It feels good to be needed for something, no matter how small it may be, and besides that, she is intrigued. She suggests they grab a coffee. It’s gone eight p.m. and what she wants to do is get home to Greg, to try to coax some discussion out of him, but she senses Abby needs to talk.

There’s a coffee shop on the ground floor of the fitness centre, which Sienna knows stays open late. ‘I’ve never seen it busy before, so we can give it a go,’ she tells Abby. ‘I just need to make a quick call first, so I’ll meet you there?’

Abby’s face brightens, making Sienna wonder if she’d expected her to say no. She’s pleased she’s doing something small to make someone feel good.

‘Great,’ Abby says. ‘I’ll get the coffees; what would you like?’

‘I’m a latte girl,’ Sienna tells her, before heading to the changing rooms to make her call.

Greg’s voice sounds odd when he answers. Not cold, but definitely distant, his tone certainly not the one he reserves for everyone else. Has it always been this way? It certainly wasn’t in the beginning; otherwise she never would have fallen for him, and he is the one who did the pursuing. Perhaps that grates on her now: the fact that she wasn’t even interested to begin with, yet now she feels like she will never be able to walk away. To Sienna, love is both a blessing and a curse.

‘I’ll be a bit late back this evening,’ she explains.

‘Uh, huh. I’ve got a lot to do anyway so don’t worry.’

That’s it. No asking why, no wondering what she is doing. She used to tell herself that this was a good thing, that Greg just isn’t the jealous type; he trusts her and has faith in their relationship. Lately, though, she’s started to wonder whether her determination to be optimistic is clouding her judgement, blinding her from reality. If she’s honest with herself, part of her wants him to be disappointed that she’s not there; they share so little time together as it is.

‘I’ll see you later then,’ she says.

‘Yep. No doubt I’ll still be up.’

Downstairs, the coffee shop is busier than she’s ever known it. Abby sits at a table in the corner, engrossed in something on her phone. Catching sight of Sienna, she looks up and gives a vigorous wave. Sienna does what she always does: waves back, giving all her attention, a clown’s smile plastered on her face, even though she’s crumbling inside.