The morning after her first date with Will, she is awakened by the harsh beeping of the alarm clock on her bedside table. After turning it off, she wanders about the apartment getting ready for her day. She wears a bright smile as she washes her face and combs her hair, and hums a cheerful tune as she gets dressed. Her date with Will went better than she ever thought it would, and she feels better than she has in weeks. Her good mood lasts until she walks into her small kitchen and looks at the calendar hanging on the wall. Studying it, she realizes it's been five weeks: five weeks to the day since she banished her ex-husband across the town line.
She sighs and runs her hand through her hair exasperatedly. She has tried so hard to forget him. She moved out of the house they shared, and into the only apartment building in town that he did not own. She locked the chipped cup away in the safe in his shop, and hasn't been back since. She hid the Dagger, and vowed to herself that she would never go looking for it again.
And yet, even when he is hundreds - possibly even thousands - of miles away from her, his ghost is still here. One part of her is screaming at the other, frustrated by her inability to let him go. Just get over him already! He never treated you like he should have! He is not worth your thoughts or your time! Have some respect for yourself and forget about him! As much as she would like to, a person does not get over a relationship of that depth in only a few weeks.
These thoughts continue to swirl around her brain as she opens the door and steps out into the hallway. In her agitated state, she nearly steps on the object that has been left right outside the door. But she catches herself at the last second, and just barely avoids stepping on the long-stemmed rose lying on the floor.
She bends down to pick it up, and notices a small piece of paper attached to it. Intrigued, she unfolds it and begins to read:
Belle,
Had a great time with you last night. Hopefully we can do it again sometime, if you'll have me of course.
Will
Smiling to herself, she feels as though a weight has been lifted off of her shoulders as she comes to a realization that she has been unable to reach during these last few weeks.
Right now she is not completely okay. Her heart has been broken, and it will take some time to heal. But it will heal. And she will be okay. Better than okay. She will find her happy ending.
A happy ending that will include all of the friends, both old and new, who have been there for her these past few weeks. A happy ending that will include her lunches with Ruby at Granny's every Friday. A happy ending that will include Leroy, who comes into the library every week to check out one book or another. A happy ending that - surprisingly - will include Killian Jones, who has been nothing but kind towards her since they began working together as research partners.
She will find her happy ending. A happy that will most certainly include her beloved books, and perhaps a certain dark-haired thief who left her a rose this morning.