"Do you really think you're going to sleep with Noah soon, Popps?" Lizzie asked. She sounded anxious. I wasn't sure if it was out of concern for my well-being, or fear that if I did it would separate us somehow. Put us into two different categories.

"We're taking it slow."

"What? He doesn't want to sleep with you?"

Thanks for that, Ruth.

"Of course he wants to sleep with me," I snapped. "But we've only just got together, and, you know, I don't feel ready."

"Well, if I was you, I would seal the deal pretty soon. Men as fit as Noah don't have to wait."

I was about to object but Lizzie came to the rescue once more.

"Come on, Ruth, you saw the way he looked at her yesterday. The boy's totally loved-up." She gave me a smile. "I reckon he would wait a lifetime for you, Poppy."

"Well, let's hope so."

Ruth went to get another coffee and the process seemed to calm her down. She gave me a half-smile, the closest she ever got to apologizing.

"So?" Lizzie asked. "You haven't slept with him yet but has he said 'I love you'?"

I remembered last night's quiet whispers to each other as the rain fell. I turned very red and that answered the question for them.

Amanda and Lizzie screamed in delight.

"Really?" Amanda said.

I nodded.

"Tell. Me. Everything," Lizzie demanded.

I looked towards Ruth. Okay, so she was being a prize twat but she was going through a break-up and having the I-love-you conversation wasn't really fair. She caught my eye though and shrugged.

"Don't mind me," she said, giving me another hint of a smile. "Spill all. Though I don't call dropping The Big L taking it slow. I'm just saying."

More drinks were bought as I described the last couple of days. It felt good to talk to my friends about it, to get their reactions, their opinions. It made it real. This amazing thing happening to me wasn't just a figment of my imagination. They, Ruth included, gasped at all the right moments. When I'd finished describing the previous night's events, they all fell back into their seats, exhausted from the gossip.

We sat savouring it, until Lizzie brought up something I'd almost forgotten.

"So what happened to the whole 'I think I'm allergic to him' phase?"

I thought back to those random panic attacks.

I shook my head. "It's all stopped. It must have been something unrelated."

"Sounded a bit strange anyway. I don't think I've heard of anyone being allergic to anyone else."

Lizzie turned her attention to Amanda. "So?" she said, poking her. "Poppy's spilled. What's going on with you and Johnno. I'm not leaving until I get at least one sordid detail."

The hours passed as we tortured Amanda for information. She stayed tight-lipped though. Even when we stole her handbag and held it to ransom. She told us we would get bored; she was right. After about half an hour, Amanda quite assertively prised the bag from Ruth's hands while she was halfway through telling us about Will's inadequacies in bed. Ruth looked pretty stunned by such daring.

In fact, Amanda standing up for herself was much more shocking than Ruth's revelations. Ruth would always boast about how amazing a guy was in bed when she was going out with them each conquest would have the biggest willy she had ever seen, be the most adventurous she had ever experienced, etc., etc. But then, mysteriously, after she'd dumped them, she would divulge all these cringy stories instead. I wasn't sure how she expected us to believe anything she said. We weren't goldfish, we had memories, and so we knew she was completely contradicting herself. But she would do it anyway. And we would happily oblige her, playing along. I suppose it was the only real glimpse I got into Ruth's inner insecurity.

Eventually I realized I should be getting home.

"You off?" Lizzie asked, as I stood up.

"Yup. I've not seen my parents since yesterday morning. I should probably drop in to show my thanks for them creating-and-birthing-me and that."

"I'll walk with you."

"Cool."

We said goodbye and walked outside, back towards the flooded part of town. The water had receded quite a bit, which was just as well, as I didn't have Noah to carry me across the puddles. Thinking of him sent my stomach into more convulsions and I realized, to my own annoyance, that I literally couldn't stop smiling.

"So you're in love then?" Lizzie asked, as we carefully manoeuvred ourselves around a giant puddle.

I took a deep breath. "I think so." More stomach convulsions. "I really think I am."

"So how does it feel?"

I looked at my friend. She seemed a little sad. And I felt for her. I would feel a little sad if the situation was reversed. That's the weird thing about growing up. One day you realize that you and your friends can't do everything at the same time. Your lives fragment and different stuff starts happening to each of you.

"You wanna know the truth?"

She nodded.

"Well, in truth, Lizzie, it's a little bit terrifying."

She wasn't expecting that. "Terrifying?"

"Yep."

"How so?"

I thought about my answer, not sure if I could articulate what I meant.

"Well, for one, it's not something you have any control over. And I hate that. It's like I have no authority over my feelings they won't listen to me. They just make up their own mind and overrule my reasoning. I don't think I particularly wanted to fall for Noah. It's not sensible. And yet it's like I didn't have a choice."

Lizzie laughed. "Trust you to find all the negative aspects of falling in love."

I shook my head. "It's not negative. It's just true. And the other thing that scares me is how crazily dependent I am already."

"No way, Poppy Lawson. I never thought I'd see the day."

"I know. I hate it."

The puddles got shallower as we made our way towards our respective homes.

"Well, can't you make yourself less dependent on him?"

I had to think again to pull together an honest answer.

