‘Well, just like that, we need each other for this to work,’ said Jemima.

‘You’re sooo right. We are a massive stool!’ said Simi.

‘Well, I wouldn’t put it quite like that… but yeah!’ Jemima said putting her arms around Simi.

Meagan looked on as they hugged. In all the years she’d known her, Jemima had never gushed over relationships not even when she’d been in one. She wanted to play the game yet talking about her love life made her snappy and weird. Something didn’t add up.

‘Let’s just give it one more go,’ Jemima said clasping Simi’s hand, ‘and if you really don’t want to carry on, we’ll call it a day.’

Simi wavered.

‘Come on, Sim. You set tonight up. Now we’re here, we might as well go for it!’ said Jemima.

‘Okay, one more go!’ Simi said. ‘Come on, Meag.’

‘Great!’ said Jemima slapping her thighs and standing.

Simi stood too and Meagan watched them clomp towards the rink.

Great, Meagan huffed.

Out on the ice, Jemima and Simi tentatively slid forward. It was just after nine and the rink was buzzing. Strips of lights pulsed to dance music blaring from speakers. Around the periphery, groups of friends whizzed by, their skating confidence lubricated by the free glühwein. Ahead of her Meagan watched as Simi and Jemima, hand in hand, slowly teetered along. As they rocked back and forth, clamping hold of each other to keep their balance, she softened. Like she always said, yes they were idiots, but they were her idiots. She glided in behind them.

‘If you hold on to each other, you’ll take each other down if you fall,’ she said.

‘That’s the point!’ shrieked Simi as she stumbled, instinctively reaching for Meagan and Jemima.

‘Simi!’ howled Jemima as all three of them collapsed to the floor in a giggling heap.

‘I’m sorry!’ Simi said as she battled to stand while cackling with laughter.

Meagan clambered to her feet and manoeuvred herself in front of them. She jammed her skate against Simi’s, gripping her arms as she tried to yank her back to standing.

‘Need a hand?’

Meagan turned to see the out-stretched hand of a tall, black and deliciously handsome man.

‘We’re good,’ she said before turning back to Simi and heaving her to her feet.

‘Meagan,’ mouthed Simi, ‘he’s gorgeous!’

‘Shhh!’ said Meagan before looking back at the man, ‘Unless you’ve got a winch, we’re fine.’

‘No worries,’ he said, smiling.

He hesitated for a moment then glided off to re-join his friends.

‘He was hot!’ Simi grinned.

‘Whatever,’ Meagan said as she surreptitiously scanned the crowd for him.

He was hot. If she had a type, he would be it. Tall obviously. A narrow face with neat stubble. Designer clothes. Tick, tick, tick. His flaw, however, was that he probably wanted to be another knight in shining armour and that was a hard no.

‘You two looked good together,’ said Jemima as she gripped the side of the rink.