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Come on, bruv, you can do better than the freaking weather.

Then again, at least he’d tried to make conversation, which was more than I had.

‘Yeah! But that’s not hard,’ I laughed. ‘Where are you from?’

‘London,’ he replied.

‘Me too!’ Relief washed over me. At least we lived in the same city. I’d tried the whole long-distance relationship stuff twice before and it never worked out. ‘I’m from South London, I live in Tooting.’

‘I grew up in Dulwich.’

‘No way!’ I shrieked. What were the chances? I came all the way to Italy and ended up meeting a man who grew up not far from where I did. This was brilliant.

‘Yeah. I live in Shoreditch now.’

‘Very cool.’ Shoreditch was in East London and was known for having loads of trendy bars and restaurants.

‘I like it. And it’s close to work. I’m a Finance Director for a computer software company.’

‘Oh, wow. A finance guy,’ I grinned. According to social media, dating afinance browas the Holy Grail. This was another good sign.

‘How about you?’ Edward asked.

‘I work as a receptionist for a pharmaceutical company.’

‘Oh, right. What kind of pharmaceuticals?’

‘Our bestselling products are haemorrhoids cream and diarrhoea relief tablets.’

‘Gross!’ he grimaced and my stomach twisted.

It wasn’t the world’s most exciting job, but it was honest work and it paid the bills. Plus, although I was a receptionist now, if I played my cards right, in a couple of months, once I’d been there for five years, there was a strong possibility that I’d get promoted to head receptionist, which would open up a new level of opportunities.

And yeah, our bestsellers weren’t exactly glam, but most people had diarrhoea at least once in their lives and haemorrhoids could be painful, so it was important to have stuff to treat it.

I was about to tell him that, but then remembered I was supposed to be making a good impression and in hindsight talking about getting the runs and lumps in and around your arse weren’t exactly top-tier first-date conversation material. In my defence, I was just answering his question.

‘Shall we order?’ I asked. Maybe the date would improve after a glass of that amazing prosecco.

‘Yeah.’

Once we’d scanned the menu, we placed our order and the waiter, or should I say,Cuisine Champion, lol, brought over a bottle of prosecco.

‘This prosecco issogood!’ I said.

‘It’s not bad,’ Edward replied.

Not bad?I didn’t know what Edward usually drank, but this was like heaven in a glass.

‘What kind of things do you like to do in your spare time?’ I asked.

‘The usual stuff. Rugby, going out with friends. I also enjoy swimming.’

‘Me too!’ I instantly brightened.Another big green tick.

‘I go to the pool most mornings before work. I like to stay in shape.’

‘Impressive. I usually just go at the weekends, but I wish I could go more.’