Chapter Twenty-Nine
Noah
“They’re fucking kidding us, right? Like, come on, this is ridiculous,” Katie said, grabbing another chocolate biscuit out of the packet while angrily stacking student books into a box.
“It’s Ofsted, Kat. They’re not exactly known for their long lead times. At least they didn’t just turn up unannounced,” I said, taking my own biscuit and looking at the various lesson plans laid out in front of me.
This week had been chugging along quite nice and normally until lunchtime, when an emergency meeting had been called to announce that Ofsted, the government office responsible for inspecting a range of England’s educational institutions, would be here first thing tomorrow morning to start their inspection.
This had sent everyone into what Katie had described as “battle-mode” and we’d all been told, in no uncertain terms, to make sure all our books were marked, all our lesson plans were up to date, and that everything was ready in case our lessons were observed.
We’d sort of known it was coming since it had been four years since the last inspection, but we hadn’t known when since they never gave more than half a day’s notice.
I’d actually been through the process twice before since I’d not long joined the school when they’d last been inspected, and it had also happened while I was on one of my placements during my teacher training year.
They were always the most ridiculously intense few days, followed by a nervous wait to find out how we’d done. Even though Hareford Grammar was a very good school, there was still a lot of expectation placed on us to keep up that reputation.
Which was why Katie and I, along with all the other science staff, were still in the building two hours after school had ended, making sure everything was ready.
“I really hope they don’t decide to come and sit in with me tomorrow,” Katie said. “I’ve got to teach human reproduction to my year sevens, and I’m not sure how impressed the inspectors will be at me making the kids stand up and shout penis and vagina very loudly until they’ve stopped giggling.”
“It works, though,” I said with a grin.
“It does. Which is why I do it.” Katie reached for another biscuit. “What have you got tomorrow?”
“Mixed bag. Got two of my year elevens for chemistry, then some year tens—they’re a pretty good bunch, so that should be fine. I’ve got 8L after lunch, though, and they’ve just hit that teenage shan’t phase. They’re being right pains at the moment.”
“Maybe an inspector being there would scare them into behaving,” Katie said.
“Fingers crossed.” I took another biscuit and sighed. “Be even better if I didn’t see them at all.”
“We can only pray.” Katie tapped the spines of the exercise books, counting them under her breath. “I hope you didn’t have any plans for the next two days by the way.”
I chuckled under my breath. “I was supposed to be having dinner with my boyfriend this evening. Guess that’s totally out the window now.”
I’d already messaged Spencer to let him know I’d have to put our plans on hold until Ofsted was over.
It sucked because we’d actually been planning to go out for dinner for the first time, something we still hadn’t actually achieved without getting distracted.
And now it wasn’t even being cancelled for a fun reason, just a hideously stressful one.
Part of me had been worried Spencer would be upset that I was cancelling at such short notice.
Instead of any kind of annoyance, I’d just gotten a long message asking me if I was okay, if I needed anything, and telling me that everything was going to be great because I was “a freakin’ awesome teacher with a hot body and a cute ass”.
It had made my day, and I’d taken a screenshot of the message to save for tomorrow when I was sure I’d feel crap.
“Pretty much,” Katie said. “Also, excuse me, but when did you get a boyfriend? Why is this the first time I’m hearing about this? I thought we were friends.”
“We are. I’ve just been keeping it quiet. But his name’s Spencer. He’s actually a friend of mine.”
“Oh, how did you meet?”
“He’s, er, he’s my best mate’s older brother.”
Katie stared at me with a delightfully outraged smile that I knew meant I’d be telling her the whole story. “Mr. Hawthorn, how could you keep this from me? Your best friend.”
“Are you my best friend?”
“I’m at least your work bestie,” she said. “You have to tell me everything. It’ll make this whole, horrible day better. Please?”
“Fine,” I said, rolling my eyes fondly. “What do you want to know?”
When I finally extracted myself from Katie’s interrogation an hour later, it was nearly seven, and I was exhausted.
