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“Yeah, after a few drinks, she’s a hero on the dance floor.” With zero shame, Erin recreates some of Iona’s moves for me. She throws her arms up and shimmies her shoulders, drops into a deep squat, then twirls with exaggerated elegance as though she were performing in a ballet.

“Stop it!” Iona laughs, hiding her face with her hands.

Wow, I thought I knew everything about Iona, but in just a few weeks Charlotte and Erin have already seen a side of her that I never have. I nudge her shoulder with my own. “You never did much dancing in Bannock. I’ve obviously been missing out.”

“You have!” Charlotte agrees. “Anyway, we’ll leave you two to catch up. Erin and I were just being nosy—we wanted to see you for yourselves.”

“Iona kept on going on about how handsome you are, so we had to come check you out,” Erin explains. “She wasn’t kidding. You are one good-looking guy.”

“So good-looking,” Charlotte echoes.

I scratch behind my ear. “Er . . . thanks?” I’m not used to my appearance being openly assessed like this, like an animal at a livestock show.

“All right, it’s definitely past time you two left.” Iona shoos them away, and they laugh as they go, promising to have a proper chat with me another day.

I stick my hands in my pockets and grin at Iona. “They seem like fun.”

“They are! Quick question: would it be weird if I give you another hug?”

“Nope! Go for it.”

Her arms wrap around me, and it feels so nice having her close like this. I’ve missed her. I don’t know where we stand exactly—we’ve exchanged messages since she left for uni, but neither of us has brought up that night at the loch. Still, I’ll never turn down a hug from her.

“So,” she says when she finally disentangles herself, “let’s grab a bite to eat, then I can show you where my classes are and where I’m staying. Sound good?”

“Aren’t your classes in there?” I nod at Hogwarts.

“Nope, that was just an easy landmark for you to find—you can’t really miss it. Veterinary medicine is actually on a different campus, a little further out of the city. It’s on a huge estate with lots of greenery and woodland areas. I reckon a country boy like you will like it.”

“A country boy like me? Are you a city girl now?”

She winks. “Anyway, even though we don’t have classes here, Erin, Charlotte, and I are always visiting on account of all the cool pubs, cafés, and shops in this area. Let’s go find somewhere that does good grub.”

We sit in at an Italian place and feast on some delicious pizza. Iona does most of the talking, filling me in on everything that’s happened, both on her course and on her nights out and weekends. I’m happy to listen, not having nearly so much news to share. Bannock is much the same as it’s always been, save for the absence of Iona.

Afterwards we grab a bus to the other campus, which, just as Iona said, is set in a vast leafy park. She leads me to her halls of residence then up to her room, which is pretty compact, with a single bed, a desk cluttered with textbooks and stationery, and a wardrobe.

I plop down on the bed. “Well, I take it this is where I’ll be sleeping, me being the guest and all. You’ll be okay on the floor?”

“Always the gentleman.” Flopping down next to me, she sticks her tongue out.

I test the bed’s bounciness. “I imagine this has seen a lot of action since you got here. Am I right?”

“Oh, you know me—I take home a different guy every night. Sometimes two a night, when I’m really horny. Usually one after the other, but now and then, both at once. It depends on my mood.”

“The poor bed. How do you all fit?”

She grins. “Advanced acrobatics and a lot of imagination.”

“I’m impressed. Unless, of course, by ‘a lot of imagination’, you mean it’s all in your head.” I nudge her shoulder teasingly.

“Damn it, you saw right through me. Yes, the truth is, I still haven’t lost my V-card.”

I’m relieved by this news, but I try not to show it.

“I doubt you have either,” Iona adds.

“You’re right.” I sigh. “We’re both so utterly tragic. What if we grow old and wrinkly without ever having sex? If only there were a way to prevent that from happening . . .” I glance at her, trying to gauge her reaction.