I still wasn’t used to walking on the country roads but I loved picking the tall grass and the wildflowers along the way. Mum had told me to walk facing the oncoming traffic so I could be seen, but sometimes it felt like I was staring straight into certain death. I nearly stepped right into the ditch whenever I heard a car coming.

I plucked the petals off a yellow flower as I walked along, thinking about how you put everything into your first love, because you really believe it’s going to last forever. That is its triumph and its tragedy, the reason you will never forget it, and the reason it is so difficult to let go. I’d spent my first couple of weeks in Avarna missing Cian in spite of everything that had happened. But then along came Nick. He was handsome and charming and loved music. Basically, he was perfect.

When I arrived at the shop I caught a glimpse of Nick through the window and felt a flutter of excitement. He was wearing a white T-shirt and was talking to a customer. The door made a little ding as I pushed it open. A girl was standing in front of the counter talking to him, her long black hair scraped back from her pretty face.

‘Hi, Nick,’ I said, trying to sound as casual as possible.

‘Hi, Jacki.’ He turned back to the girl and smiled. ‘Sarah, this is Jacki, the girl I was telling you about.’

My heart almost stopped beating. He’d been talking about me?

‘Jacki, this is my girlfriend, Sarah.’

This time my heart almost stopped beating again, but for an entirely different reason. My girlfriend. It’s amazing how a mere two words can change the mood of an entire day. How could I not have presumed it anyway? He’s such a good-looking guy… of course he would be taken. And he seemed so proud as he said it: my girlfriend. He was clearly happy with her. Sarah appeared friendly, although her eager smile seemed a little fake. As we made polite conversation I got the impression she would rather I wasn’t there. My new life went crashing back to boring. I quickly bought some bread and made my escape.