It really was very warm now. The pipes ticked and hummed: Alexa assumed that their unpredictable heating had clicked on. Despite appeals to Elias, the radiators would click on in June and then refuse to warm up in December. Subtly, she felt under her armpits – disguising the action as hugging herself. They were damp. She could feel the sweat beading her forehead. She must smell dreadful, she thought, in horror. She’d last showered yesterday morning, and since then she’d completed two commutes, a date to a pizza place, rolled around on someone else’s body and slept beside them.

Ellen was trying again. ‘How long can humans go without food?’ she asked, quietly.

‘A lot longer than we’ve gone,’ Alexa replied, testily.

‘What about water?’

‘A lot longer than we’ve gone.’ She wasn’t sure, but she thought Ben might have snorted at that. She felt a tiny bit better.

‘I wonder if anyone’s ever died of boredom.’

Alexa rolled her eyes. ‘Who knows?’

‘It is weird how long the locksmith is taking,’ Ben said, quietly. ‘Right?’

‘Yeah.’ Alexa leaped at the chance to speak to him. ‘But I guess we don’t really know exactly what was arranged with that neighbour.’

Ben made a nod of agreement. It was a start.

‘Maybe I should just climb on to the roof?’ he suggested. ‘I’m sure I could shimmy down a drainpipe and break in the front door –’

‘I don’t think that’s safe,’ Alexa interrupted, alarmed.

‘Well, you could tie the cord around my waist, or something?’ He looked at the skylight.

‘I don’t think we should send anyone out on to the roof just yet,’ Alexa said.

He shrugged, but at least he’d looked at her. She held his eyes for a second, trying to communicate an apology for the whole horrid misunderstanding. It felt a little like he’d softened, but she couldn’t tell if this was just wishful thinking on her part.

‘Jack’s being a bit weird, isn’t he?’ Ellen whispered. ‘He keeps sneaking off over there –’

‘I think he was giving us space,’ Ben pointed out, jumping in. ‘After your attempts at further sabotage.’

Alexa looked at him sharply, but he had the ghost of a smile. Her stomach loosened its anxious clenching slightly.

Ellen opened her mouth indignantly, then also clocked that this might just be the start of a reconciliation.

‘Right. Yeah. Um … I just …’ Ellen floundered.

‘Can we not?’ Ben said, sharply. ‘Please.’

Ellen closed her mouth and resumed looking at the floor.

Alexa tensed again. Ben rubbed the inside of her wrist with his thumb and then found her eyes for a second. His expression was unreadable.

22. Jack

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME!

SOUTH LONDONER STUCK IN OWN ATTIC GOES VIRAL