The day after the first Phoenix Rising concert, the group were all in the Theatre early, sitting quietly in chairs, pretending to read a book or text someone else, but all waiting for Sam to get back from the newsagent’s.
–Where’s Joe?†Adam asked, glancing around curiously.
–He’s at work,†Zak replied. –You know he took the afternoon off when his cousin was in hospital, he had to switch that one around with this morning to get it.â€
Adam nodded and silence resumed.
When the downstairs door banged and they heard running footsteps on the staircase, they all looked up at the door, nervous. The door to the room opened, and Sam came in, grinning triumphantly as he threw a pile of magazines and newspapers down on the table.
–We did it!†he shouted joyfully. –Front pages everywhere, and all the reviews I can see look brilliant!â€
The others flooded towards the table and started pouring over the different publications, exclaiming over every mention delightedly.
~
The next time Casper woke up, it was to the last rays of light filtering through the blinds and onto his bed. He swallowed and fidgeted, flexing a few muscles groggily.
–Cas?â€
Casper turned his head. Liz was sitting next to his bed, leaning forward, one hand resting on the edge of the covers. He smiled slowly.
–I’m here…†he said, his voice coming out scratchy from underuse. She smiled back at him.
–Just about,†she agreed. –How are you feeling?â€
Casper thought about this for a minute.
–Tired,†he concluded. –But there’s not so much pain now, so that’s good.â€
Liz nodded.
–Joe’s been in to see you, and Dave as well,†she said. –Joe says he’ll come and see you again when he’s got a second.â€
–Okay,†Casper said, pleased that he hadn’t been ignored but also annoyed that he’d missed his cousin. He hadn’t seen Joe in a while - not since Henry had been promoted at work.
–They found one of the guys that got you,†she said. Casper frowned, puzzled.
–But how did they know that…?â€
–CCTV,†Liz explained. –Whole thing was caught on a security camera, though no one was watching it at the time.â€
Casper nodded, but only once - his head still felt sore and swollen.
–They could only see one of their faces, but they think he’ll give up the other two soon.â€
–Mm,†replied Casper. Liz smiled.
–You’ll be alright, Casper. Looks like you’ll be missing Hallowe’en, though,†she said.
–What day is it?†he asked.
–Saturday,†answered Liz. –They think you’ll be okay to come home tomorrow morning, but you’re supposed to be getting lots of rest, so you can watch the festivities, but I’m not letting you rush around on your feet for the next few days.â€
Casper attempted to look innocent.
–Liz, would I?â€
–Yes, Casper, you would,†she said sternly, but there was a smile playing on her lips. She leant over and gave him a quick kiss on the forehead.
–Get some sleep, if you’re so tired,†she said. –Food should turn up in about half an hour, do you want me to give you a nudge?â€
–Please,†Casper said, realising how hungry he was. He closed his eyes anyway, just to rest them…
~
It was nice to have a bit of a break, Casper thought a few days later, sitting in one of the armchairs in the corner watching the younger boys play football across the hall. Couldn’t go on much longer, of course; he had to sort out the month end accounts, go through the Christmas budget which he hadn’t finished, organise which days the club would be open during the Christmas holidays, decide if they’d be doing a New Year’s party, work out how were they going to organise it if they did… and so the list went on. Casper cheered as one of the boys scored, the foam ball bouncing off of the back wall between the two chairs being used as goalposts.
Liz had squirrelled his notebook away somewhere to stop him from working, but he was fairly certain he knew where she had hidden it. He’d go and get it tomorrow morning and start working again, although running around would be a week or so yet.
His phone, thankfully recovered from the muggers, rang noisily from the other side of the room. Dave picked it up.
–Hello?â€
There was a pause, and then he started to walk towards Casper.
–It’s Joe, Cas,†he said, passing Casper the phone. Casper took it.
–Hey, you!†he said, grinning.
–Hey Casper,†said Joe from the other end. –Sorry I haven’t caught you, it’s been a bit mad with Henry’s new job and half a dozen other things. I did come and see you at the hospital!â€
–It’s okay,†Casper reassured him. –Coming to see us soon, though?â€
–I was going to drop ‘round this afternoon,†Joe said, –if that’s alright?â€
–Sure,†said Casper. –What time?â€
–Oh, about twenty-past five? I finish work at five and it’ll take me a little while to get to yours.â€
–Okay,†Casper said. –I’ll see you then, then.â€
–Yep. Speak to you later.â€
–Bye,†Casper finished. He heard Joe’s parting reply before ending the call and putting the phone down on the arm of the chair.
–Joe coming over?†Liz asked as she passed behind him, having overheard part of the conversation. Casper nodded.
–Twenty-past five-ish,†he said. He rubbed his eyes and tried to suppress a yawn - it was only midday, so Joe had probably been on his lunch break when he called. Liz saw.
–Cup of tea?†she suggested knowingly.
–Coffee?†asked Casper hopefully, knowing the answer.
–Casper, it’s not even one yet, so no.†Liz grinned. –I tell you what, though - I’ll make sandwiches, I was thinking of doing some anyway.â€
Casper nodded again.
–Thanks, Liz.â€
–Anytime.â€
~
It was the Friday of the next week, and Casper was back on duty as host, owner and unofficial problem-solver. He weaved through the crowd, his head moving gently to the beat as he made his way over to the bar. He squeezed past a group of teenagers and ducked under the counter to reappear on the other side, next to Dave.
–Hey, everything okay?†he asked. Dave had gestured for some help when he’d been on the other side of the room talking to some of the regulars.
–Need an extra pair of hands,†Dave said, trying to slow the group at the bar down so that he could get them what they wanted. Casper nodded and set to work. After a few minutes of slightly frantic drinks-pouring, Casper turned to the next person at the bar.
