I met Nicky at a university party thrown by a mutual friend a year ago. We were all graduating at the end of that summer term, but we didn’t want to wait until classes finished, when some of us were scattering across the country with new jobs and other plans, so we started the celebrations early. I’d taken Lissa; our families had been neighbours and friends for years, and everyone had been glad when we both went to the local university, albeit on different courses. We’d been dating for more than two terms by that night. At least, that was what the families called it.
To me, it was more of a close, warm friendship. Our social circles overlapped; we both found each other attractive. We’d slept together a few times, though surprisingly few, at least compared to the stories my classmates told
