As soon as they’d finished their set, Kian came straight back across. He smiled at me. ‘I thought you were going to save my seat!’

‘Oh sorry.’ I grinned. ‘Ki’, this is my sister, Rachel, and my friend Liz.’ They all said hello, and then Liz stared hard at Rachel.

‘Come on Rach, I think I see someone I know. Let’s go and say hello.’ She shot me a look saying "We’ll get out of your way now."

‘Don’t mind them. They’re slightly crazy.’

‘They seem like a good laugh. Your sister’s like you.’

‘Is she? That’s what everyone says, but we can’t see it.’

‘No, she is. Just different hair, that’s all.’

We chatted for another few minutes, then Nicky waved across to Kian. Kian nodded back at him, and then turned to me. ‘I’m going to go to the all night Chinese round the corner, with Nicky, and Georgina. D’you fancy coming too?’

‘That’d be really nice. But what about Rachel and Liz?’ I looked across to where they were sitting with Bryan and his friends. Bryan was acting out a joke or something, and all of a sudden they erupted in giggles.

Kian smiled. ‘They’ll be fine. Bry’ll take care of them. So, are you coming?’

‘Yeah, sure.’ I went and got my jacket from the cloakroom, and left a note with Rachel’s coat, telling her where I was.

Outside, the four of us squashed into my little Clio, since Nicky and Kian didn’t want to nick off with one of their cars. We all laughed as the tiny car almost burst at the seams with four people in it. Kian gave me directions to the restaurant, and luckily it wasn’t too far away.

We piled out of the car, and got a table in the back room of the restaurant. At first, we all talked together, but as time went on, Nicky and Georgina got more and more caught up in their conversation, and Kian and I got more engrossed in each other.

Just after midnight, we all left, and Nicky and Georgina headed back to the club to get a car back to their hotel, and left Kian and I stood on the pavement, watching Nicky and Georgina walk down the road, hand in hand.

There was a horrible, awkward silence. Then Kian spoke. ‘So, where d’you want to go now?’

‘I don’t mind. But I don’t have a key to get back into Liz’s place.’

‘How about mine then?’ I paused. I wasn’t sure if that was such a good idea. ‘I mean, you don’t have to if you don’t want to, but it might get a bit cold sitting on the doorstep!’

‘Yeah, okay.’

Back in the car, we were chatting away again. Twenty minutes later, we pulled up outside a beautiful house, surrounded by fields. Kian unlocked the door, and showed me into the living room. It had a high ceiling, with 3 huge cream sofas and scatter cushions all over the floor. Above me, there was a balcony, with a couple of armchairs, a TV and a huge stereo system, as well as piles of CD’s.

‘Kian, it’s gorgeous.’

‘Thanks. I love it too. Have a seat, I’ll just go and put some music on.’ He climbed the spiral staircase, and I could hear him switching the stereo on. When he came back down, he sat on the sofa next to me.

‘I didn’t know you were an R’n’B fan.’ He had put the Whitney Houston album on.

‘I hadn’t been until a while ago. I’m not even really a fan anyway, it’s just good music to chill out to. Are you? A fan, I mean.’

‘Yeah. Almost as big an R’n’B fan as I am of pop stuff. I like Whitney, Macy Gray, TLC, Destiny’s Child, that kind of thing.’

‘You should talk to Mark! All he listens to are those albums!’

‘What, no Mariah Carey?!’ I put on a shocked face.

Kian smiled. ‘Oh yeah, that too!’ We laughed together. Suddenly, Kian stopped laughing, and turned to me. He ran his hand through my hair, and let his hand rest on my neck, caressing it gently. I could feel all the hairs stand up on end.

I put my hand on Kian’s arm, trying to move him away. ‘Kian...’ But before I could say anymore, he kissed me. At first, I tried to push him away, but then I melted away into his kisses. When he pulled away, we were both breathless from the intensity of the kiss.

‘I’ve wanted to do that all night.’ His voice was husky. I just nodded, dumbly. Then he kissed me again. I felt his hands push my cardigan off my shoulders, and his hands slip under the straps of my top. I pushed myself away from him.

‘Kian, no...’

‘Why not?’ He looked hurt.

‘I just can’t. I’m sorry.’ I bit my lip. He didn’t say anything. ‘D’you want me to go?’

He put his hand over mine. It felt so good that I didn’t have the heart to move. ‘No, Hannah. Stay. Please.’ He lent forward and I knew he was going to try and kiss me again.

I stood up. ‘Kian, I can’t do this. Please understand.’

‘Understand what? Why can’t you do this? It feels so right.’

I wanted to tell him that it felt right for me too, but I couldn’t. Instead I ran from the house. Without a backwards glance, I got into my car and drove away. All the way back to Liz’s I was praying he wouldn’t follow me.

Back at the house, I could hear people in the living room. I saw through the curtains that Liz and Rachel were sitting on the floor with Shane and Bryan and their friends. I quietly slipped in through the door, and went straight up to bed. I could explain in the morning. Right now, I just wanted to sleep.