Old Friend | Valerie Tulle

Chapter Five

 Arthur Hall began to wonder if he was in love with Valerie Tulle.

 In the few months they spent together, he found he enjoyed her company much more than he remembered enjoying it in the past. Perhaps he had merely been friendless for so long that he forgot how great it is to have someone to spend time with who actually likes you, and understands you. Arthur certainly felt a connection to Valerie, one he definitely liked.  

 They begun going out together more often, rather than just working at the tavern together. They went out to dinner a few times as well as the, movie theater, and even catching a musical or two. They had fun together, every time.

 And yet, Arthur still felt that Valerie seemed so far away, so lost, so sad. She had always been a bit of a loner, not quite fitting in with the other heretics. But she showed up back in London completely be herself, with no sign of the rest of her clan. He thought it odd, but wasn't sure how to ask her about it.

~~~~~~ 

 "Thanks for joining me," Valerie said as they stopped outside her building. "You know, I really didn't think musicals were your thing, but I think you liked it."

 "Well, you convinced me," Arthur said. "It was nice to see you smile about something, Valerie. It always is."

 Valerie smiled at that. "Well, I guess I should be getting inside. See you tomorrow."

 "Wait, Valerie."

 Valerie stopped. "Yes?"

 "I..." Arthur didn't know what to say. He didn't want to have to say goodnight yet, and he wasn't sure what he could say to her to make her stay longer. So he did the only other thing he could think of. He kissed her.

 He kissed her, and he could feel her kiss him back. Perhaps she had been thinking about, too, and just kept it well-hidden.

 But she pulled away from him as suddenly as he had kissed her.

 "I'm sorry," she said. "I shouldn't have...I should go."

 "Valerie, hold on. Stay a little longer. Do you regret that kiss that much?"

 "Yes, I do. I should not have let it happen."

 "Well, why not?" Arthur asked. "We like each other, we've been going out for three months now, and you've enjoyed being around me. And I'm the one that kissed you, so don't act like you've done anything wrong. What happened to you, Valerie? I mean, you're warm sometimes, but other times you're so cold and distant, like you don't want to have to feel anything."

 Valerie had turned away from him as he spoke. Now she turned around again and said in a low voice, "You want to know what happened to me? When I was a human, I fell in love and got pregnant, and then my baby was taken from me by a monster. I tried to kill myself, but I just ended up becoming this, a creature I never wanted to be. Then we were all trapped in a prison world because of what we were. And as if that wasn't enough, Lily and the other heretics are all dead, and the man I loved was a man I could never have. So, there you have it, Arthur. That is what happened to me."

 She went into the building, leaving Arthur standing on the sidewalk, completely dumbstruck.

~~~~~~

 Arthur walked home in a sour mood. But he wasn't mad at Valerie so much as himself.

 You couldn't have left it alone, he thought. You just had to go butting in, didn't you? And now look what you've done. You kissed her, and you upset her. Fantastic.

 He had to apologize, he knew. He would give some time to calm down, and then he'd go see her and talk to her. More than anything else, he just wanted to comfort her.