‘Don’t worry, I’ve thought all that through. Soon as I hear back about this job, you’ll be the first to know. Just trust me.’

We sit silently for a moment. Sasha looks deeply hurt. This doesn’t surprise me, given I haven’t shared any of this plan with her until today, but that’s how I’ve discovered I must now operate. Everyone’s so quick to tell me what I cannot, must not, should not do, so I now share information on a need-to-know basis. I’m only telling Sasha now because it’s almost signed and sealed, and I need her on side when I take the dreaded step of sharing it with my mother and Carol.

‘I’m not just worried about your health situation.’ Sasha breaks the silence between us. ‘I’m going to miss you so much.’

Feeling unexpectedly overwhelmed by emotion, I take a deep breath to steady myself. As much as Sasha’s recent worrying and overprotectiveness has frustrated me, she’s still my best friend in the world.

‘I know, Sash.’ I stare into my empty coffee cup and try to compose myself. ‘But I can’t live like this. I’ll lose my head if I have to endure—’

I’m silenced as my iPhone bursts into life. I look down and see a Birmingham number illuminated on the screen.

‘Sorry, just give me a moment.’ I answer the call. ‘Hello, this is Alex speaking.’

‘Hi, Alex. It’s Jim from New Horizons,’ says the caller.

‘Hi, Jim. I hope you’re calling with good news?’

I wince as Sasha resumes staring out of the window miserably.

‘I certainly am,’ Jim’s upbeat voice confirms in my ear. ‘Your relocation package has been approved and we’ve found you a small one-bedroom apartment to rent near the city centre. I’ll email you some photos. They’d like you to start next month.’

‘I’m sure that can be arranged, Jim. I’ll put my notice in tomorrow. Thanks again.’

I terminate the call and take a moment to digest its full meaning. It’s all sorted. I’m moving to Birmingham in a few weeks’ time. My stomach churns with a mix of excitement, nervous anticipation and melancholy: for the second chance I’ve gained, and the life I loved so much, that I’ve lost. I turn back to Sasha.

‘It’s all confirmed. Are you ready to hear the details?’

By the next morning, I’ve managed to get Sasha on side. I also may have let her think she can come with me if she can find a job in Birmingham. Something I’m not particularly proud of, but it serves two purposes: perking Sasha up by thinking she’ll be with me ‘every step of the way’, as she put it; and I’ve realised I can use the idea of her moving with me to call off the wolves aka my mother and sister.

By the time Sasha realises that uprooting her whole life for me is ridiculous and totally impractical (her mum doesn’t keep well at all, having suffered a heart attack several years ago), I’ll be home and dry, so to speak, in my new-build rental apartment. Sasha’s too much of a home bird to leave Glasgow anyway.