‘What’s the big rush, Rosie?’

‘I don’t like it up here. I’m starting to feel weird.’

‘I don’t mean to get down! Dating! Why not take your time?’

‘Oh, Mum and Dad’s party, me, my life, you know. Normal stuff.’ I glare. ‘Old age!’

‘You’re not old.’

‘I will be by the time I get off this bloody wall.’

‘Oh, for fuck’s sake, Rosie, don’t mess it all up just for the sake of a party. I can always go with you if you’re desperate.’

‘Gee ta, desperate Rosie. Is that how you see me?’

‘No, you know what I mean. Men like him are the worst, all strong and masterful, holding on to you, saving the poor damsel in distress.’

I laugh. He doesn’t join in. ‘I chatted him up, you dork!’ He still doesn’t laugh. ‘You mean it, don’t you?’

‘Shit. I’m being a jerk, again.’ He stops talking. His steady gaze on mine, then he looks down at the top of the wall. ‘I don’t want you to get hurt. Really. All this seduction stuff, maybe it’s bollocks. You’re great just the way you are, Rosie. You’ll get a guy whatever you do. You don’t need me.’

‘Oh, don’t be ridiculous, of course—’

But he’s gone, sliding down his side of the wall and I’m suddenly scared that he’s gone out of my life as well. I take a deep breath and force myself to look over the top.

‘Noah, Noah, don’t go.’

He looks up. How the hell did he get back down to ground level so quickly? ‘I’m not going far.’ He sighs. ‘Don’t worry, superman Stuart will get you down. I’ll see you in the café by the entrance, okay?’

Phew, at least he thinks I meant ‘don’t go and leave me up a fake wall’, not ‘don’t go and leave me for ever’.

Chapter 18

‘Fuck, no!’ All thoughts of whether I do or don’t need Noah are emptied from my head.

Which is pretty amazing considering by the time I’d managed to get down from the wall, thanked Stuart profusely, arranged a date, and worked out how to walk on terra firma again (I was very wobbly) there was no sign of him. I was pretty sure he’d walked out of my life for good, and then I’d spotted him. Sitting outside the café with his eyes shut.

I felt like crying with relief, but I resisted the urge to skip over at high speed and instead did a rapid saunter (I was too happy to do a normal saunter) and squeaked a ‘hi’.

He opened his eyes and smiled. Then high-fived me and suggested walking back through the park.

Phew. We are okay! Even if we are walking a few more inches apart than we normally do. Which is fine, absolutely fine.

Anyway, my wonderings about whether or not I’ll ever brush arms with Noah again exit my brain abruptly.

That is what shock can do for you. For a moment I fly catch, then realise Noah is squeezing my shoulder. Rather hard.