‘So I’m guessing he’s here on business,’ Charlotte said as they waited for Byron to return from the bar.

‘He’s too young to be here on business,’ Lucy said. ‘He can’t be much more than twenty-two or twenty-three. I’d say he’s a new recruit – a banker, or maybe a lawyer.’

Charlotte frowned. ‘In the Art Bar on his own. In Lan Kwai Fong alone. On a Friday night? Not very likely. Maybe just a tourist.’

Lucy nodded. Her friend could be right. It didn’t make a lot of sense for a guy his age to be on his own in a bar, unless he was just there on holidays. He might even be a student en route to his Chinese course in Shanghai or Beijing. Lucy felt a tingle of excitement at the idea that Byron might be just making a brief visit to Hong Kong. A holiday fling might be just what she needed – a perfect way to have some fun without getting tied down.

‘Looks like we’re about to find out his story,’ Lucy said as Byron manoeuvred his way towards the table. He arrived carrying three mojitos and a smile that was enough to disarm an entire army of ice queens. Lucy felt herself relax as he sat down, handed her a drink and put another in front of Charlotte.

‘Thank you very much.’ Charlotte smiled at Byron and then gave Lucy an encouraging nod. Lucy knew why – Charlotte was a big fan of chivalry. She spent her life looking after other people and always appreciated someone else making an effort for her.

‘Byron, as in the poet?’ Charlotte asked after Lucy had introduced them. ‘Cool name. It suits you.’

He nodded. ‘My mother’s a tragic romantic.’

‘And you?’ Charlotte asked.

‘More tragic than romantic,’ he smiled.

Lucy’s skin prickled at the comment. It sounded like Byron was flirting with Charlotte – or was she hitting on him? Surely not. Lucy and Charlotte had an agreement that they’d never hit on the same guy. They’d laughed when they made the deal – a guy would need a split personality to appeal to both of them, as they had completely different tastes.

Lucy had simple but strict criteria for a boyfriend – he had to be interesting and useful. Charlotte also had strict criteria, but they changed regularly and tended to be more obscure. The number one quality that she was looking for in a guy (this week) was proficiency on the sitar. Lucy suspected Charlotte’s peculiar taste was a spin-off from working with petulant celebrities with quirky tastes. At least it made for interesting double dates!

‘So how long have you been in Hong Kong, Byron?’ Lucy asked to divert his attention back her way.

‘About twenty-two years – off and on.’

‘You’re a local. What do you do?’

Byron shrugged. ‘Oh, it’s pretty boring. I doubt you’d be interested.’

‘I’m interested in everything,’ Lucy replied.

‘I dig up dirt.’

‘Oh, like a geologist?’

Byron nodded.

‘That’s really interesting,’ Lucy said, genuinely. There were actually few things that didn’t interest her.

‘What are you working on?’ Charlotte asked.

‘Something big.’

‘Oh, really?’ Lucy leant a little closer to Byron. Maybe he could be a useful contact. ‘Where?’

‘Can’t say.’ He shrugged, smiling apologetically. ‘Sorry, confidentiality clause.’

‘Sounds intriguing,’ Lucy said. ‘I’m guessing it’s a mining project. You’re on the exploration side, are you?’

Byron shrugged and shuffled in his seat. ‘Sorry, wish I could tell you.’

‘Your secret’s safe with us,’ Charlotte teased.

Byron drummed his fingers on the table, opened his mouth, drew a breath and then closed it again. Lucy was impressed. Most guys she’d met couldn’t wait to tell her all about how important they were and all the massive projects they were working on, which always turned out to be neither massive nor important. Lucy was desperate to know more about Byron’s company, but she didn’t need to push him straightaway; she figured she’d have it out of him by the end of the evening.

‘I understand. It’s confidential,’ Lucy said reassuringly.

Byron responded with a half-smile, but his fingers were still thumping out distress signals. Lucy gave him a comforting little pat on the leg. Byron’s face froze briefly and then it softened and his hand went still. He looked at Lucy earnestly and for a moment she thought he was about to come out with his story – the confidential project that was making him so edgy. But he said nothing.

‘You don’t have to tell us anything,’ Lucy said, hoping her words might have the opposite impact, but by then Byron seemed to have fallen into a trance. His eyes were on her, but there seemed to be nothing going on behind them anymore – his pupils had dilated and his lips had drifted apart. Charlotte was also staring, her mouth slightly open. Then Lucy noticed that her hand was still on Byron’s leg. She quickly moved her hand, but Byron made no attempt to take his eyes from her face.

‘So, someone’s been shopping,’ Charlotte said, breaking up the seance, which had become slightly awkward.

‘Yes. I mean, no,’ Lucy stumbled, tucking her hands in her lap and sitting up primly. ‘I haven’t been shopping. I’ve just got a bag.’

