He looked at me, his eyes so tender I felt like I could turn into a pool of liquid on the spot. ‘I love it.’

He gently placed it beside him then cupped my head between his hands and kissed me with the dreamiest, body-melting kiss.

A little cough pulled us apart. ‘Sorry,’ Hollie said, smiling apologetically. ‘I’ve got your starters. Farmhouse pâté and warm rolls. All homemade.’ She placed a couple of plates down and made a swift exit.

It looked delicious but I didn’t feel like eating. I had better things to do. Sam kissed me again then reluctantly stopped when his stomach grumbled loudly, making us both laugh.

‘Sorry, he said. ‘I didn’t have any lunch today. Too busy planning things.’

I smiled as I reluctantly returned to my seat. ‘Tuck in.’

‘Before I do, I have to ask about this.’ He picked up the frame and carefully leaned it against the wall so we could both see it. ‘Did you draw it?’

‘That would be a no. I can draw bears but that’s where my artistic talents end. One of Drew’s friends, Evan, does this for a living. I sketched him a rough outline of what I wanted to create and he brought it to life. The man’s a genius. It’s better than I imagined.’

We both looked at the picture. Made up of a series of smaller frames, Evan had created comic book style key scenes from what Sam had told me about his life with Nikki. It started with him in his car on the phone to Jack, telling him that he didn’t want to go on the date with Nikki. The next cartoon was him meeting Nikki on the steps while she was in her wetsuit, then him wiping out on his first surfing attempt, and a celebratory drink afterwards. Frame five had him catching his first wave, followed by one of him kissing Nikki on the beach. I wasn’t aware of any pivotal moments after that until they got the campervan and he proposed so I’d asked Evan to create a couple of images showing that. Frame eight showed them walking along the beach looking at an image of a scan. I’d agonised over the next image. Should I have Nikki holding her hand up to her head? Sam cradling Nikki in his arms? In the end, I chose an image of Sam on the beach, all alone, looking at the rock pools with his head bowed. The next frame had him packing up the campervan, followed by an arrival in London, driving past a classic London cityscape.