‘Come upstairs,’ he murmured as we kissed on his sofa. ‘It’s more comfortable up there.’

‘We haven’t finished the film.’ I giggled, twisting my head to look at the screen.

‘We can watch the film later,’ he said, bending down to press his lips against my bare neck, one hand snaking up inside my hand-knitted jumper.

I wriggled back up against the sofa arm, pushing my hair out of my face. ‘You said you’d give me time to think about it.’

Adam grinned. ‘Think about what? I just asked if you wanted to come upstairs where it’s more comfortable.’

His face was flushed, a chunk of floppy fringe hanging over one eye as the other one glinted at me. For a hot, mad second I wanted to grab his hand, race upstairs, and let him do whatever he wanted. But I was still sober enough to know that I wasn’t ready. I didn’t want a spur-of-the-moment, hurried fumble on his bed, one ear listening for his family to arrive back home. If Adam loved me as much as he said, then he would respect that.

‘What if your parents come back?’

‘So what if they do?’ He shrugged. ‘We don’t need to keep this a secret from them, Bea. They aren’t the ones who veto who their kids get to go out with.’

‘You wouldn’t be embarrassed if they came home and found us… upstairs?’

He shrugged. ‘It wouldn’t be the first time.’

Seeing the look of shock on my face, he reached out and grabbed my hands, leaning his forehead against mine. ‘Sorry! That was a joke, I’m sorry. Not funny. I’m a stupid idiot who is so in love with you I can’t think straight, let alone talk any sense.’

‘Okay.’

‘Okay, you’ll come upstairs?’

I tried to ignore how his whole face lit up.

‘Okay, I forgive you.’ I sat up straighter, tugging my jumper back down and disentangling myself from him as I pretended to be absorbed in Pirates of the Caribbean.

Adam waited a couple of minutes before gently entwining his fingers around mine. ‘There hasn’t been anyone else,’ he muttered. ‘I mean, you know I’ve had girlfriends before. But none of them ever came to my house. I never invited them.’

He crept an inch closer. ‘None of them took my breath away, or made my heart pound. I didn’t think about them all the time, or miss them every time we weren’t together. I didn’t love them.’

‘Are you still going on about your ex-girlfriends?’ I said, elbowing him in the ribs as he slid back up against me.

‘No.’ He slipped off the sofa, coming to kneel in front of me, eyes imploring as he rested his chin on my lap. ‘I’m talking about you. Wonderful, amazing you. I love you, Bea Armstrong.’