I was glad I’d brought my car because I had one more round of books to take home and mark because although we only checked and marked each class every two weeks, the school wanted them all up to date just in case.
My breath fogged in the air, and the November chill nipped at my cheeks as I climbed into the car and shot off a quick message to Alex to let him know I was on my way home.
The roads were pretty quiet, and as I drove, I realised they’d started putting up the Christmas lights. It would probably only be another few weeks before the whole town was ablaze with twinkling lights, looking like something out of a postcard, especially if it snowed.
It didn’t take me long to get back and heave everything out of the car. I was determined not to have to make two trips because I was too exhausted to climb up the stairs more than once.
“Hey,” I called as I stumbled in.
“Hey.” The response was the one I’d expected, but not from the person I’d expected. Spencer was sitting on the sofa next to Alex, a warm smile on his face as he hopped up and strode over to me, taking the large box of books out of my hand.
“Hey,” I said again. “I didn’t know you were going to be here.”
“He wouldn’t stop nagging me about when you’d be back,” Alex called. “He’s been nothing but a nuisance all evening.”
“I’ve not been that bad,” Spencer said. “I just wanted to know so I could help.”
“Help?” I knew I sounded totally bewildered, but I was still processing the fact that Spencer was there.
“Yeah. I know this is probably going to be super stressful for you, and I just wanted to know if there was anything I could do to help. I mean, I can’t like mark books for you or teach lessons or anything like that.
But I thought I could bring you some dinner so you don’t have to order anything or deal with Alex’s cooking—”
“Hey!”
“And I brought you some lunch for tomorrow too,” Spencer continued, his smile never wavering.
He stepped closer and wrapped me up in his arms, his embrace leeching all the stress from my muscles.
“I don’t want to get in your way, though, so if you need me to bugger off and come back at the weekend, then I can do that too. ”
“Stay, please,” I said. “I’ll work better if you’re here.”
“What am I?” Alex grumbled. “Fucking chopped liver?”
“If both of you are here. You know I can’t concentrate if it’s too quiet.
” I’d always found silence off-putting for work.
It just made the room feel too oppressive like there was this strange weight pressing down on me from all sides.
But quiet music or films or TV shows I’d seen a hundred times were the perfect accompaniment.
It was why I tended to mark in the evenings while Alex and I watched TV.
It also meant I could quote at least ten different shows word for word, which had been helpful for the odd pub quiz or two over the years.
“If you’re sure,” Spencer said.
“I am.” I kissed him softly, then sighed. “I don’t suppose you’ve got that dinner? I’ve been surviving on chocolate biscuits since lunchtime, and most of them were already gone by the time Katie and I got to them.”
Spencer kissed my forehead softly. “Of course. You go sit down. I’ll sort it.” He looked over my shoulder at his brother. “Alex, how does your oven work?”
Alex huffed but pulled himself off the sofa, grumbling as he headed for the kitchen. “First, I’m a fucking calendar, then fucking chopped liver, now I’m the fucking butler.”
“I think it’s more like fucking sous chef?” Spencer teased as he released me with a wink and gently pushed me towards the sofa while he followed his brother into the open kitchen.
“Don’t fucking argue with me,” Alex said. He was a head shorter than his older brother, and he had no problem prodding Spencer in the chest with a wooden spoon. “And please tell me you actually brought enough for me too, or am I going to starve?”
“You’re not going to starve. I brought some for you too.” Spencer batted the spoon out of the way and patted his brother on the head. “I figured I’d have to pay tribute to the sofa gremlin before I was allowed in.”
“You’re such a twat, you know that?”
“Yeah, but I’m your brother, so what can you do?”
“Don’t fucking push your luck,” Alex said, but he was grinning.
I chuckled from my seat at the end of the sofa as I watched the pair of them bicker, feeling an overwhelming sense of joy at the whole situation.
