‘Hey.’ I downed my drink, feeling it pour through my veins. ‘Bill, let’s get drunk, want to?’

‘Aren’t you already drunk? I am.’

‘Drunker then. Please. I want to watch the sun come up with you.’ The sky was lightening, showing the remnants of the party, everything a bit tattered and stained. I began to screw my eyes up.

Bill hesitated a moment, as if he knew what I was really asking. ‘What about Mike?’

‘Who knows. Who cares?’

He watched me. ‘Ali.’

‘Please, Bill. It’s the last night. Our very last night.’ I threaded my arm through his, tossing my plastic cup on to the lawn. He followed it with his eyes but said nothing. The place was a mess, what difference would one more cup make? I bunched my dress into the hand with the shoes. I imagined how we’d look, a girl in crumpled silk with bare feet, a boy in an outdated tux and floppy hair, on the lawn as the sky streaked pink. I bet we looked beautiful. Powerful, young. Sexy. Suddenly I was in love with the idea of Bill and me. Of course it made sense. He’d been there all this time, waiting, carefully not asking for more, while I ran about after Mike, making a fool of myself. Karen was blue in the face telling me he didn’t love me, he used me, he’d never settle down with me. At last, I knew she was right.

Bill hesitated. ‘Wait here a sec. I saw some bottles of champagne no one’s opened.’ He dashed across the lawn with his loping stride, and I waited. As I did, someone else lumbered up to me – Callum. ‘There you are!’ I said. ‘Jodi was looking for you.’

‘Oh.’ He seemed vague. He was very drunk. ‘Al – wanted to say. You look good tonight. Beautiful, really.’

‘Thank you.’ I smiled at him.

‘Heard about your dad, earlier. My old man, he’s the same. Always saying Callum, do better, Callum, you’ve messed up again.’ He wiped a hand over his mouth. I began to feel worried I would get stuck there, that because Bill was nice, he would stay and try to listen to Cal’s drunk ramblings. I wanted to go, be out of here, alone with Bill.

‘Thanks, Cal, I appreciate it. But I’ll be OK.’

‘You ever need anything . . . I’m your friend, you know?’

‘I know.’ I looked around me; where was Bill?

Callum put his hand on my arm. It felt hot, heavy. ‘He doesn’t deserve you.’ His words ran into each other. ‘Mikey-boy. Al. You don’t even know what he’s . . . he’s not good to you.’