Chapter 17
When Leo pulled into the hotel car park later that evening, Caleb leapt out of the car almost before it had stopped. He leaned back and took in huge, dramatic gulps of air.
‘Is he going to be okay?’ Vidya said, from the back.
‘He’ll be fine,’ said Leo. ‘After all that candy floss, no wonder he feels a bit queasy. Just watch though. He’ll be back to beer and burgers in an hour.’
‘Good.’ She let herself out of the car. Leo followed suit and locked up.
‘Um … listen,’ Vidya said. ‘Thanks for this afternoon. I was feeling a bit down and it’s really helped.’
Leo moved out of the way to let her pass. ‘It was my pleasure,’ he said. ‘Genuinely. I haven’t been on a Dance Dance Revolution machine for ages. It’s nice to know I’ve still got the skills.’
Her eyes sparkled. ‘I’m so impressed.’
He gave, what he hoped, was a modest shrug that didn’t give away the way his heart soared.
Caleb was walking around the car park swinging his arms.
‘I’ll stay with him,’ said Leo. ‘You can go and call your sister, if you want.’
Vidya’s gaze followed Caleb as he paced. ‘I guess I should.’ She nodded, as though she’d just persuaded herself. ‘Yes. I’ll do that.’
Leo watched her leave, her head bowed as she looked at her phone. She seemed happier now. Hopefully, her chat with her sister would cheer her up even more. At least, arguing with sisters was something he could help with.
He thought about her laughter when the roller coaster ride ended.
It was a thing of such beauty. If only he could make her laugh like that again.
It had made him feel … different. A fizz of something he hadn’t felt in a long, long time.
Not since Jessica. Everything about Vidya drew him to her.
Her laugh, her competence, the way her hips swayed when she walked …
Caleb came up to him and nudged him on the shoulder. ‘Man, you have it bad,’ he said.
Leo snapped his attention away from Vidya. ‘What?’
‘You. You’re so into Vidya. Just look at you, watching her arse like a love-lorn puppy.’
‘I was not watching her arse.’ Embarrassment flared up to his face because, of course, he had been, hadn’t he?
‘Yeah, you were,’ said Caleb, cheerily.
‘She’s a work colleague.’ Leo turned away from his friend and watched the seagulls swooping around, probably looking for opportunities to steal food and ruin meaningful conversations.
‘You know, that’s not the barrier you think it is. Just because Jessica made your working life miserable, doesn’t mean it’ll always be like that.’ Caleb nodded towards Vidya. ‘You should ask her out. I reckon you’re in with a chance.’
Leo opened his mouth to give his usual rebuttals, but something made him pause. Her hand clamped on top of his. The way she’d looked at him when he came off the dance machine. That unguarded laugh. Maybe … ‘You think?’ he said.
‘I reckon,’ said Caleb. ‘I have good instincts about this sort of thing, remember?’
He did. But … ‘She’s always asking questions about you, though,’ Leo said. ‘Are you sure it’s not you she’s interested in?’
Caleb frowned. ‘I don’t get that vibe from her. But you’re right, she does ask lots of questions. Have you considered that maybe she’s asking both of us questions, not just me? Maybe … it’s just me that actually answers while you get your moody man thing on and don’t say anything.’
Leo’s first instinct was to deny that, but he thought about it.
Cordy was always telling him that he was too quiet, too ‘moody’ as Caleb so elegantly put it, that he should open up and show people how he felt.
Every time someone said that to him, it fired off the part of his mind that stored memories of his parents, who played emotion so liberally that he’d stopped knowing what was real and what was not.
No, darling, don’t look down, that makes you look insincere.
You need to project your feelings. Show that you’re happy.
Really show it. Emote. No, not like that. Like this, see.
He had never managed to produce the level of expression his parents wanted. Now he couldn’t bring himself to put his emotions on display for people to see because he was no longer sure he wasn’t lying about them.
‘If you don’t show people how you feel, how will they know?’ Caleb said.
