Despite our different academic leanings, we clicked. The pub was busy, but the atmosphere was relaxed and the background music agreeable. We found a table by the fireplace and shared a huge pizza and a bottle of wine. I found him easy to talk to and good company. He actually seemed interested in what I had to say, which made a pleasant change. I discovered that, like me, he had eclectic musical taste and a passion for Indian and Italian food.

We talked late into the night, and before going our separate ways, exchanged phone numbers. There was no parting kiss, no clasping of hands. But his eyes – those eyes – had held mine and there was an undeniable chemistry between us that gave me a shiver of excitement whenever I thought about him. I hardly dared believe that someone so attractive and intelligent would actually give me a second look, but there had definitely been something there. I was sure I hadn’t imagined it.

Naturally, even though I was itching to call, I resisted, not wanting to appear too keen. But I found I kept thinking about him, his easy manner and sense of humour. Not to mention his mesmerising blue eyes and their unfeasibly long lashes … I wondered, too, if he’d been successful in getting his placement at the veterinary surgery.

When I didn’t hear from Jack, I felt deflated. Almost a fortnight had passed since the house party and I was beginning to lose hope of ever hearing from him again. I moped around the flat like a lost soul. As a last resort, I even cleaned my room for want of something to do.

‘What’s up? Your face has been tripping you for days,’ remarked Reggie. She looked up from filing her nails, her long, slender legs stretched out before her, slippered feet crossed at the ankle and propped on the coffee table. She was getting ready for another date – with yet another bloke. The Scouse pathology student had turned out to be a non-starter.

‘He came on far too strong,’ she’d told me the day after Zakir’s party. ‘We’d only been together three weeks. I’m definitely not looking to settle down just yet and the alarm bells sounded when he started talking ideal wedding venues. Time to give him the old heave-ho.’

I checked my phone for the umpteenth time in the space of a few minutes and let out an involuntary sigh.

‘Come on – spill. What’s the matter?’ Reggie put down her nail file and regarded me with some concern. ‘You have my undivided attention.’

‘It’s that guy I met at the party the other week. I thought he seemed pretty keen, but he hasn’t called or texted me since. Silly really – I’ve only met him the once but I can’t stop thinking about him.’

‘The vet? Yeah, he was pretty hot. Not as fit as Akhmad, mind you.’