At the close of the team briefing, Caroline noticed Aidan heading towards the kitchenette and followed him.
‘Aidan, can I have a quick word?’ she asked.
‘Sure.’
‘I just wanted to check everything’s okay. You seem a bit down today and I’m worried about you.’
Aidan seemed to consider this for a moment before answering. ‘It’s fine, honestly. It’s nothing.’
‘Well it’s clearly something. Look, we’re a small team. I care about you all. If something’s on your mind, I want to help.’
‘I know. I appreciate that. But you don’t need to worry. It’s not work related.’
‘It doesn’t need to be. I’m talking as your friend, not your boss. I’m concerned, that’s all.’
Aidan looked at her and let out a sigh. ‘I just had some bad news, that’s all. A bit of a shock.’
‘Nothing serious, I hope?’
‘No-one’s died, if that’s what you mean. It’s just… I’ve been seeing this guy for a while, and I thought things were looking really promising but he decided to let me know last night he’s going to Australia for work. An offer he can’t refuse, apparently. Which made me feel brilliant.’
‘Ah,’ Caroline said, not quite sure of the right words. She knew it was terrible to be so pre-occupied with it, but the biggest surprise for her had been the boyfriend bit.
‘Sorry, you probably didn’t need to know that,’ he said.
‘No, it’s fine. I mean, of course it is. I just didn’t realise… You know.’
‘I don’t tend to talk about my private life at work, so if you could keep all that to yourself…’
‘Of course. No, of course. I wouldn’t dream of telling anyone. So what are you going to do?’
Aidan shrugged. ‘What can I do? I’m not moving to bloody Melbourne. Not after the way he acted. I mean, you’d think he might at least tell me he’d been offered a job and was thinking about it, wouldn’t you? Or given it some thought, perhaps? But no, the first thing he tells me is he’s flying out next Wednesday. Doesn’t even seem to have been a hard decision for him. So if that’s the way he feels, sod him. Plenty more fish in the sea and all that.’
‘Well, that’s a very refreshing outlook.’
Aidan shrugged again. ‘Not much choice, really. I’m crap at being single. Nothing else to do but get back on the horse and find someone else.’ He stopped talking as they heard footsteps approaching.
Caroline tried not to look awkward and guilty as Sara said hello and flashed an extra smile at Aidan. The poor girl. She’d been down enough, thinking that Aidan wasn’t attracted to her. It’d break her heart to find out he never would be. Caroline felt awful at how quickly her worries shifted to more practical ones. They were only a small team. To have two of them living with their heads in the clouds and their hearts in the gutter would be less than ideal. But how could she possibly tell Sara there was no chance of Aidan ever being interested in her?
She forced a smile, realising and accepting — however harsh it sounded — that it simply wasn’t her problem. She was more than happy to be a friend and confidante, but they were at work and she wasn’t employed as an agony aunt. In any case, she had problems of her own to attend to.