‘I’m so glad we got back in touch,’ I say.

We’re interrupted by Alfie’s crying.

‘I think he’s due a nap, I’ll see if I can put him down,’ says Brett. He goes to leave and holds the kitchen door open for me.

‘Actually, I need to make a quick phone call.’

He goes back out alone and I stand there, taking a moment. I never thought that in trying to reconnect with the old me, I’d also be making an impact on my friend’s life too.

The kitchen door creaks and it startles me. Joel walks in and my heart starts to thump in my chest. I’ve deliberately avoided him today and the last thing I wanted was to find ourselves alone.

‘Hey, can’t talk now, I’m just about to head home,’ I say, walking towards the door, but he gently closes it before I get there.

‘You got the email I sent, didn’t you?’

I freeze and I meet his eyes for the first time today.

‘Did you know it was being sent to the future?’

He splutters a laugh. ‘No, I absolutely didn’t. But when you were talking at the hospital the other day about the emails you’d been receiving, I started to wonder if that’s what happened. And then you confirmed it today; you haven’t been able to look at me once.’

I take a step further away from him.

‘Joel, I’m so sorry. I would never have ignored an email like that. If I’d got it …’ I stop myself from saying what I really want to say.

He runs both his hands through his hair and walks into the centre of the kitchen.

‘Fuck, Edie. I spent years hating you for breaking my heart and then I find out that you never even got my email.’

‘I know. But if it makes you feel any better, I spent years hating you too after I walked in and found Elizabeth in your bed.’

He turns round and stares hard at me.

‘You knew about Elizabeth?’

I nod. I can still see her after all these years with that smug smile on her face.

‘I wanted to find out why you were ignoring me. You’d been acting weird with me for days, but when I got to your room she was there.’

‘I couldn’t stand to be around you. I couldn’t understand how you couldn’t at the very least tell me to my face that you didn’t feel the same way.’

‘If I’d have got the email of course I would have spoken to you.’

He takes a step closer to me and doesn’t stop staring at me. I can hardly breathe.

‘And what would you have said?’ he says.

I close my eyes; it’s too painful to look at him.