Hannah and Shelly were sharing a bottle of wine in Hannah's bedroom; the bottle was sweating and after her second glass Shelly needed to go the toilet.

"Breaking the seal, babe?"

"I've gotta. You know I do."

When Shelly came back she was wearing a look of unaccountable excitement. "That must've been a great piss" Hannah quipped.

"She's on the 'phone!" Shelly hissed.

"Seriously? Right now?"

"Right now!"

"To Phillip?" Hannah prompted, pronouncing the name with sudden confidence.

"Well - I guess so!" Shelly said. "Who else?"

"Oh my god!" Hannah whispered in astonishment. "Our girl's all grown up" she added as a joke, and Shelly looked at her strangely because it was the second time that night she'd alluded to children.

"She is actually older than both of us" Shelly pointed out.

"I know?" Hannah said uncertainly, not following. "Hey!" she added with excitement, "Let's go eavesdrop!"

Shelly grinned because Hannah had finally caught up with what she'd been thinking all along. Together they crept to the bedroom door and opened it a crack, and slid their ears into the gap between door and door-frame.

"I can't hear anything" Hannah whispered.

"Neither can I" Shelly said.

"That's because I'm not on the 'phone any more" Sacha said, walking past the door en route to her room and scaring the life out of the both of them. "For the record, I'm meeting Phillip for a drink next week."

"Where?" Hannah asked.

"When?" Shelly added.

"I am definitely not going to tell either of you that" Sacha said, and she continued walking to her room. Hannah and Shelly listened until they heard her door open and then shut, firmly but happily.