‘You called me Annabelle. Who’s Annabelle? Is she that slut that showed you to your room? No – that was Carla. It’s a different one. Is that what’s going on here? You’re breaking up with me for some university slag.’ She gave a harsh laugh. ‘I knew this would happen. I fucking knew it. I told you. Well, let me save you the trouble. You’re dumped, Matt. You’ll never see me again.’

There was a click and the phone went dead. It had gone, weirdly, better than he had hoped. And, whatever else, it was over between them.

7

‘I broke up with her.’

Sammy raised an eyebrow. He was still in bed, having woken up when Matt knocked on his door. ‘That’s a bit out of the blue. I thought you two were serious.’

Matt sipped his tea. ‘We were, in a way. We started going out and it just sort of carried on. I liked her – I still do – but she was way more intense than I was. I was kind of glad to come to university, honestly. To get away a bit. And now I’m here – I guess I see it differently.’

Plus, he’d met someone else, and even in that fleeting kiss he’d felt something totally new. Maybe that was what Lindsey had felt about him; if so he could understand how she would do what she did. He couldn’t get Annabelle out of his mind. Even in the moments after the phone call and with his head throbbing with a hangover he had remembered the kiss and thought of her and realized he was smiling.

Later this afternoon he was going to go and see her and tell her that he had broken up with Lindsey and then, he hoped beyond hope, they could repeat that kiss.

‘How did she take it?’ Sammy said.

‘Not great. I got called a few names.’

‘Well, at least it’s done.’

‘Yeah. She was supposed to be coming today but that’s off.’

Sammy sat up. ‘You didn’t think it was better to tell her face to face?’

‘No. It’s a waste of a journey.’ He hadn’t been planning to say anything about Annabelle, but he found he couldn’t keep it in. He wanted to tell the world. ‘Plus there’s someone else.’

Sammy smiled. ‘Really? Someone at uni?’

‘Yeah. I met someone last night. Well, I’d met them before, but last night I realized I liked them.’

‘That’s weird,’ Sammy said. ‘I did too.’

‘You met someone?’

‘Yep. We’re going out tonight. Just for a drink.’

‘Who?’ Matt said.

‘That friend of Guy. I thought they were an item, but they’re not, so I asked her out. It was like, three in the morning. I thought I had no chance, but she said yes.’

He felt sick. ‘Which friend of Guy? Annabelle?’

‘Yeah. Her. She’s fit as fuck.’