Page 54 of Save You

“How about you buy us all a drink tomorrow?Here at the gala?”Cyril suggests with a grin.“That would be…fun.”

“My offer from earlier still stands,” interjects Mr.Freeman.He turns to me.“We were about to head to the pub to toast their hard work at training.”

“Great idea, coach,” says Alistair, clapping his hands.“So, back to the original plan?Black Fox?”

All the lacrosse lads cheer.

“And the first round’s on me,” says the coach, straighteninghis cap.“And of course the events committee is invited along, Miss Bell.You’ve been putting hard work in too.”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” mutters a guy I’ve never seen before in my life.“They’d have been screwed without us…”

“Shut it, Kenton,” says James with quiet menace.

Kenton presses his lips together.

“Let’s go,” Freeman says, nodding toward the doors.

The others head out with Doug, Camille, and the rest of my team following on behind.Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought the lacrosse and events teams would go out for a drink together by choice.

Lin nudges me in the ribs.“I’m gonna talk to Cyril for once,” she whispers, her expression determined.“So I at least know where I stand.”

I nod.“Good idea.”

“You’re not coming, are you?”

I shake my head, and the firm look fades from Lin’s eyes.

“Then neither am I,” she says, nodding toward my clipboard.“I’ll help you.”

“Don’t be silly,” I reply, hugging it to my chest so that she can’t see the things still to be ticked off.“A chance like this isn’t going to come around again.Go, and try to find out why he’s been ghosting you.And if he acts like a dick, give him hell.”

Lin hesitates a moment longer, but I point firmly toward the doors, so she eventually turns and runs after the others.I hear her soles click through the hall, then a loud bang as the door slams shut behind her.

Now I can turn back to my list.I sigh with the realization that the feeling I’ve been carrying around for weeks—in my chest, my stomach, and my whole body—has gotten stronger, not faded.Iwonder if it will ever stop.I shake off the thoughts and get to work, ticking off the jobs.

First I head to the grand piano to the right of the stage and polish away each of the fingerprints left by our helpers on its glossy black surface.Then I play music quietly on my phone, which I slip into the back pocket of my jeans.As I listen to the soothing tones of Vancouver Sleep Clinic, I check that the name labels and place settings are right on every table.

“You didn’t come to the pub,” says a voice behind me suddenly.

I whirl around and see James standing in the doorway to Boyd Hall.He’s still wearing his training jersey and has his hands deep in the pockets of his joggers.I can’t read his expression.

“I’ve still got a few things to do,” I reply, waving my clipboard.

James walks in and my heart skips a beat, even though he’s still several feet away from me.“Can I help?”

Automatically, I shake my head.“No, there’s no need.Thanks though.”Then I turn back to the table beside me, even though I’m pretty sure I’ve already checked that one.

“You don’t have to do everything yourself.”His voice sounds a little closer than before.“I’m already feeling bad because the décor company let you down.”

“It’s not your fault,” I mumble.

I don’t know if I can be alone in a room with him.With James standing in front of me, glowering at me, even the massive Boyd Hall feels tiny.Like the fifteen feet between us are only a fraction of an inch.My whole body feels drawn to him, and there’s nothing I can do about it.

I know that even now, after all these weeks and everything that’s happened, I’ll feel so much better if I just turn and walk toward him, but I fight the impulse down.I take a deep breathand stare at my clipboard.If James has got it into his head to help me, it won’t be easy to shake him off.He’s proved that much in the last few weeks.

“The projector needs checking.There’s no picture on the right-hand screen,” I say after a while, risking a glance in his direction.

He’s still looking at me with that expression that I can’t interpret.In the end, he nods.“OK.”