert ran back to his car, glanced at the clock, and felt the sweat on his forehead.

***

Breathless, he hurried down the hall of Browning Morrow (formerly Fischer Morrow), trying to ignore the amused glances from his colleagues and greeted them politely.

He finally arrived at his office, slightly sweaty, threw his briefcase onto the desk, opened the window, and, defying the dress code, took off his suit jacket.

Robert sank into his chair, switched on his PC and flicked through his planner. Damn it, he had that stupid annual security training at half past nine. He still had to scan some important documents and email them to a client who was already waiting impatiently for them. "If I don't do it now, I'll be in trouble," Robert thought.

With a sigh, he tucked the stack of papers under his arm and headed for the scanner in the hallway. God, he had a thousand other things to do, and scanning was just a waste of time.

Suddenly, Robert held his breath and turned his head slightly. There she was again, one of the few bright spots in his dreary daily routine.

His eyes were fixed on her as she walked down the corridor in her high heels. Her long, blonde hair was down today and fell over her shoulders, the elegant white skirt and beige sleeveless top looked stunning on her figure, complemented by matching gold jewellery. When she saw Robert standing in the hallway, she smiled and started to walk towards him.

Her name was Victoria Nathan and she was a new secretary at Browning Morrow. Robert had noticed her on the first day, and he was pretty sure he wasn't the only man who had taken an interest in her.

"Can I help you with something, Mr…What was your name again? Fischer?" she asked, looking at him curiously with her emerald green eyes.

Robert’s heart started pounding wildly, and he could feel his cheeks turning slightly pink.

“Oh God, of course, you’re the son of the former CEO. I’m so embarrassed, I’m sorry. I always have a bit of trouble remembering names and faces.”

Robert laughed nervously again. What was wrong with him? He had never been shy, especially not with women, but for some reason, she completely threw him off balance.

“Wait, are you the Associate CEO, aside from Browning?” she asked.

“It’s fine, I forget names quite often too. No, I‘m not, I'm a senior consultant. I advise the company on solving problems, developing strategies and optimising processes," he replied, sounding a little more confident and professional.

“Sounds great, Mr Fischer.” Ms Nathan gave him a charming smile and then pointed to the stack under his arm. “What’s this?”

“Oh, these are just documents I need to scan. I'm under a bit of time pressure because I've got a few other things to do, and at 9:30..."

"Is the safety training, I know. I'll be there later as well. Should I scan the documents for you? I have some time right now," she offered.

"You would be a great help, Ms Nathan," Robert said, smiling as his heart began to race again.

She carefully took the stack from him.

"I‘m glad to help you, Sir."

"Oh, and could you email the documents to Mr Kingsley on my behalf? His contact details are on the front page."

“Of course, Mr Fischer", she said with a smile and a nod.

“Thank you, you’re a gem!” Robert blurted out, and his cheeks immediately turned red again.

Ms Nathan giggled a little, waved goodbye, and turned to leave.

For a brief moment, Robert stood alone in the middle of the hallway, unable to gather his thoughts.

***

Just before 9:30, Robert entered the meeting room and took a seat in one of the empty chairs. The room was already quite full, with more employees streaming in. Among them were James Clearwood and Matthew Harrington, with whom he had attended university. They were the only people in the company who actually called Robert by his first name and with whom he had a sort of friendship.

“Robert, buddy! Haven’t seen you in ages!” James said, giving him a friendly pat on the shoulder.

"It's actually been about three weeks, James," Matthew added with a laugh as he sat down in the empty chair next to him.

"Matthew said there'd be free cake and sandwiches otherwise I wouldn't have come," James remarked.

“Every employee has to do the training once a year,” Robert said. “It’s mandatory. Still, I don’t see why, I sit at my desk all day analyzing data. How could I possibly have an accident?”

"The way you sit in that chair, it could happen at any time," James grinned, mimicking Robert's usual awkward sitting position.

Matthew joined in the laughter.

“So, Robert…wanted to ask you this for weeks now…", James finally said.

Confused, Robert looked at him. “What do you mean?”

He grinned and gave him another friendly pat on the shoulder. “Well, I heard Browning will retire next year. How old is he, 66? 67? And you‘d be the perfect replacement."

Robert sighed and bit his lower lip. He had suspected this conversation would come up sooner or later. "I don't know, I'm torn. I think it's too much responsibility for me. I'm happy with my current position, to be honest. It's important and one of the best paid jobs, but it doesn't involve full leadership."

James raised an eyebrow. “Robert, you were born into the family business. Who knows the company better than you?”

"Why didn’t you take over the company when your father passed away?” Matthew asked.

"I was too young and inexperienced. It was over ten years ago, and I had just finished university three years earlier..." Robert's explanation trailed off.

"Well, you have enough work experience now. If I were you, I'd really think about it," James said, his tone now a bit more serious.

But Robert wasn't really listening anymore. He had spotted Victoria Nathan in the crowd again. With her usual friendly smile, she poured coffee into cups and handed them out. She had tucked her blonde hair behind her ear, but one strand had come loose and was hanging in her face.

"Robert?" James nudged him in the side but then noticed who he was looking at. "Oh, no, no, no. Forget it," he said, leaning back in his chair. "She's young and extremely beautiful. Don't get your hopes up."

Robert glared at him. "Do you have to be so blunt?"

Matthew immediately jumped into the conversation. "You act like Robert's some ugly dude. Come on, he looks better than both of us combined. He's got the best chances out of the three of us, even though he's the oldest."

"You're married, if I may remind you," Robert said, staring at him in disbelief.

"Aren‘t you too?" Matthew retorted immediately.

"I've been divorced for two years."

Matthew sighed briefly. "Sorry, I keep forgetting that."

"Robert doesn't seem to have forgotten it the way he's staring at that girl," James laughed.

Robert sighed and buried his face in his hands. "Seriously, how old do you think she is?"

James was thinking for a moment. "26. No, wait, 27", he finally answered.

"She's 32," Matthew suddenly said, and the other two looked at him in astonishment.

"How do you know that?" James eventually asked.

"My sister knows her best friend."

"And then you ask her how old she is? You're married!" Robert said, slapping his forehead as James burst out laughing.

"I swear to God, Matthew always seems so calm and composed, but he's the most unhinged person I know."

Matthew crossed his arms over his chest. "It was a perfectly normal question, just out of curiosity. We somehow started talking about her, and I just mentioned that she seems pretty young to have that much professional experience."

James only laughed harder at these words.

But Robert was lost in thought again. "She's 8 years younger than me. That's not so much..."

"Go ahead and try if you want. But you’ve got some serious competition. Almost every guy in the company is interested in her", James said more seriously now. "I don’t know if you’re her type, Robert. She seems to go for the younger guys here. Apparently, she’s interested in that new blond guy who graduated recently. I think he’s only 24 or something."

Robert scratched his chin thoughtfully. "I wonder why she wants such a young man. He's got nothing to offer her."

"Not all women are after money, Robert."

Robert sighed and rubbed his temples. "I think we should stop now. We're acting like high school boys."

"I thought it was funny," James remarked. "Hey, there's cake over there!" He immediately stood up and disappeared into the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention, please?" A loud voice suddenly sounded from the speakers. Robert leaned back in his chair, knowing he had several long hours ahead of him.

***

When Robert finally finished work, the sun was still high in the sky, giving the impression that it wasn't going to set at all today. It was scorching hot as Robert walked through the nearby park. He almost wanted to take off his terribly itchy suit and jump into the pond. Tired, he turned on his phone and immediately noticed that he had two missed calls from Nicole. Sighing, he called her back.

"Chloe left her stuffed animal at your house. You know she can't sleep without that silly thing," she said.

"You mean the little bunny? I can’t come over again, Nicole," Robert grumbled, kicking a pebble in front of him.

"Fine, I'll try to distract her and come by tomorrow to pick it up," she replied, hanging up without another word.

Shaking his head, Robert put his phone back in his pocket when he suddenly heard quiet laughter among the trees. Curious, he turned in the direction it came from. Instantly, he bit his lip and wished he hadn't. It was Victoria Nathan and the blond college graduate. They were sitting on a bench under a weeping willow, engaged in a lively conversation. The young man eventually leaned in, held her face in his hands, gently stroked her chin, and kissed her.

Robert immediately turned on his heel and hurried away. Thoughts raced through his mind, and his heart began to feel oddly heavy, but he tried to ignore it and kept running until he finally reached the parking lot. He got into his Bentley, stepped on the accelerator and drove off.

On the way home, he continued to fight his emotions, but they wouldn’t leave him alone. He was acting like a schoolboy, yet he was an influential and successful grown man, possibly about to take over an entire company. How could he let such silly feelings like jealousy or heartbreak overcome him, especially over a woman who likely didn’t care about him at all and didn’t even remember his name? Robert was so distracted by his emotions that he almost ran a red light.

Suddenly, Nicole's voice reappeared in his mind. At first, it was very faint, but it grew louder and louder until he couldn’t ignore it anymore:

"What do you expect from her? You know you're incapable of maintaining a relationship. What do you want to do, huh? Marry her, promise to give her everything she wants? Make a child with her, only to neglect them and prioritize your job over your family, just like you did before?"

Robert breathed quickly, trying to silence the voice in his head. With shaking hands, he finally drove into his garage, pushed open the door and gasped for air. The lock clicked quietly as he turned the key to his front door. Of course, it was doubly secured and equipped with a security camera.

"Chloe, Daddy's home!" he called, but then he remembered that he had taken her back to her mother that morning. His luxurious mansion offered nothing but emptiness. All the money in the world couldn’t change the fact that he felt unbearably lonely.

In the bathroom, he let cold water run over his face and hands. Robert stared thoughtfully at his reflection. He had changed so much over the past ten years since his father had died. His slim figure, big blue eyes, small nose, and freckles had always given him a youthful appearance. Robert had long been mistaken for being much younger than he was, even at almost 30, he could pass as a college junior. That had changed now. He didn't look old at all, just more mature, more sophisticated, more masculine. His features had become sharper, and when Robert laughed, he had slight wrinkles around his eyes. His dark hair was beginning to turn slightly gray at the temples, which he tried to hide with hair dye.

As the son of a successful businessman, he had to wear formal attire from a young age. He always looked like a child wearing his father's clothes, even when he was in his 20s, but now it just looked... right. Like he actually owned those clothes. He was constantly receiving compliments on how attractive and handsome he was, but he never really believed them, especially not today after seeing Victoria with her young lover.

Robert quickly dried his face and left the bathroom. Tonight he would go to bed early for a change. His fingers carefully traced the numerous picture frames on his dresser or hanging on the wall. Most of them were photos of Chloe as a baby or toddler or from her first day at school last year. The pictures of Nicole he had burned.