Leo sighed. ‘But how do I know for sure? I’m attracted to her, but how do I know that’s real? Not just a flash in the pan? Attraction changes, remember.’ His feelings for Jessica had certainly gone from one extreme to another within minutes.
Caleb stood in front of him and put his hands on Leo’s shoulders. ‘Mate,’ he said. ‘You’re my best friend. I’d like to think I know you, at least a little bit.’
Leo inclined his head. Caleb probably knew him better than anyone else.
‘You’re a great guy. You need to stop second guessing yourself and playing it safe.
’ Caleb glanced over his shoulder to where Vidya was standing, her back very straight, speaking into her phone.
‘Vidya seems nice. She’s serious, like you.
Okay, a bit nosy, but generally sensible.
She’s good at her job, which I know you like.
And, probably most importantly, she doesn’t treat you like you make her want to run away and cry. ’
‘I don’t make people cry.’
Caleb rolled his eyes. ‘Okay. Maybe not cry, but you definitely upset people.’
‘I don’t mean to upset them. I just expect them to do their job properly. There’s a difference.’
‘Don’t change the subject.’
‘I—’ Okay. He was changing the subject. He glanced at Vidya too. ‘I’m still not convinced you’re right. And if you’re wrong, I’ll have made things awkward with a work colleague, whom I respect. It’s not worth the risk.’
‘You are so stubborn,’ said Caleb. ‘Sometimes, I could just punch you.’
Leo looked into his friend’s eyes. ‘And I’d run away,’ he said. ‘Because I am much faster than you.’
Caleb laughed. ‘One of these days …’ He removed his hands from Leo’s shoulders. ‘But think about it. If you don’t at least try, you’ll really regret it later. It’s not often you meet someone you genuinely like.’
All the way over at the spot where the driveway met the hotel entrance, Vidya was talking earnestly.
Her hair flew around her face and she tried to tether it with her free hand.
His attraction to her was hugely inconvenient.
It messed with his concentration when he was supposed to be working and messed with his sleep at night.
Caleb was right. It wasn’t often this happened.
‘But what if she likes you, really?’ Leo said. All the times when she had just been friendly to him and then switched focus to Caleb; there had to be reason for that.
‘Then I promise you, I am not attracted to her.’
Leo raised his eyebrows at his friend.
‘No, seriously. I’m … really not interested.’ Caleb frowned. ‘I’ve been a bit less interested in general lately,’ he said. He looked uncomfortable.
‘Oh?’ said Leo, glad to have the attention removed from him.
‘Hmm,’ said Caleb. ‘I met someone who had a real impact on me. There was …’ He wiggled his fingers. ‘Something. A connection.’
‘Who is this woman? Are you going to see her again? Why have I not heard about this before?’
Caleb shook his head. ‘It’s nothing. I don’t think I’ll see her again. It’s complicated.’
‘You haven’t fallen for a married woman?’ Leo narrowly avoided adding ‘again’. Caleb had been quite upset by the whole thing last time. He was all for having fun, but he drew the line at married women.
‘I don’t think she’s married—’ Caleb shook his head.
‘Never mind. Forget it. I think I’m just a bit obsessed because I know I won’t see her again and it wasn’t really my call, that’s all.
’ Caleb’s smile was back. ‘Well … how about we focus on you this evening? We’re not going to go back to work, are we?
So why don’t we go to the pub when Vidya finishes her phone call.
It’ll do us all some good to loosen up a bit. ’
Leo drew a deep breath. ‘Let’s do that.’
‘Who knows, maybe we could find a karaoke ba—’
‘No.’
***
They ended up going to the same pub as before.
Leo didn’t want the day to end. His mission to cheer Vidya up had succeeded.
She was currently sitting opposite him, slowly drinking a glass of wine, laughing at some story that Caleb was telling them.
She was lovely. Leo took a sip of his pint and watched the way her cheeks rose when she smiled.
Her face looked so full and soft. He wondered how it would feel to cup her face in his hands.
To kiss her. To feel all that warmth and softness up close.
