Duke bursts out laughing. ‘Oh, yes, we are!’ he cries, and it makes Katerina laugh too, although she doesn’t seem half as drunk as Duke is. How is that possible? She’s tiny, and she’s matched him tequila for tequila. ‘A water please, my man,’ Duke adds, asking Katerina: ‘You want anything?’ She shakes her head. All night, she’s been laughing at his jokes and telling funny stories and asking him about himself like she might actually care. It’s a nice escape. He doesn’t like-like her, but it’s nice to be blowing off steam with somebody cool. She’s good company. She asks a lot of questions, listens really well too. He’s probably given her half his life story without meaning to. It’s all pouring out tonight.

‘Hey, man!’ a guy in a hoodie says then – an American, judging from his accent. ‘Hey,’ he repeats, and Duke looks at him, glassy-eyed. ‘Are you Duke Carlisle?’ The stranger tugs on his friend’s sleeve and says, ‘Look! Duke Freaking Carlisle is here!’

Duke holds up a hand and shakes it, and mutters, ‘Nah. I get that all the time though.’

The American insists, though. ‘Hey, can I get a photo, please? My girlfriend will freak out! She loves you.’

‘Sorry, not right now.’ Duke can feel the anger rising in his chest. He just wants to dance, for crying out loud, and enjoy this moment, and now here’s some tourist thinking he can just whip out his phone and point and shoot a private, off-duty moment? He’s sick of it – sick of everyone feeling like they deserve a piece of him to use as they please.

The tourist holds up his phone in selfie mode and puts his head close to Duke’s.

‘I said no,’ Duke says, pushing the American away from him. He doesn’t mean to do it so hard, but the tourist stumbles and looks at him with shock and hurt. Duke regrets it instantly. This isn’t about this guy in the bar, it’s about everything else. The guy is just bearing the brunt. Duke takes a breath, readying himself to apologise. But then the guy squares up to him.

‘You don’t have to be a douche about it. It’s just a photo.’

The man reaches out a hand, then, like he’s going to push Duke back, and Duke can’t explain it, but even with drinks in his system something tells him to get the first punch in, otherwise he’s gonna get got.