Jamie thought she was doing a good job of not obsessing over what to wear for her Thursday night date.

She’d only tried on and rejected five outfits before settling on one. And instead of leaving all the discarded clothes in a heap on the bed to sort out later, she’d hung them up and put them all away. Her super neat sister Caroline would have been proud of her.

The thought sneaked into her brain that by tidying her bedroom she was leaving open the possibility of bringing Tom back to it later. She shook her head. This was only their first date. Well, their second if you counted the pizza night.

And while Jamie considered herself a feminist, and refused to judge herself or other women by their sexual choices, she still liked to know exactly whom she was letting into her bed. There were too many unknowns with Tom Elliot – too many closed doors. In some ways he felt familiar, as though she’d known him her whole life, but in others, he was a complete mystery.

Jamie didn’t go to bed with complete mysteries.

She stood in front of the mirror and brushed out her hair. Black trousers, a sparkly sleeveless top, and some good jewellery completed the look. She swiped on mascara and lip gloss, and considered the job done. As she slid her feet into a pair of wedge-heeled sandals, she took a moment to be grateful that Tom was tall enough to make the wearing of heels no problem.

She took a quick photo of herself in the mirror and posted it to Facebook and Twitter, inviting outfit-feedback. It was getting too late to change anything, so she did it as much for reassurance as for advice. The responses came almost immediately: the Twitter community was nothing if not quick off the mark.

Jamie Burchell @jamieburchell

My outfit for date with neighbour. Hot or not? #selfie http://instagram.com/p/ ePSLKFHKDH/

Bronwyn Jones @redhighheels

Love the silvery earrings! Pretty, but understated. #hot

Amanda Stanislau @stani2

I like it! Go get ’em, tiger! #hot

The Tenant @squatter

Sexxeee! 

Cyril Attlee @inthemiddlecyril

Maybe a jacket or a wrap? I know it’s October but the nights can be quite chilly.

Making a firm resolution not to check her phone during dinner, Jamie dashed off replies to her Twitter friends. She pressed send on the last one as her doorbell rang.

“I thought we’d walk to the restaurant so we can both have wine,” Tom said as he leaned down to brush his lips against her cheek. He smelled of pine forests. Quite delicious. It relaxed her to know he’d also taken some trouble over his appearance. He’d shaved, showered and put on a blue linen shirt.

“Did Ben go to sleep all right?” she asked.

“All right is a relative term.” He pulled a harassed face. “But as bedtimes go, it was it wasn’t too bad. In the top thirty per cent, let’s say.”

“A B-minus. That’s pretty good.” Jamie looked up at his house as they walked past. Tom had asked if he could call for her at eight to give himself time to put Ben down. Jamie would have loved to be there for his bedtime. She imagined herself bathing Ben, rubbing him dry with a huge, soft towel, pulling his pyjamas over his head, and reading him a story until he got sleepy. If she closed her eyes, the tactile memories of his warm weight pressing into her lap and his hair tickling her chin were as vivid as ever.