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Caleb had always made her feel special when she was with him; that was part of his charm. You felt as if you were the most important person in the world when you were with him. But once he was gone, you quickly realised how easily you could be forgotten.

She couldn’t allow herself to fall into an all-consuming crush again. It would only lead to disappointment and humiliation, as it had all those years ago.

The memories immediately sobered her rampant hormones. She’d considered his earlier friends with benefits proposal, and she knew it would end in disaster. He’d not mentioned it since and seemed content to leave the ball in her court. She’d decided to ignore the ball and pretend it had never been offered… Schrödinger’s ball, as it were.

There was no way she was going to re-ignite her old infatuation.

Firstly, he was only in Australia temporarily for work, while she was determined to build a life here. There was no future for them, and she was scared that she’d make the same mistake as she had with Patrick – wanting more and getting only her heart broken when he left her.

Secondly, they had nothing in common. He was chaos and excitement, while she was scheduled fun. Her checklists included make friends and influence them by suggesting a cleaning rota. Caleb lived in the moment, while she liked to catalogue her life in social media posts like a serial killer with trophies. God! Even the mental acknowledgement of all that made her skin crawl.

Oblivious to her internal crash out, Caleb chatted about his training. ‘Well, Baz taught me the basics, and then I did a few classes in LA. But a lot of it I learnt on film sets from other performers. It’s a really welcoming and giving community.’

‘Well, it’s impressive,’ she said, and then cringed because she wondered if that would sound like flirting.

Caleb didn’t respond and instead pointed at the bag on her shoulder. ‘Want that in the back too?’

‘Oh! No, it’s my essentials.’ She patted the brown leather lovingly.

‘Essentials?’ He repeated the word as if she’d suggested carrying a croc in the front.

‘Yes, my essentials, entertainment for the journey. It’s a long trip.’

He closed the boot. ‘I was hoping you’d keep me company.’

She blinked. ‘It’s a nine-hour drive!’ Yes, she had already checked the route and written a list of places they could ‘spontaneously’ stop at along the way.

‘Exactly.’ He made his way around to the front, and she followed on the opposite side.

‘You want me to talk to you for nine hours?’ She clambered into the passenger seat, putting her tote in the footwell and praying it wouldn’t be too long until she was allowed to reclaim it.

‘Maybe not for the full nine hours,’ he said with a shrug, but the wrinkle on his brow suggested otherwise.

‘I’d bore you to death!’

He shook his head. ‘No, you wouldn’t.’

Her chest tightened painfully. There was something weirdly intimate and eerie about being together like this in the cool darkness. When everyone else was curled up in bed, oblivious to their rendezvous in the dark. They were alone in the world, and the possibilities were endless.

Should she really dismiss the idea of a fling with Caleb? Unlike with Patrick, she knew full well they wouldn’t last, and there was an expiry to their relationship, whether they were friends or lovers.

A new place, a new man, fun and excitement. Wasn’t that what she wanted?

A wicked voice whispered in her mind, And wouldn’t it be great, to let go and indulge in the fantasy?

‘I bought you breakfast,’ he said, gesturing towards the cupholder, which held two takeaway cups and a bag with greasy spots on the brown paper.

Hannah blinked away her reverie, aware that she’d been staring at Caleb far longer than was either necessary or appropriate. ‘Feels too early to eat,’ she said, making a big show of yawning to try and cover her strange behaviour.

‘You’ll change your mind soon,’ Caleb said confidently, and she wondered if he’d been reading her mind, until he added, ‘It will save us stopping for at least three or four hours.’

She blinked, impressed by his stamina and then a little flustered at where her mind was going… driving stamina. Why did that sound just as bad?

Turning on the engine, Caleb pulled away from Aunt Sal’s.

‘So, this Baz guy, is he the same one that got you your first job?’ asked Hannah, at a loss for a conversation starter, and she was frankly curious about what had happened to Caleb after he’d left London.

Caleb’s shoulders became tense, and she doubted it had anything to do with the empty road ahead. ‘Yeah.’ The lack of enthusiasm in his answer was enough to silence her completely.