Evie’s heart dropped just slightly. Hugo wasn’t lucky. Not about that. After all, she had orchestrated the whole thing. Right down to her hot chocolate. ‘Would you still like me if it wasn’t for that fateful run in?’ she asked a little too seriously.

Hugo laughed. ‘What do you mean? I probably wouldn’t have known you! Evie, we absolutely had fate on our side.’

The waiter arrived at their table and set down a plate of the most elaborately constructed tempura vegetables Evie had ever seen, giving them an essay-length explanation about each piece.

Cutting short the man’s monologue, Hugo waved his hand. ‘And here I was thinking a mushroom was a mushroom.’

The waiter froze, apologised and then hurried away. Evie frowned, surprised by Hugo’s curtness. Hugo looked at her apologetically and collected his chopsticks. She felt a bit embarrassed as she watched Hugo expertly pick up a piece of eggplant tempura—apparently extra organic and handpicked by the chef—and place it in her bowl, before she drowned it in soy sauce.

‘Are you right there?’ Hugo chuckled, his cheerful demeanour returning.

‘What?’

‘You’ve got more soy sauce than vegetable.’

‘I like it salty,’ said Evie, placing the entire piece of eggplant in her mouth unapologetically.

‘You know, I think you’re right,’ Hugo said, delicately picking up another piece with his chopsticks. ‘Even if we didn’t meet on that day, I would’ve found a way to you.’

Evie smiled weakly, her mouth still full. Even though she knew it wasn’t true, it was all she needed to hear.

Evie woke to the sound of birds chirping and the soft hum of buses chugging along the street below her. She curled up on her side, and pressed herself into the embrace of Hugo, his bare chest warm. She loved the feeling of his body on hers.

In this moment, Evie gave herself permission to believe she was always meant to be here, and that time travel was merely a figment of her imagination.

Hugo stirred beside her. ‘Morning sleepy head,’ she said, grazing her lips against his.

In reply, Hugo hugged her tighter, drawing her into the nook created by his arms. ‘Let’s never leave,’ he breathed, his eyes still closed. ‘From this day on, Evie Berry will be my new postcode.’

‘I could live with that,’ Evie said.

Hugo’s phone vibrated on the bedside table next to him. Severing their snuggling all too soon, Hugo peeled away from Evie to check it. At the same time, Bunny bounced onto the bed and began circling Evie’s head menacingly.

‘Bunny, get,’ Evie hissed as inconspicuously as possible, pushing at his paws.

‘Bloody hell,’ Hugo said, sitting up.

‘Everything okay?’