Sharmi lingered, perhaps thinking there was more to say or hoping there was.

Kagiso put an end to that possibility. ‘Just turn the light off as you go. I’ll hang around for a few minutes,’ he said, then added, ‘Sharmi, we’re on our own now. It’s each to his or her own for the next few days, maybe weeks. You can’t afford to make any mistakes.’

‘I know.’ Sharmi waited by the door. ‘I know what I’m doing, Kagiso. You all think I’m over the top but I’m serious about this.’

‘I’ve never doubted that … or your guts,’ he said. ‘But you’ve got to think with your head, not your heart.’

‘Is that what you do?’

Kagiso ignored the question. ‘Okay, I’ll see you.’

‘Yeah, see you.’

Kagiso heard the front door latch click into place. He found himself staring at the space where Sharmi had been standing. It was as if there was a gap, like looking at a stencil of her shape. She’d taken something with her, her high-voltage presence. The room, the air, was thinner, poorer without her in it. That was how it seemed. It wasn’t the first time he’d felt that way after he’d been with her, even on those frequent occasions, such as this one, when they had fought. Especially when they had fought. The fighting always brought to mind its opposite. What was that? Tenderness? Not really. Intimacy? Of a kind. Attraction? Yes, he knew where that came from. It went way back, but not so far that he couldn’t remember its intensity, the sheer intoxicating thrill of meeting her, arguing with her – yes, even then. That first time, the only time, their mutual desire had emerged in the physicality of the encounter: there hadn’t been time for affection, just energy. Now only the energy remained, finding expression in the words they used, ugly ones, hurtful ones. It was a relationship of sorts, a substitute for what they might achieve if only they could break the habit, make room for something else.

Kagiso was not a man given to impulse but he wondered if he might catch Sharmi before she left the building. Not now, he told himself. Another time, maybe when all this was over.