The lights were on and I wasn’t about to give up. I was the same with my own doorbell, convinced an unexpected afternoon chime meant Jehovah’s Witnesses or recent prison releases – all tattoos and broken teeth – with those brimming plastic crates of overpriced dishcloths. Eventually I heard the patter of footsteps.

‘Lily.’

Deborah didn’t look exactly thrilled to see me. I leant in for a double kiss, nevertheless. I’d brought a box of cakes from the Gail’s on the corner, and I thrust them into her hands.

‘I thought we left things a little oddly on Boxing Day, and I wanted to apologize in person,’ I said. ‘It’s been a bit of a stressful time.’

‘Right,’ she said warily, not stepping aside. She was wearing a pair of wrinkled green tracksuit bottoms that screamed ‘working from home’, and I wondered if she was weighing up the time commitment. She stared at me, birdlike. ‘Are you okay, Lily? You look a bit… not quite yourself.’

It took all my wherewithal not to look her up and down and make a joke about ‘casual Tuesday’. Instead I pressed home the advantage.

‘Not entirely,’ I said, my voice shaking. ‘That’s why I need to talk to you. Can I come in?’

Deborah’s face melted and she stepped aside. I hadn’t lost my touch with everyone, it appeared.

RACHEL

Cubicle two was becoming my home away from home. I would go for a pee, and then lay my face against the wall, calculating how many minutes I could afford to be away from my desk before it became a hanging offence. That afternoon I’d clearly taken my vice too far, because when I swung open the door, I found Julia standing on the other side, looking worried.

‘Hi,’ I said, crossing purposefully to the sink and turning the taps on full blast.

‘Rachel,’ she said hesitantly, her anxious face reflected in the smeared mirrors. ‘Are you alright? You seem so quiet today.’

The truth was, since my morning session with Amber, I’d lost all of my remaining ability to pretend I was handling my job. Emails swam in front of my eyes like they were written in Chinese, and I’d dumped every single incoming call, even though there were urgent decisions on the project that needed my input. I’d been watching my phone all day, but there’d been nothing from Arthur. Perhaps Amber would leave it alone. Or perhaps he cared so little that he’d simply slink away into the shadows like we’d never been a thing.

‘I’m okay,’ I said, leaning over the sink, trying to keep my face hidden.

She considered me – my hunched shoulders, my puffy eyes.

‘I know we’re not, like, friend, friends – but I do care about you,’ she said. ‘I know it’s not been easy with Duncan, but is everything okay with your new guy? It sounded really exciting…’