A week passed and Yvonne kept busy at work during the day and in the evenings completed all the tiny jobs around the flat that Lewis never got round to. Despite her brother’s advice she tried several times to instigate a meeting with Lewis, but each time he answered her call he said they needed to ‘wait’ before cutting the conversation short. Wait for what? They didn’t need to wait anymore. They needed to get on with their lives, to build something strong and stable for Kiama. She hadn’t worked it all out yet, but it made sense for them to tell everyone the truth, that together they were strong and that as a three they could get through this.

When he finally called her over she felt nervous as she sat on the tube up to Julie’s house, wringing her fingers and wondering what the plan was. Had he told his family about them already? Or would they do it together? Maybe some huge confession wasn’t the best way forward, perhaps it would be gentler to have her increasingly around, then it wouldn’t feel like such a shock for people to see them as a couple.

Lewis opens the door and briefly hugs her. She steps in behind him and pauses by the living room, where the curtains are drawn but the TV is on, the bright colours of a kids’ film light up the room. It’s on mute and Kiama lies on the sofa.

‘He’s asleep?’ she whispers. ‘It’s only five, is he feeling okay?’

Lewis signals for her to leave the room and follow him through to the kitchen. There’s no one in there, the garden is empty too; it’s too quiet for a house which is usually filled with so much activity.

‘It’s Danny’s birthday, so everyone is out for dinner,’ Lewis says, picking up on her expression.

‘Why didn’t you go?’

‘Didn’t feel like taking down the mood. Drink?’

She nods.

He brings down two tumblers from a cupboard and pours whisky into each.

‘I would have asked for coffee,’ She’s not sure why she’s trying to lighten the mood, to pretend that it’s a normal visit and everything is okay. ‘So, he’s sleeping a lot then?’

Lewis sits and puts an arm on the table and leans his head on it. ‘Not really. But I let him sleep whenever he can. He was up again last night. For hours.’

‘Oh.’ She takes her glass.

‘He’s okay falling asleep most nights. We do the whole routine with him, you know, like he’s a toddler, bath, book, bed for eight o’clock. My mum reads to him, she sits with him till he falls asleep, it’s the only way.’