“It’s about time you went on a date,” she gushed. “You’re in your prime. All that perfect skin and gorgeous black hair and no one to appreciate them: it’s a crime.”

Val protested. “There’s no way I want a boyfriend. I haven’t got time, and Nicole and I are happy on our own.”

“Just go!” Peggy chided. “You’ve got nothing to lose. I’ll have Nicole for a sleepover in case you are overcome by lust.”

“Lust? What’s that?” Val replied. “I’ve read the term in books but never experienced it.”

Peggy laughed, but the fact was, Val thought, it was true.

* * *

She sat awkwardly in the cinema, careful not to let her elbow touch Bill’s on the armrest. They shared a box of popcorn but he ate most of it, scooping up huge handfuls and hoovering them down. The film was excellent: funny and affecting, and Val had to wipe away tears before the lights came up at the end.

Bill insisted on walking her home, wheeling his bike beside him, and they talked about the themes of the movie—mental illness, the use of electroconvulsive therapy—and the great performances by the cast.

At Val’s front gate, he carried on talking and she worried that he expected to be invited in. Would he want coffee? Or a beer? Or would he expect to have sex? She tried to remember if she was wearing matching undies. If they did have sex, would it be awkward at work on Monday? Would he think she was an easy lay? She was so busy worrying that she had stopped listening to what he was saying and was jolted back to the present when he remarked, “Do you know, I’ve never told anyone about that before. You’re a great listener.”

He leaned over and touched his lips to hers, and she tensed. It wasn’t a long kiss. He didn’t try to put his tongue in her mouth, which she hated. But it was a kiss that was more intimate than friends would share. And it was nice.

When he broke away, he smiled. “Can we do this again sometime? I need to educate you about cinema, after all.”

“OK. Yes, I’d like that,” Val replied, feeling like an idiot.

Bill started to wheel his bike down the road. At the corner, he turned and bowed ostentatiously. Val waved.