She didn’t even blink and Achilles realized that this line, which he had used to good effect in the past, was not having its usual effect.

‘I’m kidding,’ he said. ‘A bad joke.’

‘Don’t be a twat, okay?’ she replied.

He glanced around at the other customers seated outside, all older than him, and felt a strange sensation at the pit of his stomach. At first, he wondered whether he’d eaten something that didn’t agree with him, but then it dawned on him that no, whatever was going on inside his body was connected to the fact that he actually quite liked this girl and he would have to abandon his usual techniques if he wanted to impress her. He might even have to be himself, if he even knew who that person was.

‘What’s wrong?’ asked Rebecca. ‘You look as if you’re having an epiphany.’

He shook his head. ‘Is it just me or is it a bit chilly out here?’ he asked.

‘It’s just you. It’s twenty-two degrees.’

‘Okay.’

Rebecca sat forward and touched his arm lightly. ‘Relax, Achilles,’ she said.

‘I am relaxed.’

‘You seem nervous.’

‘Perhaps I am. A little bit. I don’t want to mess this up.’

‘You know, I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t like you,’ she told him. ‘And believe me, you’re giving me plenty of reasons not to. And yet, inexplicably, here I am.’

He smiled. ‘Basically, I need to just take it down a notch, right?’

‘That would be good.’

‘Okay. And for the record, I like you, too. And when I say like, I mean that I’m interested in you. And I’m not usually all that interested in other people. I don’t know if it comes across or not, but sometimes I can be a selfish, narcissistic little brat who only thinks about his own feelings.’

‘I’m absolutely shocked to hear that,’ she said, smiling a little.

‘But from the moment we met—’

‘All of twenty-four hours ago.’

‘All of twenty-four hours ago, I’ve found that I want to get to know you better. And not just because I want to have sex with you. Although I do. But it seems to run deeper than that.’ He stopped and thought about it for a moment, frowning. ‘Oh Christ, I’m not growing up, am I?’

‘It’s possible. Have you thought about seeing a doctor?’

‘Let’s see how long it goes on for. A couple of Nurofen might sort me out. This is too deep a conversation for me.’

‘Well, it’s better than small talk.’

‘True. The funny thing is, I feel so desperate to impress you that I don’t want to do anything that looks like I’m trying to impress you. Does that make any sense?’

She took a sip of her drink and nodded. ‘I think so,’ she said.