His eyes wandered to an older photo that was quite faded. It showed his uncle Peter at his wedding, holding a little two-year-old Robert in his arms. The next picture was taken about 25 years later. He bit his lower lip as he looked at it. Robert looked young and happy in it, wearing a graduation gown. Standing next to him were Uncle Peter and Robert‘s father Maurice, who was already looking rather ill. He quickly turned and left the living room. As he finally lay down in his warm bed, his eyes closed within seconds. The day had been incredibly exhausting for him, and he immediately drifted off into his deepest subconscious.

It was bright in front of him, the sun was shining, but everything looked just vague and blurry. Suddenly, the contours sharpened, and Robert could see the small park where he had walked that afternoon. The little white bench under the weeping willow appeared suddenly, and with it, Victoria. It was the same scene he had witnessed earlier, but with one significant difference: the man Victoria was kissing so passionately wasn’t the blond college graduate but Robert himself. Her hands ran gently down Robert's white shirt, up to his neck, and then disappeared into his dark hair. Robert's heart felt incredibly warm and he wished that whatever he was seeing would never end. The scene held for a moment, but then it abruptly broke and shifted.

Suddenly Robert opened his eyes and it was pitch black around him. The air was incredibly humid and warm, and he began to cough. He was alone in his room, with no sign of Victoria. Disappointed, he rubbed his eyes and got up quickly to open the window and let in some cool night air.

Thoughtfully, he stared into the dark night. He had only known this woman for a month, and now he was already dreaming of her. of But perhaps, deep down, it was his desire. Someone who loved him with all his heart where he felt completely comfortable and accepted. One of the few things he never had and which money could not buy. Deep inside, his heart felt incredibly lonely, even though he would never admit it. He quickly wiped away the single tear that rolled down his cheek with a quick hand.

…………………………………………………………………………..

yes i know thats lenny miller on the pics but i think he looks like older Robert :D

………………………………………………………………………….

YN slept poorly through the night as a fierce storm raged outside. Thunder rumbled and flashes of lightning repeatedly illuminated the dark room. YN tossed and turned, every sudden jolt making her flinch. The raindrops on the windows and the howling wind added to her discomfort, making sleep almost impossible.

Eventually, despite the storm, she drifted off and woke up in the morning incredibly exhausted. The sky was clear now, and the sun shone through the open curtains. Tired, she sat up and rubbed her eyes. She was glad it was Sunday and she had the day to herself. She remembered that she had to call Veronica urgently or she would be very angry with her. YN felt guilty that she had brushed off her best friend last evening. But then suddenly all the strange events of the previous day came back to her mind.

She slowly crawled out of bed and walked barefoot to her bedside table, reaching for the black notebook. Everything that had happened last night suddenly felt unreal, as if it had all been a dream. With trembling fingers she leafed through the book. It showed Killick's photo, his notes and diary entries, but when she reached the last page she stopped. Her own note was gone, and also Killick's reply and the brief conversation they had yesterday. Relieved, YN closed the book and sank into the chair beside her. It really had been a strange dream. Frankly, she was glad that incredibly weird and scary things she couldn't explain didn't actually happen. A diary that communicated with her? A young man from the 30s whose soul was trapped in a book? No, that couldn’t be real.

But she was still happy about the notebook because the diary entries were incredibly interesting and gave an insight into what life in London must have been like almost 90 years ago, even without magical powers. It would be perfect for her thesis.

YN yawned and grabbed her phone. She was going to ask Veronica if she wanted to meet her at her favourite café so they could plan the party together and enjoy their day. After all, she didn't have to worry about her thesis anymore. At least not today.

***

Confused, William looked at the blank pages in front of him. This couldn't be true. Where had the stranger's mysterious messages gone? Hadn't she claimed to be from the future last night?

He rubbed his temples as he sat down to breakfast at his small kitchen table and stirred his tea. His brain seemed to be working non-stop, giving him no rest. He flipped through the pages again, but where yesterday there had been his own writing and that of the stranger, today there was nothing but blank white paper. Did the notebook erase the messages at the start of a new day? What strange magic was this?

William's stomach growled quietly. Sighing, he got up and found a single piece of dry, hard bread in the basket on the kitchen counter. That should be enough for this morning, he didn't have any more, and bread was expensive.

He sat down at the table, took a bite of the bread, opened the diary again, grabbed his pen and began to write.

***

The day flew by for YN. She didn’t even think a second about the notebook, just enjoyed the day with Veronica. The weather was pleasantly warm for September, and it felt as if summer was making one last appearance before disappearing for months. Veronica had been busy planning her birthday party, from the guest list to the seating arrangements to the drinks, as she wanted the party to be perfect. YN liked seeing her so happy and invested in something, especially as Veronica was one of those people who could hardly get excited about anything.

In a good mood, YN returned to her small flat in the evening and lay down on the couch. Now it was time to relax and watch TV, but not for too long, she had to get up early tomorrow and didn't want to be too tired and unfocused at university. Maybe her best friend was right and she really was a nerd.

As she thought about university, Killick's notebook suddenly came back to her mind. She had decided this morning not to touch it, but for some reason YN just couldn't let it go. She felt guilty. It wasn't hers, after all, and perhaps it would be better if she returned it to the library tomorrow, after making notes and copies for her thesis.

Lost in thought, she finally got up, went into the bedroom, took it from the bedside table where she had left it this morning, leafed through it and suddenly flinched. This couldn't be happening, she must be dreaming again. What on earth was happening? Trembling, she dropped the book and pinched her arm as hard as she could. The pain shot through her body and she bit her lip in desperation. She was wide awake, she wasn't dreaming, and she could clearly see William's new note in his neat handwriting on the white paper. Right where there had been nothing but an empty page this morning. He had answered her again. With a pounding heart and bated breath, she began to read.

𝒟𝑒𝒶𝓇 𝒴𝒩,

ℐ'𝓂 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝓈𝓊𝓇𝑒 𝒽𝑜𝓌 𝒾𝓉 𝒾𝓈 𝓅𝑜𝓈𝓈𝒾𝒷𝓁𝑒 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓉𝓌𝑜 𝑜𝒻 𝓊𝓈, 𝒶𝓅𝓅𝒶𝓇𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓁𝓎 𝑜𝓃 𝒹𝒾𝒻𝒻𝑒𝓇𝑒𝓃𝓉 𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑒𝓈, 𝓉𝑜 𝒸𝑜𝓂𝓂𝓊𝓃𝒾𝒸𝒶𝓉𝑒 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝒷𝓊𝓉 ℐ 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝒸𝑜𝓂𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒸𝑜𝓃𝒸𝓁𝓊𝓈𝒾𝑜𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝒾𝓃𝒹𝑒𝑒𝒹 𝓂𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈 𝑜𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝑒𝒶𝓇𝓉𝒽 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓃 𝓌𝑒 𝒽𝓊𝓂𝒶𝓃𝓈 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝒾𝓂𝒶𝑔𝒾𝓃𝑒. 𝒫𝑒𝓇𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓈 𝒾𝓉 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝒢𝑜𝒹'𝓈 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓅𝒶𝓉𝒽𝓈 𝓈𝒽𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹 𝒸𝓇𝑜𝓈𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝓇𝑜𝓊𝑔𝒽 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝒹𝒾𝒶𝓇𝓎, 𝒷𝑒𝒸𝒶𝓊𝓈𝑒 𝓊𝓃𝒹𝑒𝓇 𝓃𝑜𝓇𝓂𝒶𝓁 𝒸𝒾𝓇𝒸𝓊𝓂𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓃𝒸𝑒𝓈 𝒾𝓉 𝓌𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹 𝓈𝒾𝓂𝓅𝓁𝓎 𝒷𝑒 𝒾𝓂𝓅𝑜𝓈𝓈𝒾𝒷𝓁𝑒. 𝒮𝑜 ℐ 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝒹𝑒𝒸𝒾𝒹𝑒𝒹 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝓉𝑜 𝓆𝓊𝑒𝓈𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃 𝒾𝓉 𝒶𝓃𝓎 𝒻𝓊𝓇𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒿𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝒶𝒸𝒸𝑒𝓅𝓉 𝓌𝒽𝒶𝓉𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒹𝑒𝓈𝓉𝒾𝓃𝓎 𝓁𝑒𝒶𝒹𝓈 𝓂𝑒 𝓉𝑜.

ℐ 𝒹𝑜𝓃'𝓉 𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝓀𝓃𝑜𝓌 𝓌𝒽𝑜 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒶𝓇𝑒, 𝒷𝓊𝓉 ℐ 𝒽𝑜𝓅𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓌𝑒𝓁𝓁 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝒶 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝒹 𝓁𝒾𝒻𝑒. 𝒲𝒽𝒶𝓉'𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒻𝓊𝓉𝓊𝓇𝑒 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒? 𝒲𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝒷𝑒 𝒸𝒶𝓇𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝒻𝓁𝓎, 𝒶𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒸𝓁𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝓅𝓇𝑜𝒻𝑒𝓈𝓈𝑜𝓇𝓈 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒷𝑜𝑜𝓀𝓈 ℐ’𝓋𝑒 𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒹 𝒶𝓁𝓌𝒶𝓎𝓈 𝒸𝓁𝒶𝒾𝓂? 𝒫𝑒𝓇𝓈𝑜𝓃𝒶𝓁𝓁𝓎, ℐ 𝓌𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹𝓃’𝓉 𝓌𝒶𝓃𝓉 𝒶 𝒻𝓁𝓎𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝒷𝑒𝒸𝒶𝓊𝓈𝑒 ℐ'𝓂 𝒶 𝒷𝒾𝓉 𝒶𝒻𝓇𝒶𝒾𝒹 𝑜𝒻 𝒽𝑒𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉𝓈.

𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝓆𝓊𝑒𝓈𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓌𝑜𝓇𝓇𝒾𝑒𝓈 𝓂𝑒 𝓂𝑜𝓈𝓉 𝒾𝓈 𝓌𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓅𝑒𝓃 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓃𝑒𝓍𝓉 𝒻𝑒𝓌 𝓎𝑒𝒶𝓇𝓈. 𝒲𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓅𝑜𝓁𝒾𝓉𝒾𝒸𝒶𝓁 𝓈𝒾𝓉𝓊𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃 𝑔𝑒𝓉 𝓌𝑜𝓇𝓈𝑒? ℐ'𝓂 𝒶𝒻𝓇𝒶𝒾𝒹 ℐ 𝒶𝓁𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒹𝓎 𝓀𝓃𝑜𝓌 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒶𝓃𝓈𝓌𝑒𝓇, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 ℐ'𝓂 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝓈𝓊𝓇𝑒 ℐ 𝓌𝒶𝓃𝓉 𝓉𝑜 𝓀𝓃𝑜𝓌 𝒾𝓉.

