Free Sliding Down the Sky by Amanda Dick

self-preservation mode. I wasn’t expecting him to smile at me like that after the way I’d behaved. I wouldn’t have been at all surprised if his approach had been civil, even hostile. But there was nothing hostile about him tonight.
    “Hey,” he said above the music.
    “Hey yourself.”
    “Happy opening night.”
    “Thanks.” I found myself smiling back at him. “What can I get you?”
    He leaned over the bar towards me so I could hear him.
    “Two beers and two Cokes, please.”
    He leant both forearms on the bar, and I got the feeling he would’ve actually sat there and stayed, if there had been room. Unfortunately, there wasn’t, and I grabbed some glasses to fill his order, feeling his eyes on me. Thankfully, I didn’t mess anything up under the scrutiny, and I glanced up at him as he handed me over some cash.
    “I’m glad you came,” I said, before I could stop myself.
    I could feel my cheeks burning, but he didn’t seem to notice. Gone were the apologies and the flustered looks and the stolen glances at my hand. It was just him, smiling at me in a way that made me feel like I was a normal human being. It was one of the only times I could remember feeling like that in recent history.
    “Me too,” he smiled.
    It felt like the world was opening up again, breaking apart at the edges, but in a good way this time. The noise seemed to quiet down to a dull roar, the room full of strangers blending into the background, until it was just Callum, smiling at me over the bar.
    He picked up his drinks and turned away, making his way back to his friends. I wanted to watch him, to see what he did next, but there were customers to serve and I had a job to do. So I let him go, and the noise seeped back, filling the void, as I turned to the next customer.
    “What can I get you?” I asked, unable to keep the smile off my face.
    After a while the crowd thinned, the band wound up their set, and Leo began to clean up as I served the tail-enders. I couldn’t help keeping an eye on Callum after that, sitting across the room with his friends. I served Jack a couple of times, and he seemed to be having a good time, as did Ally. I’d only met him a few times, but he was friendly and relaxed, and I knew Leo liked him. Watching from a distance, I could tell that he and Callum were good friends.
    Ally wasn’t as loud as the blonde girl they were with. She seemed to sit back and watch them, taking it all in. The blonde one was gorgeous, bubbly and confident – everything I wasn’t. I wondered what her relationship was to Callum. I could tell from their body language that she wasn’t Callum’s girlfriend. It’s funny, the information you can glean from just watching people from a safe distance. I’d done a lot of that lately. In any case, I was relieved, not for any other reason except that it gave me hope. Maybe I could do some harmless flirting after all. Maybe it would make me feel more like my old self if I did.
    Soon, the exodus began in earnest. People started coming up to us before they left, telling us how much they’d enjoyed the night, complimenting the band, saying they’d be back. I realised that the fatigue that had been creeping up on me over the past hour was different to other forms of fatigue I’d suffered. This was the kind of fatigue that came from the satisfaction of having done a job well, not the kind that comes from spending your waking hours fighting your demons. This was definitely the kind of fatigue that would help me sleep tonight, not keep me awake.
    When there were only a few tables of people left, I saw Callum’s friends get up and leave. It was then that I realised that Ally wasn’t using a wheelchair. The only other times I’d met her she’d been in a wheelchair, so I was surprised to see her using crutches. As I was busy pondering that, both of them turned to wave and smile at us. Then Jack put his hand protectively on the small of her back as they made their way over to the door,