When I dropped onto the sofa, I couldn’t help but still make eyes at the portrait on the wall opposite. It was every bit Fred, from the waist to the hips to the – I sighed again – everything. Even though I could feel her eyes on me, I decided I’d talk to the portrait instead. Explain to the portrait how amazing she was, and beautiful and kind-hearted and generous, especially in bed, even though that shouldn’t matter but my time with her had taught me that a connection in bed definitely mattered, even if only a little bit, but yes, it definitely did.

She laughed. ‘Okay, so, where is this going?’ she asked when I came up for air.

‘I think …’ I pulled in a shaky breath. ‘I think we should stop seeing each other, romantically, I mean.’

She sipped, then, and said, ‘Okay.’

‘It isn’t you—’

Fred leaned forward from her side of the sofa and kissed me square on the mouth to catch the platitude. ‘I know.’

‘You know it isn’t you?’

‘Well, I can take a good guess that it isn’t me.’ She smiled and squeezed my knee on her way back to her own side of the sofa. ‘You can finish the line if you want? I just thought I’d save you.’

‘You are genuinely one of the most amazing women I’ve met in my life, and this has been amazing. It is amazing, still, like, nothing has actually happened.’

‘Apart from the breakdown of the most significant romantic relationship in your life.’

I laughed. ‘Yes, apart from that. Because of that, because of that breakdown …’ I rubbed at my forehead. Christ, stop saying breakdown … ‘Fred, I think I just need to be on my own for a while. Rowan, he didn’t do anything wrong, not really.’ I slapped my hand to my forehead. ‘That’s a lie, actually, isn’t it? Because he did do things wrong and he definitely handled things all wrong. But Christ, if that isn’t just Rowan all over, and I see that now. And, do you know what, I could have probably handled some stuff better in my time, too, it’s just – just that, I think, before I get into a new relationship with anyone, I – I’m basically turning into a Hallmark movie as I say this, but I think for a while I need to be in a relationship with me.’

When she leaned forward this time, she kissed my temple. ‘Good for you, Edi.’

My head jerked around. ‘That’s it?’

She hurried to swallow her sip. ‘I mean, we’re in my apartment, I’m hardly going to wreck the place.’ We shared a laugh, then, and she held her glass out towards me. ‘Give me a clink, you gorgeous woman, we’re celebrating a new relationship.’

‘How are you like this?’ I knocked my glass against hers.