Page 70 of The Life Experiment
While Angus appeared to have the skills of a pro, Layla’s skating technique wouldn’t be described as graceful. It was the opposite, in fact. Angus ended up with one hand holding hers, and the other around her waist to keep her upright. But the many near-falls and jerking sweeps of her skates didn’t matter. Layla was skating. She was floating on a cloud of happiness. Flying, even. All because of Angus.
‘Where did you learn to skate so well?’ she marvelled as Angus swooped them smoothly around a corner.
‘I don’t know,’ Angus replied, his cheeks turning pink from the cold. ‘I went a lot when I was a kid. I guess muscle memory has taken over.’
Layla opened her mouth to ask more, but as the first few bars of Band Aid’s ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ tinkled through the speakers, Angus squeezed her tight.
‘Come on,’ he said. ‘It’s time to dance.’
‘Angus, I don’t dance,’ Layla protested, ‘and certainly not on ice!’ But when Angus began to shake his hips, giggles overtook her. Layla had no idea how Angus was able to move like that and stay upright.
‘Come on,’ Angus cheered, moving Layla’s arm so she could dance with him. ‘It’s fun, I promise. No one’s looking.’
Glancing around, Layla saw that a few people nearby were in fact looking, but in that moment, she didn’t care. Let them look. Let them laugh. She was soaring on the arm of the loveliest man she had ever met.
Grinning, Layla moved her hips too. She even threw a jazz hand. Then, when the motion made her wobble, Angus twirled her into his arms and held her upright. In all of Layla’s life, she had never experienced a moment so romantic.
‘That was smooth,’ she breathed, watching her breath fog the sliver of air between them.
‘I’m trying to impress you, aren’t I?’ Angus replied, blushing as he glanced at her lips.
Layla knew the moment was dangerous. She knew it blurred the lines of friendship she insisted they drew. Sense told Layla to pull away, but she couldn’t. If Angus was the flame, then she was the moth.
Suddenly, a child whooshed past them, too close for comfort.
Gasping, Layla rested her hands on Angus’s chest and held on tight. She knew she was steady now, but nothing about the moment felt steady. Her eyes traced Angus’s frosty breath, watching it mingle with hers. Dragging her gaze from Angus’s mouth to his eyes, Layla watched his face transform with a smile.
‘I told you I wouldn’t let you fall,’ he said.
Internally, Layla laughed. Angus had no idea. She was already falling. She had been from the moment they met.
32Angus
In the corner booth of his favourite French restaurant, Angus read the document Layla had emailed for a second time. He knew from their FaceTime earlier that she wanted feedback.
‘Seriously, whatever you say, I can take it,’ she said. ‘Whether it’s something small, like a missed piece of punctuation, or something big, like you hate any of the ideas, tell me. I trust you.’
‘You do?’ Angus had replied, flashing his cheekiest smile. Hearing Layla say she trusted him made him feel giddy, but he forced himself to concentrate on her ideas for improving workplace conditions.
Last week, Layla and Angus had seen each other four times: first for an ice-skating adventure on Monday, followed by Angus teaching Layla how to cook vegetarian lasagne on Wednesday. Thursday evening they made a post-work trip to the cinema, and on Saturday they went for a walk and some drinks.
Each time they’d seen each other, Angus watched Layla come to life as she talked about the project.
‘This is only the beginning,’ she said the other night in the cocktail bar. ‘But if it helps one person access a fairer, safer, more supportive workplace, it will be worth it. No one should have to fight to get through the day like my dad did. When he couldn’t do manual work because of his injuries, the company he’d been working at for years justlet him go. All those hours he’d put in for them meant nothing. No one should be made to feel so worthless.’
‘I couldn’t agree more,’ Angus had replied, marvelling at the woman opposite him. ‘It’s amazing listening to you, you know. You really care about effecting meaningful change.’
Layla’s cheeks tinged pink as she nodded. ‘We should all care about making things better for others. It’s why I got into law in the first place, but I think I forgot that somewhere along the way.’
‘Well,’ Angus said as he reached for his glass to toast the sentiment. ‘There is no doubt in my mind that your work is going to benefit many people.’
Angus had been sure of that as they clinked glasses, but reading Layla’s ideas now, he was surer than ever. The ideas she had collated were good. They were excellent, actually. Flexible working, support through life-changing moments, incentives for high-performing staff… Angus knew this project had the potential to change her colleagues’ lives for the better.
Honestly, it’s brilliant, he typed.My only suggestion would be to add that you deserve a huge pay rise for all your hard work x
Angus smiled as he imagined Layla giggling and shaking her head at him. Pressing send, he looked up across the restaurant.
His parents were late. Only by five minutes, but that was unusual for the Fairview-Whitleys. Sticklers for good manners, being on time, if not a minute or two early, was vital in their eyes.
