Ed ignores her request. ‘You know I’m a one-woman man. Can you imagine trying to remember what you’d told each of them? I’d constantly be putting my foot in my mouth, saying, “Haven’t I told you this already? Oh, no, that’s right, I told one of the other girls I’m dating.”’

‘Awkward,’ Darcy agrees, knowing that’s actually happened quite a few times on set.

‘What’s he like? The guy?’

Darcy thinks about Joe. She’s only met him once for about two minutes. ‘He seems okay.’

‘Good-looking?’

‘Well, that’s the stupidest question you’ve ever asked. Of course he’s good-looking.’

‘Yet he still can’t get a girlfriend?’

Darcy shrugs. ‘He’s had a few girlfriends but nothing serious for years.’

‘Can you imagine watching an ex on a show like that? Urgh.’ He groans. ‘Horrendous.’

‘Have you forgotten? The only ex I have is Nick Simmons.’

Ed snorts. ‘Yeah, I’m still not sure he really counts.’

Darcy had dated Nick Simmons for about six weeks in year eight. They kissed, held hands and spoke to each other occasionally. It certainly wasn’t a romance to write about. She hadn’t even kissed another guy until she started going out with Drew two years later.

‘You’re lucky, Darce. Not everyone ends up with their high school sweetheart.’

‘Yeah, I know.’

‘Come here,’ Ed says, pushing out of the lounge and moving to his edit suite set up in the corner of the room. ‘Check out this romantic brilliance. This couple met and married within the year.’ He hits the space bar and the screen fades up from black to a close-up of gorgeous white calla lilies.

Darcy relaxes into the chair next to Ed to watch another one of his masterpieces, quickly feeling that she missed out on a big romance that so many others seem to get.

Bonnie’s just about to start the car engine after a long day at work when the passenger door opens.

‘I can explain,’ Oliver says, presenting her with a bunch of flowers and sliding into the seat next to her.

Bonnie eyes the bright bunch of gerberas, her heart wanting to swell at the romance of them, but she quickly reminds herself of her heartache only this morning when she had to take a booking for Oliver’s wedding to someone else. ‘Well, get on with it then.’

‘God you’re sexy when you’re angry.’ He leans closer to her, his hand reaching towards her, his fingers tangling in her hair.

She quivers at his touch, heat rushing through her body, an immediate desire to have his hands all over her. She gulps down some air. It takes everything she has to grab his hand and remove it from her skin. ‘Ollie, I’m serious. What’s going on? Why are you buying me flowers when you’re still engaged to Sophie?’ She tosses the flowers on the backseat.