"Thank you," I tell Greta, enthusiastically hugging her back. Usually I'm not the most openly affectionate person, but at the moment I could give the whole snaking city a hug.

"Yes, that was when," I add with a small, slightly sheepish laugh. "Sorry I didn't tell you what it was for. I wasn't ready for anyone to know." It isn't even as though I thought he would say no, I was confident it was something Simon wanted too, but I wanted to keep it between just the two of us for a little while. Something private. "It was delicious, by the way. Of course Simon ate almost all of it himself."