Subject: Fw: Fw: How’s things?
Give the man his due, he was persistent. He had sent the same email three times now, with minor variations. How was New York? How was the flight? Was she OK? He hadn’t heard from her – was something wrong? Could she just reply to this, or better yet call him, so he’d know she was OK? Cassie, could you please just acknowledge this? How are you feeling?
She sighed. How was she feeling? Not ready to talk.
Definitely not ready to confront what had happened at Christmas, or what Patrick might know …
Gently she stroked the touchpad, guiding the cursor to the delete button.
Delete this message?
Hesitating only for a moment, she clicked ‘Yes’.
CHAPTER SIX
Cassie took a deep breath. It seemed a daring act of sacrilege just to touch the beautiful inlaid common-room door. The patterns were so intricate, so delicate, she was afraid she might break the wood.
But let’s face it: that wasn’t why she was hesitating. She eyed Ranjit nervously as he stepped forward and placed his hand on the gleaming silver handle.
‘Relax. It’ll be fun,’ he murmured, reaching down with his other hand to take her own. She rolled her eyes and tried to smile. Ranjit turned the handle and the door swung open.
As they walked in, Cassie took a breath. Why had she been expecting the same Parisian common room, with its antiques and dark fabrics, jewelled lamps and glassware? This vast space, only a floor below Sir Alric’s penthouse office, was flooded with light from its glass walls and the frosty blue sky beyond. The leather sofas were clean-lined and ivory-white; the furniture was sleek and minimalist but visibly expensive. Her trainers squeaked on a pale hardwood floor as they crossed the room under stares that ranged from surprised to friendly to violently hostile.
‘Hey, you two!’ Cormac leaped to his feet, and Ayeesha gave them one of her radiant grins. ‘Good to see you both. Come along in and meet the others, Cassie.’
It was extraordinary, she thought, the way the big clique that was the Few was split into its own small but very intense sub-cliques. The people she’d expect to be together were together, classified by personality and general niceness – or lack thereof. The bond between certain Few members, and the division between certain Few groups, was invisible but obvious. They were like small galaxies revolving around each other but never touching. Between some groups, the air almost vibrated with tension. She got the distinct sense, too, that some of the members of each group deferred to the others in a way that seemed to be nothing to do with age.
Whatever the reason for the divisions, all of the room’s inhabitants were temporarily united in watching Cassie and Ranjit, and eyeing their clasped hands with interest. Unconcerned, Cormac was gesturing expansively round the room. ‘… and Sara, of course. And you’ll know Vassily and India from last term, and Yusuf. Sorry, I’m sure Ranjit can introduce you, I suppose you don’t need me to tell you all this.’ He gave a warm chuckle. Cassie smiled back, ever-so-slightly beginning to loosen up.
Then the common-room door opened again, and she immediately stiffened with tension once more. The voice she heard calling an elaborate greeting to a group of students in the corner was horribly familiar.
Richard.
Startled, Cassie glanced over at him: how could it have slipped her mind that he would most likely be in the common room? Maybe she’d wilfully forgotten. As their eyes met, he doffed an invisible hat, smiling tentatively, but thankfully saying nothing. Ranjit eyed him warily.
Cormac had returned to flop down on a plush sofa beside Ayeesha, and Cassie sighed deeply. ‘OK, that’s that experience over. Can we go now?’ she whispered through gritted teeth, though a smile pulled at the corners of her mouth.
Ranjit looked down at her tense face and laughed infectiously. His gaze held hers, and Cassie found herself rooted to the spot, calmed by his intense stare. She stared back at him, mesmerised, until, almost in slow motion, Ranjit wrapped his arms around her and pressed his lips to hers. Time seemed to stand still as she melted into his kiss, forgetting her reservations until a loud cough nearby abruptly made her very aware that they were still standing in the middle of the room. Eyes were turned in their direction again. Cormac seemed quietly amused; Richard looked stricken.
‘Not again,’ she mumbled, grinning sheepishly. ‘Aren’t we, uh, a little on display here?’
‘Oh. Of course, let’s, um …’ Ranjit shook his head a little as if to clear it, and guided her to another plush sofa tucked into a corner of the room. As they went, a burst of good-natured laughter rang out from Richard’s group, but Richard didn’t seem to be sharing the joke. His eyes were still on Cassie, filled with some undefinable emotion. Then they reached the sofa and sat down, Ranjit put his arm casually around her shoulders, and her heart floated.
Forcing Richard’s expression out of her head, Cassie cleared her throat. ‘I admit it. This is kind of cool.’ She lowered her voice. ‘And I’m glad to see they seem just as shocked to see you here as they do me.’ She prodded Ranjit’s side playfully. He flushed, and Cassie was surprised to see that he looked a little embarrassed.
‘I guess so.’
‘How come?’ Cassie gave him a puzzled look.
‘After Jess died, I kept my distance from the rest of the Few. I knew one of them must have been responsible, but I didn’t know who. I suspected all of them. I hardly came to the common room at all last year. It made it kind of hard to have close friendships. And they’re wary of me for other reasons.’