Page 12 of The Lucky Escape

‘Come and sit down,’ he insisted, pulling on the sleeve of my jumper and picking up my backpack for me. ‘Just for a minute. I’m so sorry if I’ve upset you. I honestly didn’t mean to.’

He steered me to a waiting area by the main desk. Two guys with thighs the size of hams and branded sleeveless T-shirts were making smoothies and throwing their heads back laughing and flirting. Patrick saw me notice.

‘Awful when other people are happy, isn’t it?’ he observed.

I let out a splutter of agreement and he handed me atissue from his gym bag. We sat, watching the love scene in front of us unfold. I tried to slow my breathing and, credit to him, Patrick didn’t look at his watch once. He just waited with me, and let me do what I needed to do.

‘I’ve calmed down,’ I stated after a while. ‘If you think I’m unhinged, I understand. It’s okay. I think I am. I’m just having a bit of a time of it.’

He waved a hand. ‘Memories of Yak Yak are enough to bring anyone to tears,’ he joked, and it was a thoughtful thing to say. He was giving me an out – making sure I knew I didn’t have to reveal anything to him if I didn’t want to. It was only seven in the morning, after all. And on a Monday, too! He probably just wanted to get off to work. It was much too early for confession.

‘It was the time of my life, that camp,’ I croaked. ‘Best summers ever.’

‘Me too.’ He nodded. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever laughed as consistently and freely as I did then. Or worked as hard. I remember constantly smelling of B.O. because I hadn’t figured out deodorant yet. I was furious once I realized where the smell was coming from – that it was me. Why did nobody tell me I stank?’

I chuckled again. Thank goodness it was this man I had crumbled in front of – this man who was being such a gentleman about it.

‘What do you do now, Pongy Paddy? What became of the great lighting maestro?’

He dropped his jaw in pretend outrage. ‘Is that what people called me?’ he asked. ‘Pongy Paddy?’ He was smiling with one half of his mouth, exactly like he used to do when we were twelve. ‘I knew it. I knew people had to have noticed!’

‘Noooooo.’ I shook my head. ‘I’m messing with you.’

‘Liar.’

I shrugged. ‘If it’s any consolation I’ve got no qualms telling you that you smell now.’

He tipped back his head to reveal a row of pearly white teeth as he hooted. His laugh made me smile. His laugh made me feel charming.

‘Annie Wiig, so do you. That’s what an hour with D’Shawn will do to a person.’

I snickered and lowered my voice like a gossiping old woman in a bingo hall.

‘Did you see him before class, going from a handstand into a press-up that way?’

Patrick kept a straight face. ‘It was me who taught him that actually,’ he clowned.

I smiled again. I really did feel better now. We sat for a moment, testing my resolve at keeping a brave face. The two men near us had graduated to pulling out their phones, swapping numbers. I looked at the clock on the wall.

‘I should go,’ I said, standing.

Patrick stood up too, and held out a hand. ‘Maybe we’ll bump into each other again.’

‘Maybe we will,’ I agreed, and he walked ahead to hold the door open for me, letting me go through first. ‘I have a ten-class pass, so …’

‘So I’ve got nine more chances of supervising you getting dressed,’ he supplied, cheekily.

I gave him a spirited look.

‘Six, actually. I’ve got six classes left.’

‘Noted.’

He walked me to the side of the road.

‘See you then,’ he said, as I pressed the button for thepedestrian crossing. We both looked at the little red man, waiting for him to change.

‘Thanks for being so kind to me,’ I stuttered, embarrassed all over again to even have anything to express gratitude about. ‘That was very good of you.’

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