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I need to contribute here, don’t I? ‘I tend to use a lot of online stuff,’ I add, my mouth completely dry. I look over and Charlie has written a note in his book. ORALLY RHYMES WITH AURELIE. He underlines it. I glare at him. ‘Just so students can model the right sounds. I’ll share some links.’

Lee stands there at the front of the room, smiling. ‘You see…this is what this department needed. A bit of youth and energy, some new ideas. Two openings perfectly filled, in my opinion.’

Charlie puts a hand to his mouth to cover his smile.

‘That’s very kind of you to say,’ I reply, proud of myself for keeping it together enough to respond so maturely.

‘Well, let’s bang the rest of this out. HR just want me to go through the performance review clauses on your contract and to make you aware of the FAP…

’ he says, turning to the screen. Charlie tries to catch my eye.

Do not do that. Please. I can feel him next to me.

Literally that same energy I felt when he was walking next to me at that beach.

When we shared a bench on that plaza. When he leaned into me and told me that he could still taste me.

This is both unfair and really bloody confusing.

I can’t seem to balance the two realities.

How am I going to share class data with him when I know I’ve made jokes about his nipples, when we’ve both lied to each other.

This doesn’t feel like the foundation on which to build anything, let alone foster a collaborative working relationship.

‘Sorry to interrupt, Lee…’ Charlie puts a hand up in the air.

I sit up straight in my chair. Is he going to say something about us?

Does he have a need to give full disclosure as professional courtesy?

Don’t do that. Especially when I’ve not really had a say in that information being divulged.

‘I just wanted to check how long this meeting will go on for?’ he says, looking at his watch .

‘Oh, it’ll only be another half hour. I won’t keep you from your family. Don’t worry, we like you to be able to maintain that life/work balance.’

As soon as the words leave Lee’s mouth, that energy that once lay between Charlie and I fizzles to a damp squib. Family . Family? I turn to him slowly. Carlos has a family. That explains a lot.

Charlie

In truth, we all have families, otherwise none of us would be here, right?

But as soon as the words left Lee’s mouth, I saw all that humour and light leave Suzie’s body.

I saw judgement. I saw someone who didn’t want to hear my explanations.

Instead, she did everything she could to continue chatting to Lee and to avoid me.

She literally threw me out of her room afterwards.

If she’d asked me to stay though, she’d have heard that I have a damn good explanation for everything.

I didn’t meet her at that beach because I got into an accident involving a mechanical bull.

I do have a family; one that I am responsible for too.

I see them now through the misty window of this restaurant, Brooke trying to persuade her brothers that a selfie is in order.

She poses with the trademark pout and peace sign, takes a few and then chastises them for their efforts.

I’m not surprised. Sam’s hair looks like he’s just rolled out of bed.

Or maybe that’s the style. He looks like a very tired llama.

I’m trying to think when I last washed that hoodie.

I push against the door to enter. It’s a Wednesday so the place is quiet, a large 1 and 5 balloon swaying to the middle where our party of four is sitting. They all cheer.

‘Late much?’ Brooke says, as I take off my coat.

‘Some of us have to work in the real word, sis.’ She replies by sticking her tongue out at me. ‘Sammy boy, happy birthday.’ I hand over my gift bag to him, ruffling his hair.

‘That’s an awfully small bag for a PS5,’ he tells me.

‘It’s from me and Max,’ I say, as I place my hands on Max’s shoulders.

He puts his hand in the bag, pulling out a pair of AirPods instead. Like I needed more ways for him to ignore me. I see something that looks like a smile creep across his face. ‘You’re very good big brothers.’

‘It has been said,’ Max says.

‘Cheapo here got me a Gregg’s gift card,’ he says, pointing at Brooke.

‘Ungrateful. I thought it the more useful gift, given you’re half sausage roll,’ she retorts, sticking her tongue out at him. Max hits her over the back of her head. I stare at both of them to cut it out. ‘First day back went OK?’ I ask Sam.