Byron drifted out of his trance and looked down at the bag, which was now at his feet.

‘There’s a strange story behind that bag.’ Lucy announced, glad of the chance to clear up any misunderstanding Byron might have about the guy in the safari suit. ‘I was waiting for you at the Art Bar, when some crusty old dude in a safari suit sat down next to me and gave me something.’

‘What, like a present?’ Charlotte asked, excitement in her voice.

Lucy shook her head. ‘No, like an ugly shirt.’

‘What kind of shirt?’ Byron asked, still staring at the bag.

‘Who cares?’ Charlotte replied. ‘It was ugly.’

Byron shrugged. ‘Just curious.’ He looked at Lucy, waiting for an answer.

‘It was just a freebie golf shirt of some kind.’

‘Any idea why he gave it to you?’

Lucy shook her head. ‘He must have thought I was someone else. Weird, huh?’

‘Mmm, really weird.’

Byron had lots of other questions about the incident in the bar – about what Lucy was doing in the Art Bar and what she planned to do with the shirt. Lucy was much more accustomed to asking the questions than being on the receiving end, and it seemed odd that Byron was so interested in a boring old golf shirt, but she went through everything that happened at the bar because it kept Byron’s eyes on her. And, as shallow as that was, Lucy had to admit that it made her feel special.

Byron was a good listener – which, in her experience, was unusual for a guy his age, and unheard of for a guy that cute. Lucy didn’t offer a complete picture of events in the bar – she didn’t mention the malaria tablets, or that she’d kept the bag in the hope that a career-changing exclusive would come out of it. That would make her sound coldly ambitious, which might make Byron follow Yu and run for the door.

‘That is really strange,’ Byron said, leaning back in his chair just as Charlotte returned from a visit to the loo.

‘You’re not still on about that ugly T-shirt, are you?’ Charlotte asked as she sat down. ‘Imagine how much you’d have to talk about if he actually gave you something interesting – a diamond necklace, or a Qing Dynasty vase.’

‘Well, I have to agree that a Qing vase would have been more impressive than a golf shirt,’ Lucy smiled.

‘You’re into antiques?’ Byron asked.

‘She’s an expert!’ Charlotte replied. ‘Ask her anything.’

‘No, I’m not,’ Lucy said, before Byron had a chance to quiz her. Charlotte liked to build Lucy up well beyond her actual expertise. Lucy was surprised Charlotte hadn’t already told Byron that Lucy was TVi’s top reporter. She’d said that before – a sweet thing to say, but a total exaggeration.

‘So, enough about me. What about you?’ Lucy asked Byron. ‘What were you doing in the Art Bar?’

Byron looked slightly startled and started drumming his fingers on the table again. ‘I was supposed to be seeing someone there, but she didn’t show up.’

Lucy’s body stiffened. She hadn’t been expecting that.

‘Business,’ Byron added quickly. ‘Something went wrong.’

Lucy raised her eyebrows. ‘What happened?’

Byron hesitated for a moment and then glanced towards the other end of the table. The last of Charlotte’s colleagues were getting ready to go. ‘Nothing interesting,’ he said eventually.

‘Try me,’ Lucy smiled.

But by then Byron was completely distracted by Charlotte’s colleagues straggling past.

‘Coming for a boogie at the Cactus Club?’ Cassie asked as she wobbled by.

‘Yes, definitely.’ Charlotte squeezed Cassie’s hand. ‘We’ll be right behind you.’

Charlotte turned to Lucy. ‘Shall we move on? It’s getting a bit dead in here.’

Lucy looked at Byron. ‘Want to come?’

Byron paused for a moment. ‘Sorry,’ he said. ‘Don’t think I can manage it tonight. But don’t let me stop you.’

Charlotte shrugged and reached into her purse. She pulled out a business card and handed it to Byron.

He studied it. ‘I guess you’re the person to call if I ever need anything.’

‘Absolutely.’ Charlotte smiled, putting on her professional face. ‘You want it, we’ll make it happen.’

Byron tucked the card in his top pocket and finished his drink. ‘Anyway, better go. Got an early start tomorrow.’

‘Sure, no problem,’ Charlotte said.

‘Thanks for the drink.’ Lucy smiled, trying to hide her disappointment that Byron was leaving. She would have been happy to stare into those big brown eyes all night.

Byron nodded. ‘Anytime. We should get together again. Maybe we could do something over the weekend?’

‘Sounds good.’ Lucy pulled out a business card and handed it to Byron.

He took it reverently with two hands, but instead of studying the card, as he should have, Byron kept his eyes on Lucy. For several moments they regarded each other silently. Lucy could feel her body tingling at the thought of seeing Byron again. But when he finally dropped his eyes to her business card, his expression suddenly changed.

