Bruno got to his feet and stared towards the trees. ‘Probably a deer,’ he said. Carina seemed reassured, and leaned back against Alex once more. Bruno sat down on his mat, a fraction closer to Marie. Gave her an embarrassed smile when he caught her eye. Marie thought she should probably do something about his awkward advances, but the red wine had made her mellow, and right now she thought she deserved both the wine and the admiration. In only a week or so she and Simon would be sharing an apartment in the centre of Lund. She’d already got herself a part-time job at party headquarters in Malmö. Being Bengt Andersson’s daughter had definitely helped, but she had no qualms about that. Her plan was crystal clear: take the minutes at meetings and make the coffee for a few years while she was studying. By the time she graduated, she would be established as a good bet for the future, with the right contacts and pedigree within the party. A couple of years serving her apprenticeship in local politics, then on to parliament just in time for the election in 2000. That sounded so appealing: the 2000 election. No more tired old 19-whatever, but 2000. The future.

Simon began to hum along to what was presumably the chorus of the song he was playing. Something happened to the atmosphere as soon as he picked up an instrument, something that had become more and more tangible as they got older.

‘Do you realise,’ Carina said, interrupting Marie’s train of thought, ‘tonight might be the last time we do this?’

‘Forget “might be”,’ Simon said. ‘I’ll be keeping my clothes on inside my sleeping bag. You know how I feel about camping.’

‘That’s not what I meant,’ Carina said.

‘So, what did you mean, baby?’ Alex reached for the cigarette, but Carina ignored the gesture.

‘I mean this might be the last time ever.’ She sounded sad. ‘Alex starts his military service in two weeks. Marie and Simon are off to Lund.’

‘Next Thursday,’ Marie chipped in. ‘By the way, Simon – you still haven’t signed the lease on the apartment.’

Simon didn’t answer, which annoyed Marie. He was always like that – he never arrived on time, and he put everything off until the last minute.

‘It’s almost impossible to find student accommodation in Lund,’ she said irritably. ‘And even harder to get an apartment. My dad pulled lots of strings, so you don’t get to fuck it up. I’ll call round tomorrow so we can sort it out, OK?’

‘Mm.’ Simon’s attention was focused on his guitar.

Marie finished off her wine and grabbed the bottle.

‘So, all three of you are out of here,’ Carina went on. ‘Leaving me and Bruno in boring bloody Nedanås, the worst dump in the world.’

‘What are you talking about?’ Bruno protested. ‘I’ve got plans – haven’t you?’

‘Of course I have.’