My mind had been buzzing for the last couple of hours. Imagining what it would be like to see Sam again, properly, like this, and hoping that I would be able to hide my feelings somehow. I checked the clock – 7 p.m. He was due any minute. I felt as if I was a teenager again, as if I’d learned nothing between then and now that would equip me for this . . . whatever it was – encounter. Amber put her head around my bedroom door. ‘Still waiting?’ ‘I’m not waiting,’ I said. ‘I’m just here, in my home, and my friend’s about to arrive. I’m not exactly going to go anywhere, am I?’ ‘OK, touchy,’ Amber said. She was right, I’d overreacted. I was blowing this whole thing way out of proportion already. ‘I’m sorry. What was it you wanted to say?’ ‘I’ve thrown together some chilli con carne, and made a massive batch, so I just wondered if you guys wanted to join me.’ Perhaps Sam and I could go out after dinner, instead.
