Leah plonked herself down beside me. ‘Listen to me, Jemma Browne. I know you loved him, I know you’d planned to spend the rest of your life with him, and I know you’re hurting like hell right now, but you won’t always feel this way. There are loads of clichés about time healing and the reason there are loads of them is because it’s true. The pain goes and people move on with their lives. Most of us get our hearts broken at some point. Sometimes several times. Hello!’ She pointed both her thumbs towards her chest to indicate her unlucky-in-love status. Leah didn’t do steady burn. She either didn’t feel the chemistry and moved on immediately before allowing anything to develop, or she felt the fizz and fell big time. Usually it wasn’t reciprocal.

I picked at a loose thread dangling from the hem of my coat. ‘What if I still love him?’

‘Do you?’

‘I might do.’

‘DO YOU?’

I shrunk in my seat, trying to avoid the gazes Leah’s shout had attracted. ‘Yes. Don’t get mad with me. I can’t help it. I hate him for what he’s done to me and his wife, but I still love him. There’s no switch to magically turn off my feelings.’

Leah put her arm round me and I rested my head on her shoulder. ‘What are we going to do with you?’

‘Give me time, I suppose.’

She squeezed my arm then helped me to my feet. ‘Come on. We’ll do horror. Maybe we can scare those feelings out of you.’

Five minutes later, we’d purchased our tickets and were in the queue for snacks. Leah refused to watch a film without popcorn and a large Sprite.

I delved into my bag as my phone started ringing. ‘Hi Tiff.’

‘Where are you?’

‘At the cinema with Leah, queuing for popcorn.’

‘You need to come home.’

‘Are you okay? Is Drew?’

Leah raised her eyebrows questioningly. I shrugged.

‘It’s Scott,’ Tiff said. ‘He’s here.’

‘At the flat?’ I grabbed Leah’s arm and pulled her out of the queue.

‘Yes.’

‘What does he want?’

‘To beg you to run away to a Mormon community in America and set up home with his many wives and children? I don’t bloody know. Funnily enough, I didn’t fancy a cup of tea, a garibaldi biscuit, and a nice chat with him.’ I winced at her sarcasm.

‘We’re leaving now.’ I pulled Leah towards the door. ‘I’m sorry, Tiff. Are you going to be okay on your own with him?’ We set off in the direction of the flat.

‘I’m not with him. Drew is.’

‘Is he giving him a hard time?’

‘He wanted to but he decided that’s your place so, instead, he’s staring him out and refusing to speak to him.’