I made myself beans on toast and sat down to eat, waiting for Ben to come back out, but he was taking his time. I hoped he’d come to the club with me and we could have a laugh. Get back to the way things were before the kiss. I hated the atmosphere being so awkward and was desperate to clear the air.

Opening my laptop, I checked my emails and banking online, running through the list of direct debits to see where I might be able to switch providers or change to monthly payments. I spent less than an hour feeding my details into a comparison site and saved over a hundred pounds a month by changing my electricity provider as well as buildings and contents insurance. I was terrible at shopping around, too lazy to waste time searching for a better deal, but now I had no excuse. With more time on my hands and the need to dig myself out of my financial pit, it was imperative I took more interest in what I was spending. Ben’s rent had gone in, but it hadn’t made much of a dent. I was still in my overdraft, although away from the limit. Mum’s cheque and my quarterly council tax bill had both arrived in the post whilst I was out. I had to make sure I paid the cheque in today, then that would be one bill I’d be able to cross off my list.

Instead of waiting for Ben, I grabbed my bag and headed out of the door. It was Jane’s birthday on Friday and I hadn’t bought her anything yet. I could go to the bank and then look around the shops for something to get her whilst I was there.

When I got to the bank, the queue was long, and I was the youngest one in it. Eventually I got to the desk and paid in the cheque, the teller informing me it would take around four to five days to clear.

I found a lovely photo frame in the window of a quaint gift shop. They sold all sorts of decorative items for the home as well as gifts and trinkets. The frame was cream with two cartoon sloths hanging upside down from a line. The slogan ‘I love hanging out with you’ across the bottom. Jane loved sloths, she thought they were unbelievably cute. It was the reason her travels would extend to South America, she wanted to see one in the wild.

I picked up some posh hand cream for her too; she always complained how dry and cracked her hands were from the antibacterial gel she had to smother them in numerous times a day. I loved shopping trips where you were able to get everything you needed in one go.