Trust Me // George Weasley

Chapter 27: The Stars

There was a weird mood at work today but Anna could not seem to figure out why. Three months after the explosion she was back to her usual four and a half days a week. Yuni was back full-time too but Nico still only worked three days instead of his usual five. This seemed strange to Anna. He loved his job more than anything, she was unaware of the fact that the attack had this much impact on him.
When she tried talking to him about he would immediately change the subject. He would ask her if she had sold any more paintings, which she had, six in total so far, or he would tell her about his new gardening tools. Nevertheless, it was strange and she hoped that he would soon feel okay enough to be back to work full-time again.
The day went slow and the tension never seemed to leave the office, that was until Nico called her into the kitchen near the end of the day. She followed him in and he closed the door. There was a relieved, yet sad look on his face.
"Anna, I need to talk to you," he sighed. She nodded and sat down with him. "You're not going to like it, love, but it's for the best." Worry and concern fell over her immediately and she took his hand.
"What's going on, Nico?" she asked him worriedly.
"Do you remember the day you told me you paint too? I told you that the day your art got exhibited was the day I would quit working," he said. Her eyebrows furrowed together and her lips parted slightly. "After the explosion, I was already considering it. I love working at the museum but I'm about to turn 68 and my wife and I want to buy a camper and travel."
"No, Nico," she said but he stopped her.
"When you told me that you had the opportunity to exhibit your art at LittleGallery, I knew that it was a sign from the universe, love. It was the universe finalising my decision. I just put in my two-week notice," he explained. She tried her hardest to blink away the tears that had formed in her eyes.
"Now I don't want you to be sad," he said and wiped a tear that had escaped the corner of her eyes with his thumb. "I will come to visit the museum a lot and I'm always only a call away. I asked our bosses if I could give you the news personally."
"I don't want you to quit," she said softly. She knew that it was okay, he was getting old and ready to retire, but it still sucked. This was the last thing she had thought would happen. From day one she had been so sure that he would never quit, but here they were. Life was unpredictable.
"I know, love," he said, a gentle smile on his lips. "But me quitting doesn't mean we won't be chatting anymore! You will just have to come over for tea every so often and tell me about George, the museum, your art, your wanker of a father. As I said, I am only a call away."
"Now I wish my art never got exhibited," she said, which made Nico chuckle. He shook his head and then pulled her in for a hug. "As long as you're happy then it's okay. But I am going to miss you a lot."
"I will miss you too, Anna. But you're not going to have a lot of time to miss me as Art Curator," he said. She looked at him with a confused frown on her face.
"What are you saying?" she asked suspiciously. "I'm an assistant art curator."
"Yes, for another two weeks you are, but someone has to fill in my spot and I gave them a personal recommendation," he said, a mischievous grin on his lips.
"No way," she gasped. "So, I'm going to be an official art curator? Not just an assistant? Nico, you! I can't believe you did that!" Her arms flew around his neck and once more they embraced each other tightly. Everything she had achieved at the museum was thanks to him and she couldn't be more grateful to have him in her life.
"You practically already are but it has a bit of a different ring to it, doesn't it?" he smiled and patted her on the back gently. "I'm a man of my word. Your art got exhibited. It's time for me to quit."
"Will you send postcards when you and Eliza travel around?" she asked.
"Only if you send postcards of London back." They shook hands to confirm their deal and she laughed a little. "No more tears about it, okay? I get that you're sad, I would be too if the office stud left," he said with a grin, making her laugh some more. "But I want to retire."
"Then you should do it," she smiled and sighed a little. "But yes, it does make me sad knowing that you won't be around at the office every day. But I'm looking forward to your postcards."
"I'm looking forward to sending them."