ℐ 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝑔𝑜 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓌𝒶𝓁𝓀𝓈, 𝓁𝒾𝓈𝓉𝑒𝓃 𝓉𝑜 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝑜𝓊𝓃𝒹 𝑜𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓌𝒾𝓃𝒹 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒷𝒾𝓇𝒹𝓈 𝓈𝒾𝓃𝑔𝒾𝓃𝑔, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 ℐ 𝑒𝓃𝒿𝑜𝓎 𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒹𝒾𝓃𝑔. ℐ 𝑔𝓇𝑒𝓌 𝓊𝓅 𝒾𝓃 𝒶 𝓈𝓂𝒶𝓁𝓁 𝓋𝒾𝓁𝓁𝒶𝑔𝑒 𝒾𝓃 𝒲𝒶𝓁𝑒𝓈 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓂𝑜𝓋𝑒𝒹 𝓉𝑜 ℒ𝑜𝓃𝒹𝑜𝓃 𝓉𝑜 𝓌𝑜𝓇𝓀 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝓌𝒽𝑒𝓃 ℐ 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝟷𝟽. 𝒴𝑜𝓊 𝓂𝒶𝓎 𝒶𝓁𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒹𝓎 𝓀𝓃𝑜𝓌 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝒾𝒻 𝓎𝑜𝓊'𝓋𝑒 𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒹 𝓂𝓎 𝓅𝓇𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑜𝓊𝓈 𝒹𝒾𝒶𝓇𝓎 𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓇𝒾𝑒𝓈. ℐ 𝓂𝒾𝓈𝓈 𝓂𝓎 𝒽𝑜𝓂𝑒. 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝓅𝑒𝒶𝒸𝑒, 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓆𝓊𝒾𝑒𝓉, 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓃𝒶𝓉𝓊𝓇𝑒, 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝑒𝓃𝒹𝓁𝑒𝓈𝓈 𝓌𝑜𝑜𝒹𝓈. 𝒲𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝒹𝑜 𝓅𝑒𝑜𝓅𝓁𝑒 𝒹𝑜 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝒾𝓇 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝑒 𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒻𝓊𝓉𝓊𝓇𝑒? 𝒜𝓃𝒹 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓎 𝓈𝓉𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝓌𝑜𝓇𝓀, 𝑜𝓇 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝓂𝒶𝒸𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑒𝓈 𝒹𝑜 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓂?

ℐ 𝒽𝑜𝓅𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝓂𝑒𝓈𝓈𝒶𝑔𝑒 𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒸𝒽𝑒𝓈 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒻𝓊𝓉𝓊𝓇𝑒 𝒶𝓃𝒹 ℐ 𝓌𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹 𝒷𝑒 𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎 𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓅𝓎 𝓉𝑜 𝓇𝑒𝒸𝑒𝒾𝓋𝑒 𝒶𝓃 𝒶𝓃𝓈𝓌𝑒𝓇 𝒻𝓇𝑜𝓂 𝓎𝑜𝓊.

𝐼 𝓌𝒾𝓈𝒽 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒶𝓁𝓁 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒷𝑒𝓈𝓉,

𝒲𝒾𝓁𝓁𝒾𝒶𝓂

Tears began to well up in YN's eyes. Even though she still couldn't believe what was happening, this message had touched her deeply. He seemed so accessible, as if he had opened his heart a little to her. To her, a complete stranger from another time.

Almost automatically, YN's hands reached for the pen, and it began to scratch across the old, slightly yellowed paper. Small tears dripped onto the paper as she wrote, lost in her thoughts, only the sounds of London reaching her ears now and then to bring her back to the present. Her heart pounding, she lowered the pen and read her message once more before closing the book and falling asleep.

𝐷𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑊𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑎𝑚,

𝑇𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝘩𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑡, 𝑤𝘩𝑒𝑛 𝐼 𝑤𝑜𝑘𝑒 𝑢𝑝 𝑡𝘩𝑖𝑠 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐼 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝘩𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑡 𝘩𝑎𝑑 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑎 𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑚 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑤𝘩𝑒𝑛 𝐼 𝑐𝘩𝑒𝑐𝑘𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑏𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑟, 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑔𝑜𝑛𝑒. 𝐵𝑢𝑡 𝑡𝘩𝑒𝑛 𝐼 𝑠𝑎𝑤 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑛𝑒𝑤 𝑚𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐼 𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑐𝑎𝑛'𝑡 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝘩𝑎𝑡 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡𝘩𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙. 𝑀𝑦 𝑠𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑡𝑦 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑖𝑐, 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝑠𝑢𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑙, 𝑡𝘩𝑎𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠 𝑑𝑜𝑒𝑠. 𝐼 𝑡𝘩𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝑡𝘩𝑎𝑡'𝑠 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑏𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑦 𝑤𝘩𝑦 𝑖𝑡'𝑠 𝘩𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑝𝑡 𝑤𝘩𝑎𝑡'𝑠 𝘩𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝘩𝑎𝑛 𝑖𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢. 𝐼 𝑑𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑤𝘩𝑦 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑟𝑦 𝑑𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑓𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝟸𝟸𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑆𝑒𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟. 𝐼𝑡'𝑠 𝑎𝑠 𝑖𝑓 𝑖𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑐𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑑𝑜𝑒𝑠𝑛'𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑢𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑖𝑡.

𝐼 𝑐𝑎𝑛'𝑡 𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝐼 𝑤𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑒 𝑠𝑢𝑐ℎ 𝑎 𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑙𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑜 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑒. 𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑠𝑒𝑒, 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑢𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑙𝑦 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠, 𝑚𝑜𝑠𝑡𝑙𝑦 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑡 𝑚𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑠. 𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑛𝑜 𝑓𝑙𝑦𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝑦𝑒𝑡, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐼'𝑚 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒. 𝑃𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑙𝑦 𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝑚𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑦. 𝐼 ℎ𝑜𝑝𝑒 𝑖𝑡 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑦, 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝐼 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑎 𝑎 𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑙𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔.

𝐼𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝘩𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝐼'𝑚 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝘩𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑦 𝑠𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑠𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑠 𝑤𝘩𝑜'𝑠 𝑓𝑖𝑔𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝘩𝑜𝑤 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑘 𝑡𝘩𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔𝘩 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑒, 𝑦𝑜𝑢'𝑟𝑒 𝑤𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑔. 𝐼'𝑚 𝑎 𝑠𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝘩𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦 𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑤𝘩𝑜 𝘩𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑛𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑏𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑛 𝑏𝑖𝑜𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑝𝘩𝑦 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝐺𝑒𝑜𝑟𝑔𝑒 𝑁𝑜𝑟𝑤𝑜𝑜𝑑. 𝐴 𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑙𝑎𝑑𝑦 𝑖𝑛 𝑎 𝑙𝑖𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑟𝑦 𝑔𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑒. 𝑊𝘩𝑖𝑐𝘩 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛𝑠 𝐼 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑒𝑥𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑙𝑦 𝑤𝘩𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝘩𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒. 𝐼'𝑚 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝐼 𝑠𝘩𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑦𝑜𝑢, 𝑊𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑎𝑚. 𝐼 𝑡𝘩𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝑖𝑡'𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑖𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑑𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤.

𝑀𝑦 𝘩𝑜𝑏𝑏𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝑠𝑖𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑎𝑟 𝑡𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠. 𝐼 𝑎𝑙𝑠𝑜 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑, 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑦 𝑏𝑜𝑜𝑘𝑠 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑔𝑜. 𝐼 𝑎𝑙𝑠𝑜 𝑚𝑒𝑒𝑡 𝑚𝑦 𝑏𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝑜𝑓𝑡𝑒𝑛. 𝐼 𝑢𝑠𝑢𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝘩𝑒𝑟 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑡𝘩𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝐼 𝑡𝘩𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝑖𝑡'𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑖𝑓 𝐼 𝑘𝑒𝑒𝑝 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑦𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓.

𝐼 𝑤𝑖𝑠𝘩 𝐼 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑠𝑒𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑘 𝑡𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢. 𝐼'𝑚 𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑜𝑢𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝘩𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑤𝘩𝑎𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑣𝑜𝑖𝑐𝑒 𝑠𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑠 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒. 𝐵𝑢𝑡 𝐼 𝑎𝑚 𝑎𝑓𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑑 𝑡𝘩𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑏𝑒 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒.

𝑅𝑖𝑔𝘩𝑡 𝑛𝑜𝑤, 𝐼 𝘩𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝐵𝑖𝑔 𝐵𝑒𝑛 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑠 𝑡𝘩𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔𝘩 𝑚𝑦 𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑛 𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑜𝑤, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐼'𝑚 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢'𝑟𝑒 𝘩𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝘩𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢'𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑙𝑠𝑜 𝑖𝑛 𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑙 𝐿𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑜𝑛. 𝐼𝑠𝑛'𝑡 𝑡𝘩𝑎𝑡 𝑐𝑟𝑎𝑧𝑦? 𝐷𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝟾𝟶 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡, 𝑤𝑒 𝘩𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝑒𝑥𝑎𝑐𝑡 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝘩𝑖𝑛𝑔.

𝐵𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑟𝑒𝑔𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑠,

𝑌𝑁

***

The library was empty and quiet as YN slowly climbed the long staircase the next day, clutching William's diary to her chest. She was unsure if what she was about to do was the right thing. Her mind kept telling her that she had stolen the diary and should give it back, but her heart wanted to keep it so that she could continue to communicate with William. He had left her another little message this morning. He thanked her for her reply, told her about his day yesterday, his work as a carpenter in London, and how he had found a stray kitten in the street and was now taking care of it.

YN loved reading his messages. He wrote so vividly, as if you were really there and experiencing the events for yourself. He also seemed like a really good person, even in such difficult times.

YN sighed one last time as she looked down at the notebook in her hand, then approached the reception desk where the elderly librarian from last week turned to her with a smile.

"Hello, madam. There you are again. Looking for another book for your thesis?"

YN took a deep breath and shook her head. She could hardly bring herself to tell the lady what she wanted. She didn't want to return the book, she wanted to keep reading William's beautiful messages. But her mind forced her to.

"Are you okay?" the librarian asked, looking worried.

Finally, YN gathered her courage and handed her the old notebook.

"I wanted to return this. I found it in the old George Nordwood book. Somehow it got into my bag and I took it home. I'm sorry, really."

The older lady looked at the book in silence and accepted it.

YN felt a wave of sadness wash over her. She had decided to return it and would never read William's notes again. "It belonged to a man named William Killick. I don't know who he is or what he has to do with George Nordwood, but I suppose we'll never find out," she said.

The librarian remained silent, opened the book, ran her finger over William's photograph on the first page, then tilted her head slightly. "He's my grandfather. He told me you were coming. Since I was a little girl. I have no idea how he knew about you but he was right."

The words sent a shiver down YN's spine. How did he know that?

……………………………………………………………………………

thank you for reading! ❤️

(yes i know it’s damien and not william but i liked the picture :D)

tag list:

@freedomring1

you liked part 1, so i hope it’s okay that I‘m adding you to my taglist:

@tenderly-hopeful-collection

There weren't many days left for William at the estate, and he tried to push it away every time it came up. He looked forward to London, to his friends, his family, his work, but he knew how much he would miss the Scottish Highlands. And there was also one person he would miss terribly. But for some reason she seemed to be avoiding him now.

