"I heard the police found evidence to suggest it was a deliberate attack." A voice said, it was hushed, not intended for his ears, Thorin heard it anyway above the general din of the coffee shop. "They have a few leads, but nothing concrete."
Thorin let out a low growl and turned back to the as yet untouched drink in front of him, tuning out the whispered conspiracies. Of course he already knew about this, even though he had been signed off work, his colleagues kept him updated on any developments. It had only been three days, Thorin swore he was fine, but after almost assaulting his partner when he told the boss about Thorin's behaviour during the call-out, they decided it would be best if he took some time off.
Compassionate leave, they called it. Thorin would rather be back at the station, even if it meant passing by the charred husk of Bilbo's house every day, he could lose himself in his work. Instead, he sat alone in a coffee shop scowling at a beverage as if it had done something to offend him while he waited for her.
Primula, that was her name, Bilbo's cousin. She was here to help with funeral arrangements, and she wanted to meet him. Apparently Thorin had been a regular topic of discussion between the two of them.
The little bell above the door rang as someone came in, Thorin looked up and he could only assume it was her as she scanned the room and her eyes fell on him. She gave him a sad smile and approached, it was evident she had been crying recently, Thorin wondered if his grief was as obvious. A barista came and took her order and returned rather quickly with her latte.
"It's great to finally meet you." Primula said. "Even if the circumstances are somewhat regrettable."
Thorin looked at her for a moment, she reminded him of Frodo, the same round face and dark curls. The young lad was definitely his mother's son.
"He talked about you a lot." She went on, her fingers tight around her coffee cup. "How did you meet?"
"I was on my way to work." Thorin smiled bitterly at the memory, even thinking about him left a foul taste in his mouth and made his chest tighten. "My bike broke and he laughed at me." He tapped the table a couple of times before he continued. "Then offered me his own, a complete stranger."
"That sounds like him." Primula chuckled then sighed. "Always thinking of others, little Frodo always looked forward to visiting."
"How is he?"
She dropped her gaze slightly and drew in a deep breath. "He doesn't know."
When Primula looked back up at him, there were tears in her eyes and Thorin's heart broke all over again.
"I don't know how to tell him." She said, a single tear escaped before she furiously wiped at her face with the edge of her sleeve. "How am I supposed to tell him his Uncle Bilbo is gone?"
Thorin reached out and caught her hand in one of his own. He didn't have an answer for her, it still didn't feel real to him, there was nothing he could do to help this poor woman.
"He's a smart boy, Prim." He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.
She smiled at him then, it was sad and watery, but it was also warm. Primula gently removed her hand from his and took a small sip of coffee.
"You're coming to the funeral?" It was more a statement than a question, but Thorin nodded anyway. "Good, he would want you there."
They exchanged stories while they finished their drinks, of course, Primula had many to tell. Wild exploits of their youth and teenage years, Bilbo's travels and dabbles in illustration before he settled on writing. All too soon it was time for them to part ways.
"You loved him very much." Primula said as they stood to leave.
This caught Thorin off guard, it wasn't something he could admit to himself, if he did, he knew he would break. If he thought about the could-have-beens and what-ifs he would never move on. Though truthfully, Thorin didn't know if he wanted to.
"He loved you, too."
