Jigsaw Pieces

Amelia - Thursday

My heels made such a loud sound down the corridors of this building, the element of surprise here was clearly lost. This part of the school was down the hill from Main School, it was called The Mansion, because it clearly was, a mansion. The large rooms had been converted into classrooms and offices, the grounds were converted into break out areas and gardens for different year groups to maintain. I loved being in this part of the school, I always felt that I should be wearing a long dress, a hat and a pearl necklace when I was in this building.

‘Hey Amelia,’ I turned back to see who had called me. Great.

‘Hi Sylvia, how are you?’ Just what I needed right now, not.

‘So, so. Fancy seeing you down this end of the dungeons. Where are you off to?’ So nosy when she clearly knew where. She had her eyes on Matt since we had all started. All the trainees knew when she took him under her wing to ‘mentor’ him she had eyes for him. The trouble is, Matt couldn’t help but flirt back at that time. I didn’t want to think about that right now. I heard the second bell ringing, indicating that the building should be clear.

‘I’ve got a few things I need to sort with my Professional Tutor before the end of day,’ I lied through my teeth, she didn’t look amused. ‘And that’s the bell. I’d better dash.’.

‘Amelia, you need to know that Matt and I-‘

‘Sylvia? Oh, sorry to interrupt Amelia,’ Head of Maths, Mick Paton walked in with some paperwork and this was my opportunity. ‘I need to borrow Sylvia please.’ I looked at Sylvia, hoping she would say something to acknowledge when she would finish her sentence, but she looked away.

‘I was just leaving,’ I smiled at Mick. ‘ Have a nice evening both of you.’ I picked up my pace and didn’t bother to wait for the reply and walked towards the end of the corridors. I didn’t want to miss my opportunity.

I walked into Matt’s classroom and found it empty. My heart sank and I could feel tears filling my eyes. Oh, how foolish had I been to let things get this far. What did I expect, him waiting for me with open arms? I turned to walk into a pile of textbooks which fell to the floor revealing Matt behind them.

‘Oh, my goodness, I’m so sorry Matt,’ he remained silent as we both kneeled to pick up the books that had sprawled out over the floor in front of us.

‘It’s my fault, I set myself the challenge of bringing them without the box and then decided to make one trip not realising they’re this thick,’ he shook his head at himself as he held up one textbook. We piled the books up on the sideboard and stood looking at one another for a moment. I could feel the tension between us. Matt was creating some physical distance between us, stepping back as I approached him.

‘Erm, hi,’ I have to start somewhere.

‘Hi,’ he replied. This wasn’t going to be easy. He was behind the barrier he’d created, his desk.

‘Matt, I owe you an apology, for earlier,’ I was twirling with the strap of my bag. He looked at me as if he wanted to me to continue. ‘I panicked, freaked out more like it when you...’ I held my wrist again as I remembered. ‘I don’t know what came over me and I just left you...’ help me out Matt. ‘I think I want to see where this goes, I do, but I get confused so quickly. Things are complicated. I love spending time with you, I honestly do...’ I was clutching at straws now with my thoughts rambling off my tongue at 100 mph. He put his hands up in defense.

‘Amelia, stop. I’m sorry for bringing up something that I knew we didn’t have time to talk about. But look, I never meant to hurt you.’ He was apologetic for something he hadn’t even done

‘No, Matt, you didn’t hurt me. I’m sorry, I panicked and freaked out.’ I closed my eyes trying to fight back tears and feeling so unsure of myself. Stop talking Amelia. I felt him move closer and found him by my side leaning against the table when I opened my eyes.

‘Hey, how about we get out of here and go for a walk later. Come over to mine we can get a bite to eat. Continue this conversation away from prying ears.’ He raised his eyebrow and nodded towards the door.

‘Yeah, I’m sure Sylvia would love to have an opinion.’ I crossed my arms. Why am I feeling jealous when I don’t know how I feel about Matt? He shook his head and smirked at me, as if he just read my thoughts.

‘So, what do you say?’ He was already back at his desk, packing up his planner and went to grab his coat.

‘OK,’ after I’d taken a minute to think about. Matt sighed a breath of relief. ‘I want to get back to the flat first, change, that sort of thing first though,’ and check Daniel’s itinerary for this evening. Avoiding Daniel this week had somehow worked out, leaving earlier and getting back late or taking all my supplies and food to my room on the days when we were both in together. Thankfully, he had an en-suite in his room which meant I could run to the bathroom and run back to my room with ease.

‘I’ll see you later then, me lady,’ Matt took my hand and held it up to place a soft kiss on the back. His eyes were glistening bringing warmth to my cheeks. I wanted to stay in this moment where I felt needed and wanted by someone. It had been so long.  

‘Message me when you get home and we can take it from there.’

I agreed and spun around, walking back down the corridor faster than it took to get here. I completely ignored Sylvia calling for me. No time to waste. I wonder what she was going to say earlier. I pushed that thought out my mind and focused on walking towards my car.