‘As I understand it, mansplaining is when a man tells a woman something she already knows.’ He smiled, lazily pulled himself up to sit eye to eye. ‘I, on the other hand, am telling you something you clearly don’t.’ He placed a hand on her knee, triggering an electric pulse direct to her cunt. ‘So simmer down, little lady.’

‘You’re a cocky bastard, aren’t you?’

He raised those goddamn eyebrows again, moved his hand so very, very slightly upwards. Shit.

‘A cocky bastard who’s going to make me miss my bus.’

‘It’ll be late. Legend foretells it.’

‘It’s already five past.’ She moved as if to stand, but also to see what his hand would do. It moved with her leg, sliding to rest on her mid inner thigh. She looked at it there, then looked him right in the face, the smug fuck.

‘The next one’s not until five thirty-five.’

‘So you’ve got half an hour to kill.’

And then it happened, easy. One instant Josh was looking at her, holding her thigh, and the next they were making out like they’d been doing it their whole lives. After one second or forever he broke the kiss. Kept his mouth right there, though. ‘We need to stop,’ he said, grazing her lips with his.

‘Okay.’

They were kissing again. More intensely, which two seconds ago she didn’t know was possible.

Air between them as he rolled away. She couldn’t stop herself glancing at his crotch to confirm that what had been grinding into her thigh was indeed a hard-on and not an oddly shaped phone. Her last boyfriend would have shot after two minutes of such hard-core frottage. There it was, though, clearly outlined by the soft stone-coloured cotton of his skinny-fit chinos. Jesus. Nakedness would be less obscene.

‘We’re going to get done for indecent behaviour,’ he said, sitting up and holding his knees to his chest, ruining her view.

Lena looked around. There were fewer people on the lawn than usual, thanks to the toxic air, and none of them were paying any attention. Josh was right, though. Another minute and she’d be opening his pants. Two minutes and her shorts would be at her ankles.

‘Is your room close?’ She knew it was. Millionaires’ kids couldn’t be expected to walk more than a few minutes to get to class.

‘Just over there.’ He gestured vaguely. ‘But it’s kind of … Not a great scene right now.’