He shrugs his shoulders. ‘All a bit mid, truth be told. Having your birthday on the first day back feels like a very cruel joke too.’

‘And Brooke, how was college?’ I ask her. Brooke is the only one attired for the evening in a dress that’s perhaps too brief, her blonde hair and make-up styled well. I never quite know how to tell her as her older brother though that she doesn’t need any of it.

‘I’ve got a timetable but they’re talking about universities. I’ve got some dates for open days, can I book those in? Also, can you help me with my UCAS statement?’

I nod, as she studies my face. ‘You look battered. How’s the new school?’

Max pushes a beer in my direction and I take a very welcome swig on it. ‘You’ve gone South London, I thought it might be marginally posher?’ he tells me.

‘Not by much really…the school is fine. I just…’ I look over at Brooke, who gives me her full attention now.

Brooke is the mirror image of our mum with that cheeky look in her eye that was always keyed in to gossip and wanting to know what was go ing on in people’s lives.

But it was empathy through and through. She puts her hands on my shoulders and rests a chin there.

‘I bumped into someone I didn’t plan to see there. ’

‘Was it that sus bitch, Krystal? I thought we got rid of her?’ she adds.

‘No, it’s someone I met on holiday. Is that weird?’

All my siblings look at me curiously now. We went on a group holiday, camping in Devon. It was pretty quiet unless I’m referring to one of those pheasants who tried to get in our tent.

‘Hold up, Mallorca?’ Max asks, sitting up straighter in his seat.

‘Pray do tell, big brother. You never shared this story with me,’ Brooke says.

I never shared because sometimes I am not sure how much I’m supposed to share with an eighteen-year-old sister who usually criticises the cut of my trousers and a fifteen-year-old brother who is far too young to hear about the details of my dating and sex life.

I’ll maybe give them an edited PG-13 version.

‘It’s a girl I…’ I cough. ‘Hooked up with in Mallorca and…’

‘WHOA!’ Max says a little too loudly so a table across the room jump as they eat their calzone. ‘The French bird? How the hell?’

‘Charlie “hooked up” with a French bird?’ Brooke repeats. The looks on my younger siblings’ faces read absolute horror.

‘Was she fit?’ Sam asks. Brooke hits him round the head with her napkin. ‘It’s my birthday and that is a pertinent question.’

I’m mildly impressed that Sam has used such a big word there. ‘I guess,’ I reply.

‘Max, was she fit? Nice?’ Brooke asks.

‘I didn’t meet her. What the hell was she doing at your school?’ Max asks. The garlic bread arrives and all our hands go in so we have snacks to take in this little story .

‘Oh, so it turns out she’s not a French bird called Aurelie. She’s a French teacher called Suzie.’

Max opens his mouth to take in the drama. ‘And just out of sheer coincidence, you’re both at the same school?’ I nod slowly so we can all take that in. ‘But didn’t you give her a fake name too? You’ll love this…’ he tells the younger two. ‘He told her his name was Carlos.’

I need say nothing ever again to my two youngest siblings because that rouses enough hilarity in this room to last them for a whole year. ‘Breathe, Brooke…’ I tell her as she struggles for breath.

‘But why?’ she asks.

‘I have no idea anymore. We’d been speaking Spanish, and when she asked if I was Spanish I…I think I thought I was being mysterious, protecting myself, maybe?’

‘Carlos?’ Sam says in a thick Spanish accent, so we can get more laughs out of the situation. ‘That’s a better gift than the AirPods. So what are you going to do? You gonna carry on shagging?’

Brooke gives him a dirty look again. ‘Samuel!’

I wince, remembering how everything transpired today. ‘I don’t think she was too happy to see me. We’ll see how it goes.’

They all look at each other curiously. Yes, it’s another instalment in the adventures of my love life, where the path of true love darts in many different directions.

Did I ever dream of bumping into Aurelie/Suzie again?

Of course. Maybe not in those circumstances, where I was ambushed on my first day in a new job.

I imagined it might be on a random beach somewhere, perhaps a stylish café where my hair looked good.

