Sébastian was at the barbecue and his face lit up as he held up his hand to wave Felix over to him. Felix’s hand tightened its grip, and I took a deep breath, as if I was trying to inhale some of his anxiety.
We walked over, through little groups of people who all turned to look at Felix. No wonder he was nervous.
‘Felix.’ Sébastian put down his barbecue tongs and pulled him into a hug when we reached him. Felix let go of my hand, and I stood there as they had their moment.
‘I will speak English for Margot. I am so happy you came,’ said Sébastian.
‘Thanks,’ replied Felix, hand in his hair.
‘Felix!’ Lili came out of nowhere, her dark curls bouncing around her shoulders, and behind her, Delphine. Lili threw her arms round Felix when Sébastian let him go. ‘Do you remember the first barbecue, when everyone was sick?’ Lili laughed.
‘Unfortunately, I do remember.’ Felix smiled and stepped a bit closer to me. ‘Maybe I should do the barbecue tonight?’ Felix looked at Sébastian with raised eyebrows and he glaredback at him, before bursting into a huge smile. ‘I thought you would never ask.’ Sébastian handed Felix the tongs and they switched places, so Sébastian was standing beside me. ‘I will get you a drink, Margot.’ He disappeared to a barrel filled with ice and came back with a can of beer.
‘Thanks,’ I said.
‘How are your legs?’ Delphine asked. Her hair was pulled into a messy updo, and a cardigan was draped over her elegant shoulders, revealing a dark summer minidress.
‘Tired,’ I admitted, thinking back to our run, then our lesson.
‘Good. We will do the same again tomorrow?’ she asked.
‘Delphine,’ Lili warned, then she touched my arm gently. ‘Sometimes Delphine is too strict. She makes people work too hard.’ Lili spoke to me, but she was looking at Delphine with a smirk. Delphine rolled her eyes.
‘It’s OK. I like to train hard,’ I said, and Delphine smiled smugly back at Lili.
‘And you will come to the qualifier, Fe?’ Sébastian asked Felix, who was turning burgers.
‘One step at a time,’ Felix replied, staring into the barbecue.
Then I heard Lili say ‘Antoine’ when she was talking to Delphine in French. The name caught my ear like it was meant for me. I followed their gaze towards the water, and there he was. A figure standing with his back to us, hands in pockets, just looking out at the ocean.
I looked back to Felix, who was surrounded by people I didn’t know. All of them smiling, talking to him, delighted that he had come.
So I slipped away towards the water, my full can of beer still in my hand.
I walked between the groups of people, dragging my feet through the cooling sand, towards Antoine. He was wearing a white T-shirt and dark board shorts, his tattooed arms still jammed in their pockets when I reached him. I nudged him with my shoulder. ‘Le flic de la plage.Still checking the water?’ I looked up at him and the side of his mouth twitched into the beginning of a smile that never actually materialized.
I had the urge to take his hand then. To squeeze it in mine, like this connection between us was so strong that it superseded everything else. Like how patronizing he’d been and the things he’d said, how it all just faded away.
But Felix was on the beach. And despite our conversation, I couldn’t do that to him.
So I just stood there, beer in hand, with the charged salt air fizzing with tension between us.
‘I hope you are not planning to drink that near the water.’ Antoine nodded at the beer can in my hand.
‘I wouldn’t dream of it,’ I said.
‘Good. I have arrested people for less.’
I gave him a side eye and smirked.
‘Why did you come tonight?’
‘Because Felix wanted to.’ I shrugged.
‘He is here? Felix?’ Antoine glanced towards the crowd spread across the beach.
‘Yep,’ I answered.
