They kissed hello and then Penny flopped down onto the sofa and watched Francesco manoeuvre himself through her kitchen. It was nice to be exhausted but to have company. It was nice that she hadn’t lied about how she was feeling, or put on a show for him. She’d done that enough times before in the past – even on her worst days she’d let nobody other than her uncle and her sister know just how low she felt, how helpless and miserable and defeated she often was. That was why she didn’t have hundreds of friends – it was too much hard work to hide the truth of herself and her limitations. She’d rather have a close-knit group who knew her completely than a huge group of acquaintances who knew her hardly at all. Like Sharon – Sharon accepted her, warts and all, and it was one of the most rewarding friendships of Penny’s life.

‘Can I get you anything?’ Francesco asked, putting down two glasses of water he’d added lemon, ice, and mint from the balcony herb garden to. ‘The kettle is boiling. Tea?’

‘Tea,’ she replied. ‘Yeah. With milk, please. There’s a tiny plastic carton on the top shelf of the fridge. Or there’s oat milk in there too, if you prefer.’

Francesco fussed around, making tea and peering into plastic Tupperware boxes in the fridge and asking after their contents. He tried some of her Pasta Yiayia and brought over the box of tiramisu that Sharon had given her.

They talked about the food, and about the playlist Penny had on. (‘It’s from the second season of Master of None,’ she told him, and he said he hadn’t seen it. ‘You haven’t seen it? Oh Francesco,’ she gushed. ‘You’ll love it. We’ll watch it here, one weekend. Okay?’ Francesco had smiled and said yes, they should do. The meaningful pause afterwards meant they’d both clocked the intention to see each other again, like it was a no-brainer. Of course they’d watch Master of None together! Of course they’d spend a day in her house, on the sofa, doing just that!)

‘It’s so badass that this is your life,’ Francesco said, as he pulled her feet up onto his lap for the massage he’d promised. ‘This apartment, Bridges, the way you talk about your uncle and your sister and Sharon … you’ve really got your shit together, haven’t you?’

‘Thank you. That’s a kind thing to say.’

‘I’m not very happy at work. I think I’m sensitive to everyone else’s lives because I’m trying to build up the courage to change some things about my own.’

Penny nodded. ‘It’s a horrible feeling when things don’t sit right. But I’d have thought working under Anthony Farrah would have been a total dream, no?’