‘I better jump into the shower to wake myself up.’ He opens the drawer of his bedside cabinet and grabs his shower bag. When he first arrived here, Andriu was in the small box room at the front of the house but since our friendship blossomed into a full-blown love affair, he moved into my room.

There is no ensuite in this house. There’s barely a shower. There’s just a hose over the bath that has to be pulled at and tugged before the water falls from it. If it wasn’t for Tara’s dad, it wouldn’t work at all.

‘Are you okay?’ he says. But what he really wants to know is if I’m drunk.

‘I’m fine, not a bother.’ I smile and watch his long tanned body move towards the bathroom.

Sometime later, when the party is in full swing and the back garden resembles a scene from Glastonbury, I stumble over to where Tara is caressing some guy’s tonsils with her tongue by the statue. I want to ask her where she has hidden the gin. We have to hide lots of stuff before letting every Tom, Dick and Mary into this place.

I’m about to tap Tara on the back when I glance down the side of the house and notice Emily standing there with someone who doesn’t belong here.

Emily is standing in front of them, attempting to hide what’s going on. I know I’m drunk but I also know what’s going on. She’s buying drugs from someone. It wouldn’t be the first time and Tara is going to go mad because she warned her. And now the stupid bitch has called her dealer and they’re in our garden handing her a packet. I’m all into the ‘hear no evil, see no evil’ crap but if Larry finds out there are drugs being dealt here, we’ll lose the house and my dad will flip.

‘Tara, Tara.’ I pull at Tara’s shoulder, dragging her from the embrace and force her to look down the side of the house.

‘You’re going to have to do something about that,’ I say.

‘Shit,’ she replies, rushing over to Emily. ‘What the fuck are you doing?’ she says.

The dealer walks away to the front of the house and out into a waiting car.

‘I’m sorry Tara. I… I needed something. I’ve been so… I promise this is the last time.’

‘Fucking sure it is,’ Tara says, walking away from Emily, muttering something. I feel sorry for Tara; she only puts up with the girl because she’s her cousin and now she’s at this crap.

‘Don’t think for one minute that you’re bringing that shit into the house,’ I say. Then I follow Tara into the kitchen.