Shaking myself, I put the car into gear and pulled out of the gates, careful to avoid the huge snowdrift on the corner. There was a light covering on the road, but the grit that had been spread earlier seemed to have kept off the worst of it.

As I drove, I wondered what Singh and Mike had found to talk about while Mike was helping with the search. Had Mike told him about our relationship? And if he had, which version had he told?

Chapter 5

What was usually a twenty-five-minute drive took me nearly two hours. Some of the roads had been ploughed, but the village I lived in wasn’t a priority, so only the main route had been cleared. After attempting to get near to the flat I’d given up and left my car three streets away and walked from there.

When I got home, I walked in to a scene that surprised me. Max was sitting on the sofa, telling Anna a story, and she was sitting on the floor laughing. The two of them looked so relaxed, I felt like I was intruding rather than entering my own flat. Max, like Anna, was profoundly deaf, and whilst he spoke when it suited him he preferred to use BSL. He worked in a school in Hull that had a specialist unit for supporting deaf children. I’d never seen him at work, but I could imagine he was great with the kids he supported.

Hi, I waved at both of them, dropping my bag on the floor and kicking my shoes off before flopping down onto the sofa next to Max. He gave my knee a squeeze and I smiled at him, leaning over to give him a kiss. His wiry copper hair was in need of a trim, but I quite liked him looking a little dishevelled. The grin he gave me still set butterflies fluttering in my belly, even now.

After nine months of dating, I was glad I’d reached a place where I wasn’t bothered by him turning up unannounced. I never used to like surprises, because they took control away from me, and when I was with Mike I’d had so little control over anything that I had to hold on to what I could.

How was your day? he asked.

Terrible, I replied. I didn’t know you were coming over, but it’s nice to see you, I told him with a smile.

I thought you’d probably be exhausted once you’d finished work and battled your way home through the snow, so I brought wine and … he pulled out his phone, the means to order takeaway.

Anna and I both laughed at this – Max’s awful cooking had become a running joke over the last few months.

If they can get here to deliver it, I pointed out.