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A school reunion helped Hannah see she already had everything she ever wanted

Sinking deeper into the steaming bath, Hannah shut her eyes and succumbed to the senses that enveloped her. She had tipped an extravagant handful of scented bath salts into the water and lit a couple of aromatic candles. With her favourite 1980s playlist providing a comforting backdrop, in the half-dark Hannah allowed her mind to drift.

She recalled her teenage self, full of angst and insecurities, raging hormones and first love. She remembered the insignificant romances that at the time had felt all-consuming. Then she had met Chris – the class clown, the popular boy with cool hair, clear skin and a confidence verging on arrogance. He had captured Hannah’s heart and, for one long hot summer, they had been inseparable.

Hannah blinked and sat up in the cooling bathwater. She shook herself out of her reverie and tried to focus on the here-and-now.

A soft tap on the door startled her slightly; she was jittery and, despite her attempt to relax, her nerves jangled.

‘Hey,’ she called, as Pete opened the door and held out a glass of wine.

‘A drink for my beautiful wife?’

Hannah smiled and nodded, Pete grinned back, his wide smile reaching his eyes: ‘Are you excited?’

Hannah took a large gulp of wine. ‘I guess so, I mean, it’ll be good to see some old faces,’ she shrugged. ‘Thanks for the wine,’ she added as her husband retreated from the steam-filled room.

Hannah stood in the bedroom and cast a critical eye over herself. Her face was make-up free and she peered closely in the mirror. She had soft lines around her eyes when she laughed, and curves that had only appeared in the last year or so; her bottom jiggled a little more than it used to.

Exhaling loudly Hannah carefully dressed. What did one wear to a school reunion? She had eventually chosen a pretty floral wrap dress and killer heels.

With her dark shoulder-length hair carefully blow-dried and wearing a little more lipstick than she usually did, Hannah spritzed on perfume. She inhaled the heady scent and tried to steady her deepening nerves. Staring at herself, a grown woman, a wife and a mother, Hannah felt her teenage insecurities flood back. All this effort, her desire to be desirable was for one reason only. Hannah knew that Chris would be there tonight and she wanted to show him what he had lost. After all these years, she still harboured feelings of rejection and hurt. Had her first love never died?

‘Wow!’ cried Pete when Hannah finally appeared in the kitchen.

‘Thank you,’ she replied, feeling slightly sick. A car horn blared and Hannah jumped.

‘Your cab’s here,’ Pete said. ‘Have a wonderful time, you are

beautiful and I love you’. He kissed her softly on the lips and tucked a stray hair behind her ear.

‘Thanks Pete, see you later,’ Hannah replied.

The Uber driver chatted amiably as he drove, but Hannah was miles away. She was lost in the past, reliving the break-up that had caused her so much misery. Chris had cheated on her and been cold and cruel to her.

He hadn’t changed over the years either, according to her old friends. Even though Chris was now married, they’d filled her in on his alleged affairs over the years; how his wife either put up with, turned a blind eye to or was oblivious to his behaviour.

What in the world was she thinking? With a thunderbolt jolt of shock, Hannah reached forward and tapped the driver.

‘Take me home, please. Sorry,’ she said.

‘Forgotten something important have you?’ the driver replied, making a U-turn.

‘I think I nearly did,’ Hannah said.

She unlocked the front door and kicked off her heels. She found Pete in the living room, laughing at a comedy he was watching on TV. Startled, he stood up and a worried expression crossed his kind face.

‘Are you okay, Hannah? Why are you home?’

‘I’m home,’ said Hannah, ‘because there is nowhere else I would rather be than here with you.’ She raised her stockinged toes and kissed Pete.

Delighted and more than a little surprised, Pete got up, lifted her off her feet and swung her around.

‘Well, in that case, shall I order two chicken tikkas?’ he laughed. ‘Absolutely. Just give me a few minutes,’ Hannah told him.

She took the stairs two at a time and rushed to the bedroom. Undressing quickly and casting her gladrags aside, she pulled on her favourite pyjamas and piled her hair into a messy bun before heading back downstairs.

Pete had poured her a glass of wine and was calling the

Raj Lounge. He looked at Hannah and blew her a kiss.

‘Perfect,’ he said.

‘Perfect,’ Hannah replied as she snuggled up next to the man she loved.