Epilogue
Six months later
‘Iced vanilla latte for . . . oh, my God, Amorie!’ Jane’s voice calls.
I gleefully saunter over, pushing past the midday rush of angry customers. Her smile grows tenfold as I approach and we lean either side of the pick-up counter.
‘I thought you weren’t coming in until two?’ she says.
‘They moved me earlier,’ I say, shrugging.
She hands my drink over and steps back to get a proper view of my outfit, pointedly scanning me from head to toe. I give a twirl, flaunting my brand-new coral blazer, kindly gifted as part of a brand sponsorship, and flick my foot up to reveal some heeled boots I stole from Sara.
‘Gorgeous,’ she says. ‘How are you feeling – you nervous?’
I take a sip of my latte and let it sit on my tongue as I take in the buzz of the café.
I miss working here. Nowadays I only get to pass through, and even then it’s only on mornings when I leave early enough for work.
Or days like today. My stomach skips in pure and utter excitement as I think about this afternoon.
‘Surprisingly, I’m not nervous at all,’ I say.
Jane’s lips purse softly into a kind and satisfied grin. ‘Of course you’re not. You’re exactly where you’re meant to be.’
I feel my cheeks stretch, my lips climbing up them.
Visiting Groundlings is so bittersweet nowadays, since I watch the first friends I ever made in London hang out without me.
But it’s also a reminder of how far I’ve come.
How different I was as a person when I worked behind that counter.
The last year of my life has led me so many places.
I mean, at one point it literally had me bouncing around cities in Europe.
But between these walls, it’s nice to remember where I started.
I say goodbye to Jane and the others, and make my way to the Tube.
As I walk through the doors of the New Traveller, I marvel in the way it all feels so familiar to me at this stage.
Last year I took one look at these walls and these crazy high ceilings, and cowered in fear in my waiting-room chair.
This year, I saunter straight to Jenna at Reception and fix her with a friendly smile.
‘Afternoon, Jenna! How are you doing? I think there should be a new pass waiting for me?’
She grins back at me before fishing under her desk and handing it over. ‘Congrats on the new title! Your guest’s already upstairs.’
I head for the lift, twisting the lanyard round my hand as I marvel at my brand-new, shiny pass.
It’s so weird to see it so official, complete with a professional headshot Analeise made me take after she promoted me.
The lift door swings open and she’s waiting for me, arms folded and eyebrows raised.
To most that would be alarming, but my time here has taught me that’s actually as neutral as Analeise Decoeur gets.
She doesn’t bother with greetings, turning on her heel and expecting me to keep up.
I match my stride to hers and the two of us pace down the hall quicker than necessary.
‘Thanks for coming earlier. I just think this shoot deserves more time, being the first one and all,’ she says briskly, glancing my way. ‘He’s already here, by the way.’
‘So I’ve been told,’ I pant as we walk.
We come to the door and she pauses. ‘Are you ready?’ she asks, a tight, small smile gracing her lips.
‘As I’ll ever be,’ I say.
And then she swings the door open.
I hadn’t seen the room since Analeise showed me it for the first time two months ago.
Back then it was bare; nothing but four white walls and a desk.
Now it’s a blast of colour, high-tech lights and scenery.
My mouth drops open in awe as I circle around my brand-new office.
I end facing the desk, where in my chair sits Noah, beaming at me with immense pride.
‘Well, if it isn’t my director for the day,’ he says, rising from the chair.
I’ve known him just under a year now and my heart still pitter-patters every time he’s near.
It picks up speed the closer he gets, practically killing me as he stands in front of me, an inch away.
He pulls my waist until we’re squeezed together, chest to chest, before leaning in for a long, deep, kiss hello.
Analeise coughs and we leap apart.
‘Sorry!’ I say, cringing.
‘It’s fine, it’s cute. You should save it for the camera, though. You good to go?’ she asks.
I look towards my new set-up: a top-of-the-line video camera fixed onto an industrial tripod and set among two blinding box lights. It sure beats my phone and every makeshift surface I used to try to balance it on.
‘You really went all out,’ I thank Analeise.
She shakes her head. ‘Make sure you pull in the numbers to make it worth it.’
I smile as she leaves. In my time here, I’ve also learnt that budget talk is as close as Analeise gets to saying she appreciates you. I settle down in my new chair and check myself out in the viewfinder. My curls fall softly against my shoulders, my skin glowing under the lights.
If I saw this version of myself one year ago, I wouldn’t have believed her to be true.
I look so happy and accomplished. I’m working towards something and actually doing well to achieve it.
Who knew just how much finding a purpose and sticking with it would change my life?
Well, Sara knew. But that’s beside the point.
The point is that I’m happy and I’m ready to knock today out of the park.
Noah runs behind the camera, ready to start it.
‘You don’t need to do that,’ I say, loading my phone. ‘I can start it from an app.’
His lip curls into the same smirk that always drives me crazy. Today clearly being no exception. ‘Of course you can.’ He shakes his head. ‘Only the best for senior staff.’
My heart glows at the mention of my seniority. I can’t believe one silly video led to all of this.
‘So, what? You’ll cue me in?’ he asks.
I nod and press start, turning all of my attention straight to the camera as I remember my script.
‘Hi, I’m Amorie Grant, messy travel romance writer and now, Head of Digital at the New Traveller. Welcome to our channel! We’ll be using this to launch more travel content in video form, packed with interviews, stories and advice from me and the wider New Traveller digital team.’
I pause for a moment, taking a deep swallow to stop my voice from trembling in front of the camera.
I’ve been vulnerable on the internet – I did a whole summer of it, but this feels so different.
Here I am, on a camera, a completely different person to the person I was six months before, about to share my biggest secret with the public, out there in the open.
But then I glance over at him and see him looking at me like I hold the world in the palm of my hand. His eye glints, easing the tightness in my chest in an instant. We’re back in our bubble, safe and sound with no one but each other. In our bubble, I’m reminded of all I can do.
‘For this first episode, I thought we’d celebrate with a little secret I’ve been holding back,’ I say.
His smile grows wider – I can see it out of the corner of my eye, spurring me on, pushing me forward every step of the way. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. It’s now or never. One final nod from him and I turn back to the camera.
‘Though many of you know me from my 80 Dates series, you don’t know the whole truth. Ladies and gentlemen, for my first interview of the season, I’d like you to meet Barrier Boy.’