‘How’s that?’
‘Get on the couch.’ Her eyebrows shot up and Matt grinned, as if he knew exactly what she’d been thinking. ‘I’d like to take a look at your knee. Assuming it’s not okay, that is.’
Hannah grinned. ‘Of course it’s okay, what else did you expect? I’ll humour you, though.’
‘Thank you. I’d appreciate it.’
She sat on the edge of the couch, swinging her feet. Matt nodded towards the leg of her sweatpants, and Hannah rolled it up, taking off the support he’d given her last week.
He flexed her leg up and down, his fingers resting lightly on the side of her knee, on just the spot that it hurt. ‘There’s still some inflammation there.’
‘I haven’t had much chance to rest it. But even if we do win, it’s two weeks before the finals.’
‘Yeah. You know what to do, keep going with the ice, and try to stay off it as much as you can. If it gets any worse then you might need a short course of anti-inflammatories.’
Hannah nodded, wrapping the support back around her knee and getting to her feet. A sharp stab of pain told her that she’d got it wrong and the support needed some adjustment.
‘Let me...’ He bent down and suddenly his gaze met hers. The now familiar chemistry started to fizzle between them, and Hannah jerked backwards.
‘No, I’ll do it.’ She willed him to understand what she didn’t say.
Not in front of the cameras.
He nodded. Neither of them could deny it any more, but that was between the two of them. They could hide it from everyone else.
They walked companionably out of the tent, wandering down to greet Sam and her mother. Everything as it should be. The light in his eyes had been quenched, and Matt was just a teammate again.
The wait wasn’t so bad. Hannah concentrated on Sam, and going to get ice cream for everyone took up a few minutes. Then they were called to the stage to hear the judges’ verdict.
If Matt felt anything, then he was hiding it well. He smiled at the other competitors, seeming more relaxed than anyone as they chatted together. The challenges had brought all eight of them together, and whoever went on to the finals would do so with the blessing of the others.
There was the usual preamble...thanking everyone for being here, praising each of the teams and giving everyone a special mention. Then the verdict.
‘This has been more than just a competition. We’ve seen all our teams hold true to their values and exhibit bravery and determination. Our winners today will be going forward to represent Hertfordshire in the finals, and we wish them well in the challenges to come. Ladies and gentlemen... Matt and Hannah!’
There was a roar of applause that seemed to come from somewhere very far away. Hannah hardly heard the congratulations from the other teams, and barely felt the hands that shook hers.
‘Matt...?’
He was there. The only thing that was real. Matt grinned at her, hugging her in the kind of bear hug that a teammate might give. They’d done it. Despite everything, they’d really done it.
She received her medal, and then turned back, beckoning to the others to come forward. This moment was for everyone. The roar of the crowd increased as all eight of the competitors joined them, waving to the crowd.
It was surreal. She had what she’d wanted, and now she couldn’t see any way forward from here. She had to talk to Matt, somewhere alone.
* * *
Something was up. Matt could see it in Hannah’s demeanour, and feel it, nagging away in his own chest. There were issues, ones of their own making, and they both knew it.
It wouldn’t have mattered so much if they’d lost. They could have bowed out gracefully, congratulating the winners and knowing they’d given it their best shot. Hannah would have disappeared back into her world, and he could have gone back to his. Whether or not he got the job down in London, he’d be gone soon. Matt knew that there would be other opportunities, and that his decision that it was about time he moved on was the driving factor in making those opportunities into a reality.
‘Would you like t
o pop back to mine for a quick coffee? It’s on your way home, and maybe we can plan our next move.’ His offer was deliberately casual, as if this was just a matter of teammates sitting down together for half an hour to talk. But those moments alone with her in the tent had persuaded him that they did need to talk and that the conversation might not be an easy one.
‘That’s a good idea.’ She glanced back towards Sam and her mother. ‘I’ll just let Mum know that I’ll be back home later.’
He nodded. He knew what would come next. Watching while Sam and Hannah performed the victory dance, and Hannah draped her medal around her son’s neck. He’d seen them do it before, but it never ceased to delight him, and he stared at them, hungry for every moment of the little ceremony.