Tom turned his gaze, and their eyes met again. The girl’s face was calm, bravely meeting his deep gaze, but her heart inexplicably sped up, and her blood felt warm. He smiled and asked her, “So? Have you found someone reliable?”
“Too rushed, I feel,” Agnes looked away.
“I’ll try tomorrow.”
She was very willing to help him.
“If you need any help, just let me know.”
Tom Fritz turned and took a new computer from the cabinet, walking towards her.
“Use this, see if there’s any work you need to complete.”
She was slightly stunned. When she looked up again, she met those deep eyes once more. There was a gentle smile in his eyes. She quickly glanced at the computer he handed her and then at the one on his desk.
“You have two computers?”
“Standard setup. Take it. I used it for drawing before; most of the software is already installed, so you shouldn’t need to install anything temporarily.”
The girl carefully took it with both hands.
“Thank you.”
Tom Fritz turned and walked away. Holding the computer, Agnes looked around the tastefully decorated study room.
“Your private space?”
“Yes.”
Tom sat down at the desk and casually opened his computer.
“My dad and mom each have their own study because we like different books, and our need for the study often overlaps.”
Having a big house is nice; rich people must save themselves a lot of trouble, right? But rich people also have troubles, like the problem he’s facing now that money can’t solve. Money can’t buy love or marriage or a suitable partner to spend the rest of life with.
While logging into his social media account, Tom Fritz said to her, “You can sit on the sofa over there or move a chair next to my desk, whatever you prefer.”
“Okay.”
Not wanting to disturb him too much, she took the computer and walked to the sofa by the window. At home, she also liked using her computer this way, sitting cross-legged on the sofa.
“You can browse any books on the shelf; see if there’s anything you like,” Tom said gently.
“Thanks, no need.”
The girl sat down on the sofa and smiled at him, feeling a bit reserved.
“You go ahead with your work; having the computer is enough.”
“Okay.”
Tom Fritz didn’t say anything more. His slender fingers grasped the mouse and opened his social media account’s email.
From that moment on, he was in a different state of mind. His mood became heavy; before returning to the lab, he had to finish reading these emails and then seriously reply to that girl’s email.
He had to put an end to her years of longing and love; there might be regrets, but it was better than ignoring it altogether. This was seven years of a girl’s youth that he was destined to disappoint. But he couldn’t do nothing; he had to give her some compensation or verbal comfort. He was always thinking of a perfect solution with appropriate language to minimize the harm to her.
Agnes sat on the sofa with his computer on her lap while he worked not far away. She felt somewhat uneasy and kept getting distracted. So she took out her phone and called her sister; after all, she would have to call her tonight anyway.
After a while, Summer’s voice came through-
“Agnes, why aren’t you home yet?” Summer had just arrived home but didn’t see any sign of her sister or any evidence of dinner being prepared in the kitchen.
“Summer.”
Agnes’s voice was small; she wasn’t trying to whisper but didn’t want to disturb Tom’s work too much.
“I’m at Mr. Johnson’s studio; I don’t plan on coming back tonight.”
As she said this, Tom glanced at her but didn’t say anything and quickly returned his attention to his emails.