She stepped back as he pushed past, his date clinging on to his hand as the crowd seemed to open up for them. She felt the blast of cold air on her face as the main door was opened and they stepped out into the night.

For a few moments, Clover didn’t move. It was as though her feet were nailed to the floor. She felt a whirl of emotions she couldn’t even begin to unpick – bones shaking, muscles clenched – she was hot, she was cold . . .

She felt an ominous surge in her stomach.

‘Oh god,’ she moaned, slapping a hand over her mouth and running to the toilets to throw up.

Chapter Eighteen

‘Ow! You’re on my hair,’ Clover mumbled.

‘Ufff,’ Matty groaned, turning over.

They lay motionless for several minutes, both of them breathing deeply and slowly, wanting to sleep for longer. But their legs were restless and they kept tossing about irritably.

‘What time is it?’ Clover murmured as Matty performed another one-eighty.

‘Don’know, don’care,’ Matty said, her face half swallowed by a ballooning pillow.

Clover listened to the sound of her own breaths. ‘I think I might be dying.’

‘I’m already dead.’

‘. . . Thank you for holding my hair back.’

‘Same.’

The sound of a door slamming shut made them both flinch. ‘Wha—?’ Matty moaned, barely able to lift her head.

Clover fared a little better. ‘. . . Hello?’ she croaked.

Johnny’s head peered round the door. ‘Oh good, you’re alive.’ He disappeared again.

‘. . . Wait . . . no we’re not,’ Matty wailed. ‘We are clearly dead . . . Clearly.’

‘You need to get up,’ he called through from the kitchen. They could hear him filling the kettle.

‘No. Never getting up,’ Matty moaned, trying to turn deeper into the mattress and sheets.

He reappeared at the door again. ‘It’s the last day and the sun is shining. They’re already all heading up. The queue’s building fast at the lifts.’

Matty pushed her face deeper into the duvet. ‘How?’ she cried. ‘How can they party like that and then get up and throw themselves—’ She lifted her head as something seemed to occur to her. ‘Wait a minute! Johnny, you’ve just come in!’

A loud silence came from the kitchen.

Clover opened an eye and stared at Matty, who was openmouthed.

‘Where have you been?’

More silence.

‘Johnny, did you pull?’

There was no reply, though they could hear him moving around in the kitchen, opening and closing cupboards, setting down cups. He walked through a moment later, carrying coffees for them. Clover inhaled the aroma gratefully – that alone was enough to lift her up.

‘Johnny, who did you pull?’ Matty demanded as he set down the coffee on Clover’s side of the bed.

He walked around and set down her coffee too. ‘You don’t still need this, do you?’ he asked, picking up the washing-up bowl that had been left on the floor last night ‘just in case’.