We are huddled around the table in the belly of the boat, eating fried black bean burgers with the leftovers from lunch. There is a U-shaped bench around the table which most of us have squeezed onto, and four chairs surround the table on the opposite half. I marvel at the ability to fit functional furniture into such a small space. Everything is a little worn down by the sea but all of it works, and the bench is comfortable despite the gentle back and forth of the sea.

The group is silent apart from sounds of chewing. I’m not sure if Aaron is the best cook I’ve ever met or if we’re all just starving from the activity. Judging by the way everyone else is shovelling food into their mouths I’m assuming it’s the latter.

It’s our first real meal together with Miguel and Aaron included, and Vanessa wastes no time attempting to drive the conversation forward in what feels like a corporate group bonding exercise. First, we go around and say our names and where we’re from. When I say Columbus, Ohio, I notice the corners of Natalie’s mouth tighten. Don’t ask about our trips, I think, crossing my fingers underneath the table.

‘Who had the longest trip to get here?’ Vanessa asks next.

I remain silent, hoping Pippa and Andrew will speak up. London must be a longer trip than I had.

‘Isn’t Ohio the furthest away?’ Natalie asks, peering at me across the table. Since we boarded the boat, I’ve managed to avoid her completely, although I’ve seen Pippa talking to her once or twice. Pippa was laughing, a sign Natalie might not be as bad as I thought, but I still couldn’t shake my paranoia that they were discussing me.

‘Did you come straight here from Ohio?’ asks Miguel, his soft brown eyes connecting with mine. ‘That must be an eighteen-hour flight.’

‘No,’ I respond, ‘I had a connecting flight.’ I want this conversation to end more than anything in the world. The last thing I need to relive is beating out Natalie for a first-class seat and the more we discuss it, the more worried I am that she is going to ask why, at that time, I was going by Andi.

And if Hugh picks up on anything being amiss, he’s made it very clear he’s not the type to let it go.

‘Where’d you connect through?’ chirps Pippa through a mouthful of salad. She’s trying to be nice, but I want to throttle her.

‘Dallas,’ I say quietly.

Natalie cocks her head at me, a habit of hers I find extremely unnerving.

‘We were on the same flight,’ she says with a tight smile.