“If we were, he wouldn’t have broken up with me.”

“Is that actually what happened?”

I stare at Aled. I’ve never heard him so assertive. I don’t know how to answer.

“Did he actually say, Charlie, I want to break up with you?”

I frown. “Well, no, not exactly. But, he didn’t say I don’t want to break up.”

“But obviously he wouldn’t have said that.”

“What?”

“If he thought you were trying to break up with him, he’s not going to start protesting against it. If he thought you didn’t love him any more, he wouldn’t make it difficult for you. He’d just be heartbroken.”

“Well, he’s an idiot then!”

Aled laughs. “Exactly. Two idiots in love. Couple goals.”

“Great. Thanks.”

Someone interrupts us to see whether Aled’s sorted out what money he owes. I really want to believe what he’s saying. That Nick never wanted to break up.

As soon as I get home, I sit down at the breakfast bar where Victoria is sitting with her laptop and a large glass of diet lemonade. She turns to me.

“You look at least two hundred percent more cheerful than you have been collectively in the past two weeks,” she says.

“I need to talk to Nick, like, soon.”

She throws her hands into the air. “Jesus Christ! Finally! Revelation of the century!”

I swivel on the stool. “But also, I really don’t want to.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. You’ve had your tantrum time, okay? You’re a Year 13 now.”

“Not till September.”

“I always count it from the last day of the year before.”

“Well I don’t.”

She takes a long sip of lemonade and then points violently at the door. “Go talk to him, you giant child!”

“Oh my God, fine!”

I get up from the breakfast bar and wander towards the door, but Victoria speaks just as I’m about to leave.

“By the way, I found this stuffed between the sofa cushions.” She picks up something next to her and holds out Nick’s disposable camera. “Is it yours?”

I take it from her. “Oh, that’s Nick’s.”

“Oh. He might want it back then.”

“Yeah.” I walk slowly out of the room. The number on the tiny screen at the back is at zero – I didn’t even know Nick had taken that many pictures. When did he take them all? He could only have left the camera here two weeks ago while we were getting ready for the party, and I didn’t see him take any then. So it must have been the day before that.

And that’s when I know exactly what I’m going to do.

Straight after my shift at Topman on Saturday morning, I speed-walk to Boots to get the camera developed.