My Ten-Year Crush by Olivia Spring

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Iwalked slowly towards the exit, my head low and my shoulders hunched. I must have just missed him. So close. I was so close.

No.

I wasn’t just going to give up that easily. Like Mum said, I had to fight. I could still find him. Go to the airport or something. But first, I’d try calling again.

I hit the dial button on my phone. It went straight to voicemail. He must not have switched it back on yet, which meant he wouldn’t have seen my text either.

I was about to take another step towards the door, then paused. Mike was always friendly and sociable. I couldn’t really imagine him finishing bang on time and racing out the door to catch a cab seconds later. He’d hang around for a bit. Checking his trainees had everything they needed, saying goodbye to his colleagues and giving them big hugs. So maybe he’d been held up in the classroom. Maybe he was still in the building somewhere and that was why his phone was switched off. It was a long shot, but I’d come too far not to try.

I turned on my heels and strutted back to the security guard. I needed to get through those gates, and this time I wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

‘Please. I really need to get to one of the classrooms. I’m begging you. This is literally a matter of life or… or no life.’

‘Don’t you mean life or death?’ he chuckled.

‘Yes. Yes!’ I added, realising that it was true. ‘You absolutely could say that. If I don’t get to see him, my heart will die and shrivel up. Do you want that on your conscience?’ I folded my arms.

‘You’re not one of those crazy stalkers, are you, with a crush on your teacher?’

‘Of course not!’ Well, I did have a crush on my teacher, but I wasn’t crazy. Yet… ‘Please! If you’re worried, you can come with me. Or better still, call Kalpna at the Covent Garden site. She’s the one that sent me here. She can vouch for me. I’ll even write down my full name and show you some ID so you can check your student database or something. I must be on the system somewhere.’

By the time I’d shown him my driver’s licence, he’d searched the database and spoken to Kalpna and finally agreed to let me in, it was almost twenty-five past four. There only seemed to be one entry/exit point, and Mike hadn’t come out, which meant I really must have missed him. As sociable as he was, I doubted he’d hang around for almost half an hour knowing he had a flight to catch. I still had to try, though.

Mr Jobsworth the security guard said there were only two lessons on at the moment. One in room four and the other in room seven. I went to check room four first. I heard laughter, but the pane of glass on the door was covered, so I couldn’t peek through it to see if he was still there.

I knocked, but there was no answer. Time was ticking. I had to know if this was the right room or whether to go to the other one.

I opened the door and slowly peeked around it but couldn’t see. There was no other option. I had to step inside.

At the front of the classroom there was a Big Bird. Not as in the flying variety. Big Bird as in the character from Sesame Street. The teacher was wearing the costume and talking to a room full of children in Spanish.

This had to be the wrong room because Mike’s lesson had finished half an hour ago whereas this was still in full swing. Plus, he taught English, not Spanish, and to adults, not kids. I quickly turned around and tiptoed back towards the door.

‘Hola!’ shouted a little boy who looked about six years old. ‘Who are you?’

‘Um…’ I paused before turning to face him. The whole class now had their eyes fixed firmly on me. ‘My name is Bella.’

‘Are you our new teacher?’

‘No—I’m looking for… never mind. I’ve come to the wrong room.’

‘Hey, Bells!’ said a voice that I instantly recognised as Mike’s. But where was he? Suddenly, Big Bird whipped off his head.

‘Mike? What are you…? Oh thank goodness!’ Relief flooded through my veins and before I could stop myself, I rushed over and threw my arms around him. ‘I thought I’d missed you. Melody said you were only teaching until four. I thought you’d already left!’

The whole class wooed. I’d forgotten they were even there. I had so many questions about what he was doing here, but they could wait. I’d found him. I wasn’t too late!

‘No, my last lesson started at four. I’m finishing at five. So in half an hour.’ Mike smiled. God, I’d missed that magnificent smile.

‘Is this your girlfriend, Mike?’ said another little boy, who looked much taller than the other one. I didn’t think these sorts of personal questions started at such an early age, but I supposed it wasn’t every day a woman burst into a classroom and threw her arms around the teacher. I hoped Mike wouldn’t get in trouble…

‘I don’t know, Elliot.’ Mike’s mouth twitched. ‘I hope so. Are you, Bells?’

‘Er…can we talk… privately? Maybe after your lesson?’ Talk about being put on the spot. When I’d raced over here to tell him how I felt, I didn’t think I’d have an audience. ‘I think it’s better to chat to you when we’re alone.’

‘I’ve got a taxi booked after the class finishes, but…’

‘Tell him!’ shouted one of the girls in the classroom. ‘Tell Mike if you want to be his girlfriend!’

Wow. I didn’t know who these kids were, but they were a feisty little bunch. They were all sitting around in a semicircle, glaring at me with their little arms folded as if to say, Come on, woman. Get on with it. We’re waiting. Put Mike out of his misery.

Sod it. Right now I still had adrenaline racing through me. I’d never done anything crazy like this before, and if I waited half an hour for his class to be over, I might lose my courage and chicken out.

‘Well, I came to say…’ I looked around at the kids, feeling self-conscious.

‘Come on, Miss Bella!’ shouted the same girl. ‘You can do it!’ I liked her energy. She was right. I could. And I would.

‘I wanted to say yes. Yes, I’ll be your girlfriend and yes, I’ll come with you!’ I looked at Mike. He was frozen to the spot, looking absolutely ridiculous in his bright yellow feathered outfit and big orange feet. Still totally adorable, though.

‘You’ll… did you just say you’ll come? To Vietnam?’

‘Yes! I love you. I don’t want to be without you ever again. So if coming to Vietnam is what it takes, then count me in!’

‘Oh my God, Bells!’ Mike picked me up and spun me around. The whole class clapped and cheered.

‘Yay!’ said the supportive girl.

‘But what about your job? Your dad?’ Mike frowned and put me back down on the ground.

‘I went and saw him this afternoon and handed in my notice.’ I thought that saying that out loud might make me feel regret or disloyalty, but actually, I’d never felt more sure about anything before in my life. ‘He’s hurt right now, but he’ll be fine. So will I. There’s lots of jobs out there, but there’s only one of you, Mike. I’ve lost you before. I can’t do that again.’

As the words left my mouth, Mike’s eyes sparkled. I could tell he was happy.

‘God, I love you, Bells.’ He picked me up, squeezed me tighter and gave me another sweet peck on the lips. I knew we both would have preferred a long lingering kiss, but we had an audience, so had to keep it PG.

‘Are you going to get married and have babies now?’ said Elliot.

‘My mum said that women don’t have to get married and have babies anymore if they don’t want to!’ the girl huffed, folding her arms.

‘Um, yeah, that’s right, India, everyone has the right to choose,’ said Mike. ‘But if Bella wants us to, then I’d be very happy for us to get married and have children together in the very near future.’ He kissed me gently and my heart flipped. This was it. Mike and I were starting our life together. And he’d just declared in front of a room full of witnesses that he was all in. Ready for everything. The whole nine yards.

‘Hooray!’ a group of children whooped.

‘Can we come to your marriage?’ asked Elliot.

‘Can you call the baby Poppy like me?’ said another little girl.

Mike and I looked at each other and burst out laughing.

‘I think maybe now’s a good time for me to go…’ I squeezed his feathery arm. ‘I’ll wait for you outside. Bye, everyone!’ I waved. ‘Nice to meet you.’

‘Bye, Miss Bella!’ they said in unison.