The burger was crap, but I didn’t tell her that. I munched on fries, watching her munch on hers, and it occurred to me then that we could be anywhere. In the apartment, in a burger bar, in a park with sneers, or on a tropical beach. The location didn’t matter. My infatuation – love – for her would be enough to enjoy a walk across hot coals.

“I met a girl today at college,” she told me. “Lola. She came up to me in the library, and told me she’s been getting the same gossip and crap as me for over a year. She’s with a guy now who’s...