Unconditional.

I met Holly over a year before I received that letter, back when I could be bothered to straighten my hair and squeeze my feet into Converse hi-tops every day. It was the day before my 20th birthday, and I was due to work my first day at The Roundhouse nightclub. I was wearing a black shirt and black jeans and I'd traded my old trainers in for shiny black shoes; a requirement for tending a bar, apparently.

I arrived early, eager to impress my new boss. My last job hadn't ended so well and my mum was still pretty mad at me for that, so this time around it was important to behave. The club wasn't open yet, but I slipped in anyway, figuring they could use an extra pair of hands.

It was a pretty vast space, decorated in tasteful blue, black and silver patterns. Complete with a bar, stage and rich leather sofas, lit by neon blue lights, it was probably one of the nicest nightclubs I'd ever been to. My friends and I made a point to go out a few nights a week, but we never went anywhere like this; it was usually bars or wherever we could afford. This was a whole different thing. It was intimidating. Just the sight of it made me nervous. The expensive wallpaper and massive chandeliers made me feel like I didn't belong there. I felt dirty.

There were just two people there when I entered. There was a guy about my age, with short brown hair and tattoos leaking from his three quarter length sleeves, mopping the wide black floor and humming along with the radio. I didn't really pay much attention to the girl at the bar initially; she seemed to want to blend into the background and she wasn't bad at it. But the guy looked up as soon as I slipped through the door, flashing straight white teeth at me.

"Sorry, mate, we're closed," he said, as if my very existence amused him.

I don't know what it was, maybe something in his tone or that glint in his eye, but something just made me wary of him. I didn't dislike him as such. He just seemed like the type of person I'd avoid, someone who wallows in unfortunate situations and sticks around to laugh when there's a fight. He was the type of person I'd have avoided at school. But at the same time he seemed friendly enough. I didn't really know enough about the guy to hate him just yet.

"I know," I told him. "I'm due to start here today, my name's Josh?"

He nodded, as if he'd expected me to say that. "Well Josh, you're early. Brewer's not here yet."

"I know," I shrugged. "I'll just wait by the bar if you don't need any help."

"Do that," he agreed with a snide grin.

I narrowed my eyes as I made for the bar, unsure what to make of my new colleague. Was he really mocking me, or was I just insecure? I was nervous, of course, so it was possible I was just imagining his hostility. Taking up a random stool at the bar, a glanced back at him once more, just as someone shifted behind me. I whirled around in surprise, only to face a girl turning the pages of a book.

It would probably be more romantic to say the first thing I noticed was how beautiful she was, but the hardest thing to ignore was really her size. She was tiny. Seeing her curled up in a little plastic chair behind the bar, it was like I could pick her up and place her in my palm. She was so small and slim, and her smooth, pale face just radiated innocence. Long brown hair cascaded past her shoulders in elegant waves, and when she glanced up at me I was met with big, curious green eyes, and there was no denying she was stunning.

"That's Aidan," she said, so quietly it was barely a whisper, burying her nose back inside her book, her cheeks colouring a little. "He's like that with everyone but he's really nice under all that pretense. You'll learn to like him; everyone does."

I looked at her, curious, but she didn't return my gaze again. I knew she'd seen me looking, but it only made her retreat further into her book. So instead I looked at the book cover. It was beaten and the edges were curling, but I could read the title clearly.

"The Great Gatsby," I read aloud, nodding my approval, and she snuck a brief glance at me. "I had to read that for English back in college."

"Oh," she said.

She seemed intent on ignoring me. I didn't know what I'd done to deserve her cold shoulder, but it seemed it was all for me. She folded the cover back, a crime my mother would have clenched her teeth at, and readjusted herself in the chair. My eyes moved down, accidentally taking in the small curve of her leg in those skinny jeans, the way her foot twitched in her battered green trainers, the gap between her shirt and jeans, where pale skin peered through.

Looking back up at her pretty face, I wondered how old she was. She barely looked old enough to be at a club, let alone behind the bar, and if her size wasn't a big enough giveaway, the rucksack on the table behind her confirmed it. It was open, and textbooks and notepads stuck messily out of it.

I opened my mouth to say something else, but a hand descending onto my shoulder stopped me. I glanced up and immediately got to my feet, clearing my throat apprehensively.

"Less of that," he commanded, his hand still heavy on my shoulder, his voice projecting across the bar. "You have revision, remember?"

"Nearly done," the girl muttered, turning a page and not even looking up.