Now, I just get a sense of embarrassment and shock from her, to the point where I don’t really know what to do.

‘I need a mental image here,’ Brooke says. ‘Who does she look like? ’

‘Your girl, Sofia, from Outer Banks ,’ I suggest. Just more beautiful?

Brooke’s jaw drops. ‘That’s quite hot, and kudos for the Outer Banks reference.’ I had to bond with you somehow, little sister. ‘So really this is quite cute, no? It’s giving romance,’ she says, whirling her hands around in front of her.

Sam pretends to retch whilst Max laughs in between sips of beer.

‘No, hear me out. Maybe this is the universe’s way of giving your little hookup a second chance?

What were the odds of the two of you Londoners meeting up in Mallorca in the way that you did?

And then meeting again. Both of you having applied for jobs in the same department, in the same school.

I know I only got a 6 in Maths but the odds are pretty mega. ’

That thought may have crossed my mind. What indeed are the chances of this being serendipity at work?

The energy between the two of us being so strong that we were brought together again, like human magnets.

The stars aligning, the universe screaming that we belong together.

Perhaps. But then I’ve seen too much of real life to know that’s not how it always works.

‘You watch too much shite on Netflix,’ Max tells her. ‘Maybe Charlie will realise they’re meant to be and he’ll chase her across town and they’ll declare their love for each other.’

‘At the airport,’ Sam adds.

‘In the rain,’ Max jokes. ‘While a flash mob dances in the background.’

Brooke sits there sullen. ‘Well then I’ll have to teach Charlie the moves, you cynical twats,’ she says. ‘I just want our brother to be happy.’

I smile at her and nod my beer bottle in her direction. I am happy, kiddo.

‘CHARLIE!’ a voice suddenly interrupts from across the restaurant and the owner, Enzo, appears in his trademark white shirt, black trousers and shiny black loafers, coming over to say hello.

I stand up to give him a hug while he pats my back hard, the sort of slap you’d use to release catarrh.

‘Sammy, fifteen? I want to see some ID, young man.’

‘I don’t have any. I’m only fifteen,’ he mumbles.

‘I am JOKING!’ he roars. ‘How is everything? Have you ordered? I’ll send someone over. Love you, kids. You have a nice evening, yes?’ We all smile at the familiar volume and nature of his cheer but as he walks away, I slide away from the table to follow him to the bar.

‘Enzo,’ I call to him.

‘Yes, Charlie. You are looking so smart? Are you still doing the teaching?’

‘I am, started a new job today,’ I tell him.

‘Then it is a double celebration. I will send more beer to the table. How can I help, my boy?’ he says, putting an arm around me.

‘Did Max bring the cake?’ I ask him.

‘He did, it’s around the back. I’ll bring it through with the desserts?’ he asks.

‘As per usual,’ I say. ‘Thank you.’

He takes a minute to step back and look at me, putting his palms to the air.

‘You’re a double for your father, you know?

It is astounding.’ I take a deep breath and smile back.

‘He and your mama would be so proud of you, you know? The way you are raising your siblings, the way you keep the family together.’ The comment would be all the more heartrending if he wasn’t slapping my cheeks at the same time. ‘Beautiful boy.’

I look over back at the table. The option was that or shipping my ten- and thirteen-year-old siblings to my aunt in York.

Brooke would have hated me forever. I don’t know if I’m doing a good job.

I don’t know how my parents would feel about any of this this, but I think they’d like the fact we are still together, celebrating all our family birthdays in the same restaurant they used to take us to.

I’ll start tearing up if he doles out any more compliments so I pat Enzo back on the cheeks.

‘Love you, Enzo,’ I say.

‘I love you more, Charlie boy.’

‘Can I see the cake?’ I ask him.

‘Sure thing. I was bit surprised but Max said it was the last one in the shop. He thought it would be funny.’

Oh dear. I know Max’s sense of humour. Please don’t be rude. He beckons me to look beyond the bar at the mermaid cake below, complete with shells for boobs. I laugh under my breath. ‘It’s perfect.’