A chime sounded, signalling the end of the session. People began to sit up, gathering their things and nodding to Jasmine as they departed. Rachel looked at Greg, who wore a smooth, vacant expression that made her want to laugh.
‘Don’t tell me you didn’t enjoy that,’ he said under his breath. ‘I could see you got into it. You were pretty good too, for a first-timer.’
Rachel pulled her socks on, then hauled herself to her feet. There was no changing room at Viva Vinyasa, which was a small, independent space run by Jasmine and her partner. Rachel and Greg had agreed to go for dinner in their yoga gear, so she shrugged on an oversized slogan sweatshirt, retied her ponytail and put on her boots and coat.
‘Ready?’ she asked.
‘Oh, come on,’ Greg said, buttoning up his coat and winding a long crimson scarf around his neck. ‘Admit it: you had fun.’
‘I’ve exercised muscles I’d forgotten I even had,andhad to hold in about a hundred snarky comments. I feel like it’s done me some good, though.’
‘Well, that’s a start,’ Greg said. ‘Shall we eat?’
‘Definitely.’
Greg led her on a short walk into Clerkenwell, stopping when they arrived at a restaurant with a green neon sign that promised noodles, sushi and bento.
Inside, they ordered cherry blossom spritzers and – on Greg’s strong recommendation – two katsu curries (tofu for him, chicken for her), plus a portion of gyoza dumplings. Once their waitress had delivered their drinks, along with a small dish of salted edamame, Rachel said, ‘So, how have you been? How is it being Mr Important? I miss you. It’s weird not working with you every day.’
Greg arched an eyebrow. ‘From where I’ve been standing, it seems like you’re coping pretty well without me. Maybe even enjoying the change.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ Rachel asked, pausing with a bean halfway between the bowl and her mouth.
‘It means that when you first told me what had happened between you and Jack, I’d have put money on you quitting your job or killing him within a couple of weeks … At the very least, I expected you to look miserable all day, every day. And you don’t.’
‘Oh.’
‘Oh, indeed. Obviously no one else in the office knows you used to be together, but I’ll be honest: I don’t think reports of a romantic connection between you would exactly be front-page news. It’s pretty clear there’ssomethingthere. My question is: what?’
‘We’re teammates,’ Rachel said, shifting in her seat and staring hard at the melting ice in her cocktail. ‘That’s it. I’m just trying to make the best of it.’
‘Psshhhhh. You’re clearly still attracted to him.’
Rachel looked up sharply, contemplated denial and then dismissed the idea, sagging back against her chair.
‘Fine. Maybe I am. But that’s irrelevant. I can recognise he’s nice to look at without doing anything about it. Without even liking him, necessarily. Andhedoesn’t need to know.’
‘Hmm,’ Greg said. ‘Maybe not. But I think he’d be interested in the information.’
‘No way. Definitely not.’ Rachel shook her head emphatically.
Greg chuckled. ‘Ray, for a highly intelligent woman you’re incredibly bad at reading people. Bordering on dim-witted.’
‘Honestly,you’rethe one who’s reading this situation wrong. I’m certain of it. I have good reason to be.’
Greg shook his head, untroubled by her defence. ‘Whatever you think you know, put it to one side and look at the situation with your own eyes. You’re ignoring what everyone else can see, plain as day.’
‘What do you mean, “everyone”?’
‘I mean me, obviously. And possibly Donna – she seems to be taking an interest.’
Rachel groaned. ‘This is ridiculous. I don’t even know what we’re talking about, and yet I feel like I’m going to have the scarlet letter pinned to my jumper when I come into work tomorrow.’
‘Let me break it down for you, darl. Nobody apart from me knows about your history with Jack, but your colleagues are not blind. People are starting to notice he’s into you.’
‘Rubbish,’ Rachel said, with a short laugh that she hoped would signal contempt for the idea. Her heart seemed to be beating too hard and too far up her torso. Her pulse was throbbing in her throat.
‘Ray,’ Greg sighed. ‘He’s desperate to get your attention. Maybe it’s just to see if he can catch you a second time, or maybe he’s genuinely smitten. But he looks at you like he can’t decide whether to ruffle your hair or eat you.’