‘You work for TVi,’ he said, frowning. ‘You didn’t tell me that.’

Lucy, startled at Byron’s sudden change of mood, was momentarily speechless.

‘I’m a reporter,’ she eventually managed.

‘I thought you were an antiques dealer.’ Byron was still staring at the card. Then he tucked it into his top pocket with Charlotte’s and glared at Lucy. ‘Why didn’t you tell me you were a reporter?’

Lucy shrugged, embarrassed that she hadn’t told Byron earlier that she worked for TVi. It was normally the first thing she told someone, not something she tried to hide. Lucy was suddenly glad she hadn’t pushed Byron on the details of his job. She might have got a story out of it, but she certainly wouldn’t ever see him again. ‘Sorry, it just didn’t come up – that’s all. Is it a problem that I’m a reporter?’

Byron shrugged. ‘No, no, no. I’m just surprised. You don’t look the type, that’s all.’

Lucy wasn’t sure whether to be insulted or not. Surely she looked just like a TV reporter. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

‘It means, are you free tomorrow night for a drink?’ Byron’s grin returned as quickly as it had disappeared.

Lucy shrugged, a little confused by the change of tone. ‘Sure, what time?’

‘I’ll text you in the morning when I see how my day’s looking. I’ve got your details.’ Byron tapped his top pocket where he’d tucked Lucy’s card, and picked up the empty department store shopping bag from the ground. ‘I’ll get rid of this rubbish, if you like.’

Lucy nodded absently, still wondering why she didn’t look like a reporter. As he turned to go, Byron flashed Lucy his lopsided smile and all of her uncertainties drained away again. She watched him leaving the bar, already impatient to see him again.

‘That was slightly awkward,’ Charlotte said. ‘I wonder what he’s got against reporters? You think he had a bad experience?’

Lucy shrugged, still watching the doorway, in case Byron had a change of heart. ‘Guess he’s working on a really sensitive project.’

They left Rusty’s, chatting more about Byron as they pressed their way through a crowd of tourists outside on the street. The smell of beef Massaman from a nearby restaurant wafted through the air, mingling with the smell of beer and bodies. The scents of life, Lucy thought. She loved the buzz of the street almost as much as she loved the elegance of a five-star hotel bar. Hong Kong was a crazy-busy, mixed-up city, but it certainly knew how to live. It was so far away from the country town she’d grown up in – that place only knew how to die. But tonight the city wasn’t captivating her as usual. She couldn’t stop thinking of Byron. Her eyes flitted around the crowd, wondering if he might still be on the street. She was hoping they’d bump into each other again. It would be hard not to believe in destiny if that happened.

‘You know I don’t believe in fate,’ Lucy said to Charlotte, when they had broken free of the crowd. ‘But isn’t it strange how Byron and I were at the Art Bar together, and then we ended up at Rusty’s?’

Charlotte laughed. ‘I’d love to tell you that it was all written in the stars, but I actually think that he came to Rusty’s looking for you.’

‘No way.’

‘I noticed him come in when you were talking to Yu. He was watching you. I don’t think it was any coincidence that he was in Rusty’s.’

‘Really?’ A wave of excitement spread through Lucy’s belly. ‘How romantic!’

That meant Byron had definitely noticed her at the Art Bar. Maybe he had made a lucky guess that she’d be going to Lan Kwai Fong – or perhaps he’d actually jumped in a taxi and followed her because he couldn’t bear to let her slip away. Lucy sighed at the thought.

Charlotte nudged Lucy. ‘Romantic, cute and mysterious. What a combination!’

‘Very mysterious,’ Lucy agreed. ‘I wonder where he actually works. Or if he’s even a geologist. All he said was he dug up dirt.’

Charlotte laughed. ‘He might be a gardener or even an undertaker!’

‘Mmm,’ Lucy said dreamily, ‘but I can really imagine him as a geologist. Working outdoors, inspecting rock samples. He’d be totally cute to watch.’ I wonder if he works with his shirt on or off.

Charlotte stopped walking. ‘Oh. My. God. You’ve really fallen for that guy.’

‘No I haven’t,’ Lucy replied defensively. As far as she was concerned, falling in love was a sign of weakness. It was reckless and totally irresponsible, especially for someone who wanted to be a news presenter before her twenty-second birthday. ‘I just think Byron … might be useful.’

‘Oh, really,’ Charlotte winked.

Lucy nodded. ‘If he’s a geologist he’d be a great contact. Everyone’s interested in the resources sector. Of course I want to get to know him.’

Charlotte laughed and started walking again. ‘Yep, you’re hooked.’

‘I’m not!’ Lucy protested. But she was struggling to even convince herself that was true.

