‘Isn’t it weird how famous people all have those kinds of names? Ed, Bradley …’

‘Don’t get personal, now.’

‘You’re right.’

‘My point being, don’t take the piss out of my fabulous lifestyle when you, yourself, have personally cooked for Björk.’

‘We only knew it was Björk afterwards. She had on jeans and a t-shirt. Another customer pointed it out after she’d gone.’

‘Still,’ Thomas said. ‘If namaste means “the light in me recognizes the light in you”, then let it be known that the pretentiousness in me recognizes the pretentiousness in you.’

Penny narrowed her eyes. ‘You take too much pleasure in putting me in my place,’ she flirted.

‘I’m only giving like for like.’

‘Tit for tat.’

‘My tat for your tits.’

Penny squealed. ‘You’re terrible! Ewwww!’ She pretended to swat him with a pillow and he pushed it away, grabbing her arm so that she had to lower her weapon and once again submit to being kissed.

‘Mmmm,’ he said, before taking his phone back. Penny drank her wine as he said, ‘Oooooh. This is a good question. Name three things you and your partner appear to have in common.’

Penny considered it. ‘Well,’ she began, looking into the fire as it crackled and popped. ‘We both like sitting cosy by the fire with a good glass of red …’

Thomas nodded. ‘Correct.’

‘And, I think we both know what’s important to us. All the noise and glamour and flashy stuff is fun, but not the most important bit. Speaking of which, random segue – where do you fall on the kids front?’ She’d been dying to ask him. She couldn’t help her curiosity.

‘Me?’ he said. ‘I think I’m a better uncle than I could be dad. I don’t really think it’s in my future.’ Penny nodded. She’d assumed as much, but then he often surprised her with the contradictions to his personality, so she was glad she’d checked. His answer was confirmation that he definitely wasn’t her forever guy, however cosy their soon-to-be-goodbye felt. She wanted to be with someone who saw themselves as a parent one day, eventually. That was an immoveable truth. ‘You?’

‘I want it,’ she said. ‘Yeah.’

Thomas rested the side of his head against the sofa and watched her talk. One side of his face fell into shadow as the other was lit by the flames of the fire. His eyes were soft and he looked totally at ease. He was good-looking, in a youthful, fresh-faced way. He could easily have been in a boyband a few years ago, or a TV presenter.

‘And the third thing we have in common then?’ he prompted.

‘And …’ Penny said, thinking. ‘We both think Lizzo is the tits. Your turn!’

‘And here was me thinking you were about to get all deep with me,’ he said, softly.