When the hand touched her shoulder she jumped. Then he was kneeling in front of her, his thumbs brushing the tears away from her cheeks.

"Just what I need. A drippy female." When she didn't smile, he tried again. "Give me the bastard's name and I'll kick his butt, Loopy."

She sniffed. "That would be hard, jerk. Unless you mastered the art of contortionism while I wasn't looking."

He sat back on the bed beside her.

"You want to kick my butt?" He sounded surprised. "Why?"

She stared at him incredulously.

"'Let's go for coffee at this great little café I found as soon as you get here' or 'I'll see you in the bar at 7pm sharp' or how about the fact that you are ignoring all my calls, emails etc." He looked away uncomfortably.

"Look. I didn't want to be the 'dippy female'."

"I called you a 'drippy female' not a 'dippy female'."

"Same difference."

"No actually, there isn't. You're far too intelligent to be dippy."

She sighed. "What did I do, Stig? Or was this all some elaborate prank. I thought we were friends."

"We are friends."

"Friends don't ignore each other's emails."

"Friends don't hook up with random guys when they are supposed to be meeting someone else."

"What?!" Lucy looked at him in horror. "What random guy?" She put her hand up to his forehead. "Are you running a temperature?"

"Lucy, I came to meet you in the bar and when I got there you were in some guy's arms, kissing him." His tone was accusatory.

Lucy stared at him, wondering what the hell he was on about. There had been guys with them that evening but the only person she had got anywhere near kissing had been Robin who didn't count because he was…

Lucy started to laugh. It started very small and got bigger and bigger and bigger, till she thought she might pee herself she was laughing so hard. She picked up Stig's pillow and whacked him with it.

"You stupid bloody moron! That was Robin!" She continued to hit him.

"Robin." Thwack!

"Yes." Thwack!

This time, Stig caught the pillow. "Will you quit hitting me and tell me why you have gone from gushing like a fountain to peeing your pants and hitting me?"

"Steven Venturi, where were you when they were handing out common sense?"

"There's no need to be like that."

"And there is no need to be freaking jealous of someone who is my best girl friend."

"Lucy. I studied Biology at school. That was not a girl."

"Maybe not anatomically, but believe me the only fluid I'm going to be swapping with Robin is nail varnish."

Enlightenment dawned on Stig's face. "He's gay?" Lucy nodded. Stig flopped back on to his bed. "Oh Fuck!" he said putting an arm over his eyes.

Lucy, still laughing, leaned over him, making him jump as he lifted his arm to look at her.

"You should have asked me, Steven."

He looked up at her, shifting the pillow so that it was back under his head.

"Yeah. I guess I should." He put a hand up to the side of her face. "I don't think straight when you're around sometimes. You drive me crazy."

She chuckled. "I noticed. I mean, what sort of guy keeps a photo of his arch-enemy beside his bed?" she looked across at her photo, his hand still cupping her face.

"Do you know when I took that?" he asked.

"The hotel. Why?"

"Because I was trying to get you back for the whole Facebook thing. But when I went to publish the picture online, I realised I couldn't. It was too…personal."

"So you thought you'd frame it and keep it beside your bed instead." She said laughing.

"You were never supposed to know about that." He grinned.

"But I do. What else do I need to know?"

"This isn't a prank." He tried.

"What is this?" Lucy asked quietly.

"I don't know. But if this is all we ever are to each other, it's still better than any other relationship I've ever had."

"Including Jessica?" she asked, smirking.

"Especially Jessica." He confirmed.

"You owe me a very large hot chocolate with all the trimmings, Stig." Lucy said close to his ear.

"Deal. Tomorrow…our first date." And when she tried to pull back to look at him, he caught her head in his hand and her mouth with his.

There was something more grown up about this kissing than either of them had experienced before. It took a lot of will power to pull away moments later when lack of air started to be an issue.

Lucy sat up. "What time's Simon back?"

"Too bloody soon." Stig said, sitting up beside her.

"You and I alone together is dangerous, Stig."

"Tell me about it."

"Public places only for a while, I think."

He chuckled. "Yeah."

Lucy smiled. "Seriously, what time is he back?"

"We've got another forty five minutes, but, I'll walk you home in half an hour. Okay?"

"Fine by me." She said and reclaimed his lips.

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As promised, half an hour later, they pulled reluctantly apart, straightened their dishevelled clothes which frankly it was a miracle they were still wearing, and left Stig's room.

"Is this what you meant by dancing with the devil?" he asked, taking her hand.

"No. That was the stunt on the roof."

"I guess I need to apologise to Robin."

"God no! You'll never hear the last of it." Lucy swore and looked at her watch.

"I was supposed to phone him and tell him how I kicked your butt.

"What will you tell him?" Stig said, stealing a kiss as they walked.

"I'll blame the ol' Venturi charm." She said grinning at him.

"Three generations can't be wrong." He said. "My dad is going to kill me."

"Oh?"

"I promised I would look after you at university. I don't think dating you was exactly what he had in mind."

She chuckled. "I guess this will be more evidence for Teddy and Lilly."

"You know about that?"

"My sister has no secrets from me – however much she thinks she has. Did you know by the way that Teddy finally pulled his finger out and kissed her. They've been ridiculously soppy for the past four weeks."

Stig laughed. "Well I hope he isn't expecting to get paid for his research into that dinner party. It got him a girlfriend – that's payment enough."

"We never did find out what that was all about did we?"

"No."

"Do you care?"

"No not really. How about you?"

"Nah. I think it's nice that my boyfriend's parents and mine get on."

Stig stopped outside her dorm and pulled her into his arms. "I guess your boyfriend ought to go home right now."

Lucy raised her face for his kiss. "You do realise I don't share a room, don't you?" she said, nervously.

He smiled also nervously. "That's worth knowing…for future reference."

They gazed at each other. "I should go. I have a best girl friend to call."

"Give him my love."

Lucy laughed.

Stig bent and kissed her. "I'll come get you for breakfast in the morning."

"If you don't I'll beat your door down."

"Oh I'll be there." He let go of her, reluctantly. "Keep your phone on tonight. I'll probably wake you." He warned.

"You seriously think I'm going to sleep tonight?"

"No. Me either. So if we're both going to be awake it would be nice to talk to someone."

"Now who's doing soppy?"

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"What time d'ya call this?" Robin said when Lucy finally got round to calling him.

"Sorry. I was busy."

"Really?" said Robin and Lucy could see the arched eyebrow down the phone. "Tell all."

"Well I think I let you down."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. I'm not single anymore."

Robin squealed. "I want to know EVERYTHING!" he said, and Lucy reflected that Robin was even more of a best girl friend than some of the girls she had gone to school with.