Vera Gilmore had always been a bit separated from her peers because of the way she was raised but she wouldn't trade her life as Tilly's apprentice for anything. As friendly as Vera tried to be, she could never really get close to anyone. All her friendships were superficial at best.
And dating? Ha! Her boyfriends in high school were all jerks in the end. None of them lasted more than a few months.
She was hopeful about finding her people in college. Maybe another history major? Someone who appreciated the beauty of old things even a sliver as much as she did.
In her very first history class, she ended up finding someone else instead. Someone she didn't expect but wouldn't trade for anything either. Casey Parker. The incredibly shy, incredibly anxious English major she partnered with on the first group project of the semester.
He wasn't Vera's usual type at all, though he was cute. Even with the bangs that covered half of his face.
Honestly though? That was a good thing. Her usual type had terrible personalities and always shut her down about her passion. Not him though. He listened to her like she was the most interesting person in the world.
Casey had an extremely expressive face, whether his emotions were positive or negative. That sort of genuine interest couldn't be faked by someone whose face was an open book.
Vera couldn't talk to anyone in her other classes so easily. She decided he would be her new best friend before the group project was even over. Giving him that tip about the disability office was the obvious thing to do. She didn't want him to be miserable.
He seemed to have some sort of anxiety disorder. Poor thing.
Casey was so sweet though. Earnest too. He cared about Vera's opinion more than anyone else she had ever met, aside from Tilly. Vera could use more people like that in her life.
When he mentioned worrying about his ability to graduate on time, it was only natural to offer him a job at Old and Bold if he wanted it. Tilly had always done this on her own before Vera was old enough to take on her own jobs but having a partner wouldn't significantly cut into her earnings. Not to the point of making it unlivable at the very least.
She needed to think long term. Trying to do everything on her own once Tilly was too old sounded stressful.
Even if Casey didn't ultimately take Vera up on it, this would still give her more of an excuse to hang out with him. Teaching him what she knew.
She didn't know how else to get him to spend time with her outside of class. She had to do something. The more she saw him, the more she liked him. Forget her usual type! Shy sweethearts might just be the way to go.
Casey was a quick learner too. That made things easier. At this rate, he might be able to assist her on jobs in about a year. Assuming he even wanted to.
Vera was both happy for him and concerned about her plan being a bust when he finally got an internship set up. As an editor. She knew English majors often went into editing if they didn't get into writing or teaching but he hadn't said anything about his plans before.
"Do you want to go into editing later? You never mentioned specifically what you planned to do with your major," she said.
Casey shrugged in response. "Possibly. It's an option I'm looking into. Guess I'll have to see how the internship goes. If I like it, I might try to do online editing gigs so I can still help you at the shop."
Vera's heart flipped in her chest. Wait. She wasn't his backup plan anymore? She was his first plan? When did he decide that?!
"You would really do that for me? I thought it was just your backup plan!"
"Yeah. I may not be as passionate about it as you are but I like it."
Vera couldn't stop an overly wide smile from spreading across her face. "I'm glad. It'll be nice having you around more often."
The more she saw him, the more likely it was that she would be able to get her feelings across. Wasn't it? With how shy he was and how low his self-esteem seemed to be, that would be a real challenge.
One she was up for though. Casey was worth it.
Admittedly, she missed him when he was around less often once his internship started. She worried about him too, after seeing the state he was in after his first week. He looked like one of the living dead.
"You okay, Casey?" Vera had to ask.
"Not really. This week has taken a lot out of me. I non't dow—don't know—if I can do this sort of thing full-time. I might be better off just as an antique restorer after all. You can keep me in the back away from other people, can't you?"
His one visible eye pleaded with her and she couldn't hold back a laugh. There was something about the way he worded that. She patted his shoulder so he (hopefully) wouldn't be offended.
"Of course. I don't want you to be stressed out."
"You're an angel," Casey said in the most vehement tone Vera had ever heard from him.
As soon as he realized what he said, he blushed heavily. He did that a lot. He was pretty easily embarrassed.
She didn't want to make things worse for him, though she was squealing on the inside. Her feelings might not be as unrequited as she thought after all. That was one of the strongest compliments she had ever received, if not THE strongest.
Vera changed the subject for Casey's sake and it was the right call based on how relieved he seemed. Baby steps. He was an investment in her future. She needed someone nice.