‘I ended up going with my dad. Not quite the same.’

The air in the library had become very still.

‘You could have given them to her anyway.’

‘Really?’ Henry raised one eyebrow. ‘How do you think that would have gone? Worst-case scenario, she’d have laughed in my face and all my fears about how she genuinely hated my guts rather than simply pretended to in order to save face would be proven right. Best-case scenario, she’d have taken the tickets and gone with her boyfriend.’

‘How is that the best case?’

‘Because then she’d have got to see her favourite band.’

I picked at a loose thread on the tapestry cushion. It took a few more pounding heartbeats to find the courage to look at him, but I managed it. ‘Have you always been this nice?’

‘I was trying to make the girl I was infatuated with happy. Some would say my motives were purely selfish.’

‘And then there are some who actually know you.’

‘Best ever present?’ Henry asked, just as the crackling silence became almost too much to bear.

‘Sounds like my best ever present was stolen by your dad.’

He broke into a full-on blush then, ducking his head, mouth curled in embarrassment.

Before I could do anything to lighten the tension, my phone beeped.

How did it go? Are we going to be neighbours? X

So now my heart was thumping for a whole other reason.

I quickly turned forwards on the sofa again and typed a brief reply.

Going well so far, but won’t know outcome until tomorrow lunchtime

I paused before pressing send. Kiss or no kiss?

One kiss. I wasn’t a monster.

Except that my quaking fingers accidentally added four and I automatically pressed send before my brain could process it.

Sorry about all the xxxxs! My hand slipped!!

Adam replied instantly

No need to apologise. I’m hard to resist

He added the laughing emoji but his next message didn’t feel like a joke.

And I’ve missed your kisses xxxxx

Crap.

How did I let myself end up back here again? I knew that we couldn’t be trusted to stick to a simple, friendly ‘how are you?’ I should never have replied to his first message. I’d opened a door that only led in one direction: to more sadness and crying and feeling as if my heart had been ripped out and stamped on.

I needed a short, sharp reply to shut this down.