Every time William saw YN in the garden or in the house, he tried to talk to her, but as soon as she noticed him, she would talk to one of the other guests or pretend to be busy with her work. It almost broke William's heart. Was she angry with him? He kept trying to remember if he had done or said anything in the last few days that she might have misunderstood, but he couldn't think of anything. He was also not receiving any more of the wonderful, mysterious letters he had loved, which made him particularly sad. He was now one hundred percent sure that they were from YN. He had seen her write a shopping list once and leave it on the table in the dining room. It was unmistakably the same handwriting as the letters he had received.

One thing was clear to William: he wanted to talk to her, clear up the situation and apologise for whatever he had done wrong.

The warm sun shone on his skin as he walked through the rose garden one morning. It hadn't rained for days and he knew he would find YN here, as she must have been busy. A small smile spread across his face when he actually saw YN a few metres in front of him. She was wearing a dark blue skirt and apron and was busy watering the flowers and cutting off the old, wilted blooms.

William was about to call out to her when a pair of arms suddenly wrapped around him from behind. "William, my darling! There you are!" Startled, William turned to see the face in front of him. It was Norma, of course. Today she was wearing an elegant green summer dress with a matching hat, dark red lipstick, and on her wrist, as always, a small gold watch. Norma nestled happily against William's back, giggling softly. Mrs Hallward stood beside them, watching them with a touched smile.

But William noticed out of the corner of his eye that YN was watching them too, and finally she grabbed the bucket of withered flowers and walked away.

Sighing, he turned to Norma and forced a smile. "Do you have anything special planned, or why are you dressed so nicely?"

Norma looked at him briefly with raised eyebrows, then giggled again. "I'm always dressed nicely. Only for you, honey." She gave him a little kiss on the cheek.

"I'm so glad you two get along so well. I've always told Norma that one day she would meet a man who would be perfect for her." Mrs Hallward looked at them excitedly.

William shook his head and took a deep breath: "Madam, I have something to tell you, I..."

But he couldn't finish his sentence as Norma excitedly pointed to one of the beautiful and well-tended rose bushes. "They're so gorgeous! Shouldn't we take a picture in front of them? William, you've got a camera, haven't you?"

"Yes, I do..."

"Oh, that's a really good idea! I can take a picture of you!" Norma's mother said as excitedly as her daughter.

William sighed softly, took his camera out of his pocket and handed it to Mrs Hallward. She held it up to her face and shouted, "Smile, please!"

Norma quickly grabbed William's arm and leaned against his chest as she smiled into the camera. William pretended to be as happy as she was, although he was far from it.

***

Evening fell over the country inn, bringing with it thick, dark clouds, and thunder was not long in coming. YN was in the dining room setting the tables when she hurried to the windows to close them, just in time before a downpour began.

The door swung open and two people rushed into the hall, both soaking wet from the rain. It was William and Norma, who had probably spent the day together in Tobermory. YN had to grin a bit as the usually perfect Norma looked as if she had fallen off the Titanic and swum across the Atlantic. Her hair was dripping wet, blonde strands clinging to her face, her make-up smudged, making her look like a clown, and her face distorted from crying. William stood next to her, no less wet but much more relaxed.

"My new dress! It's ruined!"

"You can wash it," YN said quietly as she put the cutlery on the table.

Norma looked at her angrily. "You can’t just wash it, it was so expensive, you’re stupid!"

"My God, are you two alright?" Mrs Hallward, attracted by the noise, also hurried into the hall and looked at them worriedly.

"I look terrible!" Norma cried, clinging to William who seemed visibly uncomfortable with the whole situation.

"You two should go upstairs and change immediately. If you need more towels, please let me know," Mrs Hallward said calmly.

"Thanks, I wouldn't have thought of that myself!" Norma said sarcastically, then turned and stormed upstairs to her room in tears. YN shook her head in disbelief.

William, however, remained standing there, his hands in his wet pockets, looking somewhat embarrassed.

"And you, sea monster, don't you want to change into something dry too?" YN said with a grin.

William chuckled slightly and looked at her. "I think you're right." He ran a hand through his wet hair. "But I wanted to ask you something…For a while now."

YN tilted her head slightly and folded her arms across her chest.

"And what would that be?"

But William didn't get a chance to tell her his concern because he was interrupted by Norma's loud voice echoing down the corridor.

"You little minx!" With a face contorted in anger, she ran into the hall in a dry dress, pointing at YN.

Confused, she looked at Norma with her mouth open.

"You know exactly what I mean, admit that you stole it from me!" Her eyes glared at her angrily.

"What?" YN's hands began to tremble, her heart pounding.

Now Mrs Hallward turned to them again, bewildered, and stood beside her daughter confused. "Norma, what happened?"

"My gold watch, she stole it! She knew how expensive it was. I wear it every day, but this morning I left it on my bedside table and YN must have taken her chance!"

Mrs Hallward and William looked at YN in disbelief.

"I didn't do it, I swear!

"Oh really? Who else has access to my room? Who else cleans up for me in the morning?"

YN felt hot and cold. She knew she couldn't get out of this situation, even though she hadn't done it. All the evidence pointed to her.

For a moment there was complete silence in the room, except for the sound of heavy rain pounding on the roof. Then Mrs Hallward turned to YN with a serious look on her face. "You know that theft is a crime and I will not tolerate it here, especially against my own daughter. I'll give you until tomorrow to either admit what you've done and return Norma's watch, or I'll be forced to dismiss you and call the police. If you really didn't do it, I want proof to the contrary."

The words hit YN like a slap in the face. Tears started to burn in her eyes. She knew she didn't do it, but how could she ever prove it? She had no choice but to nod silently, wipe away the tears and finally leave the room without another word.

William watched her in bewilderment. He couldn't believe what was happening.

"Unbelievable! Such a liar!" Norma collapsed onto a chair, exhausted.

"I can't believe YN would do such a thing. I've known her for so long and she's always been so honest and upright." Mrs Hallward looked worriedly at her daughter and William.

Norma sighed. "She is unpredictable, Mother, believe me. The last time I saw the watch was before breakfast this morning and now it’s gone. William, darling, I've got a stiff neck, wouldn't you like to give me a little massage?"

But William just stood there motionless, his mind beginning to work. The last time she saw the watch was before breakfast?

Finally he shook his head and bit his lip. "That's not true, Norma. You wore it in the rose garden this early afternoon. I'm absolutely sure."

Confused, Norma looked at him. "No, that's not true."

For a moment William stood still, looking back and forth between Norma and her mother. "Excuse me, please," he finally said, and hurried out of the room without further explanation.

He quickly threw on his raincoat, grabbed his umbrella and set off alone for Tobermory.

Out of breath, he pushed open the door to the store and took off the hood of his raincoat.

"How can I help you, sir? Oh wait, weren't you here this morning?" A small man with a grey beard stood behind the counter and looked at him curiously.

"That's right, I brought my camera in earlier. I'd like to have the photos now."

The older man shook his head slowly. "Young man, it's not that fast. I told you it would take one to four days to develop them."

William looked at him desperately. "But I need them now, please! It's really urgent!"

The man sighed softly. "Well, I'll see how far they've come." Groaning, he made his way to the back room, and William tapped his foot nervously on the floor.

"You're lucky, sir," the salesman's voice came from the back room. "They're pretty far along. Another two or three hours and they'll be ready."

A wave of gratitude washed over William. "Thank you, sir. I'll come back for them later. Are you open until then?"

"I'm always open when I'm not sleeping," the shopkeeper said, sitting down on an old wooden chair and crossing his thin legs.

***

Muffled voices came from the Hallwards' kitchen as William stood with his arms crossed late at night, listening intently. It was Norma and Mrs Hallward, engaged in a lively conversation about the events of the evening.

Finally, William gathered his courage and walked into the kitchen.

"William, my darling, what are you doing here so late?" Norma asked, smiling in surprise.

Without a word, William pulled a small envelope out of his coat pocket and threw it on the table.

"What's this?" Norma asked confusedly as she grabbed the envelope, opened it and pulled out the photograph that Mrs Hallward had taken of them that morning.

"You liar," William hissed angrily at Norma, who immediately looked shocked. She wasn't used to his tone. "Look what you are unmistakably wearing on your wrist in the photograph. Your beloved watch. We took the photo at half past 10. You were sure you hadn't worn it today and that YN had stolen it before breakfast. How is it possible that you're wearing it here?"

Norma looked at him in shock and couldn't say a word. William could see the sheer panic on her face. "She... she... she must have stolen it later, when we were in Tobermory. Exactly! I left it on my bedside table after we were in the Rose Garden!" Norma crossed her arms again with confidence.

Wordlessly, William reached for the green handbag beside Norma, opened it and emptied its contents onto the table.

"Are you insane!" Norma screamed in horror.

The small gold watch fell out with a soft clatter.

William looked at her angrily. "I saw it in your bag this afternoon when we were at your aunt's café and you took out your lipstick to touch it up.

Now it was Norma who fell silent, unable to utter a word.

"You were jealous of me and YN, admit it. You hated to see me with her. You spread false truths about me, that I couldn't stand her, and you wanted to get rid of her, so you claimed that she had stolen from you. You just couldn't accept that I love YN and not you." William looked at her sternly with his icy blue eyes.

Mrs Hallward, who had been watching the scene in silence, looked at her daughter incredulously. "Is that true, Norma?"

The young woman sat there sobbing, pressing her hands to her eyes as tears streamed down her face, and finally nodded slowly.

"Have you lost your mind, Norma? You will apologise to YN now!" Mrs Hallward shouted in a firm voice. William had never heard her speak to her daughter like that.

"It’s okay. I'll talk to YN, we'll discuss the rest tomorrow," William said quietly, nodding to Mrs Hallward. As he left the kitchen, the only sound he could hear was Norma's sobbing.

The loud rain pounded against the window as YN lay motionless in the darkness. Her mind had been going round and round for hours and she simply couldn't sleep. By now she had almost accepted that no one would believe her and that she would be fired from the country inn. But she wasn't going to let Norma win so easily.

Suddenly she heard soft footsteps outside her door and sat up in bed, curious. Who was it? Her heart pounding, she listened as something was pushed under her door, then the footsteps faded.

She quickly switched on her bedside lamp and got out of bed. There was a small white letter on her floor. With trembling fingers, she unfolded it and began to read.

