Arthur Kirkland, the student council president, was very exhausted.
It was a week before Valentine's Day, and as usual, he became even more busy. Why? It was the time of the year where the most popular annual club will open yet again. Arthur Kirkland was the creator of said club, one of his many brilliant ideas and a project of the student council, and in turn, he became the president of it. In a span of two years, it became really successful that they made more money than they anticipated.
Originally, the club was called Valentine Club, since it only opened every February. However, the student body dubbed it the Lonely Hearts Club, finding it much more fitting than the initial name, and it just kind of stuck.
"Oh damn. Remind me again why I started this in the first place?" Arthur complained as he stretched, hearing his bones pop and letting out a groan of satisfaction.
Elizaveta, a Hungarian student that had recently become his vice-president, laughed a bit, biting her tongue to keep herself from retorting something that would agitate her president. She learned that the hard way. Continuing to cut little hearts from red paper, she answered in the simplest way possible.
"No idea, you never did tell me." She said with a shrug, even though she (and everyone else in the club) knew just why he started it.
Sure enough, a light pink hue dusted the Brit's cheeks that he tried to hide by looking away, doing a pretty good job at it. Elizaveta looked at him with a small smile, knowing he was holding back. Abandoning her work, she stood up and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You know, the Lonely Hearts Club are for everyone." She said in a soft manner, wanting Arthur to know that she had the purest intentions, that she only intended to help him. Arthur looked up, the light pink turning into a darker shade.
"I-I know that... It's just that..." He trailed off, but Elizaveta understood. She squeezed his shoulder comfortingly before going back to fix their things.
"Maybe the club can help you forget him. It's been three years after all." She pointed out with a shrug, grabbing her backpack and throwing it on, meeting the Brit's pained gaze with a smile.
"Well, I'm off. Make sure not to tire yourself too much again, m'kay?" She reminded, waving a hand before walking away, leaving Arthur alone with his thoughts and memories.
The said Brit sighed, starting to fix the mess around him. Elizaveta was right, he should at least try to start over. But everyone knew he had huge trust issues that grew even larger after that terrible memory almost three years ago. Groaning, he ran a hand through his sweaty hair.
"I really should call it a day, so I can relax at home with a cup of tea." He mumbled to himself, smiling at the idea of relaxation. He finished cleaning up, placing the application forms on the table of the booth. As he did so, he bit his lip, the urge of signing up to his own club getting unbearable.
Arthur assessed his situation. If he signed up, there was a chance that he'd be paired up with someone awful, or worse, him. However, positively, his members wouldn't even dare putting his name close to that bastard's, and his pairing committee has never failed to pair the most compatible people before. Moreover, if he was paired with someone he didn't like, he can just not continue into a relationship. It was still the people's choice what they want to do after the Lonely Hearts Club has paired them.
Biting his lip, Arthur stared at the application forms as if they were snakes, waiting for him to get near enough. There won't be a 'going back' after he signed. Tomorrow, when the booth opened, he was expected to walk around and help everywhere to keep the event from getting too chaotic. If he signed up now, he won't be able to erase it.
Taking a deep breath, he picked up his pen.