‘But you’re not alone any more.’

‘I know. But in my head, I don’t know how not to be.’

She turns to me with an anguished expression and I look at my wise, brave friend and think how hard relationships can be to navigate as we get older. Not only the ones we have with our partners; but the ones we have with our friends and parents and siblings. Or is it us that makes them harder, with our layers of stuff that we accumulate? Like old clothes that we haven’t worn for years and no longer have any use for, but which we drag around with us in heavy suitcases.

The boyfriend who dumped you, the dad who criticized you, the kids at school who bullied you, the mum who abandoned you – all the ghosts of our pasts. The memories. The traumas. The triggers. Those feelings weigh heavy, and we pack them away out of sight, but never truly out of mind; they’re always with us, wherever we go and whomever we meet. If only we could clear out those emotional suitcases, like we clear out our wardrobes. Get rid of all that stuff that doesn’t fit us any more. Make space for the exciting new things in the future.

‘Danny loves you,’ I say simply.

‘And I love him,’ she shrugs. ‘But I don’t know how to need someone without feeling needy.’

‘Talk to him.’

‘I’ve tried.’

‘Keep trying,’ I urge. ‘Maybe if David and I had talked more, instead of assuming we both knew what each other was thinking . . .’

Naomi’s face falls. ‘Oh God, I’m sorry. I’m being tactless. Going on about Danny.’

‘Don’t be silly. I want you to tell me. Though I’m not being very helpful.’

‘You are. Just by listening.’

‘Well, I’m not sure you should be asking a divorced woman for advice about relationships,’ I shrug, with a smile. ‘Though I have learned you can only be in a relationship with someone who really wants to be in that relationship.’

She’s studying me, her dark eyes serious.

‘And it sounds to me like Danny really wants to be in your relationship.’

Naomi smiles gratefully, then glances around her. ‘So you used to come here with your sister?’

‘Yes, all the time.’ My eyes dart around the familiar surroundings. ‘But it’s the first time I’ve been back since we were kids.’

‘It must bring back some memories.’

I nod, casting my mind back. ‘We used to play hide-and-seek here. We’d catch the bus and sneak in. Josie always used to win. She’d go down the stairs that were roped off and hide in the dungeon. I could never find her, because I’d be too scared to look there. I remember once walking around crying, thinking I’d lost her for ever—’ I break off, feeling a lump in my throat.

Naomi brushes my arm. ‘You OK?’

‘Yeah.’ I force a smile. ‘Big sisters, huh?’

‘I wouldn’t know – I’m an only child. Which is why I worry sometimes about Ellie having just me.’