Page 212 of Save You
I shake my head and wipe my fingers over my damp cheeks again.“I have to speak to him.Could we talk later…on the phone?”
Graham looks like his whole body is strained, but at my words, a warmth creeps into his golden-brown eyes that I haven’t seen in months.It’s familiar, like a faded memory that is slowly regaining color and becoming a reality.
“I’ll call you,” he says.“After the ball.”
“OK,” I whisper.
For a moment, I’m tempted to hug him again, but then Cyril’s disbelieving face looms up in my inner eye and instead I turn tail to look for him.
I run after Cyril as fast as I can and catch him just by the exit from Boyd Hall.
“Cy…” I gasp, reaching for his elbows.
He whirls around and snatches his arm away.“Don’t touch me.”
I raise my hands, shocked by his cold tone.Cyril has never spoken to me like that before.And the way he’s looking at me is entirely new: disdainful, disgusted.He shakes his head.
“I can’t believe you did that, Lydia.”
I frown up at him.“I can’t believe you think you’re in any position to judge me, Cy.Or do I have to remind you of some of the people you’ve been with?”
Cyril flinches.“You think I’m pissed off because you’re shagging your teacher?”
Now I’m the one to flinch.There’s a little group of people behind Cyril, who’ve just walked out of the hall.
“Why else?”I ask quietly.
He makes a sound of despair and leans his head back, staring up as if the heavens could tell him what to say next.Then he looks back at me and gulps hard.
“I’m pissed off with you because you’ve been holding out on me for ages.”
My mouth drops open.“What?”
“There’s only you for me, Lydia.I’ve been in love with you for years.”
“But,” I croak.“But we…I…It was never anything serious.”
Cyril looks like I’ve slapped his face.He opens his mouth, but not a word emerges.
“I didn’t know you felt like this,” I whisper.Cautiously, I stretch my hand out toward him a second time and touch his arm.He’s my friend; I’ve known him since we were kids.If I’d had any idea that he was serious about me, I’d never have got involved.
“Are you telling me you never noticed?”he exclaims in disbelief.
I nod in silence.
“You never noticed that I haven’t been with anyone since our little fling?You never noticed that after your mum died, I was there for you from morning to night, to comfort you?”
“That’s what friends do for one another,” I whisper tearfully.
“I wouldn’t do that for just anyone,” he says, his tone bitter.“I’d only do it for you.”
I stare at him, unable to move.Nausea washes over me, andmore tears are rolling down my cheeks.“I’m sorry.I…I never meant to hurt you.”
Cyril hesitantly lifts a hand and wipes away one of my tears.Then his face hardens.“But you did.”
With those words, he turns away and walks toward the parking lot.
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