‘Sorry, I don’t think we’ve met,’ he said, holding out his hand for Minnie to shake.

‘Oh right, I’m Minnie.’ The man smiled at her, but looked as though he was waiting for more. ‘Greg’s girlfriend. He works with Lucy. She invited us.’

‘Oh sure, everyone’s welcome. I think I heard Luce mention a Greg. Funny Greg, right?’

‘Funny Greg,’ Minnie raised an eyebrow, amused Greg would be called that. The man reached his arms above his head and the stretch turned into an enormous yawn. ‘Sorry, it’s catching up with me. What a great night, though.’

‘Not for me,’ Minnie said wryly.

‘No, not for you.’ The man gave an exaggerated grimace at having said the wrong thing and Minnie couldn’t help smiling.

‘So, I’m assuming it was your party then, Lucy’s boyfriend, right? Thank you for having me, I guess,’ Minnie said, clasping her hands behind her back.

‘You’re more than welcome. In theory it was my party, Lucy invited everyone.’

As he was speaking, the man’s phone began to ring in his pocket. He frowned briefly as he pulled it out to look at the screen. ‘Will you excuse me for one minute, I’m sorry, I have to get this, Minnie.’

‘Sure, no problem,’ Minnie shrugged.

He turned his back and walked a few paces away from her.

‘Hi,’ he said. ‘Are you OK? No, I’m still out … I’ll come around later … I checked all the locks last night before I left … No … OK.’ Minnie could see the profile of his face. He had closed his eyes while he was talking. ‘Fine, I’ll come and check, just give me a few hours, please.’

Minnie watched him hang up the call. He noticed her watching him and gave her a tense smile.

‘Is everything all right?’ she asked.

‘Yes, sorry about that,’ he shook his head. He walked across the rest of the room towards the huge glass windows.

‘So, how come you’re the only one still here?’ Minnie asked.

He turned to look at her for a moment, assessing her. Then he said, ‘It probably sounds cheesy, but I always try to see the first sunrise of the year. I thought if I left with the others, I’d be in a cab somewhere and I’d miss it.’ He held out his arms towards the windows. ‘Is there anywhere you’d rather watch the first sunrise of the year from?’

‘Plenty of places,’ said Minnie. ‘The desert, a beautiful mountain top, on a TV screen from the comfort of my bed. Ideally pre-recorded so I didn’t have to get up so early.’

The man tilted his head to one side, his eyes creasing with amusement, the stressed look gone.

‘Well, you’re awake now, no pre-record required. Come on, come over here.’