It seems mad. Crazy. But I can’t pretend the thought hasn’t crossed my mind before. Of course it has. Everyone visualises the future, tries to imagine themselves married to the person they’re with. They picture their kids, the Sunday mornings at the park, the years stretching out ahead of them. Right now, I just want to make it through the next year without being kicked out onto the street. And me and Tom taking our first steps together would be the perfect way to do that.

‘I know it’s only early days,’ I say, ‘but would you want to stay here more permanently?’

‘Permanently?’ he asks. ‘You mean move in?’

‘Well, yeah. I guess. I mean, I’m here on my own, you’re staying in your boss’s flat. You said yourself that you’re paying through the nose for that place, even though it’s not yours and you don’t really want to be there. It seems a bit daft, really. Especially if you’ve been spending some nights here anyway.’

‘Are you sure that’s what you want? I mean, I don’t want things to move too fast for you.’

‘It’s not too fast if we’re both comfortable, though, is it?’ I say.

‘Well, no, but I just mean I wouldn’t want you to have any expectations after everything that happened with Matt. I don’t want you to feel like you have to do this because of the situation with your dad.’

‘It’s not,’ I say. ‘It’s because I want you to live here with me.’

He pulls his arm away from me and sits up straight, looking me in the eye. He looks as if he’s about to cry.

‘Seriously, Grace, that would be amazing. I’d love that. Me and my butterfly.’ He pulls me into a hug and kisses the top of my head. ‘I want to pay my way, though. I’ll contribute half of everything. Mortgage, council tax, bills, the lot.’

‘You don’t need to do that,’ I say, secretly grateful that he’s offered. There’s no way I’m asking my parents to keep picking up the tab while I’ve got Tom stowed away here permanently. Certainly not after what happened yesterday. There’s no way I’m going back on my word.

‘I know, but I want to. It’s only fair. It’s what any gentleman would do. And I’m genuinely so grateful, Grace. I’m so happy to have met you.’

He leans in and kisses me. I reciprocate.

‘You know,’ he says, looking deep into my eyes. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever felt this way about anyone. I think I’m falling in love with you.’

I look back at him, half of me melting at his words and the other half panicking that this is coming on too soon. We’ve only been together a few weeks. The living arrangements were more of a practical suggestion than an offer to spend the rest of our lives together. But there’s a big part of me that knows this guy is special. He’s not like anyone else I’ve ever met. I can’t keep comparing him to Matt. He isn’t Matt. He’ll never be Matt. And that’s probably a good thing. Tom won’t leave me practically standing at the altar.