Alone in the empty, unfamiliar staff room, Rhys and Cariad make awkward small talk, while they each waited for their turn to be interviewed. They were the last two left. Cariad wasn't confident about her chances. She was looking for a career change, so she had no experience within education, other than the work placement hours she had done as part of her course.
Rhys was unqualified, but had worked abroad at children's summer camps; as well as volunteering hours at the school they were being interviewed for.
Cariad was a little awestruck by Rhys and found herself nodding, open mouthed, while he talked about the different camps and projects he'd been involved with. She was beginning to feel disheartened, her interview was after his and she just didn't see how she could compete with him!
His messy, longish hair was pushed back whenever it fell over his eyes, which were a similar deep brown to Cariads. He had a way of looking at you as if he could see inside of you.
Cariad was shorter than average, with very short 'pixie cut' hair, that was currently dyed a dark shade of blue- black. She wore striking, thick framed glasses and was dressed far too casually for a job interview! But she was comfortable, unlike Rhys, who rarely wore a suit and was fidgeting in the confines of the tight, buttoned shirt.
Soon it was Rhys's turn. "Good luck." He smiled at Cariad, "It was nice meeting you!"
Cariad breathed deeply, trying to calm her nerves.
***
Six weeks later, at the end of the school summer holidays, Cariad started her new job at the school. She had no idea what to expect but was thankful that her first day was a training day! As the staff made their way into the classroom they were using, Cariad spotted two other women from the interview day- both were a lot more experienced than she was! As the room began to quieten down so the session could begin, the classroom door opened again. Cariad was pleased to see it was Rhys and smiled at him. Rhys smiled back and headed for the seat next to her, both pleased to see a slightly familiar face!
***
There were a few teachers and teaching assistants all of similar age; and soon a nice little friendship group formed. They went to the pub on a Friday afternoon, met up for meals and occasionally went out drinking on a Saturday night. Rhys and Cariad quickly formed a close friendship, often doing things together straight after work; going for a coffee or window shopping. Rhys was also good at phoning her randomly over the weekend with a plan, that Cariad would get swept away with; 'I need new sunglasses! Let's go shopping in Cardiff!' or 'Bowling tonight? 7pm?'
Cariad loved how impulsive he was, which balanced out how reserved she could be. As they got to know each other better, Cariad discovered how anxious and plagued by self doubt he could be. Outwardly he always came across as confident and in control, which Cariad came to realise wasn't always the truth. Rhys on the other hand, could read Cariad like a book. She could be quite withdrawn, getting sucked into her own darkness. He was quick to spot it and find ways to bring her back out of it; never judging her or belittling how she was feeling.
Cariad had never had a best friend, her occasional dark moods often pushed people away; but not Rhys. People often commented on what a lovely couple they were, until one of them would reply awkwardly that they were just friends.
Not that Cariad hadn't thought about it. She had resigned herself to being single forever and one day becoming a crazy cat lady. But that didn't mean she couldn't have the occasional glance at him, when she thought he wouldn't notice! Some days she lived for the moments when their hands would brush against each other, or when he'd pull her close for a playful hug.
***
One Saturday, their group of friends decided to meet up for a Christmas night out. They would all go to Hannah's house from work to get ready- and have a few drinks- before hitting the town.
Recently, Cariad had been having problems with one of their friends. Alys could be unpredictable after a drink. She had no idea when to stop, often becoming aggressive with the others. The last couple of nights out they'd had, ended with Alys trying to start a fight with Cariad. Rhys and Matt were always on hand to intervene, but it upset Cariad that Alys targeted her like that for no reason.
As soon as they'd sent all of the kids home for the day, they headed over to Hannah's, stopping at Tesco on the way to buy bottles of beer and sugary alcho-pops. Everyone was in a great mood! At the house, Hannah put on some music while everyone got dressed up ready to go out.
Cariad wasn't a 'girly- girl', so didn't change into a dress and heels like the others. Instead, choosing to wear fitted black jeans, a loose sequin top and her red converse. She looked on as the others fussed with their hair and make up, silently pleased that she didn't have to go through all that hassle!
The guys were all wearing similar combinations of jeans and shirts, only Rhys was wearing his open over the top of a t-shirt. They'd already started on the beers when the girls came downstairs. Matt wolf whistled playfully and Sam blew him a kiss, winking at him with her long eyelashes. There were plenty of rumours surrounding Matt and Sam's relationship, but neither of them gave anything away.
Rhys passed Cariad a beer and smiled. She nodded a thanks and drank deeply from the bottle. She was looking forward to going out, she just needed to keep out of Alys's way once she'd had a few drinks. Sensing her unease, as he always did, Rhys gave Cariad a playful punch to the shoulder. She smiled at him again.
Soon they were making their way into Cardiff. It looked beautiful. Twinkling Christmas lights were everywhere and gorgeous light up, willow reindeer and polar bears stood guard outside the castle. Cariad smiled to herself. She loved Christmas. The lights, the fun and the beautiful decorations were her favourite. She'd already found the perfect gift for Rhys!
It was busy in Cardiff and there were long queues to get into the clubs. Everyone seemed to have chosen the same weekend for a Christmas night out! They stood in the queue chatting, waiting for their turn to go in. Rhys put one arm around Cariad, rubbing her arm to help keep them both warm, she smiled gratefully at him and leaned into his side.
