Page 131 of Kiss Me Like You Mean It

We look insane. It’s perfect.

‘I am the Brontosaurus with the missing intercostal clavicle,’ Phoebe explains now, the small pale moon of her face the only part of her visible inside the bright blue inflatable dinosaur suit. ‘Even though when I Googled it, it turns out there’s no such thing as an intercostal clavicle. But it’s a very old film. I guess they didn’t have Google then.’

‘No, I guess not,’ Art agrees.

We chat for another minute or two and then they go on their way. Several more people stop us to say hello, and Phoebe grows increasingly irate about explaining our costume.

‘This would never have happened if you had the hat over your butt,’ she mutters darkly.

‘Oh look,’ I point to the other side of the street. ‘There’s Tara and Luke. Oh my god, she actually got him to dress as a cowboy!’

‘Bringing Up Baby!’ Tara squeals when she sees us.

‘Yes!’ Phoebe tries to punch the air but ends up bouncing off Tara and wobbling into several passers-by instead. ‘Sorry,’ she says. ‘This thing’s pretty hard to drive.’

‘Nice costume,’ Nico smirks at Luke, receiving a glare in return.

‘Doesn’t he look so hot?’ Tara winds herself around Luke, staring up at him from under her pink hat, stars in her eyes. ‘Finding leather chaps this close to Halloween was actually a lot tougher than you’d think.’

‘Yet, still upsettingly possible,’ Luke rumbles, but he smiles down at her, knocking the rim of his hat back so he can kiss her. Even I swoon at that, and Nico frowns.

‘You said my costume was hot, too,’ he grumbles.

‘Are you kidding? Nerdy Cary Grant?’ I fan myself with my hand. ‘Yes, please.’

‘Gross,’ Phoebe says flatly. ‘There’s Maya and her mum – is it okay if I go and do some trick or treating with them before I meet up with Nana?’

‘As long as it’s okay with Sandra,’ Nico nods. Phoebe ricochets her way over and then Nico and Maya’s mum have one of those wordless parent conversations, through a series of hand gestures.

‘Come on, Taco!’ Phoebe calls, and the dog trots off, letting Maya pick up his lead before they head off to join the queues of hyperactive, sugar-filled kids outside every door.

‘It’s chilly,’ Tara says. ‘Let’s go and stand by the bonfire.’ She pulls a silver hip flask from the pocket of Luke’s jeans and winks. ‘We can warm up.’

‘Sold,’ I agree, thinking that there surely must have been a scene where Katharine Hepburn was wearing a big coat.

‘Hi, Lee,’ Stefano calls as we pass. He’s wearing a Chewbacca costume and chasing his grandkids through the crowd.

‘Hi, Lee,’ Gerald and Carl say as they totter past hand in hand disguised as troll dolls.

‘Hello, Nico. Hi, Lee,’ Phil says. ‘Dost thou like me costume?’ He’s dressed as Henry VIII and I think that’s some sort of tribute to us.

‘You look amazing,’ I say honestly.

For a moment it’s like I can zoom out on it all, this scene that I’m a part of. The bandstand holds the school orchestra – the students are dressed like zombies and playing a Halloween-themed playlist. Kat is set up next to them, selling her famous hot chocolate with Mei’s assistance, surrounded by twinkling fairy lights. The funny thing is that, despite the crowds and the noise, I don’t feel anxious at all.

I glance over to where a group of teenagers are huddled together by the bonfire; their mood is jubilant – helped along by the fact that the school’s football team won their big match, or game, or showdown or whatever it’s called, this afternoon and they’re wearing those letter jackets, just like in the movies. When I mention this to Nico he grins.

‘Now I wish I had a letter jacket to put around your shoulders. You’d be in small-town America, Hallmark movie heaven.’

‘You’re so right,’ I agree. ‘I bet they have prom, too, right? A proper one in a gymnasium with streamers and corsages and awkward photos?’

‘I believe they do,’ Nico nods.

‘And one day that will be Phoebe,’ I murmur, already smiling at the thought.

Nico, on the other hand, looks stricken. ‘Christ, don’t say that. She’s already growing up way too fast. I’m going to be an emotional wreck when she goes to prom.’

I laugh, but I can picture it already. Phoebe in her dress… or maybe in a cool suit, and Nico taking pictures and blinking back foolishly happy tears while his daughter rolls her eyes, secretly loving it.