Page 19

Victoria still wasn’t holding the camera steady. And why was she asking them hundreds of questions during their video? All the other videos she’d seen online had been sweeping shots ending with beaming smiles, while their guide seemed to be creating a bloody travel vlog, which was stupid because the sound would be terrible with all the wind up here.

However, all of this was quickly forgotten when Caleb revealed, oh so casually, that he did, in fact, recognise Hannah from his one and a half years at Hackney Academy. Not only that, but he remembered her horrible nickname and had used it like a grenade, destroying what little hope she’d had of reinventing herself in front of him.

Had he recognised her in the airport? When she’d made that complete balls-up of taking a sneaky pic of him? Or had it been later? Had he seen the school photos of her in her aunt’s house? Or had he only realised now? Had she done something to remind him of old Hannah, and if so, what?

And, oh God, the job! She was going to have to live with Pencil for months!

All these thoughts raced through her mind as she tried and failed to regain her best pose. But Victoria had already finished the shot and had meandered away to check on the rest of the climbers.

‘When did you realise?’ she asked, shrugging off his arm and turning away to stare out at the vista, her stomach churning painfully despite the gorgeous view.

He turned in the same direction and their shoulders brushed against one another as he leaned down, his hands draped over the railings, unconcerned by the height, while her knuckles were white from the strength of her grip. ‘Straight away – I never forget a face. When did you recognise me?’

His answer stung; she had thought she was so different now. What a fool. ‘I was going to send the photo of you to Ellie. Tell her I’d seen you.’

‘Is that—’

‘Don’t say it!’ she snapped, turning to face him, finally gathering her pride.

He blinked. ‘Say what? She was your friend, wasn’t she?’

With a snort she turned away and stared back at the view. Why did he have to ruin her climb? This was meant to be an exciting milestone, not a grim revisit to the past. ‘We hated those nicknames.’

‘Oh… then I’m sorry. I won’t call you that again.’

‘How very good of you,’ she replied sarcastically, turning to face him head on and refusing to be ashamed. He might remember the old Hannah, but she was different now, and she would prove it to him by no longer taking any of his shit.

Caleb visibly flinched. Good, he deserved to feel guilty. He’d laughed along with those boys, denied being friends with her, and despite promising otherwise, he’d broken her heart all the same – probably didn’t even realise he had by the blasé way he’d brought up her nickname as if it were nothing.

She locked her elbows, bracing her arms against the railing, and straightened her spine. ‘Those boys made our lives hell. But we got over it. I’m not the same person I was in high school. I’ve changed.’

‘I can see that.’

That made her feel a little better, and her fingers loosened slightly. She allowed her eyes to trail over him; there was no longer any need to hide her curiosity. ‘You haven’t. You look the same… except for your nose.’

He laughed. ‘I’ve broken it twice.’

She nodded. ‘There are face guards you can wear to prevent breaks in future.’

‘I can’t always wear those. It ruins the shot.’

She nodded; of course he’d refuse protective gear. She was genuinely surprised he’d worn leathers today. Caleb was a risk to her in every way, but like a moth to a flame, she couldn’t seem to resist.

‘I’d like to think I have changed a little though.’ His eyes softened, and the lines of his face deepened into a sad expression. ‘I’d like to think I’d be braver now.’

She snorted with disbelief. ‘You were always brave. You jumped out of a window in history.’

He shrugged. ‘But not in other ways. Now, I would say something to those boys who picked on you and your friend.’

That surprised her, but his words sounded sincere and she nodded. ‘I’m glad to hear it.’

Was she being unkind, holding the past against him like this? After all, he’d been a new kid in a strange country; of course he’d wanted to fit in and not rock the boat. She knew how that felt – had done the same with her horrible flatmates.

And he had helped her with a new job and moving out of her flat. He probably didn’t even realise how much he’d hurt her back then. She inhaled and exhaled a deep breath, hoping it would help her let go of the past as easily. ‘How about we start afresh? Forget who we were in the past, and begin again?’

He shook his head. ‘No, I don’t want to pretend like we’ve never met. I liked you back then, and I like you now.’ He must have seen the shock on her face because he added quickly, ‘You were a good friend to me, even when I was an asshole.’

‘You were an asshole,’ she agreed solemnly, but then took pity on him and added, ‘But you seem pretty decent now. So, I’ve decided to let you off the hook.’