“Delphie! My short-lived best friend!” Aled smiles when he sees me. He’s wearing a purple jacquard waistcoat over a brown shirt today. He looks like a snooker player. “Did you find your missing body, love?” he asks, in a more excitable tone than that particular set of words should allow. Another library member side eyes me with horror.

“My missing alive person. Yes. I found them.”

“Ah, jolly good. So you are ready to read for pleasure then? I’ve actually made a list of recommendations for you—”

“No…no, I mean, that’s lovely of you, Aled, but I came to ask for another favour. It’s quite an ask, though.”

“Ooh,” Aled says. “Go ahead.”

“Well. I have a friend, Mr. Yoon. Super cool guy. He’s just been in hospital. He’s fine, thank God, but he’s old. He’s lived around here for a very long time but he doesn’t know many people in town.”

“No friends? How very sad. Poor him.”

“Some people are lone wolves,” I say, prickling at the overt pity in Aled’s voice.

“Ah, not me. I like there to be as many people in my life as possible. I collect people, like ornaments. I have different people for different things.”

I pull a face because collecting friends like ornaments is one of the creepier concepts I have encountered recently. “What am I for then?” I ask, curiosity getting the better of me. “How do I add to your collection?”

“Well, we are at the start of our relationship, so I don’t have it figured all the way out yet. Although I suspect you may have come into my life as my grumpy friend. The one I have to work hard to soften, but can never quite manage to. We’ve already made great progress—the first day I met you, you scowled the whole time. Today you have only scowled once! You will teach me the art of perseverance, I expect.”

I laugh at his blatant main character energy and continue on with my request. “Anyway. I want to hold a little party for Mr. Yoon. Something to celebrate him and to also introduce him to some of the neighbourhood locals.”

“My grumpy friend with a centre as soft as honey, it seems,” Aled says thoughtfully. “I’ll be there. Just let me know where and when.”

“Well, no, that’s the thing. I was hoping we could hold it here…in the music room specifically. Mr. Yoon used to play the violin, so I know he likes music. And it’s such a beautiful space.”

“Hmm. I mean, we would have to put in a formal request. Luckily for you, I am the one who decides, and I can tell you right now that it’s going to be a yes from me. When are you thinking? September? October? December is tricky because of Christmas bookings, but perhaps on a weekday?”

“Actually, I was thinking tomorrow. Which I know is ridiculously short notice, but I’m going away for a bit, and I don’t know when I’ll be back. So I’m in somewhat of a rush.”

Aled grimaces. “Holding such a short-notice party here at the library would be against all of the rules. And libraries mean nothing without rules.”

“It wouldn’t be for long,” I plead. “A couple of hours at most. And not more than ten people, probably. It would be super low-key. And tomorrow is Sunday—the rest of the library will be closed, so we could keep it a secret.” I press my hands together. “Please,” I ask, my voice cracking. “The music room is so beautiful and you are the mighty keeper of the keys.”

Aled presses a hand to his chest and looks around before leaning towards me and whispering, “I am indeed the mighty keeper of the keys, and while technically this is against all the rules and I could possibly get fired, I do owe you.”

“You owe me?” My eyebrows shoot up.

“Frida,” he says. “We’ve been texting nonstop. She is a delight. Did you know she can speak four different languages? And that she has a qualification in dog grooming?”

“Um, no,” I say, impressed. “I haven’t known her very long. We only hung out briefly.”

“Delphie, she is wonderful. It’s early days but I have a feeling she may turn out to be more than my most beautiful new friend. I mean, not that you aren’t beautiful. But…” He turns red.

“Chill.” I pat his arm lightly. “Frida is gorgeous, I know. And genuinely lovely.”

“She truly is, right? When you come back from wherever you’re going, we must all do something together! Oh, we could invite R. L. Cooper too! Wouldn’t that be fun?”

I swallow down a lump in my throat as I realise that the thought of doing something like that doesn’t fill me with horror the way it certainly would have done last week. It actually sounds like it would be fun. Nope. Not helpful to even consider that.

“Is three p.m. tomorrow okay?” I say. “No more than ten to fifteen people?”

Aled nods, and clasps my hands. “I have never broken the rules before,” he says in a giddy voice.

I clasp his hands back and give them a squeeze. “Well, Aled, maybe it’s time we live a little.”