‘He’s over – oh. Oh no, wait . . . scratch that.’ Tove gave a disappointed sigh. ‘Dude’s married. Kids too, it looks like.’

‘What? How’d you know?’

Tove pointed. ‘See him? Guy in the cap?’

Bell looked over. The only man in a cap she could see had his face turned away as he listened to something a very sleek, very sharp-looking brunette was saying in his ear. ‘Oh God,’ she said with a groan, looking away immediately. ‘Him? Ugh!’

‘What do you mean, ugh? He is very definitely not ugh. Who is he?’

‘The guy I told you about last night? The one who made a right bloody fuss about letting me use the trike, until I almost had to beg him for it?’

Tove pulled a face. ‘Oh. Jerk.’

‘Yeah.’

She carried on staring at him. ‘Ugh. Hot but married, and an asshole. Shame.’

‘I thought your man-radar was better than that, to be honest.’

Tove made a disappointed tut. ‘I know. I just got distracted by his jaw. That’s a good jaw.’

‘With a bad personality. And a wedding ring.’

The song ended and Kris and Marc staggered over, arms slung round each other’s shoulders, both out of breath. ‘That was so great!’ Marc gushed, reaching over and slapping a huge kiss on Kris’s cheek.

Bell looked back at them both, loving their happiness but sensing something too. Their unusual exuberance, the way they kept sharing loaded looks . . .

‘What’s . . . going on with you two?’ she asked them slowly with a curious grin.

‘What do you mean?’ Kris was all innocence, but she knew him too well.

She gasped. ‘You’re up to something, I can tell.’ She pointed a finger playfully at them.

‘Us? No.’

‘Come on, tell. You know I won’t shut up until you do!’

Tove was looking between the three of them, equal parts excited and intrigued.

‘It’s true, she won’t,’ Marc shrugged to Kris, who gave a tiny shrug back, his eyes on Bell.

‘Well . . .’ Marc said slowly. ‘We weren’t going to tell anyone yet, because we wanted a little time to just keep it as our secret. But seeing as you’re, like, a damn spy or something . . .’

Both girls’ hands flew to their mouths, already knowing what was coming.

‘. . . Kris and I have decided to move in together.’

‘Oh my God!’ Tove yelled, shooting her arms in the air jubilantly, unwittingly spraying beer everywhere, before flinging her arms around the boys’ necks. The three of them began excitedly jumping up and down in a circle, but Kris pulled away seeing Bell’s expression.

He held out his arms to her and she stepped in for the bear hug, the same thought running through both their heads. Because if Marc was gaining a live-in partner, she was losing a flatmate. Everything was changing again, Life shifting its cogs beneath her feet.

‘I didn’t want to tell you like this, I’m sorry. The whole thing took me by surprise too.’