I let out a startled little gasp as I turned and saw him.

‘It’s you, Lucy, isn’t it?’ he asked.

Any concern a nearby woman may have felt, was satiated by the fact that I quickly rose and greeted Jason like the long-lost friend he was.

I smiled, uncertain whether my voice was going to work. ‘Yes, Jason, it is.’ I said his name as boldly as I could, trying to mask the fact that my cheeks were flushed and my legs felt like jelly. I wondered if he knew I’d spotted him in the carriage. Did I sound surprised enough? ‘Wow – it’s been a long time.’

‘I’m so glad it’s you,’ he enthused, green eyes shining. ‘It would have been embarrassing if it wasn’t,’ he stuttered slightly, indicating he was nervous too. ‘Crazy. It’s been so long. It’s good to see you.’ We looked at each other in awkward fascination for a moment. I wondered what to do or say next.

‘So, what have you been up to?’ he offered tentatively. By now a train had been and gone and the platform had cleared around us.

I smiled. ‘In the last twenty years? Quite a lot. Like you have too, I’d imagine,’ I replied.

Little did he know that I knew a bit about what he’d been doing from a number of Google searches. I was still barred from his social media, from when I broke up with him. I estimated that he’d come back from Hong Kong about eighteen months ago. He was probably still in that phase when you came back to London and felt like a tourist – a time before you remembered that Londoners generally didn’t talk to each other on the Underground. Even if you spied an old friend sat in your carriage, your first reaction would have usually been to avert your eyes or get off – just like I did – so this was unusual. I mentally weighed up whether or not to say, ‘I’m so sorry, but I’m in a mad hurry,’ and leave the station to get a cab the rest of the way home. Any more small talk could have got painful. But something made me want to stay there. To drink up the beginnings of wrinkles around his eyes, the jawline that was a little softer; to bank the memory of his face for a little longer.

As another train pulled in and I began to walk towards the edge of the platform, Jason stayed with me, seeming keen to continue talking.

‘I don’t actually need this line,’ he confessed, as we watched the Tube doors open and close. Something stopped me from saying goodbye and jumping on. I was intrigued.’

We both remained rooted to the spot, neither wanting to be the first to break away, like there was an imaginary pull between us.

‘Do you fancy going for a drink?’ he asked. His features lit up expectantly. Looking at his face, for a moment I forgot everything – I felt 19 again. ‘I’ve had a shitty day at work, and I’d love to hear what you’ve been up to. There’s a lot to catch up on,’ he smiled. ‘A quick drink?’