The Little Theatre on the Seafront. Katie Ginger

He glanced at the menu. He had no idea what a compote was but the odd smell he’d first encountered had gone away and he was sure he’d be able to find something suitable to eat. Every pub had a variation on a good old burger after all.

      ‘That’d be lovely,’ Selena replied, edging closer so her leg rested against his. Sid admired her full pink lips and wondered what it’d be like to kiss them.

      Sid switched to Coke as he was driving but they drank and chatted, and he found that Selena was surprisingly funny. She made jokes at her own expense, which he liked, and they talked about the music they used to listen to. They chatted about uni friends and speculated on where they were now, wondering if any of them had ended up doing the jobs they’d actually studied for. As Selena pointed out when she’d touched his arm, he seemed to be the only one doing that, which was a win as far as she was concerned.

      But the moment that blew Sid away was when, during dinner, the conversation turned to Eighties movies and Selena said one of her favourite movies of all time was The Goonies. Sid had a mad passion for Eighties movies and The Goonies was one his favourites too. Selena even knew the names of all the Brat Pack.

      ‘You fancied Andrew McCarthy?’ Sid asked, unable to hide the surprise from his voice. Andrew McCarthy had always played the shy, geeky characters. Characters like Sid, and the flicker of hope he’d been harbouring suddenly flared up.

      ‘I know,’ she replied, smiling. Her eyes dipped in embarrassment as she tucked her hair behind her ear. ‘But I bet you always fancied Molly Ringwald,’ she teased.

      Sit sat back holding his empty glass of Coke, shaking his head. He had. There weren’t many people who even remembered those movies, let alone still watched them. He’d thought he and Lottie were the only ones. ‘Maybe a little,’ he replied, pretending to scratch his cheek to see if the heat he felt inside was noticeable. When Selena sipped the last of her drink he found himself saying, ‘One for the road?’

      When Sid drove them home that night and parked in front of Selena’s parents’ house, he didn’t know if he should give her a kiss or not. The date had gone well. Better than well, actually. He didn’t have anything to compare it to but it had been fun.

      He pulled on the handbrake and turned to Selena. ‘I had a really good time. Thanks.’

      ‘Me too.’ There was a glint in her eye but he didn’t know if it was just the moon reflecting down.

      Sid waited for a second but she didn’t get out. He could smell her perfume and the hairs on the back of his neck raised with anticipation. Was she really waiting for a kiss? From him? Of course from him, he thought, there was no one else there. He was just about to lean in and see if she would welcome a peck on the cheek when a wave of nerves so strong they nearly pushed his dinner out of his stomach rolled over and without thinking he sat back.

      Selena looked away and her voice was quiet. ‘Goodnight then.’

      He felt so jittery all he could say was, ‘Umm, goodnight.’ And she glanced at him one last time then opened the car door and climbed out.

      Fuck it.