Page 5 of Only You

Andrew looked into the rearview mirror, and Olivia continued staring out the side window. Her pained expression caused his heart to constrict.

“What conversation, Olivia?”

“Nothing,” she said, folding her arms over her chest.

It was easy to forget she was only seven. Andrew wondered if being around grown-ups all her life was a problem. Now was not the time to push. Andrew let the conversation drop. He would try again later. He had something to go on. Could he find out any more? That was going to be the million-dollar question.

Chapter Four

Ana

The smell from the local bakery next to the Tube station was too much for Ana to ignore, having skipped dinner the night before. Her head was swimming from both a lack of sleep and food. She knew she’d have to stretch her budget until she could find another job, but she needed food to function.

Ana grabbed one of their to-go breakfast meals before making her way to uni. Her first lecture was not until eleven o’clock. After last night, she was glad about the late start. The flat was deserted when she got up. Those on the night shift had locked themselves in their rooms while the others had already left for the day. She’d heard both sets in her semi-slumber, having spent much of the night tossing and turning.

It was a new day. Onward and upward, as they said. She would spend her frees in the library searching the job pages. Something would turn up. It had to. There was no going back.

The lecture hall was empty when Ana entered. Taking her usual seat at the back and in the far corner, she tucked into her breakfast pastry. She groaned aloud as the pastry dissolved in her mouth. She didn’t think she’d ever felt this hungry or tasted anything so good. Until now, she hadn’t needed to. The Head Chef at Randy’s had always seen her and the other staff with a steady meal. The pay had been low, but she’d always had a full stomach. She knew the money she’d spent that morning was an extravagance, but she needed her wits about her.

It wasn’t long before some of her classmates began to roll into the lecture theatre. Ana ignored the low hum of their chatter. It was only when two bodies flopped into the seats in the row in front of her that Ana’s head shot up. She chose that spot because no one else did, which usually meant she was left alone. Ana looked away, trying hard to ignore them as she continued eating her breakfast. The duo, however, was having none of it. Instead, turning around in their seats, they smiled up at her.

“Hi,” came a bright and cheerful voice.

Ana swallowed the last mouthful of her breakfast before looking up from her lap to stare at the girl sporting a short blond pixie cut with fuchsia pink tips.

“I’m Millie, and this is Georgina, aka George.”

The girl next to the pixie smiled at Ana, who took a long swig of her coffee to ease the sudden dry mouth and intense thirst that had overcome her.

The two girls sat and waited, smiling at her. Ana’s stomach tightened. What did they want? When neither said anything, Ana sucked in her cheeks and ran her tongue along the inside of her teeth.

“Hi,” Ana responded.

Ana looked at the young woman in front of her, whose enormous blue eyes radiated a warmth Ana was unused to. Clasping her coffee in both hands, she studied the pair. Both wore bright clothes, more in line with the fashion and textile students they were, than Ana with her verybeigewardrobe. Ana had seen them before but had no interaction with either of them.

“You’re Ana, aren’t you?” the girl named Millie asked.

It was more of a statement than an actual question, but Ana nodded. She felt like she’d entered a twilight movie or an alternate reality. In the six weeks since their lectures had begun, no one had approached her, let alone spoken to her. Ana had remained invisible. Her peers had given her sideways glances and then moved on.

“Great,” Millie said, sounding surprisingly chirpy.

Ana must have given her a confused look as Millie laughed at George.

“Sorry,” Millie said. “They have partnered you with us for the next project. Today is the day we are being put into our groups. Did you not see the notice on the door?”

Ana groaned.

With everything that had happened, she had forgotten about the group project. Ana’s heartbeat returned to normal. They might be far too happy for Ana’s taste, but she had seen the work these two had produced during their previous individual task, and they were talented,reallytalented.

“Er, no… that’s great,” Ana said, unsure of what else to say.

She added a smile, although she was sure it came out more as a grimace. Millie seemed not to take offence and smiled back. Her smile was inviting, making Ana clutch her coffee cup even tighter. Meeting new people and making small talk was Ana’s worst nightmare, but working together meant these two were there to stay. She was going to have to get over it.

George had said nothing. She simply sat and watched as Millie tried to interact with Ana. George, like her friend, had a unique style. Her long hair was loose and harbouring a multitude of different colours. Ana thought about her dark brown hair and how boring it must look compared to these two. Ana wondered why they would want to work with her. Ana smiled to herself. Of course they didn’t really. They’d been paired with her. Poor them, paired with the class outcast. Before she could think too hard about the strangeness of the morning, or her new partners, their lecturer entered, and everyone’s attention shifted to her and their new project brief.

The class was all fired up and ready to go an hour later. Their lecturer had delivered their brief, and Ana had to admit it excited her.

“Do you want to grab a coffee and discuss what we need to do?”

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