Out Of Time | A Shelby

thirteen

Nancy woke up alone. Alone, but for the first time in a long time, her first thought was to break into a smile.

"My god, that was worth waiting for."

The words Arthur had whispered to her after kissing her had been floating around inside her mind ever since they passed his lips.

Nancy had seen Arthur before. She'd noticed the way he always stood with his legs spread apart and his arms folded angrily at his chest. She'd noticed how his eyes would be glaring at almost everyone that ever crossed his path, the way he'd always clear his throat before he lit a cigar, and the way he cracked his knuckles when he was nervous.

But last night was the first time that Nancy felt like she had seen Arthur. She saw his blue eyes with the sprinkling of green around them, the freckles that were scattered across his nose and the way his lips would twitch as he tried to not let himself smile too much when he looked at her.

She was seeing Arthur in a way that she was sure not many people had seen him, or ever would see him. Sure, she had always thought he was a good looking man, but Nancy had never let her imagination run any further than that, especially after meeting his wife.

But since last night, Nancy's mind had gone a million miles further than before. She thought about his broad shoulders and his weathered hands, the veins that ran down his arms and the stubble on his jaw. She was attracted to Arthur in a way she hadn't been before. The way his eyes pulled her in was something she'd never felt. He looked at her like he wanted her, desire burning inside the blue, it made Nancy feel a certain type of way that she didn't think it was possible for her to feel again after what had happened to her.

Arthur had left not long after they shared the kiss. Nancy had a theory that he'd panicked, looking down at his watch and telling her he had to go. She felt a twang of sadness pull on her heart strings as he stood up, but she knew it was probably better that he left sooner rather than later.

They said goodbye. Nancy thought Arthur might've kissed her once more, but he lingered on the doorstep for a split second before disappearing into the night.

Nancy dropped Vincent off at school the following day and made her way to work. She worked in one of the factory offices in Small Heath as a secretary with a group of other women, overseen by an older gentleman with an separate office at the end of the hallway.

She sat down at her desk, said good morning to her coworkers and began her tasks for the day. Nancy didn't mind her job. It gave her a sense of freedom that she hadn't experienced since becoming a mother and she enjoyed making her own money and building relationships with the other women in the office.

"Good morning ladies," the boss walked out of his office and into the middle of the desks the girls shared, "We have a new starter today, her name is Linda, I'm sure you'll make her feel very welcome."

Nancy's eyes widened as she looked at the slender blonde woman stood beside her boss, a beaming smile on her face as she nodded at her new coworkers eagerly. Not wanting to be rude, Nancy smiled at her when she turned in her direction.

At first, it looked like Linda had given her the same warm reception as she had everybody else, but Nancy noticed her smile fall slightly and her mind begin to race as she stared at her.

Nancy wasn't sure what Arthur had told his ex-wife. She didn't know if he'd explained to her that he in fact wasn't having an affair with her, or if he decided the argument wasn't worth it. Either way, the fact that Nancy had now kissed him made her feel incredibly guilty, even if they had been divorced for a while now.

She put her head down and got on with her day, trying to keep herself busy so Linda would avoid disturbing her if it was in her plans to come over and confront her.

After what seemed like a week, the clock struck five and Nancy packed up her things and headed for the exit. She thought she'd successfully avoided Linda, that was, until she heard her name being called on her way out.

"Nancy? It's Nancy Lewis, isn't it?"

Nancy grimaced and took a deep breath before turning on her heels, a sincere-looking smile on her face as she walked over to Linda who was still packing up her desk.

"Evans, actually. My name is Nancy Evans."

Linda looked her up and down. Nancy knew exactly what she was doing. She was looking at Nancy, a young, petite woman with an almost childlike frame, thinking what on earth she had that Linda didn't that would make her ex-husband cheat with her.

Only, that wasn't what had actually happened.

"Oh, I apologise. I know you from somewhere, don't I? We've definitely met?"

Nancy held her smile despite desperately wanting to roll her eyes. She had been speaking to Linda for less than a minute and she was already unbearable.

"Yes," Nancy tilted her head with a smile, "We have. I stayed with Esme and John for a while."

Linda smiled falsely and nodded as if her memory had been jogged when she knew full well when and where the two had crossed paths before.

"That's right," Linda said, "You we're with my husband, weren't you?"

Nancy raised an eyebrow, confusion washing over her.

"Husband? I was under the impression you had separated? Have I got that wrong?"

Linda just laughed, her high-pitched cackle making Nancy's skin crawl and ears split.

"Yes, we just had a little time away from each other, that's all. In fact I'm meeting him after work in a few minutes."

"Oh really?"

Nancy smiled as Linda carried on talking, despite her insides feeling like they were slowly falling apart. She'd swallowed her pride and followed Linda out of the factory a few minutes later, still listening to her talking excessively about her and Arthur's relationship.

It made Nancy want to throw up. She had no idea that Arthur and Linda were getting back together. Arthur hadn't mentioned her once whenever they'd been with one another, and he certainly hadn't mentioned her last night.

"Here is he! Arthur!"

Nancy stood a few paces behind Linda as she walked over to Arthur who was stood with his back to them. The horror on his face and the way his eyes looked blank as he turned around and saw Nancy stood there, desperately trying to hold herself together, was a look that she would never forget.

"Nancy." Arthur said in a shocked breath, swallowing profusely as his eyes flickered between her and Linda who was stood looking extremely happy with herself, clinging onto Arthur's arm.

Nancy said nothing. She simply turned around with her head held high, and left.