Everything is Beautiful by Eleanor Ray (best classic romance novels txt) 📕

sipped her tea from an anonymous office mug and tried not to think about it.

Another message popped up on her screen from Liam. It was the seventh this morning. Starting chirpy enough, they were getting a whiny, anxious quality, and the time between messages was dwindling.

Ignoring me? She deleted it.

You can’t be that busy. Amy pressed delete again.

Everything OK? Amy considered replying to this one with a simple no. Then she thought of his arm snaking around her waist. Married. She couldn’t bear to write back to him, but she needed the messages to stop.

‘Carthika,’ she said. ‘Is there a way to block someone from sending you instant messages?’

‘Course,’ said Carthika. She leaned over, just as another message popped up. Amy deleted it as quickly as she could. ‘Getting too full-on?’ she asked, with a grin.

‘It’s nothing that concerns you,’ said Amy.

‘Sorry,’ said Carthika. ‘I didn’t mean to pry.’ Her eyes, however, were still on Amy’s screen. Another message came up.

‘Please make it stop,’ said Amy.

‘Are you sure?’ asked Carthika. She looked genuinely disappointed. ‘We all thought . . . ’

Amy held up a hand to silence her. ‘We all?’ she said, incredulous. How many people knew about the date? Amy felt anger and embarrassment rising up inside her, taking its outlet as a red flush on her face. It wasn’t enough that a married man had pursued her, he had also told her entire team. She wondered what they’d heard.

‘Don’t look so upset,’ said Carthika. ‘Everyone wants you to be happy.’

‘I will be happy if I never see that man again,’ said Amy.

‘Well, you won’t get any more instant messages,’ said Carthika, pressing a button. She placed a hand on Amy’s arm and whispered in her ear. ‘Just because he wasn’t right for you,’ she said, ‘doesn’t mean that you won’t find someone else. Don’t give up.’

Amy was just about to tell her to mind her own business and get back to work when she found Carthika’s arms wrapped around her body, and she was drawn into a deep and warm hug that smelt of jasmine blossom. Amy lingered there a moment, breathing deeply. ‘Thank you,’ she found herself saying instead.

‘Don’t mention it,’ said Carthika, eventually releasing the embrace. ‘What are friends for?’

*

Amy stared at the clock on the office wall. It was charmless, a simple white face with black numbers and a hand that seemed to circle ridiculously slowly. Amy longed for the beautiful timepieces she kept at home, certain that even the ones that had long ceased to tick would move more quickly than this stubborn device. Finally the clock could resist the inevitable laws of space and time no more, and it struck five p.m.

Amy leapt up and grabbed her bag. With a half-smile at Carthika, and a nod that she hoped conveyed gratitude for her kindness, Amy hurried to the lift. She wanted to be out of this office, away from Liam and back with her things. She felt as if there were more the contents of her box had to tell her, if only she could spend long enough listening.

A hand sneaked between the lift doors as they closed and the doors opened again, revealing Liam. His face looked puffier than usual. ‘What a day,’ he said, getting inside.

Amy didn’t reply. The lift reached the ground floor. He waved to the receptionist and fell into step alongside Amy, who was walking as fast as she could towards the station.

‘I expect you didn’t see my messages,’ he said. ‘I sent a few.’

‘I saw them,’ said Amy, her voice icy.

‘Good,’ said Liam, his voice sounding uncertain as to whether that was good or not. He was a little shorter than Amy and practically running to keep up. ‘Can you slow down a bit?’

‘I have a train to catch,’ replied Amy.

‘I’ll walk you to the station,’ said Liam.

‘I’d rather you didn’t.’

‘It’s no trouble,’ puffed Liam.

Amy swung into the station, hoping to lose Liam in the crowds, but he stuck with her. She was pleased to see she was just in time for the 17.07. She hurried towards her platform, Liam scuttling behind her like a determined dog.

‘This is my train,’ said Amy, getting on board. ‘Goodbye.’

Liam stood on the platform. ‘About the messages,’ he said.

Amy decided she had to be more direct. ‘I’d prefer it if you left me alone in the office,’ she said. To her surprise, he grinned at her.

‘That’s a relief,’ he said. He winked. ‘I thought you’d gone off me. Keep business and pleasure separate. Nice thinking.’

To her surprise he hopped on the train. ‘How about we go for a drink now, instead?’ asked Liam. ‘We’re not in the office.’

‘No,’ said Amy, stepping back. ‘Definitely not.’

‘Are you OK, love?’ asked a man, leaning against a pole near the train door. He stood up straight and Amy saw that he towered over Liam. ‘This guy bothering you?’

Little beads of perspiration appeared on Liam’s forehead as if he were a mug covered in condensation.

‘I’m fine, thank you,’ said Amy, feeling a spark of pity for Liam. ‘This man was just leaving.’

Her protector grunted and turned away. The train doors shut before Amy could insist that Liam got off. Liam wiped the sweat beads across his face, leaving a wet trail.

‘Looks like I’m coming to your house,’ he quipped.

‘Absolutely not,’ said Amy. ‘You can get off at the next stop.’

She walked down the carriage and sat in the only available seat in a group of four. She glanced at the other passengers in her bank: a dark-haired woman reading an Italian newspaper, a young man playing some kind of game on his phone and a teenage girl listening to music and staring out of the window.

‘I was only joking,’ he said, following her and standing awkwardly in the aisle. ‘Listen, I just want to spend some time with you. That’s all. No pressure.’

‘There will be no more dates,’ said Amy, her voice firm. She noticed the woman reading the paper glance up at her.

The train jolted