He had another conference. She’d forgotten. At least that made the weekend easier.

“Please?” Another kiss.

“I have my period.” She almost choked on the lie.

With a sigh, he rolled over onto his back. He said nothing more, but she could feel him stewing on the other side of the bed.

If Alec was away, maybe she could spend time with Lisa.

Or Frazer.

Maybe Frazer would actually hang out with her. They could go back to being friends.

It was that thought that Cora went to sleep with.

* * *

On Sunday, Cora broke.

She’d hoped Frazer would message her over the weekend, maybe to suggest a coffee or lunch or a drink. Maybe Frazer would suggest something.

On Saturday, Cora had gone with Lisa to see her mother. The strong woman who Cora remembered was gone. While she’d learnt English over time, the carers said that now she chattered in Vietnamese. Her eyes were brighter than Cora had expected. But at one point, she turned to Lisa and said, in suddenly loud and abrasive English, “Who are you?”

And Lisa had tried to laugh it off, but afterwards they went and had a slightly boozy lunch where Lisa had proceeded to drink a glass of wine like a shot.

Still Cora heard nothing from Frazer.

So Sunday afternoon, she messaged her. A simple:

Want to get a friendly drink?

Thankfully, Frazer only waited twenty minutes to reply.

You don’t give up, do you?

A winking emoticon took the bite from the words. And Frazer agreed to a drink. They were going to meet for a beer at that pub on the river again. On a Sunday, it would be crowded. The wind would be cold as it came off the river, but Cora had a faint memory from the last time they’d gone of large heaters outside on the deck.

Cora arrived too early, almost as if she was excited.

Excited to see a friend, she reminded herself.

At the bar, she ordered two bright ales, the one she remembered Frazer had ordered last time. There were two people leaving a table right near the water, and she slipped into their still-warm seats. One of them laughed at how quickly she’d intercepted the table, and Cora grinned at them. Glad a heater was blasting her neck, she took a sip of the beer and enjoyed the feeling of having no obligations.

Alec was away. She was meeting a friend. There was a nice beer in front of her. Even though it was only seven, it was dark, the lights reflecting off the dark water of the river. People chattering and loud laughter surrounded her. These were all simple, easy things. This was something she could do.

It was strange to be remembering things she liked, to have time to do this, to remember who she was before Alec. Or maybe she was finding out who she was after him.

“Hey.”