“You both missed it.” She scoops some pound coins and puts them in the little plastic bag. “You were so busy looking outwards. You never saw what was right in front of you.”

“Well, we’ve done it now.” I shove my hair back from my face. “There’s no avoiding it.”

There’s a shocked silence. “Wait,” she says. “Do you want to avoid it?” I look at her, and she groans. “Oh, Charlie, don’t fucking say that.”

“Why?”

“Because the two of you are perfect for each other. That’s why.”

“How are we perfect for each other? I go for commitment and relationships. The longest relationship Misha has had has been with his right hand, and he hardly needed to use that with the amount of men trooping through his boudoir.” I slump in my chair. “This has disaster written all over it. We’ll fall into bed a few times, he’ll get bored and cheat, and then we’ll never speak to each other again. The sex was amazing, but nothing will ever be worth losing Misha from my life.”

Bethany eyes fill with busy thoughts, and then she pokes me hard.

“Ouch! What was that for?” I protest.

“Because you’re astonishingly pessimistic for someone who everyone calls Charlie Sunshine. Why on earth does it have to turn out like that?”

“Because that’s how it is. I nest, while Misha flies around showing off his feathers.”

“Just because something has always been like that doesn’t mean that it will stay that way forever.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that Misha has never had a relationship with you. That’s the unknown equation.”

“I was always terrible at maths,” I say glumly.

“Well, he wasn’t. Hopefully anyway, because otherwise, the British banking system might be in for a nasty surprise.” She shoots me a quizzical look. “What did he say this morning?”

I stack the notes on the table, focusing on the movement of my fingers. “Oh, well, not much,” I say brightly.

There’s a long silence, and against my will, I look up. She’s regarding me sternly. “Charlie, what did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything,” I say crossly. Bethany carries on looking at me with her sharp eyes, and I slump. “I didn’t talk to him this morning, so I’m not sure what he thinks about anything,” I mutter.

“Why?”

I tug at my hair. “Because he was still asleep when I left.”

“And did you leave making any noise?”

I shake my head, biting my lip. “I snuck out,” I say, words coming out in a rush. “Like a ninja. I was just flummoxed. I spent all night worrying about what we’d done. By the time morning came I didn’t know what to say to him.”