Now she looked at the familiar view out of her old bedroom window and smiled. It was starting to snow, and she was starting to feel all warm and festive, despite the constant dull ache in her heart about Dan and Carlota. At a quarter to four, it was nearly dark and she could see the trees in people’s windows twinkling merrily all the way down the suburban street.

As she gazed out, watching the snow falling faster now, the flakes fat and fluffy in the street lights, she saw somebody, a man in leathers, roaring down the road on a motorbike. It definitely wasn’t a pizza delivery, or anything like that – this was an extremely expensive and cool-looking vehicle. It drew up in front of her house, and its tall, leather-clad rider dismounted. As he removed his helmet, Sam realized, with a shock of excitement, that it was Dan.

A couple of seconds later, the doorbell rang, and Sam’s mum called up the stairs, ‘Sam, love, you’ve got a visitor.’

‘I’ll be right down!’ she shouted. She quickly checked her appearance in the mirror attached to her old Barbie pink dressing table. She was dressed comfortably in jeans, Ugg boots and a white zip-up fleece, with her dark red hair tied back in a ponytail. She looked incredibly pretty and fresh-faced, though she didn’t see it quite like that herself. Oh, well, she was no competition for a supermodel, anyway. She wondered what Dan wanted.

He was standing at the bottom of the stairs, tall and dark and gorgeous in his leathers, holding his motorbike helmet in his right hand.

‘Hi, Sambo.’ He smiled into her eyes and her heart started to beat quickly, the way it always did when he smiled at her like that. She couldn’t believe how sexy he looked, and made her feel.

‘Hi, Dan. Um – why are you here?’

In response, Dan walked towards her, took her face in his hands, and started to kiss her. Oh, God, it felt so good, so right. She responded enthusiastically, her hands stroking the back of his neck, as if of their own accord.

After a few seconds, he pulled back from her, gazing into her eyes with his intense, dark green ones.

‘Please don’t turn me down again, Sambo. I’m a proper rock star now, you know. I’ve even got a motorbike.’

Sam laughed shakily at this.

‘Some people would think I’m a pretty good catch.’

‘But … but … What about Carlota?’

‘Oh, Carlota’s a great girl. She’s been fun, and it was bloody brilliant for my image to be seen with her …’

‘Yeah, I know.’ Sam hadn’t intended the words to sound quite so bitter.

‘But it’s over. It wasn’t fair on her. I wasn’t really that into it, and she deserves better.’

‘Why?’ Sam’s heart was beating faster again.

‘Because I couldn’t get this pretty little clever clogs out of my head.’

Sam thought her heart might burst.

‘Me?’

‘Yes, of course you, you idiot!’