There had been a flurry of images delivered to my WhatsApp every day. Fred had sent me possibilities for this half of the space, other possibilities for the remaining half. She wanted a walk-through experience, she’d explained, starting with the girl and ending with the woman, tracked through portraiture. The captions she sent me with each picture became lengthier as the day went on and she became more consumed by her plans. But I hadn’t minded. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen someone with Fred’s passion for – well, anything. I sighed, then, and realised that was one of the things I’d miss the most.

‘Hey,’ she called my attention. ‘What’s going on?’

‘Rowan and I broke up.’ I blurted the announcement out at such a speed that she didn’t have time to hide her shock at it. ‘I’m fine,’ I hurried to add. ‘Like, genuinely fine. We’ve talked. Well, to start with we argued a bit but then we talked. I don’t really think he wanted to … I mean, when did he ever really want to, which I suppose was half the trouble and …’ I shook my head. ‘You don’t need chapter and verse about it.’

She pushed a wine glass towards me and came around to my side of the counter. ‘If it’ll help—’ she pulled me into a hug and spoke into my neck ‘—then I want to hear it.’

The heat of her breath sent something through me, and I had to remind myself why I was there.

I sipped my drink. ‘I told him that I didn’t think we were a good fit anymore, but that didn’t mean we couldn’t still be friends, that we wouldn’t be in each other’s lives.’ I felt a laugh bubble up. ‘Christ, I’m like a break-up cliché made up of Molly’s exes.’

Fred laughed, too. ‘I imagine you were probably more sincere than Molly’s exes with it all, if I know you. Come on.’ She nodded towards the sofa. ‘Sit. You can walk me through it.’

‘Fred, I don’t know that—’

‘So, don’t walk me through it.’ She landed on the couch with a thud. ‘But you’ve been dodging offers of seeing me for two weeks straight and I’d wager that breaking up with Rowan probably isn’t the reason for it.’ She tapped the empty seat next to her. ‘So, walk me through whatever it is that you called round here to walk me through.’

‘Jesus, you’re—’

‘Abrasive?’ She shrugged. ‘I’ve been told.’