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Barbara was sure she was blushing as they exited the headmaster's office.
"I don't know where he gets his ideas from." Although Ian was shaking his head, he sounded far more cheerful about the whole thing than she did. He was rarely bothered about anything and Barbara found that attitude comforting, which usually lifted her spirits.
"Gossip," she suggested, matching his step as they headed down the corridor, back to the staff room. "There are rumours about us."
"Really?" He sounded surprised to hear that, confirming her suspicions. "They have nothing to gossip about. We're just friends."
"We are," she said, but it came out weaker than she intended. She liked Ian more than just as a friend, but the headmaster made the rules and he said that he didn't want teachers getting involved with each other. Apparently an affair, a baby and a horrible atmosphere when the wife found out had prompted it. She couldn't blame him for that, but for Barbara it meant pretending she didn't feel more for Ian than just friendship.
"It must be time for the pub." Ian looked at his watch, having not noticed her weak answer. "You coming?" He picked up his coat from the rack just inside the staff room.
She wasn't always so keen on the Friday pub trip after work, partly because she was sure some of the teachers stayed until closing time. But it was half term coming up and a week of lie-ins was something to celebrate. Besides, since it was Ian doing the asking she answered, "I will."
"I just have to do something first, but I'll see you there." He smiled and went off to the car park.
She frowned after him, wondering what his mysterious errand was, but she was soon distracted by Margaret and Jean, who were also on the way to the pub and determined to convince her to come along with them.
By the time Ian arrived, her friends had gone home to cook dinner for their husbands. Barbara had been nursing her drink, not wanting another if Ian didn't turn up after all, but had now nearly finished it, so was contemplating making an early exit.
Ian had a woman with him, who Barbara tried not to stare at. The men at the table weren't so reticent and Barbara could see why. The woman looked about ten years younger than Ian and she was pretty, with dark hair and blue eyes. She smiled at everyone when Ian introduced her as Mary. Barbara managed a smile in return that didn't meet her eyes. However, she motioned to the recently vacated seats next to her, hoping she'd learn more about Mary and what Ian was doing bringing her. Not because she was jealous, although she was, but because she thought she and Ian were close enough friends for him to have mentioned her. Mary sat as Ian went to buy some drinks.
"I thought I'd come and learn from you," Mary said, smiling round at everyone. "All of you."
Barbara blinked. Did she want gossip about Ian?
It turned out she had more innocent desires in mind, because she went on to say, "I'm thinking of becoming a teacher."
That was a cue for everyone to rush in and tell their horror stories. Barbara looked over Mary's head to see Ian was leaning on the bar chatting to the barmaid. Barbara might have thought he was flirting, except he did the same with the landlord and Ian wasn't the sort of man that flirted with women when his girlfriend was present. Although until today she hadn't known he had a girlfriend, so she could have got him all wrong.
However, it was no use pointing his behaviour out to Mary and upsetting her because then Ian would leave. Since Ian didn't seem to be in a rush to return Barbara had to be the one to rescue Mary, even though she didn't seem too bothered by the stories. Maybe Ian had already told her all his and she was used to hearing them.
"Don't listen to everything they say," Barbara said, when she could get a word in edgeways. "It's a very rewarding job, if that's what you want to do."
"That's what Ian says." Mary smiled at Barbara. "I want to teach younger children, though. I don't feel old enough to teach teenagers."
Barbara bit back a mean-spirited remark about Mary's age. "That'll be even more rewarding, I'd imagine. Younger children are more full of wonder. I'm not so keen on them myself, though." She chuckled and Mary laughed with her, putting a hand on Barbara's arm.
"I'm very glad there are people who think like you, there'll be more jobs for me."
Barbara really wanted to hate her and couldn't, the same way she couldn't hate Ian for bringing her. As Mary got caught up in a discussion with Steve about the merits of teaching younger children versus older, Barbara finished her drink and excused herself. She slipped outside into what the pub optimistically called a 'beer garden'. On this autumnal evening it was empty and she sat on one of the wooden benches, folding her arms around her and wishing she'd picked her coat up off her chair.
She was just being silly, she told herself. If she and Ian couldn't be more than friends when they were both working at the same school and neither of them were willing to move to another school then there was nothing to stop them seeing other people. She would have to get used to it. Perhaps she should do the same as he had and go out and see some of her friends that weren't from Coal Hill more often. She might even find herself a boyfriend, although she couldn't imagine anyone measuring up to Ian at the moment.
When she heard the door open and close behind her she stood up, not wanting company, but she found herself face to face with Ian. "Oh! I was just looking at the stars." Which would have been a better excuse if it hadn't been cloudy or there hadn't been as much ambient light.
Ian grinned, though. "Nice night for it. Cold though," he added, as he took off his blazer and placed it round her shoulders.
Barbara smiled, but wasn't sure what to think any more.
"Sorry I was late," he went on. "Mary has been asking to meet my teacher friends and I didn't want be nagged all through half term."
She nodded. After a moment of silence she realised she ought to contribute to the conversation or risk looking too jealous for words. "Is she serious about being a teacher?"
"Oh, yes." He nodded. "Well, I think so. She's bored in her current job and I think my parents might have encouraged her into teaching."
She blinked. "Your parents?" It couldn't be that serious between them, it just couldn't. Ian hadn't come across as someone in a relationship. Although maybe they were childhood friends and she was older than she looked.
"Yes, she's my cousin." He looked confused for a moment, then surprised. "You thought she was my girlfriend?"
She shrugged, feeling silly now. Now she knew the truth she could see the family resemblance. "Everyone else thought... and I didn't think."
Ian laughed. "That'll give them something else to gossip about. I wish I'd thought of it before."
"It will." She smiled, starting to feel a little better about the whole thing.
"Might even be useful."
She frowned, but rather than explaining, he stepped forward and kissed her. She was so surprised that when he stopped she said, "Someone will see." She regretted her words when he looked hurt.
"It's dark and the lights are on inside. No one can see out. And they all think I have a girlfriend, remember?"
He was right, she shouldn't be worried about that. Or indeed thinking at all. "Sorry, I was just surprised." There was an easy way to cheer him up - she kissed him again.
This time he smiled when they parted. "We should go back in before someone suspects something."
She nodded and passed him his blazer.
As he buttoned it up he asked, "Are you doing anything tomorrow? If we have dinner on the other side of London, I think we can be sure we won't meet anyone from Coal Hill."
She didn't hesitate to say, "I'd love to." Only time would tell whether they'd be able to keep it quiet, but she was willing to try.