‘Matt!’ Sammy said. ‘Glad you could make it. This is Annabelle,’ he said. ‘And this is Guy. Guy’s on my course. Fucking brainy. Knows everything. Shakespeare, Dickens, loads of poems. All that shit. He can quote it like it’s going out of fashion.’

So, not a professor then.

‘Hardly,’ Guy said, although he looked pleased. He already had thinning hair and Matt tried to place his accent; it was neutral and hard to pick. ‘Nice to meet you.’

The girl – Annabelle – raised her hand.

‘Nice to meet you both, too,’ Matt said. ‘I’m Matt.’

‘Hi,’ Annabelle said. She took a drag on her cigarette. ‘How’s it going?’

‘Good. You?’

She shrugged. ‘Good enough. Do you do English with these two?’

‘No. Law. I know Sammy from Chamberlain Hall.’ She stood up, and he realized she was almost as tall as him. She had large, green eyes. ‘Are you English too?’

‘Maths,’ she said.

‘Bloody hell,’ Sammy said. ‘At least someone’s doing a proper subject. Anyway, time for a pint. I’m buying.’

‘That’s good of you,’ Guy said.

‘Nah,’ Sammy said. ‘It’s Happy Hour. Two for the price of one! Your round, next.’

5

Matt stubbed his cigarette out in the ashtray. It was overflowing with ash and butts and he watched as the smoke curled up. He sipped his drink. It was a bottle of alcoholic tangerine-flavoured syrup. It was pretty foul but it was cheap, and strong.

The table was in a corner of the bar in the basement of the hall of residence. He sat on a couch that lined the wall and looked around. It was packed with students. Sammy and Jason were dancing on the tiny, sticky dance floor. They had contrasting dance styles; Jason shuffled from foot to foot, as though he thought he was the only person out there and everyone was watching him and he didn’t want to embarrass himself. Sammy too gave the impression he thought he was the only person out there and everyone was watching him, but for the opposite reason: he threw himself around like a man possessed by a particularly vindictive demon.

Sammy banged into Annabelle and she laughed, then pointed to the table and said something. She started to walk over.

Matt felt his pulse quicken. It was strange; any of the other girls could have been coming over and he would have been fine, but not Annabelle. With her, it was different. He’d felt it as soon as they met. The second he’d seen her at the bar he’d been drawn to her. He had no idea what it was about her versus anyone else, but he didn’t care.

It was real, and he’d felt it from her, too. But she had a boyfriend, so he was going to have to try and ignore those feelings.

‘Done dancing?’ he said, when she sat at the table.