‘Big fan of acrobats?’ I asked as I joined him on the grass, patting down my dress and checking the silver bow hadn’t worked its way undone. The last thing I needed right now was to start flashing him.

‘Not really. But last year I got so incredibly shitfaced, I fell off the edge of the terrace and that’s how I discovered these were here.’

‘So, what you’re saying is, we like these crash mats,’ I said, looking at them with new-found appreciation. ‘Evan, that’s terrifying.’

‘And that’s why I don’t drink like that any more,’ he said, as though it was nothing. ‘Hey, you want to see something cool?’

I nodded, very much hoping the Crystal Ball committee had hired a secret jacket potato van and hidden it away in the undergrowth. I was starving.

‘The ball takes over the whole bottom two floors of the hotel,’ Evan explained as we made our way carefully through the grounds, my skirts swishing against the damp grass. The hotel on our right and huge, towering hedges blocked the view of whatever was on the left. ‘Plus there’s all the tents and marquees, and there’s the carnival around the back, but this is my favourite part of the hotel.’

He led me through an archway cut into the hedge, so small, you wouldn’t have seen it in the dark unless you knew where to look for it. On the other side was a clearing, lined by pretty flowering trees. They had sweeping leaves that brushed the top of a small gazebo, which looked out over the hills of Panarea before fading out into the ocean, sky and sea blending together and rolling out into infinity.

‘It’s beautiful,’ I whispered, afraid to raise my voice and ruin the moment. ‘How did you know it was here?’

‘It’s kind of a secret spot,’ Evan replied. ‘You can only get to it through the hotel kitchens.’

‘Or by throwing yourself off the edge of the terrace,’ I suggested.

It was so quiet, I could hear myself breathing, and so dark that when I looked up, there were more stars shining above me than I’d ever seen in my life.

I breathed in deeply. ‘Wait, did you say kitchens?’

He nodded. ‘Yeah, they’re right behind us.’

My stomach complained again, loudly. ‘Do you think it would be weird if we went in and made ourselves a sandwich?’

‘Yes,’ Evan replied, ‘but I’m prepared to take that chance. Lemme go see what they have.’

‘I can go,’ I offered automatically.

But he was already jogging back towards the building. ‘Stay there,’ he called back. ‘Check in on your puzzle.’