‘Oh, all right then, yes, I think I do like him. Quite a lot actually.’ So Sam told Sienna about the pillow fight with the meaningful glances. She didn’t tell her about the time they’d nearly shagged though – if Dan had done the honourable thing and denied it, she was going to do the same.

‘Hmmm,’ Sienna said thoughtfully, once she’d finished. ‘Well, it would be awfully convenient, wouldn’t it? Me with Mikey and you with Dan. Actually, it would be cool as fuck. But I think you’re going to have to give him some more encouragement. In fact, I think you’re going to have to make a move on him, if you ever want anything to happen. Remember, you’ve turned him down once?’ (You don’t know the half of it, thought Sam.) ‘Mr Cool’s not likely to risk that again …’

The queue for Barfly was snaking around the block as Sam and Sienna drew up in a black cab on Chalk Farm Road. Sienna had insisted on paying for a cab, and for once Sam had agreed. As the girls got out of the taxi, half the people in the queue turned to stare.

Sienna was wearing a vintage fox-fur coat over denim hot pants so short that the pocket flaps were visible, black opaque tights and boots. With her white-blonde hair teased madly around her face, she looked every inch the rock-star girlfriend. Sam had gone for a black leather biker’s jacket over a short, floaty dark green dress that looked amazing against her long red hair. The ensemble played down her large chest but showed off her pretty legs, a combination she was more than comfortable with.

Knowing they didn’t have to wait in line, they walked straight to the front of the queue, where somebody was arguing, in loud, objectionable tones, with the bouncer.

‘Look, I’ve told you, I’ll pay whatever you want, just let me in,’ the twat was saying, waving a wad of notes into the bouncer’s unimpressed face.

‘Oh, my God, it’s Josh!’ whispered Sienna. He had clearly tried to rock up his image a bit, but his jeans were too clean, his leather jacket too expensive-looking and the gel in his light brown hair just plain laughable. He had a Sloaney-looking girl with him he was trying to impress, and they looked woefully out of place.

‘Sienna?’ Josh turned around at the sound of her voice, relieved to have found an ally (or so he thought). ‘God, you look great! Maybe you can explain to this oaf who I am …’

‘That’s it,’ said the bouncer. ‘You are not coming in, you little twerp, however much you try to bribe me … Anyway, make way for these girls, please – they’re with the band.’

‘What? Sienna? And … And … Sam? … Sammi-Jo? With the band?’

The open-mouthed look of astonishment on his arrogant, pink-cheeked face as they sauntered past the velvet rope was worth savouring, so Sam turned and gave him her sweetest smile, with a little wave for good measure.