I’d helped myself to a mulled wine and was chatting to one of the school governors when Adam asked if I could spare a couple of minutes to talk. Assuming he’d lead us to a quiet corner of the hall, instead I followed him all the way out and down the corridor. To my surprise, we passed Henry and Nana Joy heading towards the main entrance.

‘This lovely young man is escorting me home,’ Nana Joy said, leaning against Henry, her arm firmly tucked through his.

‘She’s totally wiped out,’ Henry explained. I could see that. Beneath her dusting of powder Nana Joy’s face was tinged with grey, her shoulders hunched with exhaustion.

‘Are you sure? I can walk you, Nana, let Henry get back to the afterparty.’

‘Oh, do stop meddling,’ she retorted. ‘He offered and I accepted. No one asked Miss Jealous Boots to interfere.’

‘Well, that told me!’ I leant forward and kissed Nana Joy on the cheek. ‘Sleep well. You knocked everyone’s socks off tonight. Definitely saved the best ’til last.’

‘I did rather, didn’t I?’

We waited until they’d resumed their painstaking shuffle, then Adam linked arms with me and continued down the corridor. It was only as we approached the far end of the building that I realised where he was taking me.

The tiny music room had been one of the places we’d escaped to when looking for a quiet spot to meet undetected. It was here, sitting side by side on the piano stool, that Adam had kissed me for the first time. He’d serenaded me with songs that he’d written, and we’d whispered our first, tentative confessions of love.

In addition to the piano, the room was usually bare save for a plastic chair or maybe a couple of music stands and some random percussion. Most of the music students preferred the larger room that held a mixing desk and the other equipment needed to produce digital music. This evening, there was a blanket on the floor, upon which waited a bottle of wine, two glasses, and a vase containing a dark-pink rose.

Adam closed the door behind us, and we sat down on the blanket. After pouring us both a drink he attempted some small talk, but I was far too distracted with why we were here.

‘What’s going on?’ I asked, gripping the stem of my wine glass so hard I was surprised it didn’t snap.

‘Right. Yeah. Um… perhaps we could stand up?’ Adam offered a hand to help me up. He was smiling, but when he took my drink and placed it onto the piano, I could see his hands shaking.

I’d already started to guess what might be about to happen when he slowly sank to one knee.

‘Adam…’