‘I get that. I loved watching Home Alone 2 growing up, and I did feel like a kid again when I saw all the locations they use,’ Jake admitted.

‘Woah,’ I said, holding up a hand. ‘Not only was Jake Richards a kid who enjoyed movies but you got excited as a grown-up seeing locations from your favourite scenes. I may need a moment to recover from the shock of this confession.’

Jake rolled his eyes but he did grin at me. ‘Ha ha ha,’ he replied sarcastically, making me laugh.

We carried on walking until Jake pointed ahead. ‘Here we are.’ He gestured to the New York Public Library so I followed him up the steps of the grand building and through the door framed by white pillars. Inside, there was an immediate hush and coolness accompanied by a feeling we were somewhere important.

Jake was surprisingly a great tour guide, showing me his favourite exhibits and not rushing me as we looked at everything, but when we walked into the Rose Main Reading Room, we both lapsed into silence. I looked up at the ceiling I had always wanted to see in awe. The sky murals surrounded by ornate gilding were beautiful. Books lined the walls and in the middle were reading benches. Chandeliers hung above them. It was stunning.

‘Imagine being able to just come here and read all day,’ I whispered to Jake, my eyes still above us.

‘Is it as beautiful as you hoped?’

‘It’s incredible,’ I replied, looking away to find him watching me. I smiled. ‘I’m so happy I got to see it.’

‘I’m happy I got to show it to you.’

‘A book lover’s dream, right?’

Jake smiled back. ‘It really is. When I first came here, I wondered if anyone had sat here reading one of my books. I hoped so.’

‘I bet they have.’ I pulled out my phone to snap a few photos. I knew they were unlikely to do this stunning room justice but it would be nice to be able to look back and remember standing right here.

‘I’ve been thinking about the reader session later, and what you said last night,’ Jake said then.

‘Was I terrible?’ I asked nervously.

‘You’re never terrible, Freya. More honest than most of the people I know maybe. But that’s a good thing.’

‘Wow, is that a compliment?’ I blurted out.

‘I am capable of making them, sometimes.’ Jake looked at me seriously. Once again, I couldn’t take my eyes off his. ‘What you said, it got to me. I have always believed in romance. When I started to write, it just was natural for me to write love stories. I loved it.’