‘Liam,’ said Anastasia after a moment, in a small voice. ‘I didn’t mean it, you know. I really didn’t expect you to react like this.’

Rage bubbled up, hot and quick, inside, and it helped a little.

‘Oh yeah?’ he said, aware that his voice was loud in the still night air. ‘How the fuck did you expect me to react then?’

He sensed the other woman moving a little further away.

‘I don’t know,’ shouted Anastasia suddenly. ‘I didn’t expect this big fucking tantrum.’

Liam made a disgusted noise and walked down the platform, away from her. It was childish, but he didn’t care about that.

He hated her right now. He loved her. He wasn’t going to speak to her.

For the next five minutes, Anastasia tried to engage him in conversation. She hated to be ignored, he knew this. So even when she stuck her face up close to his and said, ‘I’m not going to go away until you speak to me. I love you, don’t you know that?’ and started to cry, he simply turned his head.

Anastasia got up then and began to walk up and down the platform, muttering to herself.

He thought again about leaving, but was acutely aware that, if he did, it would be the end. Wracked with indecision, he was turned the other way when he became aware of raised voices. Anastasia and the woman were now arguing.

He heard Anastasia say, ‘What fucking business is it of yours what I do?’ and the low murmur of the reply.

Anastasia was walking quite close to the edge of the platform and the woman seemed to be remonstrating about this. She reached for Anastasia’s arm and was violently shrugged off with a yell of ‘Get your hands off me!’

Liam hurried down the platform.

The other woman was breathing heavily, her eyes bright with outrage behind thick glasses.

‘This young lady needs to get home and into bed, I think,’ she said in a strong West Indian accent. ‘She is putting herself and other people in danger by behaving in this way.’

‘I know,’ said Liam, in a placatory voice, ‘I’m sorry, I’ll get her home.’

Anastasia gave a scream of frustrated fury that cut through an automated announcement:

‘Will passengers on platform one please stay clear of the edge. The next train does not stop here.’

‘How dare you fucking speak for me, Liam!’

She slapped him on the cheek. It wasn’t that hard, but the shock was great and for a moment he just stared at her.

‘I don’t think you should—’ said the woman and Anastasia turned to her.

‘And fuck you too! You all think you can control me!’

She went to hit the woman, who, with surprising speed, quickly caught her hand. Anastasia began to wrestle it out of her grip in a disproportionately aggressive way.