Josephine has grown much more confident on the stage and she has a real charming presence up there now, cracking jokes in between songs—and not sparing Caitlin when she does, which makes her a girl after my own heart. Caitlin always sits beaming with pride whenever Josephine takes to the stage, as though she turns into a different person when her girlfriend is singing. Caitlin is not really the adoring girlfriend type who pines for her lover when she’s not there—the opposite of the way I feel right now—except when Josephine sings. Then her eyes soften, her whole being relaxes, and she listens with rapture in her glance. Josephine might have started out as a Caitlin James fangirl but, from where I’m sitting, it looks like the tables have turned.

At times, it was hard to witness her falling in love after my break-up with Rebecca. Selfish as it may sound, when your heart has just been broken into a million pieces, being faced with young love like that can be quite crushing. Because it made me realize what I was missing. Made me observe closely what love can do to a person. Made me remember what passion looked like. And it made me realize that, perhaps, at times, I couldn’t give Rebecca what she so craved anymore.

Josephine starts singing and I keep one hand on my mobile, which I’ve put in my jeans pocket, in case it vibrates. Of course she sings a love song, which makes me miss Camille even more, but it’s also soothing in a way. Two months is nothing, I repeat to myself. I have to, not only because I need it as a mantra, but also because I don’t want to think beyond those two months. I’ve reserved my ticket to Paris already. I still need to confirm it after I have a conversation with my boss and with Camille, but I have it locked down. I can go to Paris for a few weeks. After that, I will have to return to Australia. And then what? That’s what I don’t want to think about, but my thoughts keep drifting as Josephine sings.

“I would like to dedicate the next song to my friend Zoya,” she says. “She’ll know why.” I perk up at the mention of my name. Josephine shoots me a wink from the stage. “I wrote it myself and it’s called ‘Faraway Dreams,’” Josephine says.

I clap along with the crowd, hoping I’ll be able to keep it dry. As I listen to the words, it’s obvious the song is actually about Caitlin, and how faraway she appeared to Josephine for a while, but I guess the lyrics can apply to my situation in a way.