‘Yeah, you’re right. Sorry. I just wanted to stop and talk to you. It’s really good seeing you again, you know. You look really good.’ He reached out to touch my arm but I flinched before he could make contact and he dropped it again. ‘I suppose I deserve that.’ Giving me a sad smile, he walked past me towards the meeting room.

I went towards the front door, but I could see that it was still snowing lightly outside. It brought me back to reality, and I spent the next ten minutes pacing up and down in the entrance hall, reminding myself why I shouldn’t let Mike back into my life. Though that didn’t mean I couldn’t call a truce with him, did it?

I hadn’t told Anna about Mike’s phone call, or about his sudden desire to apologise. I knew exactly what she’d say if I asked for her opinion. She didn’t understand the subtleties of it – all she knew about my relationship with Mike had been what she’d seen from the outside. She’d never seen the good stuff, and part of me wanted to be able to remember that fondly. Despite what had happened between us, I had some pleasant memories of the early part of our relationship, and I’d felt truly happy for a short time. Maybe by allowing him to say his piece, by accepting his apology, I could move on and enjoy my relationship with Max.

Thinking about Max gave me a pang of guilt. I’d never even told him about Mike. But then, really, when it came down to it, it was none of his or Anna’s business. It was between me and Mike, and if I chose to hear him out when I had the opportunity, I was the only one whose opinion mattered.

A bell went, and soon a few students were milling around at the end of the corridor. I reflected on how the uniform had changed since Anna was here; the girls were mostly wearing trousers, which was unheard of fifteen years ago, and there were no ties any more. Anna had always complained about having to wear a tie, so I was sure she’d be glad to hear that the current students didn’t have to suffer the same fate.