Fraser snorted. ‘Yeah, we were. For nine months. We moved in here together after we’d been with each other for about a month.’ He looked around the empty room. ‘Good times.’

‘I had no idea she still lived with her ex.’ At least I knew now why she hadn’t wanted me to visit her place.

He picked up the almost-empty can, raised it and sucked out the dregs. ‘Likes her secrets, does Charlotte.’

I almost said What do you mean? but stopped myself.

‘When did the two of you split up?’ I asked.

He frowned. ‘Do you really expect me to just sit here and answer all your stupid fucking questions?’

He stood up and I shrank back, suddenly fearful of him. He was bigger than me, though he didn’t look particularly strong. His face twisted into a snarl of hatred, then suddenly relaxed, and he flopped back onto the sofa. He put his face in his hands.

‘I thought we were going to be together forever,’ he whimpered. I realised, with horror, that he was crying. I shrank back in my seat, wishing it would swallow me up. Eventually, he wiped his face on his sleeve and groped on the table for a cigarette.

‘We split up just after Christmas. That was—’ He gulped, his Adam’s apple bobbing. ‘That was the worst week.’ I could see him picturing it, like he was reliving a nightmare. Just after Christmas. That meant they were still together when Charlie and I had gone out that night.

He gathered himself. ‘I don’t want to talk about that week. It’s too . . .’ He trailed off.

That first night, Charlie had told me she was going to stay with a friend. ‘Did she stay here? That first night I saw you?’

‘Yeah.’ He smiled with one corner of his mouth. ‘She was really turned on that night. Horny as hell. I suppose I should thank you for that.’

My insides went cold.

‘And now you get to fuck her. Amazing, isn’t she? Unbelievable. That girl . . . I’d give anything, everything, to spend another night with her.’ He stared at me as he sucked his cigarette.

‘You haven’t . . . slept with her since I was with her?’

He laughed coldly. ‘No. I’ve hardly seen her. She’s never here. And now she’s moving in with you and I’ll probably never see her again. But that’s good, it’s for the best. I mean, I’ll be able to move on. Get my life back on track.’

I waited for him to say more but he changed the subject. ‘Why are you here?’

I trotted out the lie I’d prepared. ‘I want to surprise Charlie by arranging to move her stuff. I wanted to see how much there is.’

He swept an arm towards the hallway. ‘Feel free. Second door along.’