I close my eyes and I’m instantly transported back there. Max had driven us to the cricket club and – when Rach and I had been too nervous to walk past a group of cool boys hanging around outside – Max had walked us over. Rach and I were just saying goodbye to Max when he pulled at what he thought was a rogue bit of tissue stuck to my top, only to pull out a long strip of toilet roll that had been stuffed inside my bra.

‘I never did thank you for that night, for not laughing at me.’

When Max had pulled the first bit of loo roll from my top, it had torn and left a part of it hanging out. Instead of laughing at me, like most teenage boys would do, he’d stepped forward and hugged me to discreetly pull the rest of it out. I might have been left with wonky boobs, but at least the whole school didn’t find out I’d stuffed my bra in the first place.

‘I did what anyone would have done.’

‘No, you didn’t. It was really kind.’

‘Well, you were always at our house and you became like a sister to me.’

‘Huh, and do you still see me as that now?’

His eyes keep flitting between my outfit and my face and I can see he’s still quite drunk by the way he’s swaying.

‘That outfit’s playing tricks with my mind and I don’t know what I’m thinking any more.’

My cheeks go red. Is he flirting with me?

‘I don’t think your girlfriend would like you saying things like that to me.’

‘Girlfriend?’

‘Sorry, I thought Rach said a few months ago that you were seeing someone and I just assumed.’

‘Oh yeah, didn’t work out. She moved abroad,’ he says, shrugging his shoulders. ‘We weren’t serious or anything.’

‘Oh right,’ I say, feeling a little awkward bringing it up. ‘So, what did you do for the stag do?’

‘Now, I can’t tell you that, but it’s been a long day, that’s for sure. We started drinking at eight in the morning.’

‘Bloody hell, how are you still going?’

‘Tactical nap at… an undisclosed location that had some comfy chairs. Plus, I switched to vodka Redbulls, so I might not sleep until next Tuesday, but I outlasted Dodgy Rodge, which is sort of an unwritten rule of a stag do.’

‘What are the other unwritten rules?’

‘I don’t think I can tell you them either.’

‘Right, I like the fact you’re creating an air of mystery for something that, to be honest, is pretty much about you guys getting as wasted as possible and going to strip clubs.’

Max laughs.

‘Were you always this funny, Spid— Ellie?’ he says quickly as I go to scowl.