Anna pretended to faint, flopping back onto the bed covered in clothes and hangers. Gabi lay down beside her and they both giggled quietly. ‘You are silly,’ Gabi said.

‘Only half as silly as you, though,’ Anna replied and poked her friend gently in the ribs.

‘That is true,’ Gabi said wearily, and they both lay there looking up at the ceiling.

‘I’m worried about him,’ Anna finally said. ‘Brody.’

Gabi pushed herself up on one elbow and looked at Anna. ‘Why?’

‘The last time we spoke, I asked him about that accident you mentioned, and he kind of lost it.’

‘Lost it?’ Gabi said slowly. ‘How do you mean? Angry? Irrational?’

‘I don’t know,’ Anna said, propping herself up to match Gabi’s position. ‘He just… He stopped talking, and I could hear him, and then… nothing. The phone went dead.’

‘Did he say sorry?’

‘That’s just it. That call was more than a week ago, and I’ve sent messages, tried phoning every day, but he won’t answer. I’m scared I’ve stuck my big fat nose in where it didn’t belong and ruined it.’

‘Maybe you need to back off a little? Give him space?’

‘Why do you say that?’

Gabi sighed heavily. ‘Voice of experience.’

Anna waited for Gabi to explain, but Gabi let her body drop back down on the bed and went back to studying the ceiling light. ‘A coat hanger is sticking into my butt,’ Gabi mumbled, ‘but I can’t be bothered to move.’

Anna poked Gabi again. It was quickly becoming her favourite new method of communication. ‘What do you mean, “voice of experience”?’

‘A little because I see that I was pushy with you sometimes…’

Anna squeezed her hand.

‘And a little because…’ Gabi scrunched up her face before she carried on. ‘Because I phoned Lee.’

Anna sprang up to a sitting position and stared at her friend. ‘You phoned Lee?’

Gabi drew a deep breath and opened her eyes again. She nodded. ‘I was feeling so low. He didn’t answer and then…’ She looked away, colour rising in her cheeks. ‘I did it again.’

Anna blinked, too stunned to say anything.

‘But I think he changed his number… because the next time it was just dead.’ Gabi’s lip wobbled. ‘I just miss him so much, Anna. I didn’t want…’ The rest of the sentence was lost as she covered her face with her hands and sobbed.

Anna scooted over and put her arms around Gabi. ‘I know,’ she said soothingly as she stroked her friend’s hair. ‘I know…’

Gabi cried for a while, then composed herself, wiping her tears away with the heels of her hands. Anna passed her a box of tissues, and when Gabi had produced an elephant-worthy blow, she turned to face Anna.

‘Do you think he changed his number because of you?’ Anna asked.

Gabi shrugged. ‘He kept saying he wanted to upgrade – his contract was going to be up soon. Maybe he just got a new phone and got a new number? Or maybe he just didn’t want to…’ she swallowed, ‘want to speak to me anymore.’