He came over every night after that. We were both jet-lagged with wonky body clocks adjusting to the northern hemisphere, so it was a takeaway or a bit of Netflix and chill that got cut off at 8.30 p.m. His place was exactly eleven minutes on foot from mine, so where I’d had friends tell horror stories about trying to keep relationships across the city alive when it was ninety minutes door to door via public transport, being neighbours was yet another thing we seemed to have going in our favour.

Unlike him, I wasn’t due back at work for another few days, so used the time in between laundry cycles and naps to google things like can I change my job at thirty-two? and how much should I have in savings to change careers? I found some information evenings for counselling courses that I bookmarked and went back to look at periodically, each time feeling braver about signing up for one. Maybe I really can find a job I love, I dared to start imagining.

As the emptiness of the house whilst Patrick was at work echoed around me, I also started to think about where I’d live next. I made a spreadsheet of my savings, fixed outgoings, and looked over what I normally spent in a month. I’d have to axe most of my luxuries immediately – no more ten-class passes to bootcamp, or expensive lowlights, or even brunches and cocktails. It was embarrassing to see in black and white how much money I’d gotten used to throwing away on frivolities. That had to stop. I’d way overspent in Australia, too – I’d embraced the YOLO attitude a bit too much.

I signed into my pension provider but knew I’d be crazy to touch that cash. I needed to figure out a way to find an affordable flat as soon as possible, preferably not in Zone 7 and still near all the people I loved and who loved me, which also happened to be in one of the most expensive cities in the world. I supposed that in the absolute worst-case scenario I could move in with Mum and Dad south of the river for a while, but God – the week they’d spent in the house after the wedding-that-wasn’t had been maddening enough. That would have to be Plan B – or, rather, Plan Z. Adzo and the Core Four were out of the question, since nobody had any space anyway.