“What happened then?” asked Mark.

“She gave me her phone number,” replied Seb, smiling.

“Nice!” said Mark, enthusiastically.

“And her MySpace address.”

“No,” said Mark, his face dropping like someone had tied weights to all of his facial muscles. “You haven’t added her as a friend.”

“I have,” smiled Seb. “Why?”

Mark put down his pint, a clear sign that he was about to go off on one of his Rants. Mark liked to gesticulate while he ranted, and they unfailingly began with the word…

“Look,” said Mark. “She’s given you her phone number. That’s great! But that’s not a promise. You add her as a friend and nothing happens, then what? You’ve stuck with this person on your friends list. You get bulletins. You get updates. Every time she goes on a date she’ll let her friends know, including you. And if you remove her, well, that’s just awkward, isn’t it?”

“How do you even know this?”

“It’s the internet, Seb,” said Mark, grabbing his pint again. “Where relationships are concerned, it’s Serious Business.”