Then Atticus groans slightly, turns Dan so his back is against the wall and parts his lips with his tongue.

‘What are we doing, Atticus?’ Dan asks him, when they pull away, slightly panting.

‘We are turning into ourselves,’ Atticus replies, and kisses him again.

Lizzie

(Let sleeping dogs lie)

WITHIN MINUTES OF THEM leaving the shelter the rain starts, but the match is still going when they arrive. A thin drizzle hangs over everything and the pitch is a mudbath. Lizzie spots Luke easily. He grins and waves at them before going to tackle someone. Lenny cheers him on, running up and down the sidelines and bringing back the ball every time it goes out of play. Mud splats up his legs like camouflage, blending him into the scene. Lizzie stands out in her red coat and her yellow scarf. She is a traffic light.

Finally, the whistle blows, and everyone gathers in soggy clumps to shake hands and gulp water. Luke approaches, high-fiving team members on his way. Lizzie goes to say it’s far too wet and cold for them to play, but Luke is already kicking a ball to Lenny and saying, ‘Come on, mate, I’ll go in goal.’ The ball hits Lenny in the chest. He bounces it off with practised skill and does keepie-uppies with his knees. His smile must hurt his cheeks.

Luke laughs at him, then turns back to Lizzie. ‘Hello. You look nice.’ He blushes, then points to a door behind the toilets. ‘It’s dry and warm in there – you can make coffee and listen to the radio.’

Lizzie dashes inside, where she sees that Luke has brought Mars bars, milk, teabags, coffee, and shortbread biscuits in the shape of dogs. He’s also brought a blanket, which Lizzie gratefully wraps around herself. She watches them through the window as she drinks her tea, their sliding tackles and shots on goal. It’s so small in the storage shed, so warm and strangely safe, that Lizzie drifts off to sleep under the drumbeat of drizzle, her hands on her aching stomach.

She’s woken by Lenny and Luke barging into the room, jostling together, all wet hair and red cheeks. Luke pulls a couple of towels from a kitbag on the floor and hands one to Lenny. ‘Amazing game! You’ve some serious skill. You really need proper football boots, though.’ Lizzie looks down and sees Lenny’s trainers are ruined. They are his only pair and he’ll need them for PE on Monday.

‘Lenny, take them off and let me warm you up. Did you know it’s impossible to fall asleep if your feet are below a certain temperature?’