That’ll do, Sarah. It’s just Siobhan. And Josh, my much younger boyfriend, I reminded myself.

Speak of the devil …

Josh got into the shower and I watched him as he ran his head under the water, rivulets running down his body and droplets falling from his curls. I could have looked at him naked all day—he was so very, very good-looking.

“I know you’re watching me,” said the voice from the shower. I’d been sprung!

“Just enjoying the view,” I said lightly. I left the bathroom and put on a maxi dress and flip-flops.

At breakfast, Siobhan looked as though she’d had a good night’s sleep as well as a good shag, when it was probably just the latter. “Hellooo, lovelies,” she cooed at us, waving. We made our way through the tables to where she was already seated. I leant down and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“Wasn’t last night just the most fun thing ever?” Siobhan enthused.

A slew of snapshots from the night before flashed through my mind. “It was the best New Year’s I’ve had in ages,” I agreed.

“It was a great party,” said Josh. “Sorry we couldn’t find you to say goodbye.”

“Oh, we were, um, busy,” she grinned.

Josh returned the smile. “Yeah, but we didn’t get a chance to thank Paddy for the invite. Let him know we had a great time.”

“Oh, Paddy and I said our goodbyes this morning.”

I was a little surprised at the finality of her tone. “So, you’re not going to keep in touch?”

She shook her head. “No, it was just about the sex. We fancied each other. I needed a shag. That’s it,” she said matter-of-factly. Oh.

She picked up her tea and took a sip, reminding me how much I wanted some. I caught a waiter’s eye, and when he came over, I asked for tea. “And coffee, please,” I added, thinking of Josh.

Tea on its way, I turned my attention back to Siobhan, who looked well pleased with herself. “Well, that’s great,” I enthused, “good for you.” Do I mean that? Feeling awash with disappointment, I realised I didn’t. I’d been invested in Siobhan finding someone—while she was on her honeymoon—alone. It was no fun discovering that I was that person, the one who wanted the single woman to find love. At least I’d never said the words out loud!

My tea and Josh’s coffee arrived. I added milk to my tea and was stirring it when Siobhan asked, “So, what about you two then?” Josh and I locked eyes and his expression was unreadable. Shock? Fear? Undying love for me?

“Well …” I said cautiously, breaking eye contact with Josh. Siobhan must have forgotten all about the conversation I’d had with her only hours before. I paused to take a sip of tea while I pondered how to navigate such a loaded question, but Josh jumped in. “We have the rest of today and tonight together, so that’s cool.” I wasn’t sure how “cool” it was that we’d be saying goodbye the next day, especially as we had yet to talk about us. My stomach soured.