Faith said she could come over to mine after work. I told her I’d provide the refreshments, and she said that seemed a fair trade. But beyond telling her I needed advice, I hadn’t given her much information about what had happened. I’d just slipped a large pepperoni into the oven when she texted to say she was outside, though, so I brushed myself down, took a deep breath and headed to the door. Faith gave me a kiss on the cheek as she walked in, with a bottle of white wine in one hand and her phone in the other. But as I moved to close the door, another body blocked it: Lily.

‘Hey, babes.’ Another kiss, and she followed Faith in the direction of the kitchen.

Faith had been a strategic decision when it came to selecting friends for the job of teaching me how to interact with love interests, a task I hadn’t had to manage, ever. Mine and Rowan’s relationship had already been cemented by the time either of us really knew what making an effort looked like. Sure, there were flowers and nights out and surprise trips away. But when it came to the intricacies of wooing someone, my knowledge started and finished at, ‘Will you be my girlfriend?’ which seemed a bold move given that I’d only met Fred twice. And seen her naked once.

I blinked away the memory and followed the girls. ‘I didn’t realise Lily was coming.’

‘This one thought you might need a straight perspective,’ Lily answered, as she crouched down to look through the window of the oven. ‘One pizza? Boy, you really didn’t think anyone else was coming.’

‘I’m sorry …’ I could feel my chest flushing; I was minutes away from the red blotch of panic creeping up my neck. ‘A straight perspective?’

Faith was ferreting through cupboards to find glasses. ‘In case this is about a romantic issue. Ah!’ She finally found the right one. ‘Which I assumed it was. Wine?’

‘Please.’ I could have snatched the bottle from her and upended it. But I waited until there was a glass in front of me before I started to explain anything. ‘So, someone gave me their number and I really need help on what to do next.’ Once their low howls and giggles had abated I carried on. I could feel the heat of my chest, though, and I thought my cheeks must match in colour. ‘Fred. Works at the museum. Also sometimes a model …’

‘I’m sorry, a model?’ Lily leapt in.

‘… and definitely a woman.’

Faith dropped her phone with a thud. ‘Okay, you’ve got my attention.’

‘Lily?’ I said, worried, questioning.

‘Edi?’

‘Are you … I don’t know. Are you okay?’