JUST GETTING STARTED

When Shelby Laidlaw, 30, from London, split from her partner Hassan, she had no idea how he was able to keep tabs on what she was doing...

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Smoothing my hair and putting on a layer of lip gloss, I sighed.I really didn’t feel like going out but I’d promised my mate *Amy, 28, that I’d go with her to a house party, to meet a guy she’d been talking to.

Saying bye to my mum, *Karen, 50, I met Amy by the bus stop on a chilly October evening back in 2009.

Two busses and one trip to Tesco later, we arrived.

Amy went to find her fella, while I made my way to the kitchen to pour myself a drink.

‘Keeping it calm tonight?’ a deep voice said behind me.

Turning around I saw a tall bloke with dark eyes and a grin.

His name was Hassan Mehmet, and at 21, he was four years older than me – and I was flattered he was taking an interest.

We spent the night chatting and flirting, and we just got on like a house on fire.

‘Let me take your number,’ Hassan said, as I got ready to leave the party with Amy.

‘Sure, I’ll look out for your text,’ I smiled, tapping my number into his phone before we hugged goodbye.

And when I got a message from him the very next day, I suddenly felt butterflies in my tummy.

From then, we seemed to be texting and calling all the time – talking about our days, our upbringings and just having a right laugh.

‘You two are smitten,’ Amy would tease me.

‘I don’t know about that,’ I said, but I secretly wanted Hassan to ask me on a date.

And, lo and behold, not two weeks after we first met, he asked me to meet up.

All wrapped up against the winter chill, we met in the local park and took a stroll with a hot chocolate.