Page 52 of Connectio
“I will.” I look down at his feet. “Best you watch yours.”
He follows. “I won’t.”
Oliver scoffs again.
The footpath we’re walking on is narrow, wide enough for two abreast. So Sal and Jeremy walk ahead, Oliver and I not far behind them, Will mere steps behind us, and Carly at the tail end, her phone pressed to her ear. The café is only a short walk from the school; therefore, it’s pointless to drive.
“So how are the repairs coming along?” I ask Will, trying to include him in conversation, because my roommate is a rude bitch. “Any closer to fixing the problem?”
Oliver pipes in before Will can answer. “Yeah, you’ve been at it for a while now.”
“Everything’s on schedule. Why? You want to get rid of me?”
I glance over my shoulder and smile at him. “Of course not.”
Slowing my pace a little, I drop back to walk beside Will. “I’m just curious as to when we’ll have water connected to the building again; that’s all.”
Will arranged for makeshift portable water tanks with taps and drinking fountains to be installed just outside my classroom, and while they’re a satisfactory replacement, I miss having a functional sink and student toilets.
“Water should be connected by tomorrow.”
“Oh! That’s… that’s great!”
“Does that mean you’ll be finished?” Oliver asks, not masking the hopeful tone of his voice as he too drops back and walks beside me but on the grass, both men flanking my sides.
I suddenly feel like a piece of meat in an awkward sandwich.
“Finished? Nah, not even close,” Will says. “There are numerous leaks around the schoolgrounds, which will cause the same problem to other buildings if we don’t fix them.” He slides his hands into his pockets and grins. “It’s gonna take weeks to replace various sections of piping.” Will enunciates the word weeks, and I feel weirdly settled about it.
“Wow! That much damage, huh?”
He nods at me. “Yep.”
We round the corner, and Sal and Jeremy enter the modern chic café. Oliver goes next, and just as I’m about to follow him, Will reaches out and holds the door open.
I pause then blink. “Thanks!”
“You say that like no one’s ever held a door open for you.”
Diverting my gaze from his stormy eyes, I step past him. “That’s because no one has.”
We all take a seat at a large wooden, rustic, picnic bench style table at the back of the café, and once again, I find myself sandwiched between Oliver and Will, somewhat uncomfortably, given the sheer size of Will.
“Perhaps we should request a larger table,” I say.
Carly glances around, waiters and waitresses bustling about. “Doesn’t look like they have one.”
I sigh. “I think you’re right.”
“You can sit on my lap if you like,” Will offers.
I roll my eyes at him. “Thanks, but no thanks.”
He chuckles, and once again, Oliver scoffs, which I’ve realised isn’t unusual. He scoffs at everything.
We order drinks and food and soon settle into our own conversations, mostly one, which we all contribute to.
“So how long have you been working for Will, Jeremy?” I ask, sipping my soda water.
