‘No,’ I say, pressing my hands down on it to stop him.

‘Oh, so you can dish it out, but when it comes down to it, you’re secretly pleased I brought it.’ He sits back down and gives me a shove with his elbow. I can’t help but laugh. I hate to admit it, but he’s right. It’s much nicer than sitting directly on sand.

The sky’s becoming lighter but the sun’s showing no sign of rising.

‘Will Verity have made it home by now?’

‘Yeah, I had a text to say she’d landed when I woke up this morning.’

‘How long’s she gone for?’ I ask, hugging my knees tighter.

‘About two weeks.’

‘I’m sure you’ll miss her.’

‘We’re used to being apart. In our line of work separation is just part of the job.’

‘And you think you’ll be able to do that forever?’ It comes out harsher than I wanted it to.

‘You sound like my mum and Soph.’

‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to. I guess it’s hard for me to understand your lifestyle. Doesn’t it ever get lonely? I know that my life is too predictable, but I couldn’t imagine living from one place to another, not setting down roots.’

‘Is that how you see it?’

‘Isn’t that how it is?’

He shakes his head.

‘I’d settle if I had something worth settling for.’

‘Looks like you may have already found it, if you’re thinking of moving with Verity to the US and setting up home together.’

The sun starts to appear on the horizon and I fix my eyes on it.

‘Back in the day, no one would have batted an eyelid if I’d have said yes to living abroad with Verity; people would have assumed I was living the life with no strings attached. But when you get older it’s funny how everyone reads so much more into things and takes a different view on your decisions.’

‘I get it. It’s like we reach a certain age and everyone expects us to go down a certain path.’

‘Exactly. I feel like I’m at the crossroads and I’ve got to pick which way I’m going to go.’

‘At least you’re a man. You don’t have a ticking biological clock or all the societal pressures that women do.’