Dan groans and tries to snatch his phone, his face red. ‘Shit. Luke’s my cousin, and an idiot, obviously. It’s this thing we do together, the running. With our dogs. We’re training for an Ironman. I can’t let him down. I won’t be long, if you want to stay.’ Dan trails off when he sees Atticus frown.

‘You’re really going to go and leave me?’

What else can Dan do? He can’t tell Luke he’s busy, because Dan is never busy. Luke will want to know what he’s doing, and Dan can hardly say, ‘I’ve got my ex-patient on the couch and I’m hoping he’ll kiss me.’

Not knowing if Atticus is being serious, Dan says carefully, ‘We’re training. We can’t skip sessions.’ Just the thought of it makes him flinch. ‘I won’t be long, and I’ll cook dinner when I get back. I’m sorry.’

Atticus still looks a little unsure. ‘Will you be going all the way to Woken, Tennessee, tonight or just Shoreham?’

‘Oh, God. I’m sorry. Luke always talks like that. He’s a primary-school teacher. Being a grown-up all day is hard for him.’

‘Just him?’ Atticus asks, scrolling up the messages with a long, pale finger. ‘It seems you struggle too.’

Dan tries again to grab the phone, but Atticus raises it higher. ‘Careful, Daniel, or I may be forced to beat you so hard you say Uncle—’

‘Atticus. If you don’t stop, I may die.’ Dan gives a final lunge and snatches the phone back. Embarrassment has made him angry. ‘You shouldn’t go through people’s phones. It’s illegal. A violation of their privacy.’

‘Sorry,’ Atticus says, looking and sounding genuinely contrite.

‘That’s okay.’

Atticus silences whatever Dan was going to say next with a kiss. ‘I’ll cook dinner,’ he adds, as he lets Dan go.

Luke is fiddling with his phone when Dan gets to the Beacon, accompanied by Fitz. He doesn’t even notice Dan approaching till he clasps his shoulder.

‘Shit! You made me jump!’ Luke twists the phone back onto his armband and smiles at him. ‘Ready, Eddie?’

‘Let’s do this,’ Dan says. He’s talking about the run, but he’s thinking about Atticus. If Luke notices he is quieter than normal, he doesn’t mention it. He thinks Luke seems slightly preoccupied too. Meanwhile, Fitz and Wolfie bend and scratch out a warm-up.

They start out slowly, letting legs that have been sitting behind desks all day warm up and loosen. Dan likes to imagine each muscle in his body stretching out, starting with his toes. Normally, by the time he gets to his head, his mind is an empty church on a rainy day, and his legs are machines that pistol and pump. Not tonight. Tonight he can’t stop thinking about his virginity.