‘Ah fuck it!’ I’d turned out my handbag and five lipsticks were lined up on the edge of the basin, every one of them wrong. ‘My favourite neutral isn’t here. Maybe I could ask Liberty? See if she has something…?’

‘Yeah, if you want to summon the Antichrist.’

True. If Liberty got woken early, she could burn down the world.

‘Why does this matter?’ Quin asked.

‘Because!’ I was exasperated. ‘It does.’

I was applying a third coat of mascara when the clap of car doors shutting sounded down in the street. I hurried to the bedroom window to see that Kate, Kallie—and Devin—had arrived.

‘Quin, they’re here,’ I hissed. ‘How do I look?’

‘Beautiful.’ He grabbed me. ‘You are beautiful. Remember that.’

Leaning side-on at the window, hoping to not be spotted, I spied on Kallie. She was slender and taller than I’d remembered. Her fair hair was shoulder-length and choppy with a heavy fringe. There was a vaguely Isabel Marant look to her clothes—clean-washed skinny jeans, slouchy pixie boots, a loose, gypsy-style top and an oversized jacket that seemed familiar. Then I realized it was Kate’s. And before that, it had been mine.

Except it hadn’t been oversized on me.

Down we went, Quin yanked the door wide open and there was a flurry of ‘Hi! Heyyyy! Nice to meet you, so you found us, hahaha. Er…’

Kallie made directly for me. She slid her smooth hand into mine. ‘So,’ she twinkled, fine lines radiating from the edges of her blue eyes. ‘This isn’t awkward at all.’

Immediately my heart softened. She could, I understood, actually be for real. She might be in a genuine panic, trapped with her boyfriend’s family in a foreign country, needing something as time critical as the morning-after pill.

‘It doesn’t have to be awkward,’ I stammered, desperate to put her at ease. ‘We can just decide that it isn’t.’

‘Okay!’ Still holding my hand, she said, ‘It’s so good to meet you. Thank you for helping me.’

So this is who Luke loves now.

Quin was already discussing directions with Devin. ‘Mens.’ Kate rolled her eyes at them.

‘How about we all jump in the one car,’ Kallie said.

‘Nah.’ Quin was cool. ‘Two is better.’

‘Why?’ I asked when we were in his car, leading the way.

‘Because we don’t want to be stuck with them after she sees the doctor.’

‘That seems a little…harsh. So. What do you think of her?’

‘Rock chick meets primary school teacher.’

‘Not her look. I mean, she seems really…likeable?’

‘Are you asking me? Because what I see is a lot of drama.’

‘Maybe she’s just really private?’

‘Look at us.’ He laughed. ‘A two-car convoy of five people. That’s not very private.’

‘Ah, you’re just being…’ There was no point saying anything further to him. Anyway, I knew what I meant.