𝑻𝒐 𝒀𝑵 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆

𝐷𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑌𝑁, 𝐼 𝑐𝑎𝑛'𝑡 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝑎𝑠 𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑎𝑠 𝑦𝑜𝑢, 𝑙𝑒𝑡 𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑝𝑢𝑡 𝑚𝑦 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑠, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝐼'𝑙𝑙 𝑡𝑟𝑦.

𝐼𝑛𝑛𝑜𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑠𝘩𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑒𝑦𝑒𝑠 𝑠𝑜 𝑝𝑢𝑟𝑒,

𝐴𝑐𝑐𝑢𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑢𝑛𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡, 𝑦𝑒𝑡 𝘩𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑠 𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑢𝑟𝑒.

𝐴 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑛 𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑡𝘩, 𝑑𝑒𝑐𝑒𝑖𝑡'𝑠 𝑐𝑟𝑢𝑒𝑙 𝑎𝑟𝑡,

𝐴𝑛𝑜𝑡𝘩𝑒𝑟'𝑠 𝑙𝑖𝑒 𝑑𝑖𝑑 𝑠𝑒𝑡 𝑡𝘩𝑖𝑠 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡.

𝐵𝑢𝑡 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑒 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑎𝑘𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑤𝘩𝑖𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑐𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑟,

𝐼'𝑣𝑒 𝑔𝑎𝑡𝘩𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑝 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝑓𝑒𝑎𝑟.

𝐼𝑛𝑛𝑜𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝘩𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡, 𝑠𝑜 𝑓𝑎𝑙𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑦 𝑏𝑙𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑑,

𝑇𝘩𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑡𝘩 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑒𝑑, 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑙𝑎𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑑.

𝑊𝑖𝑡𝘩 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝐼 𝑚𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑓𝑒𝑠𝑠

𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑚𝑦 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒, 𝑚𝑦 𝘩𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠.

𝑷.𝑺. 𝐼 𝑎𝑚 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑛 𝑡𝑤𝑜 𝑑𝑎𝑦𝑠. 𝐼𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑡 𝑚𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝐿𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑜𝑛, 𝐼 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑏𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑔𝘩𝑡𝑒𝑑. 𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑦 𝑤𝑖𝑡𝘩 𝑚𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎 𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒, 𝐼 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑏𝑒 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝘩𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑖𝑒𝑟.

𝑊𝑖𝑡𝘩 𝐿𝑜𝑣𝑒, 𝑊𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑎𝑚.

𝑷.𝑷.𝑺. 𝑇𝘩𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑝𝑜𝑒𝑚 𝐼'𝑣𝑒 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑛, 𝑠𝑜 𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝑑𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑏𝑒 𝑡𝑜𝑜 𝘩𝑎𝑟𝑠𝘩 𝑜𝑛 𝑚𝑒!

Tears of joy ran down YN's face as she read the letter. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever received in her life. With her heart pounding, she opened the door, ran down the stairs and saw William on his way to his own room.

"William!" she cried, out of breath, and ran towards him.

William looked at her with a big smile as she finally fell into his arms. He stroked her back gently.

"I don't know how you did it, but I'm incredibly grateful to you."

He laughed a little. "I'll tell you everything tomorrow."

Slowly, YN looked up at him, stood on tiptoe and finally kissed him. His lips were warm and soft, just as she had always imagined. Without hesitation, William kissed her back.

…………………………………………………………………………….

Only the quiet ticking of the clock on the side table and the soft scratching of a pen on paper filled the room. Robert exhaled slowly and looked at his hands in silence.

"You went through a lot in your childhood, Mr Fischer." The lady sitting opposite him in a dark blue armchair looked at him compassionately over the rim of her glasses.

"Yes, that’s true, madam."

He had told her everything. Everything that had happened in his childhood. It was a strange feeling to open up like that to a stranger, but that was why he was here.

"And you really feel that you were never enough for your father?" his therapist asked.

"I've never done right in his eyes. My grades were never good enough, he called me lazy, and he always accused me of living off his money." Robert sniffled softly. It was very hard for him to talk about all this.

The lady looked carefully at the clipboard in front of her. "But if I read this correctly, you're anything but lazy, Mr Fischer. You have a master's degree in business administration and engineering and have completed further training in energy management. You're a department head at the energy company Fischer Morrow, and even the deputy CEO."

Robert bit his lower lip. "I know," he said quietly. "But it’s still not enough for my father."

"If I understand correctly, your father is the CEO of the company, is that right?" she asked.

He nodded. "Well, he still is. He's almost 67 years old, and his health is very poor."

The lady looked at him thoughtfully. "Oh, are you going to take over the company completely?"

"I don't know if I'm up to such a big job."

"Of course you are, Mr Fischer. You underestimate yourself far too much." The therapist leafed through her files. "Let's move on to another subject. What about other people who are close to you? You're married, aren't you?"

A small smile appeared on his face as she mentioned his wife. "That's right. About a year now. We got married last August."

"Do you have any children together?"

"No," he replied immediately. "But I have a daughter with my ex-wife."

She looked at Robert with interest and put the clipboard on her lap. "So this is your second marriage."

He nodded slightly. "My ex-wife and I were married for nearly eight years. Suddenly it was over so quickly. She... she left me for another man."

The woman wrote something on the clipboard. "I'm very sorry, Mr Fischer. Something like that can also affect you mentally."

"But my current wife is different... She's just wonderful." The therapist noticed how his eyes immediately lit up when he talked about her. "She is an incredibly warm and loving person. I've never felt so accepted and loved in my whole life as I do with her. And she's absolutely beautiful."

She smiled a little. "That’s wonderful, I'm really happy for you."

Robert looked thoughtfully out of the window. "But sometimes I can't believe why she's with me. There are so many other men around who are better than me."

"Maybe because you're a really nice, intelligent and attractive man and she loves you."

Robert's cheeks turned slightly pink after she said that. "I don't know why anyone would love me."

The therapist exhaled slightly and adjusted her glasses. "I can see you've got a lot to work through. You have quite low self-esteem. I'm afraid we're going to need a few more sessions. Mr Fischer, do you think your wife would mind if we had a talk? I'd like to hear her point of view."

Robert shrugged a little. "I think that can be arranged. I'll ask her when I get home."

"This would be wonderful. Just let me know when she's free, you have my phone number." She smiled kindly at him.

And Robert got up from his chair. "I'll do that. See you then."

"Goodbye, Mr Fischer."

***

She looked curiously at the young woman sitting in front of her. She was a couple of years younger than Mr Fischer, had long hair and was wearing a beige blazer.

"How nice of you to come, Mrs Fischer." She smiled politely at her. "Your husband told me a lot about you."

YN laughed a little and crossed her legs. "Well, hopefully only good things."

"Don’t worry, he's raving about you."

YN ran her fingers through her hair. "You know... I've never talked to anyone like you before, I have to admit I'm a bit nervous."

"Oh, you don’t have to be. You can tell me anything. And if there's something you don't want your husband to know, then that stays between us."

"I have nothing to hide from him." She laughed a little and played with her necklace. A gift from Robert for their anniversary. A little 24-karat gold heart pendant.

The therapist also laughed and pinned a new blank page to her clipboard. "That's a very good sign." She cleared her throat and leaned back a little in her chair. "Right, let's get started. Your name is YN Fischer. You were born in Bristol, UK, and moved to Australia when you were six years old."

YN nodded.

"You married Mr Robert Michael Fischer in August last year and live together with him in Sydney. You know that he has some problems with himself as a result of his childhood and his, shall we say, troubled relationship with his father. Unfortunately, I can't talk to his father because he's in the hospital and very ill. That's why I wanted to talk to someone else in his life. The person who is probably closest to him;you, Mrs Fischer. My question to you now is: how do you perceive your husband? What do you think of him? Please be honest, you are not being judged for anything."

YN let out a short breath and sat up a little in her chair. She looked thoughtfully at her red-painted fingernails.

"Well, I think I can say that Robert is the best thing that's ever happened to me."

The therapist immediately began making notes on her clipboard.

"He's wonderful, intelligent, funny... And he’s always there for me. I can't believe a man like him married me."

With an interested look, the therapist lowered her pen and rubbed her chin. "That's exactly what your husband said about you, Mrs Fischer. Very interesting..."

She looked at her with a smile. "Really? He said that?"

"Yes, he did. But go on."

"Well... Robert has always been someone I looked up to. He always seemed so unattainable to me. He's incredibly intelligent and educated. I met him when I worked in his and his father's company. Almost every woman was secretly in love with him, but at the time he was still married to his ex-wife. I know it all sounds strange because he was sort of my boss. But I only had a romantic relationship with him after he got divorced and after I stopped working at Fischer Morrow."

"That sounds very interesting. Please tell me more about how you met him," the therapist told her.

YN closed her eyes and was silent for a moment. In her mind's eye, she saw the long corridors of Fischer Morrow. It all seemed so real again.

***

"Here's a list of all the tasks you have to do today," YN's new colleague handed her a piece of paper. She glanced at it, her eyebrows rising in surprise as she noticed every inch of the paper covered with tasks. "Wow, Ariane, that’s a lot. It‘s only my fourth day."

"Oh no, I’m pretty sure that you can do this," Ariane said. "The first person to arrive is Mr Richard Lambert at 9:30 am. He has a job interview with Mr Fineman from Human Resources. You meet him at reception and take him to room 015, where Mr Fineman is waiting. Be friendly, smile a lot, it's very important. At 10:30 am, room 461 in the headquarters is free. An important meeting is taking place there between Maurice Fischer, his son Robert Fischer, and some representatives of the Ministry of the Environment. If I've understood correctly, it's about adjusting the emission limits for pollutants."

YN looked tiredly at the page in front of her and shrugged. "That doesn’t sound very interesting."

"You don't have to join the conversation, YN. You just have to prepare the conference room. I've already ordered the catering; it'll be delivered around 10:40 am. You put the drinks and sandwiches on the small side table. Put the coffee pot in the middle of the table. Then wait for the Fischers to arrive. It's best to offer the coffee to them personally. And remember to always be friendly; this is the CEO and his deputy, okay?"

YN looked at her colleague, a little overwhelmed. "My head is spinning, to be honest. I've already forgotten half of what you just told me."

"That's why I wrote it all down for you. You can do this, YN. And if something goes wrong, it's not the end of the world. You just have to be careful with Fischer Senior. He's a bit... strict." She gave her a meaningful look.

"This could be fun," YN sighed ironically and folded her arms across her chest.

"If there's anything, you can always call me. You know my extension." Ariane finally changed the subject. "What kind of training do you have, if I may ask?"

"Me?" YN laughed. "I'm a hairdresser. I don't really have anything to do with all that office stuff. I just wanted to try something new. Maybe I'll like it."

"So, a career changer, how interesting. But you'll manage, I'm quite confident."