"I wish I could." I stretched my arms over my head. "But no. I feel, like, bound to him or something. Like if he was taken away, I would never be able to recover. I hate it. I promised myself I would never feel like this over a boy. But I honestly can't help it. The thought of losing him makes me feel sick..." My voice broke. "Sick? Over losing a guy?" A tear fell down my cheek. "God, Lizzie, what's wrong with me?"

I ground to a halt and Lizzie put her arm around me.

"Poppy, you're supposed to be HAPPY. You know that, right?"

I nodded. Another tear escaped.

"Look," Lizzie said, "I've not been in love so I can't pretend to understand what you're going through. But I know this much. It's supposed to be a happy time. HAPPY?"

"I am happy. That's what scares me."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I don't want my happiness to depend on a boy. It never did any good to anyone."

"That's just silly. Look at all those trashy romcoms that do so well at the box office. No one in them is happy until they get together with some guy. Or what about those trashy books that Amanda reads? They're all pretty much 'Happily Ever After', aren't they?"

I sniffed. My nose had begun to run. "Yeah, but that's not real love," I said, rubbing my nose with my finger. "Love doesn't work like those films, like it's an equation to be solved. Look at the real love stories. The ones that don't fall into a formulaic, forgettable haze. The love stories they teach in school, the ones that last for ever. In those stories the love destroys the characters. It rips them apart. It makes their lives unlivable. What if it gets like that?"

We started walking again. Lizzie looked like she was trying not to laugh. I suppose I didn't blame her. I was maybe being a tad melodramatic.

"Poppy. Darling. I love you and I'm very happy for you and Noah. But you're not Romeo and Juliet, or Cathy and Heathcliff, or even that couple from The Notebook who make everyone cry." Her arm was still around me. "Look, it's the first time you've fallen in love. I think it's overwhelming for everybody. You're just overthinking it..."

I tried to protest but she ignored me.

"...You are. I know you are. It's what you do. But please, can you just try to enjoy it? You've found someone who loves you. You. For exactly who you are. Some people go their whole lives without ever experiencing that and you've managed to achieve it at the tender age of seventeen. So stop worrying and enjoy it. Just don't forget who your friends are."

I knew she was speaking sense. Although I didn't feel relieved, more misunderstood.

But to satisfy her, I nodded and gave her a quick hug. "Of course I won't forget you guys. I'm not Ruth, for God's sake."

Lizzie laughed again. "Ha ha. Aww, poor Will. He's about to get his heart broken, isn't he?"

"I think so."

"Oh well. He should've known better."

As we walked, I felt less freaked out. I was surprised by my outburst really. It hadn't occurred to me I'd been having those thoughts until I just came out with them. Being with Noah was so captivating that I seemed incapable of producing rational analysis until I was away from him. I suppose that in itself was something to worry about, but I remembered what Lizzie said and silently told myself to enjoy it.

Lizzie and I broke apart at our usual corner.

"Thanks for listening," I said. "Sorry. It must be infuriating listening to me whinge about being in love. I would hate me if I was you."

"Well, I'm trying to be happy for you. Try and be happy for yourself."

"Walk in to college together tomorrow?"

"I'll meet you at the usual time."

Dad was in his regular spot when I got in.

"You're alive," he said as I walked into the sitting room, a glass of water in one hand and a Kit Kat in the other.

"Indeed I am."

I sat on the arm of his favourite chair and gave him a quick hug. "Did you guys weather the storm okay? It doesn't look like we got any flooding."

I snapped the Kit Kat in two and gave Dad half.

"We were just fine." He took a mouthful and sprayed a few chocolate crumbs onto his lap. "Mum's upset about what all the rain will do to her herb garden, but apart from that we're unaffected." He took another bite of chocolate. "What about you? Were you safe at Noah's?"

It felt weird that he knew I'd stayed there. I dreaded what his assumptions must be and wanted to tell him about our take-it-slow approach. Too awkward though.

I rested my head on his shoulder. "I was fine. It was pretty scary when we got stuck in it, but once we got inside it was okay." I paused. "It was all a bit weird though, wasn't it?"

Dad nodded. "I suppose they don't call it freak weather for nothing."

We sat companionably for a few minutes, each chomping our chocolate. Dad took out the paper and started reading. I remembered the dig Noah had made about me not reading the news, so I started reading over Dad's shoulder.

The front page of the Middletown Observer was dedicated to the storm they'd somehow put out a special extra edition overnight. The headline was clear, bold and to-the-point: FREAK STORM BLITZES TOWN.

"Wow. Has there been much damage?"

Dad turned to the following page. There were pictures of the flooding, with lots of photos of upset-looking people standing forlornly outside their wrecked businesses.

"Quite a bit. They're saying it could take at least a month to get some places back to normal."

"Do they still not know what caused it?"

"They haven't got a clue. They think it's something to do with the North Atlantic Drift, but usually you get more warning if a storm comes from that direction."

We read the news coverage together. I cheered up a little when I saw Lizzie's name in print, crediting her for some quotes she'd gathered from shocked members of the public. The sneaky thing hadn't even told us. But it quickly got too depressing to read any more. I stifled a yawn.

"I'm going to my room."

"Goodnight, poppet."

I went upstairs and got into my pyjamas. It felt good to get out of my rained-on clothes. I gratefully snuggled under my covers and got out my book. I'd only read half a page when my mobile went off.

I looked at the screen and smiled. It was Noah.

"Hello, you," I said, still smiling.

"Alright, gorgeous, how was your day without me?"