‘It’s just,’ she said, ‘I’ve lived here all my life, seen you on the bus maybe four times a week for the past five years, and you never looked twice at me till last week.’

They were still stationary in the street, facing each other, and now she’d folded her arms. OK, he thought. She’s pissed off.

‘Not true,’ he said. ‘I’ve been looking twice at you for a long, long time. I was just too much of a half-wit to do anything about it.’

She opened her mouth to say something, then changed her mind, stepped towards him and put both her hands around his neck, and kissed him, for a long time. Daniel thought: She’s so fucking beautiful. It was all he could think, the only thought in his head. She’d flooded his mind.

When she stopped, she stepped away and smiled, all sunshine again.

‘I’ll walk myself home from here,’ she said.

Now he was totally thrown. ‘What?’ He just couldn’t keep up with this girl; she was like quicksilver.

‘Seriously, that was a goodnight kiss. I’m not far from here. This is where we part company – I’m only round the corner.’

He had no idea where she lived, and felt panic at the thought of her striking out, alone, in these black streets. ‘But I want to see you walk into the house,’ he said.

‘No need.’

She started to move away from him, backwards, so that he could still see her face.

‘Alison!’

‘It’s all right,’ she said. ‘It’s fine.’

‘It’s not fine with me,’ Daniel said, and started to follow her, and she held out a flat palm.

‘Please,’ she said in a low voice. ‘Please don’t,’ and something in her manner compelled him to stand still; then she turned away from him, and ran.

Peter opened the door before she knocked, and Alison smiled at him with relief. She was out of breath from running home, and it was much further than she’d told Daniel, but she was here now.

‘Is she still up?’ she said.

He nodded and rolled his eyes. ‘She’s got him round.’ Her brother was wearing his steel-toecapped boots and a donkey jacket.

‘Are you just in, or just off?’ Alison asked.

‘Just off.’

Her heart sank. ‘Funny time to be going to work.’

‘They sent a lad to get me. Two fellas injured or summat.’ He saw her face and said, ‘It’s extra money.’

‘No, I know.’

‘Sorry. Just go straight up, she dunt even know you’re in. Was it good?’

‘Oh, yeah, y’know …’

‘I do know. Pissed dickheads doing “Tiger Feet”.’

She laughed, then clapped her hand over her mouth. Down the narrow hallway, her mother’s voice, unsteady, reedy, called out, ‘That you, Alison?’ and Peter grimaced at her.