At that moment, one of the glass doors opened, and a man in a formal black suit entered the corridor. He was slim, with perfectly styled dark brown hair, high cheekbones, sharp features, and bright blue eyes. His long coat hung loosely over his shoulders, and he typed absently on his phone. He was very attractive. If they hadn't been in the corridors of Fischer Morrow, YN would have mistaken him for a high-fashion model from Yves Saint Laurent or another well-known luxury brand.

"Who's that?" she whispered to Ariane, who was a little startled and looked at YN with wide eyes when she saw the man. "That's Robert Fischer! Don’t forget to greet him!"

"Good morning, Mr Fischer." Ariane gave him her best smile as he passed them, and YN did the same.

"Good morning, ladies," he greeted them politely, turning his attention back to the phone in his hands.

When he was out of earshot, YN started to giggle. "He looks gorgeous. I pictured a nerd when you told me about him."

"Yes, he’s really handsome." Ariane sighed a little. "He's really nice too, unlike his father."

YN was silent for a moment and then cleared her throat a little. "Is he... you know... single?"

Ariane looked at her colleague as if she had just said something completely stupid. "Are you crazy? A man like him? Of course not. Every woman here secretly fancies him. But he's been married for years."

YN bit her lower lip. "Just asking."

"I think you should go now. You have a busy schedule and the first appointments will arrive soon."

YN finally nodded, folded the piece of paper with the notes, and put it in her handbag before saying goodbye to Ariane and walking on her high heels to the lifts.

YN nervously brushed the sleeve of her blouse across her forehead. Everything had gone well so far. The man who was invited to the interview had arrived on time, and she had taken him to Fineman, the human resources manager, who had been very friendly to her and had thanked her almost five times.

She had then rushed to the car park outside the building, where the catering for the meeting had just arrived, and had taken it to the conference room, which she had fortunately found straight away. Then she had prepared everything as Ariane had explained.

She stood there a little breathlessly, her arms crossed behind her back, with a friendly smile on her face, waiting for the participants to arrive. Finally, the Fischers approached the meeting room.

"Good morning, ma'am, thank you for preparing everything for our meeting," Robert Fischer greeted her with a friendly smile and held out his hand. Trembling, YN took it and looked at him shyly. His fingers felt unbelievably soft, and she lost herself in his bright blue eyes for a second. "What's your name?" His deep voice cut through YN's thoughts, bringing her back to reality.

"YN... Y/LN..." she mumbled, struggling to articulate her own name.

"My name is Robert Fischer. Very nice to meet you."

"There's no need to thank her, Robert. This woman does her job and gets paid for it." Suddenly, a loud voice echoed from behind them, causing Robert to release her hand.

"Dad, please don't say such things." Robert gave her an apologetic look and then walked away to talk to his father. As far as YN had heard, it was about some energy guidelines or something like that.

She stood next to them, a little lost, while she greeted the arriving participants of the meeting. Eventually, her eyes fell on the coffee pot on the table. Wait, hadn't Ariane told her to serve the coffee to the Fischers?

She hurried towards them. "Coffee, gentlemen?" she asked, forcing a smile.

"Yes, ma'am, I would love some," Robert Fischer looked at her gratefully.

"With sugar," his father grumbled next to him, flicking through his papers.

YN quickly grabbed the two cups.

"You have really nice legs," Maurice Fischer said suddenly, and YN flinched a little, wishing she had worn a longer skirt this morning.

"Dad!" his son interrupted him immediately, looking at him in shock.

"But Robert, I'm right, aren't I?" The older man grinned.

YN pretended she hadn't heard what he said and forced herself to smile again, even though her hands were slightly shaking and sweaty. She nervously poured the hot coffee into the cup and was about to hand it to Robert Fischer when the cup slipped out of her hand.

At that moment, everything happened in slow motion. YN's hand reaching into the void as she tried to catch the cup, the shocked faces of the two men in front of her, and Maurice Fischer, who quickly tried to get his documents to safety. But it was too late. A huge dark brown stain spread across the table, sparing all the important documents.

"Are you crazy?" The angry voice echoed through the room, and she stared into Maurice Fischer's angry face, which was slowly turning red. She felt the eyes of the others in the room on her.

"I'm so sorry, sir... Are you okay? Did the coffee scald you?" She felt tears well up in her eyes, and her vision blurred a little.

Suddenly, a hand rested protectively on her arm, and she looked up in surprise as she realized it was Robert Fischer's. "We're fine; luckily, the coffee only landed on the table."

"Luckily, Robert? All the documents are ruined!"

"Dad, it's not that bad. The most important thing is that no one is hurt and has to go to the hospital."

"She can't even serve coffee! Why did Fineman even hire her? Just because she's pretty?"

Without another word, YN grabbed a cloth lying next to her, wiped the table, dabbed the documents as best she could, looked back at the two men, and muttered, "I'm so sorry," before turning and leaving the room.

She blinked the tears away quickly. She wouldn't cry now. She wouldn't shed a single tear for this company and especially not for this dumb idiot. Sighing, she leaned against the wall and rubbed her forehead.

Of course, it was her fault, but if that old man hadn't said those stupid things, she wouldn't have been so upset, and none of this would have happened.

Suddenly, she remembered Robert Fischer's hand on her arm, and her heart immediately warmed. He had been so incredibly kind to her. How could such a disgusting man have such a kind and lovely son? "Miss YLN!" a familiar voice suddenly sounded behind her.

Confused, she turned and looked straight into two bright blue eyes. "I'm so sorry for the way my father reacted. I keep telling him to stop, but he won't listen."

"It's okay," YN said, smiling a little.

"It's really not that bad what happened. There weren't any original documents on the table, just copies. I think the shock was more than the damage itself." As Robert ran his hand through his hair, a loose strand fell onto his forehead. It looked kind of cute, YN thought. "You don't have to worry about him kicking you out. I'll talk to him later."

YN held her breath for a moment and shook her head. "That's really very kind of you, sir... But I think I'll be leaving. This job isn't for me. I wanted to try something else, and I did, only to find that my old job is what makes me happy after all. But thank you for everything. You've been so kind to me."

He lowered his hand and nodded slowly at her. "I'm sorry, of course, but I won't stand in your way. I wish you all the best in your future."

She closed her eyes for a short moment. "I wish you the same, Mr Fischer. I wish you the same."

***

YN blinked slowly and let out a deep breath. The words had left her mouth as if on their own and her listener seemed totally captivated by the story.

"So you've left Fischer Morrow and returned to your old job as a hairdresser?" the therapist asked.

"Yes," YN said. "I did."

"And how did he become your husband?" she wanted to know.

"Since that day, I've never been able to get him out of my mind. I've always tried to block him out... But it's like he's always been in my heart."

The therapist nodded slowly and tore a sheet of paper full of notes from her clipboard.

"Fate has brought us together. Robert doesn't believe in fate, but I do. Especially since that day." Thoughtfully, she leaned back in her chair.

"About eight months later, I was shopping alone in the mall when I saw Robert standing in front of a fashion store. At first, I thought about just walking on and pretending I hadn't seen him, afraid he'd be mad at me for quitting Fischer Morrow. But then I decided to talk to him."

The therapist nodded and folded her hands in her lap.

"He was happy to see me and asked me how I was doing in my job. I noticed immediately that he wasn't wearing a wedding ring anymore, but I tried to ignore it. We chatted for quite a while, and everything seemed so relaxed. Maybe it was because he was no longer my boss' son. Eventually, I asked him what he was looking for in the mall, and he replied that he wanted to buy some new shirts and suits, but he didn't know what would suit him, since he divorced his wife who helped him choosing his outfits. YN suddenly stopped and started to laugh.

The therapist looked at her questioningly. "And then what happened?"

"Then I told him that I had an eye for stuff like that and that I could help him. And he said yes," YN closed her eyes again. Her heart beat faster at the thought. "We started seeing each other more and became closer, and our relationship developed naturally from there. He needed someone to believe in him, to remind of his worth. And I wanted to be that person for him. When Robert's father found out that we were a couple, he wasn't happy at all. I think he was still angry with me after all this time. He also called me stupid and uneducated because I never went to university."

"And... What did your husband say?"

YN smiled a little. "Of course, it affected me. But Robert told me that a degree says nothing about you as a person. He believed that true intelligence lies in passion and determination".

She paused, listening to the gentle ticking of the clock. "We got married last summer. Robert's father didn't come to the wedding. To be honest, I was glad. We spent our honeymoon in Hawaii, and it was the best time of my life. Robert is an incredibly wonderful person, and I'm lucky to have him in my life. Only this man who still has the nerve to call himself his father has completely destroyed his self-image."

YN slowly rose from her chair and straightened her jacket. "I'm done now."

The therapist smiled at her as she said goodbye and placed the clipboard next to her. "Thank you for your trust, Mrs Fischer."

"You're welcome, madam."

***

you don‘t have to watch the movie to understand the story.

age gap, but the characters are both adults. Robert is 37-39, is divorced and has a child. The reader is about 28/29.

word count: 5000+

warnings: topics like mental illness, depression, this is a quite dark and heavy story

It was just half past seven when she heard the familiar footsteps in the corridor approaching the office next door. A key was inserted into the lock and a moment later the door opened.

Glancing around to make sure her workspace wasn't too messy, she threw an old paper cup into the bin before her boss poked his head through the door.

"Good morning, Miss YLN, so busy already?" he asked with a tired smile. "It doesn't reflect well on me as a boss to have my assistant here before me. I'm sorry, Monday mornings are always a bit stressful for me."

"No problem, Mr Fischer. I've already sorted the mail for you, it's on your desk," she said kindly, watching him as he took off his coat and hung it on the coat rack, a little damp from the rain.

"Thank you, I can count on you."

He was a very elegant, handsome man, about ten years her senior, with dark hair, blue eyes, high cheekbones and an elegant black suit. She must have stared at him a little too long, because he turned to her with a questioning smile.

Immediately her cheeks flushed and she turned back to her computer screen, but by then Mr Fischer had already approached her and put some documents on her desk. "Please scan them all and email them to Mr Parker, he's been waiting for them for days," he said to her. "It would be best if we sat down together later and quickly discuss my tasks for today, there is a lot to do. If I'm not mistaken, I have a client meeting at three today."

"At two, sir," she corrected him, handing him a planner with today's date thickly underlined.

He started to grin. "You see, this is exactly why I have an assistant."

Fischer disappeared into his office.

She sighed slightly and went to work scanning the documents. She had been working for Fischer Morrow, one of the world's largest energy companies, for barely a month. Their headquarters had moved from Sydney to London after the death of their CEO, Maurice Fischer. Her current boss, Robert Fischer, was a direct descendant.

