She grimaces at this. ‘That word’s going to take some getting used to.’

Right before I poke her with a pin, Mia chirps, ‘Bea, if I haven’t said it before, thank you for being my maid of honour. There is nobody else I would have chosen.’

I stop the poke, add the pin to the collection in my mouth, half hug her shoulder with one hand, and try to tell her through a mouthful of hair accessories that it’s me who’s grateful. Being her best friend is a title I proudly bear. It’s the only reason I’m also happy to bear the title maid of honour.

She turns to face me more quickly than I’m prepared for and I narrowly miss stabbing her in the eye. ‘Huh?’

I motion at the pins in my mouth and gesture for her to turn around, feeling a tad weepy. And I would do it all again; Mia is my best friend and my strongest advocate. She even supported me through a painfully honest pink lipstick phase.

I stab her (accidentally) for a final time. ‘All done.’ Thank goodness she can’t see the back of her head. It definitely did not look like this at the start of the day, but in lieu of having a professional hairdresser on tap, my efforts will have to do.

‘I have one more favour to ask. In about five minutes can you start handing out the sparklers? That way everyone will have them at midnight, so they can ring in the new year in style.’

‘Of course.’ The line between friend and minion is a fine one this evening.

Still, I hunt down the sparklers and start handing them out. They’re the biggest sparklers I’ve ever seen, and I decide to ‘accidentally’ miss out the more inebriated guests, becoming increasingly nervous about the fire and safety regulations.

The countdown begins – although I have no idea who was aware enough to keep track of the time – and I take a quick scan of the area. Everyone, or at least all the worthy guests, has a sparkler.

Good.

Shit.

I look around again. I am not with anyone I know. This is precisely why I never go out on New Year’s Eve, I would far rather be in a room by myself than in a room full of people who all love each other, but where nobody loves me.

I decide to run away and hide until midnight has passed.

‘Bea! Bea! Where are you going?’

For the second time in the night Peter has caught me trying to escape.

‘Come here.’

He pulls me under one arm, meaning there really is no running away.

Shouts of ‘Three! Two! One!’ fill the air, and I don’t know what to do. Everyone else has found someone to kiss, but I feel awkward and tense. My shoulders are up to my ears. I don’t want Bodley to kiss me, even if Mia is right, he does look good this evening. But it wouldn’t be just a kiss between us, it would be … something else. I hope he doesn’t think he has to kiss me merely because we’re standing together. I smile at him awkwardly. He starts to come towards me, and my body reacts. I step a little closer.