One Perfect Summer

say jubilantly, spying a small fridge. I open the fridge door, but can see nothing resembling a cold compress. ‘Oh,’ I act disappointed, and then spin around to find him right behind me.
    ‘Is this cold enough for you?’ He presses his hand to my head. He’s so close – and I desperately, urgently, want him to kiss me. This time, thankfully, he does.
    His lips are warm and soft and I can taste whisky on his tongue. I touch my hands to his toned waist and feel light-headed as his kiss deepens. He gently breaks away and then regards me seriously for a moment, before closing the curtains. He undresses me deftly, without taking his lips from mine, and when I’m standing in nothing other than my underwear he tugs his T-shirt over his head. He’s perfect: broad and fit. I place my hands on his chest and he guides them down to his jeans. I don’t feel experienced or confident enough to undress him and he seems to realise this, because he takes over, removing his jeans and pulling me down to the bed. He kisses me long and languidly and even if I hadn’t had anything to drink I know I would still feel drunk. He pushes my hair away from the nape of my neck and kisses me there. I gasp and arch my back. And then he easily unhooks the clasps of my bra and moves his lips to my breasts.
    This is a man who knows what he is doing.
    And if that thought might have bothered me before, right now I just want to bask under his blissful touch.
    I come to, feeling groggy. Daylight is already spilling underneath the curtains. I’m lying on my side facing the room, and Lukas’s arms are around my waist. This bed is too small for us to be anything other than intertwined. Lukas kisses my back from behind.
    ‘Good morning,’ he murmurs.
    ‘Hi.’ I smile over my shoulder at him, feeling shy. ‘Have you been awake long?’ I ask.
    ‘I didn’t want to rouse you,’ he replies, avoiding the question.
    ‘You should have,’ I tell him. ‘Have you got any lectures today?’
    ‘It’s Saturday,’ he replies.
    ‘Oh, yeah.’ A beat. ‘Shit!’ I bolt upright and my head pounds painfully in response. ‘What time is it?’ I clutch the covers around my now-exposed naked upper half.
    ‘Nine thirty,’ he replies calmly, tracing his fingertips down my spine and making me shiver. ‘Have you got somewhere you need to be?’
    ‘I’m supposed to be on the river.’
    ‘It’s early November. If there are dozens of tourists desperate to go punting on a cold winter’s morning I’m sure one of your colleagues can take them.’
    Hmm. I guess that’s true. He reaches up and sweeps my hair back from my face before pulling me down on top of him. His stubble has grown overnight and he’s unbelievably sexy. He kisses me passionately and then expertly flips me so that I’m underneath him. It becomes instantly clear that he’s been waiting for me to wake up for quite a while . . .
    It’s ten thirty by the time I finally drag myself out of bed.
    ‘I really do need to go,’ I say regretfully.
    ‘When can I see you again?’ he asks.
    ‘When do you want to?’
    ‘Tonight?’
    I nod, before remembering something. ‘Oh, I can’t. I’m going to the movies tonight with Jessie.’ We go regularly. It’s our ‘thing’.
    ‘Who’s Jessie?’
    I don’t know why I haven’t referred to him by his name before now.
    ‘My flatmate. One of them,’ I reply.
    ‘Tomorrow, then?’ he asks.
    ‘Sounds good.’
    ‘I’ll call you.’
    There’s a strange atmosphere when I walk into the house. I thought Jessie would already be at work, but I can hear him talking to Emily in the kitchen. They fall silent as I close the front door behind me and walk down the corridor.
    ‘Hello,’ I say cheerfully.
    ‘Nice of you to let us know you were staying out all night,’ Jessie says grumpily.
    ‘Oh. Sorry.’
    He doesn’t look at me. Emily flashes me an awkward smile. ‘He was worried about you,’ she explains apologetically.
    ‘I was with Lukas,’ I say.
    ‘We gathered that,’ Jessie comments wryly, standing up to clear the breakfast plates. I notice there’s a third plate on the table, for me.
    ‘Sorry,’ I say again. ‘I wasn’t thinking.’
    ‘Did you have a nice time?’ Emily asks kindly.
    ‘Yes, thank you.’ Pause. ‘Did you?’
    ‘Oh, you know, same as usual.’
    ‘I’ve got to get ready for work,’ Jessie mutters, leaving the room.
    ‘I thought he’d already be at work,’ I say to Emily once he’s gone. The