From the moment the credits rolled on the final episode of Normal People, viewers were left begging for a second series to find out what became of Marianne and Connell's on-off relationship.
After the pair finally looked to be settling down into a happy life with one another, the romance was again blown apart by the news that Connell had been offered a place on a writing course in the US.
Marianne encourages him to go, and despite admitting he would miss her so much 'he'd be sick', Connell eventually reluctantly agrees and the couple are torn apart once more.
Sally Rooney's novel, on which the hit TV adaptation was based, finishes on the same cliffhanger, with Marianne conceding that 'what they have now they can never have back again' - but promising Connell she will 'always be here'.
But those wondering what became of the pair may not have to wait for a second series at all, because it turns out Rooney has already written about the relationship further down the line, long before Normal People hit our screens.
The book came off the back of a short piece first published in 2016 titled 'At the Clinic', set after the years we followed Marianne and Connell through school and university.
After first bringing the characters to life in the short story, Rooney told New Statesman : "I kept wanting to write about these characters who were in their early twenties and their relationship had this texture to it because of their history.
"Eventually, I thought, what if I just went back and just told their story from the beginning, chronologically."
As a result, Normal People was born.
At the Clinic is set when they are both 23 years old, but what's going on in their lives now?
Sadly, for those hoping for wedding bells and story book endings, it appears nothing is ever that simple for Marianne and Connell - with the relationship still seemingly following a pattern we have seen before.
The story revolves around Connell driving Marianne to the dentist to have a wisdom tooth removed, as he's her only 'friend' with a car.
We discover the pair had recently slept together, after Marianne had broken up with her boyfriend Daniel, sparked by an argument during which Marianne admitted she had a dream about marrying Connell.
Connell himself has recently come out of a 10-month relationship with a woman named Lauren. She had moved to Manchester and slept with someone else when she got drunk, and Connell's 'failure to feel anything' made him wonder if he cared about her at all.
The story is full of the intense and intriguing dialogue we have become familiar with between the pair, as they discuss the breakdown of their respective relationships, leaving the possibility of a reunion lingering in the air.
We won't give away too much because At the Clinic has now been made available for free online, and it's a must-read for any Normal People fans. You can find it here.
