I applauded. ‘So good. I thought I was going to cry.’

‘It’s probably the comedown.’ She stood from the piano, amber eyes, radiant Biddy …

Might upset me, forget me.

I stood. ‘I have to go.’

‘What, already? What time is it?’

Might unfriend me, upend me.

‘Pretty late,’ I said. ‘For me, anyway. I guess I just wanted to come and see you, to check you’re OK with things.’

‘You mean with us sleeping together?’

‘Yeah.’

Change my life, prefer my wife.

‘I’m definitely OK with that. Are you?’

Might snore, might bore. Her eyes, her colostrum scent, I was –

‘Yeah,’ I said. ‘I thought it was brilliant, to be honest.’

She laughed, came closer, swayed a little, just the hips. ‘Oh yeah?’

‘Yeah,’ I said, smiling. ‘Anyway … We can maybe just let the dust settle.’

‘That’s maybe a sensible idea.’ She tilted her head. ‘Or you could always just fuck me now?’

* * *

Mel looked better, but her nose was still red from blowing. I’d ducked out of the library to meet her for a coffee, had to be quick, or take my time – nobody cared.

‘Am I boring you?’ she said.

‘As if. My eyes are just … I don’t know.’ I lifted a napkin, looked at it, put it back down. ‘I’m seeing Biddy.’

Brows raised, coffee down. ‘I fucking knew it. Zac said he thought you two were up to something.’

Of course. ‘Yeah.’

‘Holy crap, Chris. What’s Sarah saying?’

‘She’s fine. She slept with her too.’

‘With Biddy?’

‘Yeah.’

They’d started kissing, then stroking. I’d lain there, not believing, before getting to my knees and joining in, touching, rubbing, fucking, trying to avoid any obvious porn moves. We’d fallen asleep together, me spooning Biddy, Biddy spooning Sarah: Papa Bear, Mama Bear, Baby Bear. And it could happen again, you never knew. Sarah knew – she’d said it was nice but not her thing. Biddy knew – ‘I’m not a unicorn, I’m just into you, Chris.’ But still … you never knew.

I didn’t want to tell Mel, not like this, but – fuck – I couldn’t hold it in. ‘Sarah’s seeing another guy too. Actually, two guys maybe, I’m not sure.’

‘Woah, hang on. Take it back a step.’

Sarah and Mick screwing, me watching them at the party like a perv, Valentino and Sarah screwing, me getting all the details, my teenage lust for Biddy, Biddy’s unexpected lust for me – it all came spilling out.

Mel had regained some of her cool, but her eyes were still widening involuntarily. ‘Fucking hell. Who else knows?’

‘Just you. Oh, and Zac – not about Biddy, not from me, just the basics about Sarah and Valentino.’

‘You reckon Zac can keep a secret?’

‘He’s your friend, Mel – what do you think?’

She smiled awkwardly, bit her lip.