I’ll give Jack his due. He hadn’t moaned too much about driving Thor to the Kent coast the following day, although I think he’d been hoping the hangover from hell would have changed my mind. No way. I needed to do this today. For Nikki. It wasn’t the same as surfing in Whitsborough Bay but nothing about my life was the same anymore.

‘Jesus, Sam! I can’t even get to a crouching position when a wave hits.’ Jack spat out a mouthful of water and heaved himself back onto his board for the umpteenth time. ‘How are you so good at this?’

‘Great teacher.’

He watched me look at my watch again. ‘Is it time?’

I nodded, my throat tightening. ‘We’d officially be husband and wife by now.’

‘Aw, mate…’

‘I know.’ I looked behind me. ‘I’m gonna catch this one.’ I started to paddle before Jack could say anything else, jumping to my feet as the wave took the board.

Riding the wave towards the shore, I could picture her right by my side, her dark hair slicked back, eyes sparkling, laughing that infectious belly laugh of hers.

‘Goodbye Nikki,’ I whispered. ‘I love you.’

‘What happens now?’ Jack asked as we sat on the beach that evening.

‘We drink and drink some more and hope the temperature doesn’t drop too much because I’m not cuddling up to you for warmth. You stink of garlic.’

After dinner in a local pub, I’d driven the campervan to a remote stretch of coast. We’d carried a crate of lager over the sand dunes and lit a fire, just like Nikki and I used to do.

‘And a less flippant answer would be…?’

I shrugged. I’d tried hard not to think about the future, knowing Nikki wouldn’t be in it. ‘Throw myself into the job and hope that, one day, I’ll wake up and the pain will have eased, even just slightly.’

‘Do you think it was the right decision to move down here?’

I took a glug of lager. I wasn’t going to admit that, in a city with a population of nearly nine million, I’d never felt so lonely. ‘Early days. It was a good career move.’

Jack tossed another handful of sticks onto the fire. ‘I agree. Brilliant career move. But was it the right move for you?’

I didn’t respond.

‘Why don’t you move back?’ Jack suggested. ‘I understand that living in your flat would be too full of memories, but you could keep renting it out and find somewhere new, couldn’t you?’