In a group of eight, nine people, they cycled haphazardly towards the noise. Except for Willem- Jan, who didn’t want to go to ‘a hippy party’ on principle, all the housemates were there. A PET bottle filled with homemade gin-and-tonic was being passed around. Only Derk was quick to pass on the bottle. That was of course all part and parcel of living an athletic life, but today he was also feeling his stomach churning with nerves. ‘Will he be there tonight?’ asked Bianca, for the third time. ‘Jelle, is he coming?’ With her front wheel, she weaved dangerously along the edge of the cycle path. ‘Yeah,’ said Derk. He thought back to how he had been cautiously testing the waters on WhatsApp over the past few weeks. After all that apping, Derk was sure that Jelle would be there tonight, but he was sure of no more than that. ‘And you like him, don’t you?’ asked Bianca. Derk nodded. ‘Well, that’s fab, isn’t it?’ Bianca took a big swig from the PET bottle.When they had safely arrived a little while later, Derk looked about enthusiastically, forgetting his nerves for a moment. All sorts of people were milling about at Droevendaal, there were some jugglers and music was audible everywhere. When his eyes met Jelle’s in the distance, he was startled. Derk waved sheepishly and let himself be guided by Bianca to a bar. As they stood chatting, drinks in hand, Bianca’s words were going in one of Derk’s ears and out the other. Over her shoulder, Derk saw in the distance how Jelle was talking animatedly to a curly-headed guy. Perhaps he had only imagined the spark that had passed between them, thought Derk gloomily, and to Jelle he was just a guy. Bianca, who was meanwhile rambling on, slurring her words, prodded him. ‘What’s the matter? You’re not listening at all.’ She looked round and saw Jelle in the distance. ‘You should go over to him,’ she said eagerly, and pushed Derk in Jelle’s direction. ‘But…’ Derk took a step backwards. ‘No, go over there now,’ said Bianca. ‘I don’t want to see you again until you have spoken to him.’ She walked off demonstratively. Derk hesitated, took a swig of beer and made his way slowly through the crowd. In the press of bodies he soon lost sight of Jelle and started ambling about, searching, at the place where he had last seen him standing. Feeling defeated, he thought of the head of curls. I knew it. ‘Looking for someone?’ Grinning, Jelle appeared beside him. Derk was tongue-tied. He stuttered and blushed. Jelle laughed, amused. ‘So shall I just kiss you then?’