He turned to me and shook his head, and I smiled diffidently. He was wearing an outfit pretty much identical to mine, but I was guessing it was probably more expensive; my uniform shopping consisted of throwing a few Primark shirts into a basket.

"Mr. Brewer," I said gruffly, holding out my hand for him to shake, which he took with an amused grin.

"Just call me Brewer, Josh," he chuckled. "I know it's what the other lads do here. You're early."

"Yeah, well better early than late."

"Right you are," he grinned. "Are you comfortable behind the bar tonight? Aidan will be with you in case-"

"I'm sure I'll be fine," I assured him, glancing once more at the girl, who, this time, returned my gaze.

In a matter of minutes the atmosphere changed completely as we prepared to open for the night. A DJ booth was set up on the stage, the bar was tidied and cleaned and Brewer strode around barking orders. It seemed I only needed to reassure him I'd be fine before he could treat me like one of the other employees, like I'd been here forever. I liked him already.

Before I knew it the club was packed with sweaty people, and the three of us at the bar were horribly outnumbered. I remember relating my situation to a zombie movie, because people were just slamming us with orders, pushing each other out of the way and squeezing into the front row, desperate for drinks. The first hour seemed to fly by, and slowly the crowd around the bar began to disperse and leak onto the dancefloor. The music went straight through me, the bass thumping through my veins, kicking in my adrenaline.

I kept glancing over at the girl in the corner. I couldn't help wondering why she was there and what she was writing and what she was revising for. When the crowd began to disperse, I approached her.

"Would you like a drink?" I yelled over the music, but she just waved a half empty Coke bottle at me.

It seemed she really didn't want to talk to me, but it only made me want to try harder. As soon as her bottle was empty, I brought her a fresh one. We didn't say anything to each other. She barely even acknowledged the gesture. I carried on working, and somehow it was past eleven before I next looked at the clock.

"Five hours left," grinned Aidan, and I returned a small smile.

"Hey... Josh?" I turned, and to my surprise, she was looking at me. I dropped the towel I was holding onto the bar and approached her. "It is Josh, right?"

"Yeah, what's up?"

"Grab me a packet of crisps, will you?"

I grinned and handed her a packet. "Anything else?"

"I'm okay, thanks."

"Okay," I said, but I leaned on the bar next to her anyway. "Well, what's your name? You know mine."

She put her pen down and turned to face me, her eyes narrowed. "Holly."

I smiled. "It's nice to meet you, Holly."

"You too."

She picked up her pen and turned away from me once more, and I picked the towel back up. It was a start, I suppose. But as I straightened up to get back to work, curiosity got the better of me and I leaned back once more.

"How old are you, Holly?" I asked, and she looked up, the tiniest of smiles playing on her lips.

"Seventeen," she said. "What about you?"

I grinned and glanced at the clock. "Ask me in an hour."

"What if I'm not here in an hour?"

"You'll never know."

Midnight came and went, and just like that I was 20. It was funny, all that fuss I'd made about not being a teenager anymore and it felt no different at all. I still felt like a big kid. It didn't even feel like my birthday. I suspected I probably had a few texts from my friends, but there was no way I was being caught texting on my first day of work, whether it was my birthday or not.

Holly didn't ask me, but she hadn't left either. She sat in that corner for the next hour, her head bowed, until someone leaned over the bar to talk to her in urgent tones. I couldn't hear what he was saying from where I was, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interested. But I was slammed. Aidan had gone on a cigarette break and I was facing the mob of thirsty people alone. I didn't have time to watch Holly talk to a stranger.

But it didn't stop me trying. I glanced at her now and then, until a figure squeezed past me and I guessed Aidan was finished with his cigarette. I didn't say anything to him, and he said nothing to me. That was, until ten minutes later when he appeared behind me.

"Where's Holly gone?" he asked absentmindedly, pouring a drink from the tap.

I glanced up at him. "I thought you were over that side."

"I just got back," he said, raising an eyebrow.

I glanced at her spot in the corner, and she was indeed gone. Who had snuck behind me? Had she snuck away with that guy? I scanned the crowd, but I saw no sign of either of them. Was she okay?

"I'll be right back," I told Aidan.

I headed for the back door, figuring she wouldn't want to push through the sea of people on the dancefloor. It lead into a dark, damp alley, littered with a few dumpsters and a lot of beer cans. It was much quieter out here, and although the music was still loud, I could still hear the shouting loud and clear up ahead.

"Damn it, Holly!" I heard a gruff voice thunder.

I had just enough time to locate Holly and the stranger before I saw him shove her hard against a brick wall, and she sank to the floor, a whimper escaping her.