Chapter 8: Christmas Wrapping

As soon as the hackers had been taken away by Cerys and Catriona, Jason sprang forward, stopping an awkward foot away from Amy. ‘Uh… hey.’

She leapt into his arms, almost knocking him off his feet. He staggered back, laughing in surprise, and squeezing her tight through her thick duffel coat. She wrapped her legs around his waist and he held her close for a few seconds more, before he remembered that he was meant to be looking after Corelia and Heddwen.

Returning to earth, Amy looked at the two young woman like a cool teacher who has a lesson to share. ‘It was ambitious and I liked it, but maybe a little less public next time.’

Corelia beamed, and Jason suspected Amy had made her year.

‘What happened with the power?’ Heddwen asked.

‘When Simon hacked the library’s environmental controls, he disrupted the power regulation with his sloppy code. When he ran the programme, the power demand was too high, and it screwed up something at the electrical substation. Once I’d fixed it, we told the engineers down there that it was safe to turn it all back on.’

Jason thought she looked amazing, her cheeks slightly flushed with cold and her bobble hat flicking out her bobbed hair. He understood barely anything she was saying, but he knew that she had solved it by being smart as fuck. He was proud of her.

People started filtering out of the library, and the surrounding shops and restaurants. Jason felt awkward as they stared at them, standing beside the sculpture in what had been a pitch-dark street. But when Amy took his arm, he felt a little less ridiculous. Everything felt right.

‘How are you getting home?’ he asked the girls.

‘The car is in St David’s 2. Li’s dad’s away for Christmas with his wife, so we’ve got the house to ourselves.’

‘Best Christmas ever,’ Corelia said, grinning.

‘We’ll walk you to the lifts,’ Amy said, as Cerys and Catriona returned.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jason saw Owain look towards them—and then head over to the police car. At least he had learned where he wasn’t welcome. He didn’t feel much of anything as he watched him retreat. Maybe it was the season of goodwill, or maybe it was because he had run out of fucks to give, but Owain Jenkins held no power over him anymore. It was surprisingly good to realise that.

By silent agreement, they started walking as one, through the crowd of people wondering anew at the Christmas lights and laughing with relief, with joy. Amy held his arm tight as they walked, Heddwen and Corelia in front of them, and Cerys and Catriona taking the lead into the shopping centre.

‘It was a good present,’ Amy murmured to him. ‘I didn’t get you anything.’

‘It was a short-lived present,’ Jason corrected. ‘I don’t need anything from you—except, y’know, you.’

Amy made a fake retching sound and he laughed at her.

‘Or you could just grab me Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare in the Boxing Day sales.’

‘I was hoping we could play LEGO Star Wars together.’

Jason looked at her sideways. ‘You have never shown any interest—’

‘Maybe I just didn’t want to embarrass you.’

She glanced sidelong at him, seemingly shaking off the anxiety of the evening, the last of the adrenaline fading from their veins. Tomorrow, they would lie in, and then head to his mother’s for Christmas dinner. Then, Boxing Day would roll around, and New Year, and he would have to confront the fact that he had a new job now, a job with Amy not for her.

A job with his girlfriend.

‘Amy? Can I talk to you?’

Amy let go of Jason’s arm and crossed to Corelia, walking beside her as they neared the lifts. Heddwen dropped back, ostensibly to talk to Jason, but Amy knew she was giving them space for whatever-this-was.

‘I was hurt when you set up your PI thing and didn’t invite me.’

Amy almost stopped dead, completely surprised. She kept her legs moving, anxiety at disappointing and upsetting Corelia rising unpleasantly in her throat. Then, she coughed, took a breath, and remembered that her sin wasn’t thoughtlessness. It was, as always, a lack of communication.

‘You’re welcome, if you want, but I think you can do better things. I didn’t get the chance to study, to prove what I could really do. You can have anything.’

‘Not exactly anything,’ Corelia muttered, but she didn’t look sad now.

‘Are you applying to university?’

‘Yeah, we’re staying local. Computer Games Design and Development for me, Fine Art for Heddwen. Regular girl things.’

‘There is nothing wrong with being a regular girl,’ Amy said, struggling to believe the words she was saying. ‘There’s nothing wrong with wanting that for yourself. I’m still looking for it.’

Corelia looked at her, a little scornful. ‘You’ve got a flat and a business and a boyfriend. You are altogether regular.’

‘Thanks,’ Amy grinned. ‘My glamour spells are working extra hard today.’

Corelia rolled her eyes. ‘Dork.’

‘Nerd.’

‘Adult.’

Amy pretended to shudder. ‘Please, don’t hurt me.’

They reached the lifts at the St David’s Centre, and Cerys and Catriona wandered on ahead. Amy turned to face Corelia and smiled at her, making an effort to maintain eye contact, to really show her that she was important. She felt like she was the mentor screaming ‘Listen to me, but don’t be like me’, but she had no idea if it was getting through.

‘Any time, you are welcome to come over and chat, and have a cup of tea with us. We’d really like that.’

Corelia’s face lit up, brighter than the Alliance sculpture, brighter than all the Christmas lights in Cardiff bursting on at once and blazing into the darkness.

‘I’d like that too,’ she said.