Didhe see the beach that morning?
I pulled myself out of bed and when I went into the little kitchen, I was greeted by Rue and Wren, who wrapped themselves round me.
‘Mum made us let you sleep. But we wanted to wake you up,’ Wren said.
‘I’ve done my exercises already and everything,’ said Rue.
‘That’s brilliant, Rue.’ I hugged them back. ‘Where are Mum and Dad?’ I asked.
‘Outside,’ Wren answered.
I grabbed a croissant and walked outside.
‘Good morning, how are you feeling?’ Mum asked.
She looked tired. Like she hadn’t slept at all, and that even the smile was an effort.
‘I’m OK,’ I replied. ‘I’m a bit sore but I think it’s just muscle pain,’ I said.
‘You need to give yourself time to recover,’ Dad said, before walking back inside to make more coffee.
‘I’ll take it easy,’ I called after him. I wasn’t about to get back into our argument right then. ‘Felix,’ I said, as I remembered the revelation.
I sat down beside Mum, noticing her worried eyes.
‘He’s a nice boy, Felix. Gentle,’ Mum said. ‘I think he’s been good for you, Margot.’
‘Yeah?’
‘He just seems so different to your friends at home. I’ve noticed the way he looks at you.’
‘What do you mean?’ I asked. I was genuinely curious. Mum was like Wren – both of them saw things that the rest of us didn’t.
‘He sees you the way we do. He sees how special you are.’ Mum found my eyes and smiled, putting a lump in my throat.
‘Mum –’
‘It’s true, Margot. And two days ago, we thought –’
‘Mum, don’t,’ I cut in. ‘I think I’d like to go and see him maybe?’
‘Sorry, you’re right. Go, tell Felix we say hello.’ She cleared her throat, and I leaned in to give her a quick hug.
I made my way to the Brasserie in the afternoon heat. When I got there, it was just the same as it always was over lunchtime. Busy.
I scanned the tables for Felix. Then I saw him. Chatting to a family, using his hands to speak like he always did. I just watched him, taking in every piece of him.
It wasn’t until five minutes later that he saw me. He was taking glasses back to the bar. He stopped in his tracks and just stared at me. I gave him a little smile and a wave. He heldup a finger and disappeared towards the bar before emerging again a couple of minutes later.
He stopped about a foot away from me, like he was scared to touch me.
‘Can we talk?’ I asked.
He nodded. ‘I will tell Yves I am taking a break.’
When he came back the second time, I felt it. A strange tension in the air. One that had never been there between us. We walked aimlessly down lanes of the campsite lined with other people’s mobile homes. He seemed worried, and there was a change in his breathing, like the air around him was thin.
‘I am so happy that you are OK, Margot.’ Felix’s hand was in his hair, but he wasn’t looking at me. He was looking at the path as we walked.
