Rob has left for work, and the whole day stretches before Abby like a vast ocean. There are a thousand things she could get stuck into; none she actually wants to. Right in that moment she can’t plan beyond talking to her closest friend on the phone, relishing the comforting familiarity of her voice.

‘I’ve got the whole Easter holidays ahead of me,’ Mel continues, ‘and no one to spend it with. What am I going to do?’

Abby laughs – this couldn’t be further from the truth. Mel is a social butterfly; her evenings will be spent seeing family and friends, while her days will be filled with lesson planning. She can’t relax until she’s organised for the next term. Unlike Abby. Rob always teases her about how she can be so effective at her job when she lives in chaos.

‘I wish I was there,’ Abby says. ‘I miss Box Hill. And you, of course.’

‘We’ve still got each other,’ Mel assures her. ‘Distance won’t change that, will it?’

She doubts this but won’t let Mel know her fears. Life has changed beyond all recognition and, aside from Rob, Mel is the only thread linking her to her old existence. Before Abby left Ipswich, they both made promises to stay in touch, swearing to message constantly and visit every school holiday. Now, Abby wonders for how long they’ll be able to maintain this. Life will eventually get in the way, stop them from doing all the things that in that moment feel essential. She doesn’t want years to go by where she and Mel might become just two people who once knew each other well.

‘’Course it won’t,’ Abby replies. ‘Nothing will change.’ This is more for her benefit than Mel’s.

‘Anyway, I wanted to check in with you to make sure you’re okay?’

Abby immediately knows what Mel’s talking about. ‘I miss Mum every day. It’s not always painful when I talk or think about her now, but other times it bowls me over and I wonder how I’m ever going to breathe again.’

‘That’s totally natural. Grief is a bitch. You just have to ride the waves.’ Mel sounds like an unconventional therapist of some kind, and Abby can’t help smiling. Until her friend speaks again. ‘What about all the other stuff, though?’

She doesn’t want Mel bringing this up, doesn’t even want to think about it: that will make it real. ‘It’s all fine,’ she says. ‘Everything’s fine.’ And then she launches into her spiel about how much she’s enjoying doing up the house, how exciting it is to be in London, how she and Rob are living their dream.