Work colleague though. He sighed. Next to him, Caleb nudged him. ‘What’s the matter with you?’
‘Oh. Just the Sunday blues,’ Leo said. ‘There’s a lot of work to cover. I was thinking about that.’
‘Oh, man. Did you have to remind us? Now I’m depressed too,’ said Caleb.
‘Sorry,’ Leo said, without any remorse.
‘I guess we should go back to the hotel after this one drink,’ said Vidya.
‘That was the plan,’ said Leo.
‘You are both so boring sometimes,’ Caleb said. He finished his pint. ‘I am going to get another one.’
Leo watched Vidya shake her head, her expression more amused than worried.
He knew Caleb well enough not to be concerned.
He also knew that this relaxed time would end tomorrow.
Tomorrow, they would be back to reading contracts and compiling lists of red flags.
Tonight, they were still off. If he was going to talk to Vidya, he should do it now.
How did one go about flirting with a work colleague anyway?
It had been so long since he’d wanted to flirt with anyone.
How did you make conversation? He wasn’t usually this bad at it.
It was like his brain had deliberately deleted all the small-talk options.
Hobbies. He could ask her about her hobbies.
Wait, what were his hobbies? He must have some.
Did running and keeping up the tap dance lessons as a form of exercise count as hobbies?
Vidya finished checking her phone and looked up at him with a smile. Now or never.
‘So … uh. What do you do in your spare time? Do you have any hob—’
Vidya’s attention was on something behind his shoulder. Her smile faded and was replaced by a frown. Leo twisted in his seat to see what was going on.
She was looking at the bar, where Caleb was talking to a pretty woman who was clearly interested in him. Caleb said something and the woman laughed and rested her hand on his arm.
‘Oh.’ Leo turned back to see Vidya was still frowning disapprovingly.
While Caleb might not have any feelings for Vidya, she seemed to have feelings for him.
Leo took a gulp of his drink and swallowed down the throat punch of disappointment.
Ah well. At least he’d found out before he made a fool of himself.
He took another sip of his drink. Thank heaven for small mercies.
Vidya looked at him. ‘Are you wanting to get another drink?’ she said.
‘Hmm?’ He looked at his pint. It was nearly empty. ‘I … er, no. I was suddenly thirsty, that’s all. I still don’t intend to stay out much longer.’
She swirled her glass of wine. ‘Me neither.’ She took a large sip. There wasn’t much left in her glass either.
Caleb came back, the woman he’d just met following behind.
‘Guys,’ he said. ‘These ladies …’ He gestured to his new friend and a group of laughing women sitting not far away. ‘These ladies know of a karaoke bar.’
‘No. No karaoke for me,’ Leo said, holding up his hands.
Vidya shook her head too.
‘Well, in that case …’ said Caleb. ‘Leo, would you mind walking Vidya back to the hotel? I might see how my karaoke skills are.’
‘We start at nine tomorrow,’ Leo warned. Not that Caleb needed reminding.
‘I’ll be there for breakfast as usual,’ said Caleb. He clamped a hand on Leo’s shoulder, turned so that Vidya couldn’t see his face and gestured with his eyes towards her. He mouthed, Go on.
Leo tried to protest, but Caleb patted him on the shoulder and left, apparently more drunk than he possibly could be on one pint.
Caleb was still under the delusion that Vidya wasn’t interested in him.
She clearly was. But Caleb was trying to push her and Leo together, and now he had left Leo to spend time with Vidya. What a mess.
Leo wondered about texting Caleb, but he knew that it wouldn’t make a difference.
Caleb would just accuse him of still being hung up on Jessica and too chicken to follow his heart.
When Leo looked at Vidya, she was typing on her phone again.
She had sucked in her bottom lip as she concentrated.
It was the most adorable thing he’d ever seen.
Still, there really was no use in pursuing someone whose eyes were set on someone else.
She raised those eyes while he was still looking at her.
‘Er … did you want to head back now?’ he said.
She nodded. ‘Let’s.’ She drained her wine with a gulp.
He did the same with the remainder of his pint.