–Can I help?†he asked. The young man smiled at him.
–Just a beer, please,†he said, already reaching into his pocket for money. Casper got it for him. As he was handing over his change, Casper looked at him thoughtfully.
–Weird question - do I know you from somewhere?†he asked curiously. –You look kind of familiar, but I can’t pin it down.†The man smiled.
–I’m Seth,†he said, reaching a hand over the bar to shake Casper’s. –Seth Baines. We have met before, very briefly, but we never really got introduced…†Casper thought for a moment longer before he realised.
–Paramedic?†he said, pleased that he had remembered. Seth nodded.
–How are you doing, anyway?†he asked curiously.
Casper raised his plastered arm and shrugged.
–Not so bad,†he said. –The cast comes off in a couple of weeks, so it’ll be easier then.â€
They chatted for a few minutes in between Casper serving other customers. From the other side of the room, Gina nudged Liz gently.
–Looks like Casper’s found a new interest,†she said teasingly, and the girls around her laughed. Liz laughed with them, but her eyes were on Casper and Seth, calculating, measuring, wondering. Liz had known Casper a long time, and she knew him well enough to read his emotions even when he was doing a good job of hiding them.
–Isn’t that guy a bit… clean-cut for Casper?†Daisy asked, craning to see.
–Daisy! Casper can have clean-cut if he wants,†Gina said.
–Casper can usually have whoever he wants,†Daisy countered back, prompting more giggles.
–Who is that, anyway?†someone else asked curiously. Liz shook her head.
–Don’t know.â€
~
By the end of the evening, Casper was tired but pleased. Closing time was two o’clock in the morning, and by half-two he was in bed, sleeping soundly.
The next day he was standing and chatting to Liz, waiting for the lunchtime rush of kids, when she changed the subject abruptly.
–Nice evening last night?†she asked. Casper nodded.
–As usual,†he said, wondering where this was going.
–You seemed pretty distracted by that guy you were talking to,†Liz said, leaning against the wall and watching Casper closely. Casper took a moment to think, and then let a casual smile show on his face.
–Well, you know me…†he said jokingly. –Can’t resist a pretty face.†Not that Seth is pretty, exactly, he thought, but those eyes and the way he tilts his head to one side when he laughs…
–I just wondered; he just didn’t seem your type, is all,†said Liz, jerking Casper out of his thoughts. He shrugged.
–It’s nothing,†he said. –Don’t get too excited!â€
–Me? Huh, in your dreams,†Liz responded teasingly. Casper laughed, but behind that he wondered whether Liz was right. Talking to Seth had been… nice. Really nice, even. And Casper didn’t get a lot of that, and well…
He shook his head and tried to concentrate on sorting out lunch.
~
Seth wasn’t there that evening, nor the next, nor the one after. Casper tried to pretend he didn’t care.
The following Tuesday, however, Casper came in from the back room where he had been checking how many boxes of crisps they had left to see Seth Baines leaning up against the wall, his arms folded. He had come alone again, Casper noted. He walked over and joined him.
–Hey,†he said. Seth looked around and smiled genuinely on seeing him.
–Good to see you,†he said.
–And you,†Casper replied. There was a moment of silence.
–How’s the arm?†Seth asked.
–Oh, alright,†said Casper, shrugging. –A bit awkward, but it could’ve been worse.â€
There was another long moment where neither of them spoke. Casper felt uncharacteristically awkward, mostly because a small part of his mind was wondering whether this was what it was like to have a crush on someone.
–Been busy?†he finally asked. –Haven’t seen you for a while.†Only two days, you idiot! He’s going to think you’re obsessed! Casper’s mind screamed at him.
Seth didn’t seem to worry about it, just nodded.
–My shifts change so that I don’t have to be completely nocturnal - I was on late shifts the last couple of days,†he explained. Then, just when Casper thought he’d gotten away from it…
–Why, did you miss me?†Seth added jokingly. Casper felt a blush - a blush! How old was he, eleven? - rising and fought to stay casual. He shrugged.
–Just wondered.â€
Fortunately, they managed to slip into some casual conversation then about jobs and how they had chosen them. Casper learned that Seth had been a paramedic for five years now, based at the Royal Hope Hospital.
–I got my degree at King’s, so I haven’t really lived outside London,†Seth explained. –What about you? How did you end up working here?â€
Casper paused.
–Oh, I used to live… around here, before I worked here, and the opportunity just came up,†he said lightly. –I love the job, wouldn’t do anything else.†Casper smiled, hoping the sincerity in the latter would stop Seth from questioning the former. He was right, and the conversation moved to other matters.
Seth was at The Friendly Ghost on the Thursday night as well, and the Friday. The Saturday night was supposedly Casper’s night off - the idea was that he took a break, but as he usually spent it the same way he spent most nights, it was rather superfluous. But this Saturday, he thought as he walked out of The Friendly Ghost with Seth and out into the cold air, he was very, very glad of it. They made their way along the pavements, their breath making mist.
About fifteen minutes into their half-hour walk, Casper realised that his hand had somehow managed to wind itself into Seth’s. He didn’t take it away.
~
When they reached Seth’s flat, Casper pulled off his trainers, soaked from walking through puddles. Within five minutes he had completely forgotten about them.
~
Casper woke up in the early hours of the morning, the only light coming from a streetlamp a fair distance away. He lay there for a few minutes in darkness, his eyes open; and then he sat up slowly, careful not to disturb Seth’s sleep. Silently, he pulled his clothes back on, checked that his phone and wallet were still in the pockets and hadn’t fallen on the floor somewhere, retrieved his now merely moist trainers from the living room and left without looking back. The door closed with a quiet click behind him.