This whole day had been an emotional rollercoaster of stress, anxiety, and exhaustion that had turned me upside down and spun me round so fast it felt like I’d never be able to find my feet again.
I’d been expecting to ride this hell ride for the next few days with relief only coming from small snippets of Alex’s banter and any snatched hours of sleep I could manage.
But instead, it felt like I was being offered the opportunity to get off for the evening—to sit down on solid ground and watch my worries go on without me. It didn’t mean I still didn’t have work to do or that Ofsted still wouldn’t be there in the morning, but for now, I could breathe.
And it was all because of Spencer.
He really was everything to me.
He was still bickering with Alex about whatever was in the oven, but when he glanced across at me, he gave me another of those smiles that made it feel like I was sitting in the summer sun and a little wave.
“Do you want a drink?” he asked. “Wait, you probably do, that was a silly question. Alex, where are your glasses again?”
“I can get one myself,” I called, but Spencer just batted my words away.
“Nope, you’re going to sit there and relax until dinner. I can get you a drink.”
I did as I was told, gratefully accepting the glass of Coke Spencer brought me and inhaling the delicious scents wafting out of the oven.
I occasionally joined in with the conversation Alex and Spencer were having, but mostly, I was just enjoying their company and the chance to lose myself in something other than work.
Dinner turned out to be this incredible chicken, leek, and mushroom pie with a rich, creamy white sauce and topped with thick, buttery pastry that melted in my mouth.
Spencer had even brought the ingredients to make mashed potatoes with butter and cream and added some tenderstem broccoli on the side so we could at least pretend it was vaguely healthy.
It was the sort of food that could only be described as Comfort with a capital C.
Like I’d been wrapped in a warm, cosy hug that promised everything would be okay.
And because it was Spencer, he’d even made ramekins full of apple crumble, producing a tub of vanilla ice cream out of our freezer to go alongside it.
Afterwards, I felt so full and sleepy I wasn’t convinced I’d be able to get any work done, but then he’d kissed my forehead gently and told me how proud of me he was.
It had been like a little injection of energy into my veins, and I’d sat and marked books while he and Alex played Mario Kart on the Switch.
“You should stay,” I said to Spencer later when I was preparing to go to bed.
He chuckled softly, pulling me into another hug. “Is that a suggestion or a demand?”
“I mean, it’s not a demand, but I really want you to stay. Please.”
“Sure,” he said. “I didn’t want to leave anyway.”
We climbed the stairs and went through our nighttime routines, circling around each other like we’d been doing it for years instead of weeks, before climbing into bed. Spencer wrapped me up in his arms, the same way he always did when we shared, and I put my head on his chest.
“Thank you,” I said quietly. “For tonight. I really appreciate it.”
“No worries,” he said. “I… I didn’t want you to be stressed. This whole thing sounds like a freaking nightmare to be honest. I’m glad it’s only two days.”
“Me too.” I yawned. “Then I can try to forget about it until we get the report.”
“You’re going to do awesome. I promise.”
“Because I have a cute ass?”
“Yeah, and just because you’re awesome.” He tilted his head down and kissed me gently. “I love you, Noah.”
“I love you too,” I said, happiness suffusing through me. I rolled over in his arms and gazed down into his eyes, seeing nothing but love radiating back at me.
“I know it’s probably too soon,” Spencer said. “It’s only been like a month, but the way I feel is like nothing I’ve ever felt before.”
“Who cares about time? There’s no set scale we have to adhere to. The universe doesn’t make laws about love.”
He grinned. “Good, because I was worried you’d be scared off.”
“Never,” I said. “I think I’ve loved you since that first day you taught me how to bake.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Wow,” Spencer said. “That’s pretty cool.
I think for me it was when Alex tried to do us a first date…
I didn’t know it was love, but when I look back, I think it was, even then.
” He nodded like he was confirming it to himself.
“I’m in love with you,” he said softly. “That’s pretty fucking awesome. ”
“Pretty fucking awesome indeed.”