Li passed her a pair of chopsticks. ‘I thought it would be fun if we used these.’

Georgie took the chopsticks and examined them carefully before trying to pick at a piece of carbon-coated chicken – if indeed it was chicken.

‘Good thinking.’

Li wedged a heap of food into her mouth and chewed laboriously. ‘Wow. It’s not that great, is it?’

No, it’s awful. But right then Georgie felt nothing but affection for her flawed housemate and her useless cooking, so she scooped as much as she could on the chopsticks and tried to make it look as though she was enjoying it. ‘Li, it’s delicious. Really good.’

‘You’re a fucking awful liar,’ Li laughed through mouthfuls.

They ate in silence for a short while; Georgie was conscious that her floor was strewn with the Martin papers. She hoped Li couldn’t work out what they were but by the way she kept peering at them out of the corner of her eye, she doubted it.

‘You want to talk about it?’ Li said in the end.

Georgie looked at the half-eaten bowl; her appetite dissipated almost immediately. She knew Li was right – she did need to talk about it. But she had never said it out loud, never admitted what had happened to anyone. Her guilt and shame had kept it buried. Until recently, she had pretended it had happened to someone else, and her obsession with Martin had been . . . what? On that person’s behalf?

‘It was a long time ago,’ Georgie said quietly.

‘So? What difference does that make?’

A fair point. ‘It wasn’t . . . you know. It wasn’t like I hadn’t asked for it.’

‘What do you mean?’ snapped Li, and Georgie was taken aback by her tone. ‘It wasn’t like I hadn’t asked for it.’

‘I just mean . . . Oh, for heaven’s sake, Li.’ Georgie felt as though she was welling up. ‘We were on a night out. We all came back, we were all a little tipsy. I wanted him to kiss me. I wanted him to touch me. I just . . . wasn’t ready for him to touch me in that way.’

‘And you told him no?’

‘Yes, I told him no. I was very clear.’

‘It’s not your fault, sweetie.’

Georgie wiped away a sudden tear. She put the bowl down beside the bed. Why did you have to bring it up? But to her surprise, Li was suddenly next to her, holding her, stroking her hair, like her mother used to when she was little. It was ridiculous, but in those few moments of comfort, Georgie forgot herself and sobbed gently in Li’s arms.

‘You still sleep with the light on, don’t you?’ asked Li gently.