I snorted. “You mean, the confidence to ask Rupert Sullivan to the year twelve formal, and have him tell me he’d ‘think about it’ and then proceed to mock me to the entirety of the class? That confidence?”

Ezra rolled his eyes. “That was years ago.”

I snorted. “Oh, and my love life has been so much better since …”

“You made me promise never to mention He Who Must Not Be Named again …” Ezra gave my hand a squeeze. “But, you were the one to approach him, too. And sweep him off his feet with your cheeky sweetness.”

“And it ended in utter disaster,” I reminded him.

Ezra’s crinkly smile was so kind. I tried to mirror it with a watery one of my own.

“And you know what? It hasn’t stopped you from approaching men. I envy the way you can just walk up to a guy and start talking.”

“The stakes are low for me, though. I can’t remember the last time I approached a man with a view to dating him,” I mumbled, sipping the last of my coffee. “Dating’s hard work, Ez. Relationships are hard work.”

“They shouldn’t be, if they’re with the right person.”

I shrugged. “Well, he better show up soon, I’m not getting any younger!”

Ezra gave a small smile. “You’re only twenty-eight, Jem. Plenty of years ahead of you.” He covered my hand with his own, and I squeezed his fingers.

He glanced down at his watch, cursing under his breath. “I’ve gotta get back to the ward. Wish me luck.”

“Good luck.”

He stood, knocking once on the table. “You going to be okay getting back to your car?”

I peered out the window at the rapidly dwindling light, swallowing hard. “Yeah, I’ll be totally fine.”

Ezra flashed me a concerned look, but I scowled up at him, setting my jaw defiantly. Which only made him burst into laughter.

“You are incapable of looking fierce, Jemma Bliss!”

* * *

“I hate winter!” I snarled, flipping the hood on my parka over my hair as I stepped out of the hospital. “It’s not natural for it to be dark at five PM! And what’s the deal with the temperature?” I tucked my hands inside my sleeves for good measure, awkwardly clutching the strap of my shoulder bag with my padded mitts.

The car park was a long way from the hospital entrance, and I was all too aware that I was a teeny tiny woman walking alone in the dark. Talking to myself had always been my coping mechanism to stave off fear.