Rain trickles down her collar, as she shelters under the pub’s eaves. She shivers and pulls her phone from her bag. The screen is blank – the battery flat. Calling a taxi is out of the question. Still, maybe the walk – even in the rain – will do her good; clear her head of thoughts of Leon, and whoever he’s with. She rummages in her seemingly bottomless rucksack for her umbrella, shoots it up, and, head down, sets out for home.

Leon

Leon looks down at Tegan’s clammy, shaky hand resting on his, and tries to absorb the shock of what she’s just told him. There’s a side to this woman that lurks under the surface that he hadn’t seen until tonight. He needs to do something about her revelation.

‘Hi there.’ He turns to see a woman in dungarees he vaguely recognises. ‘Faith,’ the woman goes on with a bright smile, pressing her fingers against her chest. ‘You’re Leon, right?’

‘Yes.’ Still he can’t place where he knows her from, wishes she would move away from the table so he can carry on his conversation. Tegan removes her hands from his. Fidgets as she stares at him with worried, drunken eyes. She’s had too much wine. It’s why she’s offloaded. And now she’s volatile.

He shakes his head at Faith, trying not to show the irritation he feels. ‘Sorry—’

‘Alice’s Sculptures in Wonderland.’

‘Ah. OK. Yes.’ He waves a hand in acknowledgement, presses it to his forehead.

‘I’m Alice’s friend.’

‘Yes. Of course you are, yes, sorry.’ He went into the shop in May, hoping to talk to Alice. Suggest a drink or meal. But Faith told him she wasn’t working and the weak moment that pulled him in to see her passed. We’re not right for each other. She’ll never want children.

Faith looks towards the door, and nods. ‘You just missed Alice. She had a bit of a headache. Left to walk home.’

‘Really?’ His gaze moves to the door, and back to Faith.

A tall man appears by her side, a double brandy in one hand, half a lager in the other. He hands Faith the lager.

‘I asked for a pint,’ she says, looking up at him.

‘If I wanted to date a bloke, I would turn gay,’ he says. ‘Plus you’re driving, babe.’

Faith rolls her eyes. ‘Well it was nice to see you again, Leon,’ she says.

The couple head away, and Leon turns back to the table. Shit. Tegan’s gone. He scans the bar, rises to his feet – searching – but there’s no sign of her anywhere.

Alice

Alice has been walking for fifteen minutes when the rain stops. She collapses her umbrella, keeping hold of it in a tight grip as she turns into Sparrow Lane. Just another five minutes and she’ll be home.