He stalls slightly and she heads down, but he still pulls on his shoes and jacket. ‘I’m not perfect, Yvie, but I thought you were on my side.’

‘I can’t take sides in this. She’s my friend.’

‘Your friend? Really? But you never see her anymore.’

‘That doesn’t matter. We’ve known each other for years; we’ve been through so much together. She’ll always be a part of my life. Where are you going?’

‘Home.’ He drops his head and turns his car keys over in his hands. ‘You need to think about this.’

‘About what?’

‘About if this is too complicated for you.’

She shakes her head, but he’s right. How was she expecting this to work in the long-run without Emma knowing? The longer it goes on the worse the betrayal is.

‘Can you really be with me, while still having this friendship with Emma?’

‘I told you, I hardly see Emma anymore.’ Yvonne thinks of this often, of how their friendship, which used to be so intense and fuelled by them constantly spending time together, has turned into something else, something distant and habitual. ‘Emma doesn’t have many friends; you know that, she’s got no family here either. So sometimes she does call me and I call her.’

Lewis puts a hand on Yvonne’s cheek and she leans into it. ‘Maybe we were both naïve to think we could pick up where we left off eight years ago. That it doesn’t matter I have a kid with one of your friends.’ He drops his hand and it feels as if Yvonne’s heart has started to fall through her body.

‘What are you saying? That we should stop seeing each other?’ There’s a panic in her voice she can’t hide. Never does she want to have to choose between Emma and Lewis, but if that’s what it comes to, she knows right then who she would pick. She’s not proud of it either, that she would choose a man over her friend.

‘I don’t want to worry that whatever I do and say in front of you will get back to Emma. Or that you’re judging me as a dad based on my mistakes. I’m trying to be there more for Kiama, but it’s hard with Emma. I don’t need to add more stress to the situation.’

He unlocks the door.

‘Please, don’t leave,’ she says.

He stops and leans against the door.

‘Lewis, please, I’ll tell her. I promise, I’ll tell her.’