‘Only if you’re American,’ I replied before eyeing him doubtfully. ‘I thought the Crystal Ball committee raised money for homeless charities?’

‘Entirely possible,’ he said. ‘If I’m being honest, I don’t know what they raise money for. The ball has always been more about getting wasted and smoking in the bathroom with Jennifer Lawrence for me.’

‘I KNEW IT,’ Jess yelled from the kitchen.

‘Please ignore her,’ I instructed. ‘It’s not easy, I know, but give it your best shot.’

‘Only if you agree to accept this,’ he said. ‘I mean, it has your name on it.’

‘Actually, it doesn’t,’ I laughed, tracing a fingernail over the ‘Anderson’ on the envelope, overwhelmed by the feeling of allowing someone to do something nice for me. First, Rachel taking care of me at the hotel, then Jess giving me a home, and now this. If they weren’t all careful, I was going to get used to it. ‘Thank you,’ I said, nodding to myself before meeting his eyes. ‘I wish I had something to give you.’

‘The way I see it, the trip is a gift for both of us,’ Evan smiled. ‘You get to visit New York and I get to see you again. If you want to see me, that is, I didn’t mean … you’re not obligated in any way, there aren’t strings attached to the trip. New York’s pretty big, it’s very unlikely we would run into each other if you—’

Without thinking, I placed a finger against his lips to cut him off mid-flow. He had waited until I let him know I was ready. He had travelled all this way to see me. He had done something incredibly thoughtful and kind. And, in a true Christmas miracle, he was just as ridiculously attractive as I remembered.

‘I would love to come and visit you in New York,’ I said, rising up on my knees and brushing his hair out of his face. It was so silky, it fell right back in front of his eyes and I had to try very hard to focus on the moment instead of asking what kind of shampoo he used. ‘You know, I think I might have a gift for you after all.’

Resting my hands on his thighs, I leaned in until I could feel his breath warm against my lips and I kissed him.