There might be a mining angle that she could push with Byron. But whether he was useful or not, Lucy knew that she had to see him again. She couldn’t quite explain why – she guessed it was chemistry. They just seemed to click in some way. When he looked at her, he made her feel like the only girl in the room and, even though it made her feel light-headed, she had the idea that kissing him would make everything better – the antidote to her lovesickness.

Then she caught herself. Lovesickness! What am I thinking? She was a TV reporter with a job a lot of people would kill for. She had to think of her career, not chemistry and kissing. She didn’t have time for falling or getting hooked. What was she – a fish?

‘I am not hooked,’ she said again, firmly, taking her flatmate by the arm and looking her in the eye to reinforce the point.

‘Good.’ Charlotte raised her eyebrows. ‘I’m glad.’

Lucy nodded but she was still seriously confused by the time they arrived at the Cactus Club – Hong Kong’s hottest nightspot, according to Charlotte. The bouncer nodded at Charlotte and waved them through, even though there was a queue at the door.

There were definite advantages to hanging out with a global go-to girl. Doors opened all over Hong Kong when Charlotte arrived. It was like travelling with an actual celebrity – the only thing missing was the paparazzi.

Lucy followed Charlotte to a sweeping staircase that led to the mezzanine floor. Slowly they climbed the stairs, letting the rhythm of the music sweep over them. When her eyes adjusted to the darkness, Lucy also noticed a group of guys at the top of the stairs watching them. It was hardly surprising. Charlotte was tall and blonde, and got a lot of attention wherever she went. Charlotte ordered drinks and the girls stood on the balcony surveying the club. Charlotte’s colleagues were nowhere to be seen, so they turned their attention to the guys on the dance floor.

‘Hot guy in a green shirt.’ Charlotte nodded towards the dance floor below.

Lucy glanced in the direction that Charlotte had indicated. ‘Yeah, no. He looks like a toad.’

A few moments later Lucy nudged Charlotte. ‘Wow, he’s got swag. Pretty cute, don’t you think?’ She nodded to a guy strolling away from the bar.

Charlotte scoffed. ‘He might have been. Twenty drinks ago.’ Just as she spoke, the guy swaggered straight into a pillar. Lucy and Charlotte looked at each other and burst into laughter.

‘What about that one over there? Red shirt.’ Lucy nodded to a guy next to the dance floor.

Charlotte put her finger in her throat, pretending to make herself vomit. ‘He was probably all right twenty years ago. And look at the way he’s checking the girls on the dance floor out! So disgusting. So blatant.’

Lucy elbowed Charlotte. ‘Not like us, hey.’

‘Absolutely. We’re discreet when we check people out. Top-shelf stalkers, us.’

Lucy took a sip of her drink and let her eyes drift around the club, studying the guys at the bar and the ones on the dance floor, hoping that Byron might have changed his mind about going home and found his way to the club. It was possible. She had scoured every visible corner and alcove with her eyes when she finally saw someone interesting – a guy with thick dark hair, and a striped shirt, dancing with her back to her. Was it Byron?

‘There!’ she exclaimed, pointing at him. ‘On the dance floor.’

And then he turned round. He didn’t look anything like Byron. His nose was on the beaky side, and stuck up in the air.

‘He’s all yours.’ Charlotte rolled her eyes.

Lucy finished her drink and grabbed her friend. ‘Come on, I thought we were here to dance,’ she said, putting the talent-spotting behind them. She took a few steps towards the stairs and stopped suddenly. In a dimly lit booth, she was certain she could see someone she recognised.

Lucy nudged Charlotte. ‘It’s Yu.’ He seemed to have lost his friends and was sitting alone with a woman.

Charlotte glanced towards the booth. ‘How funny. That woman he’s with looks just like you.’

Lucy laughed. ‘That’s right – all Chinese people look the same.’

‘No, really, she does look like you.’

Lucy couldn’t really see the similarity. It was dark and it didn’t really matter, anyway. She’d lost her chance to talk with Yu and she was kind of glad – because if she’d been with Yu at Rusty’s, she probably never would have met Byron. She turned away from Yu, feeling like she’d definitely had enough of him for one night.

‘Who needs him, anyway,’ Lucy sniffed.

‘Who needs any of them?’ Charlotte laughed, dragging Lucy towards the dance floor. ‘Girls’ night out!’

By the time Lucy collapsed into bed that night, her feet were aching from dancing and she was more certain than ever that her flatmate needed to take her own advice and forget about guys for a while. She had terrible taste. Lucy had lost Charlotte for a bit and found her talking to a guy with a double-barrel surname and a strange obsession with kites.

Lucy was also beginning to suspect that she was indeed hooked on Byron. She didn’t like to admit it but, as she drifted off to sleep, she felt a desperate need to feel his skin against hers. If she hadn’t actually fallen for him, she was sliding precariously close to it. And although that should have worried her, she was welcoming the drop.