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...

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.