My Ten-Year Crush by Olivia Spring

Chapter Fourteen

Iquickly lifted my notepad to cover my mouth. That was probably my tenth yawn in two minutes. I was shattered. I’d worked until after one in the morning to finish my homework.

I hadn’t got home from the pub until nine last night, so I’d stayed a lot longer than half an hour. But I’d really enjoyed myself. It was just like old times. The ease of everything. After so many terrible dates, it was a breath of fresh air to spend the evening with someone smart and funny. Not that I was saying it was a date or anything, because of course, it definitely wasn’t…

We’d chatted about everything from travelling to TV and mindless things. Just like we used to. Admittedly, we spent all of about ten minutes talking about the course, so I didn’t get to ‘study’ like I’d told myself I would, but as well as burning the midnight oil, I’d also spent my lunch break studying too, so it balanced out. Sort of.

As happy as I was that we’d got on like a house on fire, I knew I was treading on dangerous ground.

Throughout the lesson, when I should have been focusing on our teaching practice preparation, some techniques Mike recommended we used and preparing for our first assignment, I couldn’t stop myself from thinking: what if…? Each time, I’d pushed the thoughts out of my mind. I couldn’t go there. Exploring them further would only lead to embarrassment.

‘Fancy a sweet?’ Faye reached in her bag. We were supposed to be working on an exercise together, but I was miles away, lost in my thoughts, and she’d clearly noticed. ‘Might help your energy levels.’

‘Yes, please.’ I yawned again, almost on cue. There was only half an hour left until the lesson ended, but I was still flagging.

‘What would you like? I’ve got Percy Pigs, Haribo Star Mix, Haribo Sours, Celebrations, Drumsticks… take your pick.’ She put a stack of packs on her desk. We’d only known each other a few days, but Faye was like a walking tuck shop. She always seemed to have an endless supply of treats stashed in her bag. It was one of the reasons I liked her.

‘I’ll have some Percy Pigs, thanks.’

‘Good choice. These kept me company last night.’ She tipped several into my palm. ‘I was up until all hours doing this lesson planning thing. I was so nervous about getting it wrong. I have no idea how I’m going to get through this course. I thought working in a call centre was stressful, but this is a whole different level. Maybe I’m out of my depth.’

‘You’re doing great, Faye.’ I tossed a second sweet into my mouth. ‘Remember, it’s only the third day. You’re still finding your feet. We all are.’

‘It must be easy for you because you’re an actual teacher, but I’m freaking out! The idea of doing this teaching practice session tomorrow has got me tied up in knots.’ She winced like she was about to be physically sick. ‘If I just had to stand and do a lesson, maybe I’d be okay. But it’s all the formal stuff. Y’know, the writing down all the aims, sub-aims, procedures and stuff you’re doing and why. It’s mind-blowing!’

‘I know it can be at first. It’s just practice, though. We can sit outside at lunchtime tomorrow or something if you like and do it together?’

‘Oh, would you?’ She sat up straighter. ‘You’re such a star, thank you!’

Faye and I carried on working, shamelessly devouring several more treats, and before we knew it, the lesson was over. The days always seemed to go so fast. Probably because I enjoyed the classes so much. As she went to ask Mike a question, I found myself taking much longer than was needed to pack up my stuff.

What was I playing at?

In future, I should try and leave whenever Graham did. That way I’d keep myself out of trouble.

The devil inside of me wanted to speak to Mike. Find out what he was doing this evening, but that was stupid. I was tired. I’d been yawning all day. I needed to go home, study and get an early night. I’d just about managed to keep on top of things by staying up late and working during my breaks, but this wasn’t sustainable. Or sensible. If I wasn’t careful, I’d fall behind.

‘Bye,’ I said to Faye and Mike as I headed towards the door. ‘See you tomorrow.’

‘Bella,’ Mike called out. ‘Would you mind waiting a sec? There’s something I’d like to discuss.’

Sounded very formal.

‘Course. I’ll be back in a minute. Just going to the loo.’

‘I’ll be right here.’ He smiled and my knees turned to jelly.

After I’d been to the ladies’, I found myself looking in the mirror, then scrunching my curls with my fingers to try and give them a bit of va-va-voom. The next thing I knew, I’d applied a fresh coat of lip gloss and popped a couple of mints in my mouth. I swear there was someone else controlling my actions.

I’d never been one to fuss over my appearance. The only make-up I generally wore was gloss, mascara, maybe a little eyeliner and that was it. And yet, this morning, I’d spent much longer than usual on my hair. I’d even worn my favourite hoop earrings. And now here I was checking I looked okay in the mirror at the end of the day, when I was supposed to just go straight home to study.

I’d love to pretend I didn’t know why I was making an effort and that I was just doing it for myself, but I’d be lying. I wanted to look my best. Despite knowing that nothing could happen between us, I still wanted Mike to fancy me. It felt lame admitting it, but it was true.

Mike was still talking to Faye when I returned to the classroom, but it sounded like they were wrapping up their conversation.

‘I know it seems overwhelming, especially when you look at the plan, but remember, you don’t have to think of everything you have to do at once. If you tackle one thing at a time, it’ll seem less overwhelming. I’ll go through some organisation tips with everyone tomorrow, but don’t stress, okay? I’ve got you, Faye. We’ve all got you. You’re going to be fine.’

‘Thanks so much!’ Faye’s shoulders instantly loosened. My heart felt so warm. I didn’t know how he did it, but Mike just had a way of putting people at ease. Faye looked over and saw me hovering by the door. ‘Um, anyway, I best be off. See you both tomorrow.’

Faye winked at me as she left the room. Did she sense something? She had no reason to. I think all of us had stayed behind over the last few days to speak to Mike at the end of the lesson. And I’m sure we all did it purely for educational reasons…

‘You wanted to talk?’ I perched on the desk in front of him.

‘Yeah. What you up to now?’

‘I was going to head home and study. I’m doing this course and the teacher is a real ball-buster,’ I smirked. ‘Got to make sure I’m up to speed before tomorrow’s lesson.’

‘He sounds like a right arsehole. Expecting you to do homework on a beautiful evening like this. We all know how shocking the British weather can be, so when we get balmy evenings, it’s important to make the most of them. Want my advice?’

‘Go on…’

‘I say take a break and come for a walk along the South Bank with me.’

‘Hmmm… tempting,’ I said, thinking it really was and that I absolutely should not go. ‘But what will I tell my tutor tomorrow?’

‘Tell him your dog ate your homework or something. If you flash that beautiful smile of yours, I’m sure he’ll be putty in your hands.’

I blushed at the sound of him calling my smile beautiful. I’d known Mike for years, and yet still I had developed zero immunity to his charms.

‘Actually, Bells, you’re right.’ He cleared his desk. ‘You should go home. Even though you did a great job in class today, I already kept you out for too long last night. This course is super intense and I don’t want you to fall behind.’

My heart dropped. I knew he was being considerate and I agreed that I really should study. It was what I’d been telling myself every time my mind had wandered, and I wished Mike and I could hang out again tonight. But the devil was dancing on my shoulder again…

It was only a walk. It wasn’t as social as going to the pub. There’d be no alcohol involved, so I’d be less likely to lose my inhibitions and let the hours slip by.

As long as I was home by eightish, I’d be able to catch up. I could just stay up a bit later again. I tended to work better late at night anyway.

‘Don’t worry, it’s fine. I can go for a short walk. As long as I get back at a decent time, I should still be able to work on my assignments. I got a lot done at lunchtime too.’

‘Great! Meet outside at the Piazza in ten?’

‘Yep. See you in a bit.’