‘Not happy with the Feng Shui,’ Duncan retorts, a bottle of beer in his hand. ‘Whenever I come here, it looks weird, you know?’

Idon’tknow, but we have a perfectly pleasant meal of takeaway pizza with a bottle of red wine, laughing about our better memories of going on tour with the world’s most popular boy band.

‘I mean, that’s the rock and roll way to go, isn’t it?’ Duncan laughs. ‘Actually getting booted off the tour?’

‘Duncan, I have to ask,’ I say. ‘Meredith is sitting right next to you, yet your phone has been glued to your hand all night. Who are you messaging so furiously?’

‘Sorry,’ Duncan mutters, pocketing his phone. ‘This football league thing I’m in.’

He knots his fingers with Meredith’s, lifting her hand and kissing the back of it, and my heart is fit to burst.

‘Mind if I put the TV on?’ Duncan asks me a minute later, as I’m loading plates into the dishwasher. I turn to see Meredith already curled into the crook of Duncan’s arm, his fingers in her hair.

‘Whatever you want to do,’ I say. ‘I might stack the dishes.’

‘Do it tomorrow. Grab a drink. Sit down and watch.’

I give him an odd look. He’s been acting strange since he got here.

‘Fine,’ I exhale, taking a seat adjacent to the pair of them with my glass of wine. ‘What do you want to watch?’

‘Duncan says I have to watch Maxwell Horton; that he’s really funny,’ Meredith chips in.

‘The chat show?’ I question. ‘He always has good people on.’ I look up to find Duncan is pointing his phone at me. ‘What is up with you and thatthingthis evening?’

‘What? I’m not doing anything,’ Duncan shrugs, returning his attention to his handset.

On my wall-mounted TV, Maxwell Horton starts, the Irish host doling out some jokes designed to embarrass politicians and celebrities. Horton names his guests as two well-known young actors. ‘We’ll also have some live music from a veryspecialsurprise guest act this evening, ladies and gentlemen,’ he announces, to which the TV audience reacts withoohs,aahsand resounding applause.

I watch, curling my feet under me and wondering how it is we’ve ended up ceasing all conversation and switching on the TV.

I watch the interviews. In the back of my mind, I hear my phone buzz.

Duncan nods over at my handset on the table. ‘Might wanna check your phone, Lex. Think you’ve got a message.’

‘How do you know that?’ I ask. ‘Is it from you?’

There’s a slight smile on his lips. ‘Don’t ask me, go get your phone.’

I get to my feet, walking over to the table.

The screen says1 new message. Underneath, it reads,Aidan.

My bottom lip trembles. I’ve craved a reply from him for so long, yet now I’m too frightened to read it.

‘Who’s it from?’ Meredith asks.

I can’t answer, my fingers shaking. I open my phone, navigating to the WhatsApp message screen, and see that, finally, my message to him has two blue ticks.

Aidan’s reply contains five sentences:

I love you.

I miss you.

I am so so so so sorry.

There’s something else I need to say.