Mercifully her sister had bought gin; more inexplicably, she’d also bought a multi-plug extension socket.

‘I panicked – it was on display near the checkout and then I thought maybe he’d have taken all the plugs.’

‘Why would he do that?’ Anya sniffed, alarmed.

‘I don’t know. He always brought the adaptors when we went on holidays to France – look, just have it, OK?’ She pressed it into Anya’s palms. ‘And let’s get a gin down you.’

Anya was a gin deep when Paddy arrived bearing three oven pizzas and a bottle of tequila. Georgie buzzed him in as Anya, on a break from sobbing, was staring at the wall and muttering, ‘I just can’t believe it happened like this’.

‘I knew we’d end up with too many spirits,’ Paddy said, gravely, entering the living room and shaking his head as he spotted the Gordon’s. He tossed his grey coat on the back of the squishy armchair, placed the tequila on the table and helped himself to a gulp of Georgie’s drink. She opened her mouth in outrage.

‘Alright, alright; I’ll get myself a glass.’

He placed it back on the table in front of her and edged out of the room towards the kitchen bearing the pizzas. ‘Then let’s be having the whole fucking story. I got one ham and pineapple and two pepperonis, by the way.’

He reappeared a few minutes later, holding a slender plastic cup bearing the name of the recruitment firm where Anya worked. She noted, sadly, that was the office where she and Connor had met.

‘Did the fucker take all the glasses?’

‘What? No!’ Anya shook her head sadly. ‘We’re just shit at stuff like that.’ A pause. ‘Unless he did take them all –’ she added, alarmed.

‘Either way it’s a good thing you’re getting shot of him. Oh, don’t bloody look at me like that, Georgie. Can someone put a timer on for twelve minutes?’

They both stared at Georgie, who rolled her eyes and obliged.

Paddy sat down in the armchair, took a swig of his short cocktail, and leaned forward, palms pressed in prayer.

‘So. Tell us then. What happened?’

On cue, Anya’s lip wobbled as she filled them in on the sorry tale.

She rubbed her eyes with the sleeve of her jumper. It was wool and made her eyes itch. ‘He’s been acting a bit weird recently, but I thought it was just work. I know he hates his new boss –’ She trailed off, and saw Paddy and Georgie exchange a look.

‘Is there someone else?’ Georgie asked gingerly.

Anya wished that the theatrics of break-ups did not come with their own cliched script.

‘I don’t know –’ her voice was thick with snot now. ‘I asked but if there is he wouldn’t admit to it. Maybe.’ She bit her thumbnail and watched them both from behind swimming eyes.