‘What’s he doing?’ she mutters to herself, not realising Ellie’s listening to her.

Ellie follows Darcy’s eye and shrugs it away. ‘Oh you know what Ed’s like. He’s too nice to be rude to her.’

But Darcy knows if Ed was having a miserable time, he’d find a way to remove himself from the conversation. He could excuse himself to get a drink, go to the bathroom, or call someone else over to join them. There are plenty of ways Ed could get out of talking to Zoe Eggins.

He must want to be there.

‘He’s doing us all a favour,’ Ellie says. ‘Guarding us from the troll or something.’ She laughs, amused at her own joke, but Darcy can’t meet Ellie’s level of jest.

The two girls watch Ed and Zoe for a moment.

‘I hate that I love her dress,’ Ellie says.

‘And her shoes,’ Tara chimes in, joining them, a glass of champagne in her hands. ‘I saw them last week. Six hundred bucks.’ She shakes her head. ‘Can you imagine having enough money to spend that much on a pair of heels?’

Darcy glances down at her own heels, the best she owns. She had to buy them when she was a bridesmaid for her cousin about three years ago.

‘Should we save him?’ Tara asks. ‘I think I’ve had enough of these,’ she holds up her champagne glass, ‘to find Zoe amusing.’

Ellie looks at her and giggles. ‘It could be a bit of fun.’

‘Let’s do it.’ They link arms in unison, waiting for Darcy to join them. ‘You coming?’

Darcy hesitates, knowing she should just slink away to another group, but she can’t stand Zoe having Ed any longer. She links arms with Tara. ‘Wouldn’t miss it.’

‘Hey, Ed,’ Tara calls as the trio make their way towards Ed and Zoe, who are lost in their own private conversation, apparently oblivious to the rest of the pub. Darcy feels a mixture of anger and distress. She’s not exactly sure why, but she feels betrayed by Ed. Not that she has a personal vendetta against Zoe Eggins—no one from their course is supposed to like her. He’s breaking the rules.

‘Tara, hey.’ Ed stands to give her a kiss on the cheek.

Darcy notices Zoe sit a little straighter on her bar stool. Her face tightens and there’s definitely a whiff of disappointment. Darcy feels a sense of satisfaction.

‘I haven’t had the chance to talk to you all night,’ Tara says pointedly to Ed, glancing at Zoe.

‘I thought your arse must have become glued to the seat.’ Darcy tries to say it lightly but knows she sounds petty and harsh.

Ed shrugs, not buying into any of it. ‘Just been chatting.’

‘So, Zoe, how are you?’ Ellie asks.