Even though we’d over-provisioned on white wine and not bought enough red, our party was still going reasonably well. From the sitting room (where most of the guests were gathered) I walked into the kitchen to see if the shower was free. I really needed to wash my hair.

It didn’t take long to shoo away the kitchen guests so that I could take my shower in peace. Just one very quiet international student stood absorbed at the sink as I stepped out of my clothes and grabbed a towel. She clearly hadn’t spotted that I was undressing.

Then as I climbed into the shower cubicle I noticed that someone had been watching me. It was J! I’d been in love with him from the first moment we met. This was an opportunity too good to miss. It appeared that he had a desperate need to wash his hair too…