“I’m an idiot,” I say despairingly. “I don’t care what promises I made to Patrick. Jesse is the important one.”

He grimaces. “I’d give a rousing rendition of ‘Hallelujah’, if I thought the world was ready for the perfection of my voice, and if I wasn’t also completely sure that there’s more to this story than you’re telling me.”

He gestures to my seat and I slump into it. “I think he saw me and Patrick kissing.”

“What?” The two of them shout it in unison and then very obviously avoid looking at each other. Well, Felix does. Max does what he does normally. He stares at Felix hungrily.

“He saw Patrick kiss me,” I correct. “I shoved him off as soon as he landed on my lips, but I think it’s given Jesse the wrong idea.”

“Probably exacerbated by the fact that you’re still keeping him at arm’s length,” Felix observes.

“I’m not,” I say. Then I slump further. “Okay, maybe I am a bit. I can’t help it. I think I’m still waiting for the other shoe to drop.” I bury my head in my hands. “He asked me not to go, and I didn’t listen. He said Patrick was up to something and asked me to go home with him instead.”

“What?” Max says. “Why would you ignore his request?”

Felix stirs as if he’s definitely wanting to say something, but he restrains himself and focuses his attention on me which always makes me a bit nervous.

I shrug. “Because if I’m not the man who keeps his word and his promises, then who am I?”

“A human being,” Max says angrily. “And a bloody fine one too. Zeb, your dad broke every promise, and mostly everything he said turned out to be a lie. But that doesn’t mean you have to keep every one of yours either. That makes you as stupid as he was.”

I gape at him. “What?”

Felix shrugs. “Much as it burns with the force of twenty thousand suns to have to admit this, he’s right.”

“Hang on,” Max says. “Let’s just pause the conversation while I savour that.”

“And you’re back to being a dickhead.” Felix turns back to me. “The trouble with you is that you’re looking for structure with love.”

“Is that my only problem? It sounds quite painful.”

“If we don’t focus on just the one, we’ll be here all year.” Max snorts and a smile tickles the corners of Felix’s mouth. “You’re looking for things that can’t be there with real love. There aren’t any rules in it.”

“What about fidelity?”

“That’s a promise, not a rule,” he says. “And promises depend on both people in the equation.”

There’s a very strained silence, and Max is now doing the very opposite of looking at Felix.