She liked Fischer Jr a lot. He was friendly, supportive and didn't get angry when things didn't go to plan. But in some ways he always seemed so unapproachable. For example, he never talked about his private life and YN had no idea who he was outside of work. Then again, he was her boss and his private life was none of her business. But deep down she admitted that she was very interested in him.

The days flew by and she finally felt as if she had been employed by Fischer Morrow for an eternity. But who Robert Fischer really was remained a mystery.

One evening, as she was about to leave, she quietly opened the door to Fischer's office. He was sitting in front of his computer, his chin resting on his hands. "Have a nice evening, Mr Fischer." He jumped slightly, obviously not having heard her come in, but then he smiled. "Thank you, you too."

YN looked at her watch. "It's almost half past seven, don't you want to finish your work soon? Don't you have a wife waiting for you?"

Mr Fischer shrugged. "I've been divorced for a few years now, and I only see my daughter at weekends. The only thing waiting for me is an empty, dark apartment."

YN held her breath. It was the first time he had told her anything about his private life. But in the same second, he seemed to regret his words.

"No one waits for me either," she said. "Except for my cat."

Fischer raised an eyebrow with a smile. "At least that's something."

Finally she said goodbye and left the office. But all the way home, she kept thinking about her conversation with Fischer.

Was he perhaps as lonely as she was?

Tired, YN lay in bed. She didn't even have the strength to change her clothes and remove her make up. Although she wanted nothing more than to get out of that itchy, uncomfortable dress and tights. A quiet meow sounded beside her and she felt something soft brush against her arm. Smiling, she pulled the cat closer and buried her face in its white fur.

Since leaving her small home village for London, she had no one to talk to. Her old friends had all left her and moved on with their own lives. Robert Fischer was the only one she spoke to regularly, though it was far from a friendship. With the cat in her arms, she turned to the other side. But what if she had feelings for him?

Maybe she should tell him. But wasn't that too much? He was still her boss, after all, and there were probably plenty of women who were interested in him.

She quickly pushed the thought aside and closed her eyes.

Robert Fischer turned curiously when he heard the quick clicking of heels in the corridor. Panting, his assistant opened the door and dropped her handbag on the desk.

"Miss YLN, are you okay?"

Her hair was messy, her coat hung loosely over her shoulders as if she hadn't had time to put it on properly, and her lipstick was a little smudged.

"I… overslept," she said, panting. "I'm sorry."

Fischer looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "It's okay. But it shouldn't happen again."

"Of course not, sir," she replied immediately.

He quickly disappeared into his office and returned with a thick stack of papers and a folder.

"Would you be so kind as to sort these documents alphabetically for me? They've been on my desk for days and I haven't had a chance to get to them. I know it's not an exciting task."

She nodded and took the heavy pile from his hand. Fischer thanked her and hurried back to his office.

Sighing, she set to work. But with each page, she found her concentration fading and her mind wandering. Her head ached, her eyes burned and she felt incredibly tired. But she tried not to show it, kept working as hard as she could and finally put the sorted file back on Mr Fischer's desk.

Exhausted, she walked back to her office, sat down in her chair and buried her face in her hands. She was shivering and her ears were ringing. Was it because she had forgotten to take her medicine today?

"Miss YLN?" she heard her boss' voice.

She turned immediately and forced a smile. "Yes, Mr Fischer?"

"I have an job interview scheduled for ten, would you be so kind as to prepare the conference room for it?"

"Of course, sir."

He stopped halfway and looked at YN questioningly. "Are you okay? You look so pale." She nodded quickly, forcing a smile. "Everything's fine, Mr Fischer." Fischer looked at her, raised his eyebrows, then handed her the key to the meeting room and disappeared back into his office.

A strange feeling of dizziness spread through her head as she walked down the long corridor leading to the conference rooms.

What was wrong with her today?

When it started to get dark outside, YN finally turned off her computer and reached for her bag. The strange dizziness had improved during the day, leading her to conclude that she simply needed a break from work. Fortunately, it was Friday. She knocked gently on Fischer's door, as she always did before leaving, to wish him a pleasant evening. He was sitting there as usual, his chin resting on his hand, deep in thought. He glanced up briefly and nodded politely, noticing her in the doorway. He looked stunningly handsome today, even after this long and exhausting day.

"I didn't ask you how the job interviews went this morning," she asked curiously. Fischer shook his head. "Terribly," he said. "None of these people I'd want in my company." His voice was cold and dismissive, and for a moment she thought he was referring to her, even though she knew he meant someone else. She smiled awkwardly and shrugged slightly. "Well, maybe the next one will be better."

Fischer remained silent.

"Have a good weekend, Mr Fischer."

"You too, Miss YLN." He gave her a friendly smile.

"Do you have any plans for the weekend? I know a good restaurant, would you like to join me?" The moment she realised what she had just said, she bit her lip, her face turning red. Had she completely lost her mind? She desperately hoped he hadn't heard what she'd asked, but it was too late. She could see Fischer raise his eyebrows in confusion and stare at her.

"No, Miss YLN. I'm not interested. I keep my work and personal life strictly separate." She immediately looked down, embarrassed. Thoughts raced through her mind like a rollercoaster and her cheeks felt as if they were on fire. "I'm sorry, Mr Fischer, I shouldn't have asked you that." She finally grabbed her bag and left the office without another word, feeling Fischer's gaze on her back.

It was drizzling lightly as she walked through the busy streets of London. The cold air did her good and she felt her head clear a little.

Why had she done this? It had been clear from the start that a man like him would reject her. But the words had come out of her mouth as if she had completely lost control. She felt a tear roll down her cheek and quickly wiped it away. She didn't want to have a mental breakdown in public, even though it felt like Fischer had torn her heart into a thousand pieces. Suddenly the strange dizziness returned and her vision blurred slightly. The sounds of London became muffled, as if she were incredibly far away.

"Miss YLN, wait!" she suddenly heard a voice behind her that seemed to be getting closer.

She turned around. The dizziness had disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. Startled, her eyes widened as she saw the person in front of her - it was Mr Fischer. What was he doing here? Had he followed her? She tried to speak, but all she could manage was a hoarse stutter.

"I wanted to apologize, Miss YLN. It wasn't very nice of me to brush you off like that," he said with a gentle laugh. His voice sounded strangely different, softer than usual. Wordless and spellbound, she stared into the pair of light blue eyes before her, apologetic and gentle in their expression. She knew Mr Fischer had blue eyes, but she'd never noticed how incredibly bright they looked. He suddenly looked so different.

"It's okay, don't worry," she managed to say, her knees shaking with excitement.

"No, no, Miss YLN. I'll think about the dinner offer, okay? Just because we work together doesn't mean we can't have dinner together, does it?" Fischer suggested, and she nodded slowly, then smiled.

Why this sudden change of heart?

"Well, see you soon." He waved goodbye and YN, still completely confused, raised her hand in response. But before she could form another thought, he had disappeared into the crowd.

Carefully, YN pressed the shutter on her old camera, focusing the lens on the small lake in front of her. Satisfied, she lowered it. She was confident that this snapshot would turn out well. This park was a place she often visited to clear her head and pursue her passion, photography, as it offered many beautiful subjects. Especially now, in autumn, when the trees were covered with colourful leaves and the silence was slowly descending, with only the occasional pedestrian passing by.

Her dizziness had eased a little, but not completely. Fortunately, it was Saturday and she had the whole day to herself. YN sat down on a bench under a tree that looked to be at least a hundred years old.

She sat there for a while, lost in thought. Eventually she got up and made her way to the West End. The streets of London were noisy and busy as she walked, looking for a warm place in a café and something to eat. Crowds of people rushed past her, music played from somewhere and loud voices filled the air. Exhausted, she rubbed her temples. Maybe she should have stayed home and rested.

Suddenly she held her breath as she spotted a familiar face in the crowd. Dark hair, high cheekbones and piercing blue eyes. Fischer. But before she could think, he had already noticed her and started to smile at her.

"Miss YLN, how nice to see you! What a coincidence!"

It was the first time she had seen him in his casual clothes rather than one of his business suits. But this was no less elegant and stylish. He was wearing a well-fitting black coat, a grey knitted jumper underneath and black trousers. It was so strange to see him outside his office at Fischer Morrow Company. Suddenly he didn't seem so unapproachable and distant anymore.

"What are you doing here?" she asked curiously.

He paused for a moment. He seemed to be considering whether or not to tell her.

"I took my little girl to her friend's house for a sleepover. She's been asking me for weeks because her mum won't let her."

"So you're a cool dad," YN replied.

Fischer rolled his eyes. "I'm the one who lets her get away with everything. We had to turn back twice because she realised she had forgotten her favourite stuffed animal and her toothbrush."

She laughed softly. In a strange way, she enjoyed him talking so openly about his life.

"Oh wow, that looks amazing. It's quite old, isn't it?" Mr Fischer pointed to the camera around her neck. "From the 1960s. But it takes incredibly good pictures for that time," she explained. Fischer seemed genuinely impressed. "Do you have more like it?"

"I have quite a few. From the 50s to the 80s, actually, and of course some modern digital cameras. Photography has been my passion since I was a child," she explained. Fischer looked at her with an interested smile. "So there's actually film in there that needs to be developed?" she nodded in confirmation. "Some photo shops still offer that service, yes."

Mr Fischer seemed genuinely interested in her hobby, asking her questions about it as they walked side by side through the streets of London. She felt incredibly comfortable in his presence and hoped he wouldn't leave so soon. Finally he pointed to the camera again. "Would you take a picture of me, please? I'd like a 60's style photo of myself." YN's heart began to beat faster in her chest. What had he just said?

"Of course, Mr Fischer," she replied nervously. "Robert. My name is Robert," he replied. Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks, completely surprised. No one at Fischer Morrow Ltd called him by his first name, and outside the company she had only heard his uncle, Peter Browning, call him Robert.

"Let's find a nice spot for the photo," he said, letting his gaze wander until it settled on a beautiful fountain.

Carefully, she picked up the camera, took a few steps back and held it directly in front of Robert's face. "Smile, please," she instructed him, finally pressing the shutter.

A pedestrian who had just passed them looked at YN with a confused expression and shook his head. Frowning, she looked after him before carefully tucking the camera into her handbag.

Are you hungry?" asked Robert. "We could go to a restaurant."

Surprised, she looked at him. "I don't know…" she said hesitantly, biting her lower lip. In fact, she had never expected to be asked such a question.

He looked at her with raised eyebrows and she could see the disappointment in his eyes. Finally, she worked up the courage to say what was on her mind.

"It's just… To be honest, you told me yesterday that you were someone who kept your work and personal life strictly separate. Maybe it would be better if we did. After all, I'm your employee."

