She smiled and sipped at the drink, then pulled her soft woolly scarf closer into her neck. Something in Aled had loosened, Rosie thought – and there were moments when she even thought she could see it in the easier set of his shoulders, the readiness with which his trademark tentative smile appeared. In turn, this had released some tension in her. It made the flat feel like home again, in a way it hadn’t for longer than she cared to admit.
In the months before James’s departure, she’d forgotten what it felt like to live with someone who seemed genuinely interested in her – and despite his shyness, Aled seemed to enjoy her company. Since their night of ‘rough pub karaoke’, something like friendship had begun unfurling between them. They’d graduated from making one another cups of tea to regularly sharing meals; it turned out Aled was a capable, creative cook, and his experience of cuisines from far-flung locations made for some interesting – and delicious – food.
They’d text one another if they were close to running out of milk or bread, and had fallen into the habit of sending occasional messages during the day. Aled would bring Rosie news of his students’ most audacious behaviour –
Preposterous excuse of the day goes to Umair Ansari in Year Eight, who claims his homework sheet was stolen by an owl??????
and in exchange, Rosie would report her day’s funniest or most heartening moments:
Good Looking Latte Drinker finally asked Sleek Haired Writer if he could buy her a coffee!!!??. Have been watching him try and work up the courage for weeks
Admittedly, this dynamic was nothing like the ‘strictly business’ set-up Rosie had described to Niamh when Aled moved in. She supposed her best friend was right; she’d become chummy with her flatmate-slash-landlord because she didn’t know hownotto – and, as Niamh had predicted, his reserve was no match for her sunny effervescence.
When she got to work she was greeted by Rhianne, who had a pretty, very nervous young woman by her side. ‘Ah, Rosie! This is Tobi,’ Rhianne announced, gesturing to the girl with huge brown eyes, incredible skin and an abundance of natural afro curls, which she’d gathered into a high ponytail.
‘Pleased to meet you,’ Rosie said warmly.
Tobi nodded shyly and shook the hand Rosie offered her.
‘Tobi’s joining us because Marcus’s Master’s course has started up again and he needs to drop some shifts,’ Rhianne explained. ‘Can I leave you to show her the ropes?’
‘Course you can,’ Rosie said, grinning. She’d been working at the deli for less than a month, but it felt like she’d been part of the team forever.
‘Great, I need to go and kick the arse of our greengrocer – he’s sent me turnips instead of parsnips, as if I can use them interchangeably. Whoever heard of spicyturnipsoup? And who wants a maple-glazedturnipand bulgur wheat salad? It’s utterly fucked up tomorrow’s menus.’
Rosie made a clenched-jaw face and said, ‘Eek,’ in agreement with Rhianne, but also in sympathy with the greengrocer. By the time Rhianne had finished with him, Terry – the man about to get the full-length album version of her root vegetable lecture – was surely going to wish he’d moved to Spain with his ex-wife.
Rhianne flounced off, leaving a cloud of Chanel No. 5 in her wake. Tobi stared after her, as if she’d just seen Marilyn Monroe waltz away from a Hollywood film set.
‘You get used to her,’ Rosie said, smiling. ‘Shall we get started?’
‘OK,’ Tobi agreed, still a little hesitant.
‘I was new myself a few weeks ago,’ Rosie told her. ‘I promise you’ll feel like part of the family in no time.’
Within a few hours, Rosie had taught Tobi most of the things Marcus, Yaz and Becky had explained to her on her first day. She’d also discovered Tobi was bright and articulate once she warmed up, but had recently missed out on a place at her chosen university.
She hadn’t achieved the required A grade in history, so was unable to pursue the BA Philosophy course she’d set her heart on. It didn’t take Rosie long to intuit that Tobi had been crushed by this disappointment – and that her family’s lack of support for her desire to study had made matters worse.
Instead of picking herself up and trying to find an alternative course through clearing, Tobi had floundered. Now, as her parents piled on the pressure for her to do something productive, she’d taken this job at the deli.
‘I bumped into Rhianne one day last week,’ Tobi explained. ‘Like,physically– I bashed into her so she spilled hot coffee all over her coat. I was so emotional and embarrassed I burst into tears, and when she asked why I was upset I ended up telling her about the whole uni mess. By the time she’d wiped the milk froth off her collar, she’d offered me a job.’
‘Sounds like Rhianne,’ Rosie said fondly. ‘She’sa lot, but she’s incredibly kind. You’ll love working here, I think.’
The afternoon rush saw them scurrying around delivering orders, wiping down tables and making endless espresso shots. As their crowd of customers began to thin out, Rosie caught Tobi in a quiet moment and told her, with full honesty, ‘You’ve donebrilliantlyfor day one. I think I’d have freaked out if I’d had to deal with queues that size when I first started here.’
‘Thanks,’ Tobi said, beaming at her.
Rosie poured out two glasses of iced water and handed one to Tobi. ‘You’ve got a lot to offer, you know,’ she said, unsure why her mouth had begun to deliver an inspirational speech her brain hadn’t proofread. ‘Don’t let anyone make you feel like you can’t do the things you want to do, the things that you feel are meant for you.’
Tobi looked at the floor. ‘Thanks,’ she said again. ‘I just can’t help feeling a bit … flat. Does that make sense? I had it all planned out – I knew exactly how the next few years were going to go. And now … now I’m here.’ She smiled weakly and tried to look stoical.
‘Here is good,’ said Rosie. ‘Here is great, actually. But you don’t have tostayhere. When you feel like your world’s blown up, it hurts – but afterwards, you don’t have to live in the place where you land.’
As she said it, she realised how true this was, for her too. Looking after and then losing her grandfather had left her bereft – but soon afterwards, she’d met James. Had she clung to him like a spar in the wake of a shipwreck? Had that felt easier than the other options, than pursuing what she felt truly passionate about?
‘What about you?’ Tobi asked.