As much as she wanted to spend time with him, she was afraid of developing even more feelings for him. Robert nodded slowly and shoved his hands into his coat pockets.

"I really like you. I just never wanted to show it, that's why I was so reserved with you and told you I wasn't interested in you".

She closed her eyes and let out a sigh as a ton of thoughts went through her head. Robert finally nodded at her with a slightly disappointed look on his face and turned on his heel.

"Wait!" she called after him.

He stopped immediately and looked at her hopefully.

"Let's give it a try, shall we?"

"YN… is that a French name?"

Robert's voice sounded slightly tipsy as he grinned curiously at her, twirling his wine glass casually in his hands.

He had taken her to a rather fancy and expensive place, the walls were dark wood panelling, the chairs were covered in red velvet and soft jazz music was playing on one of the radios. Robert looked hauntingly beautiful that night. His skin seemed incredibly soft and flawless, his jawline even more prominent, and his blue eyes shone ethereal in the dim light, almost like he wasn’t real…

She smiled, nodded and took a sip from her glass. "My father is French. I grew up in France but moved to England when I was 15."

He nodded with interest, rubbing his chin with his finger.

"And you? I heard you're Australian," she asked curiously.

Robert laughed and ran a hand through his dark hair. "Well, my accent makes it obvious."

YN blushed and looked down at her plate. What a stupid question.

But Robert didn't seem to mind too much, because he started talking about his life in Sydney, how he had finally moved to London after his father's death, and she listened with interest.

But suddenly he stopped and looked at her thoughtfully. "But I'm probably just boring you."

YN immediately shook her head. "No, you're not," she told him. "I find it really interesting to find out all this about you."

At that moment a waitress came to their table with a smile and asked YN in a friendly tone if she had enjoyed her meal. But the waitress paid no attention to Robert, YN noticed with surprise. Perhaps she was just being extra polite to the lady.

Robert pulled out a black leather wallet and rummaged through it. Quickly, YN pulled a few notes out of her handbag and handed them to the waitress. "Keep the change," she said.

The waitress looked at her with wide eyes, "Thank you, ma'am," she said gratefully, "have a nice evening.

Then she turned and left the table.

"You didn't have to do that," Robert said. "As a gentleman, it's actually my job to pay."

She shook her head in amusement. "I bet that's never happened to you before, has it?"

Robert shook his head and took the last drink from his glass. There was a moment of silence between them.

"Okay. So what's the plan for the rest of the evening?"

She looked at him in surprise. As soon as he said the words, she felt a tingle in her stomach.

The church clock struck twelve as she crossed the street hand in hand with Robert. It was freezing, and she had pulled her scarf so far up her face that only her eyes and nose were visible. Her date looked at her with amusement. "Are you going to rob a bank?" he asked, laughing out loud.

"Shh!" she snapped at him, putting her fingers to his lips. "You'll wake up the whole neighbourhood."

Although it was quite dark and she could only make out Robert, she knew that his typical mischievous grin was back on his face. She pulled him firmly behind her until they reached the small white building.

"Is this where you live?" Robert asked.

She put her finger to his lips for a second time until Robert stopped talking and looked silently into her eyes. Her heart was beating in her chest as she finally stood on her toes, put her arms around his neck and placed her lips on his. Robert returned the kiss without hesitation and gently pulled her into his arms. YN could hardly believe what was happening. It was everything she had secretly wanted for months. They remained like this for a moment before she finally let go of him and reached for her key.

She felt for Robert's upper arm and finally pulled him into her apartment, closing the door behind him. She immediately wrapped her arms around him and began to kiss him again. His lips were a little cold and tasted of wine. Together they stumbled backwards into her bedroom, taking off his coat, which she tossed carelessly to the floor.

Robert's fingers stroked carefully along her hip and fumbled a little with her belt while she was busy putting little kisses on his neck. With slightly trembling hands she pulled his jumper over his head and Robert took her hand.

"Are you nervous?" he wanted to know. She remained silent.

"Don't be," he whispered softly into her ear, taking her in his arms again and pulling her onto the bed. Breathing softly, she clung to his chest, leaned back and finally closed her eyes as she felt his warm skin against hers.

The sun shone through the half-open curtains, creating a narrow, bright streak across the floor. Blinking, she opened her eyes and stretched. But immediately a sharp pain shot through her head again and she held her forehead tiredly. Confused, she sat up and tried to remember what had happened yesterday.

But when she heard soft breathing next to her, she turned quickly and all the events of last night came back to her. Smiling, she looked over at Robert, snuggled up next to her in her beige blanket, sleeping peacefully. Tenderly stroking his messy hair, she lay down beside him again and then began to caress his bare chest. Perhaps what they had done was wrong. After all, they were two people who should never have fallen in love. But it had happened, and it felt so right. They remained in this position for some time, Robert asleep and YN lost in thought.

Her eyes swept through the bedroom until they settled on a small white box on her dresser. Quickly sitting up, she reached for it and put a small pill into her mouth. Eventually, Robert began to move a little beside her, opening his eyes tiredly. Smiling broadly, she gave him a small kiss on the tip of his nose.

"Good morning," she whispered.

"Good morning," Robert murmured in a raspy morning voice.

"Did you sleep well?" she asked.

"Yes, wonderfully." He yawned loudly and took her into his arms as she laid her head lovingly on his shoulder.

"Wait, what time is it?" he suddenly wanted to know.

"Quarter past ten, why do you ask?" she replied.

"Shit," Robert muttered as he let go of the hug, jumped out of the bed and started to pick up his clothes, which were strewn all over the floor.

"Wait, wait, where are you going?" she asked, looking at him in confusion.

"I should've picked up my daughter by now," he replied, hurrying to get dressed.

Sighing, she pulled the blanket around her a little tighter. "Can't it wait? Can't you stay for breakfast?"

"I'm sorry, but I'm sure she's already waiting for me.“ Robert dodged her questions, grabbing his coat on the floor and sighing when he saw her disappointed look.

He walked slowly towards her, stroking her chin with his finger, and finally whispered: "We can catch up later." Then he put a soft kiss on her lips before turning around and disappearing through the door. She sank back into the pillows and pulled the blanket over her head.

The rest of Sunday flew by. Mostly because her mind was on Robert and she could hardly wait to see him again tomorrow at work. She had probably never looked forward to a Monday in her life as much as she did that day.

The next morning, YN carefully applied her lipstick and looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. She noticed that the collar of her white blouse was a little crooked and quickly adjusted it. She wanted to look her best for Robert today, so he wouldn't change his mind and lose interest in her.

Humming softly, she put on her black high heels and grabbed her handbag. She quickly put another pill into her mouth and put the box in her bag. Her headache was completely gone and her head finally felt clear and light again. In a good mood, she breathed in the fresh morning air and made her way to work.

Her heels clicked on the floor as she walked down the familiar corridor of Fischer Morrow. The lights were on in Robert's office. She ran a final hand through her hair, smoothed her blouse and opened the door to her own office.

The air was stuffy and hot. Coughing, she ran to the window and opened it.

"Good morning, Miss YLN, I hope you had a nice weekend," a familiar voice sounded from behind her.

Startled, she turned to see Robert's face as he stuck his head through the door, as he always did.

Why didn't he call her by her first name? Confused, she stared at him, trying to form a clear sentence. "But… But… we spent it together…" her voice finally broke. Her head suddenly hurt again.

He seemed so different again. Not the Robert she had spent the weekend with, not the one who had apologised to her, not the one who had made her laugh and told her about his life. He seemed more like the one she had worked with for months, the one who never revealed anything about himself.

"Miss YLN? I haven't seen you since Friday, when you left my office after… asking me that question."

Her heart almost stopped. Suddenly her knees gave way and she sank to the floor.

"Are you okay? Are you feeling unwell?" Concerned, he bent down to her. "Do you want to go home again and rest?"

She nodded slightly and wiped a tear from her eye, which had turned her fingers black from the carefully applied mascara. Then she got up and left the office.

At home, she lay motionless on her bed, tears streaming down her cheeks. She couldn't think straight and her throat felt incredibly dry. The door to her room, which was only ajar, opened gently and something small and white slipped through. Sniffling, she stretched out her arms and lifted her cat onto the bed.

Everything that had happened that weekend had been fake. She had made it all up. And all of this happened because she had forgotten to take the pills against her hallucinations. Robert hadn't really followed her on Friday evening; it was all a figment of her imagination. While his real self was still sitting in the office, probably not thinking about her at all. Everything suddenly made sense: why Robert looked a bit different, why his voice sounded different, the waitress who ignored him on Saturday because she couldn’t actually see him, the pedestrian who gave her a confused look because she was talking to herself while taking the photo.

The photo.

She immediately got up, put on her shoes and ran to the photo shop where she had left the film to be developed. Her heart raced as the staff handed her the envelope with the photos. Trembling, she finally grabbed the Saturday night photo, without looking at it herself, and held it up to the staff's face. "What do you see?" she asked.

The young man looked at her in confusion, but remained polite. "The fountain at Piccadilly Circus. Great picture, it turned out really nice."

"Anything else?" she asked.

"No, ma'am," he replied, and it felt like a slap in her face. Fischer had never been there with her. Only her lonely and sad mind had led her to believe that he was interested in her and loved her. Tears welled in her eyes and she left the shop without another word. When she got home, she immediately took the white box of pills from her handbag, rushed into the kitchen, opened it and poured the pills into the bin.

Crying and with burning eyes, she finally lay down on her bed and buried her head in the pillow as her cat purred softly beside her. She must have stayed like that for hours, as the sun began to set again outside her window. When she finally lifted her head and wiped the tears from her face, she saw a dark haired man sitting beside her bed, looking at her lovingly with his pale blue eyes. A smile suddenly appeared on her face and she began to laugh, pulling the man into a tight hug.

some explanations because i know that story is kinda mind-fucking:

• Is Robert Fischer all a creation of the readers mind?

- No he actually exists, he’s her boss and she‘s in love with him but she imagines dating him.

• When is he real, when is he fake?

- - The Robert Fischer in the office is real, he turns her down when she asks him out, leaving YN heartbroken. The moment she leaves the office, she starts to imagine what it would be like if he apologised to her, so the man who follows her is just her imagination. The real Robert Fischer is still in his office at Fischer-Morrow.

When she visits the city on Saturday and meets "Robert" and goes on a date with him, it's also just her imagination. That's why other people react to her with confusion, because she's basically talking to herself all the time. On Sunday morning, when she wakes up next to him, he's still fake. When she takes her pills, he quickly "disappears" (he says he has to pick up his daughter...) because they stop her hallucination.

On Monday morning, when she gets back to her office, the real Robert Fischer is there again, who hadn't seen her since he had rejected her on Friday evening.