They take their coffee outside and sit at the patio table. The air is still muggy, even though it’s past eleven p.m., and she wishes she could stay in this moment, pause it until she’s ready to face Greg. Being around Rob feels easy, natural, as though she doesn’t have to keep up the show. She can just be who she is. She feels this way with Abby too, although to a lesser extent. Abby is more on guard than Rob, more aware of what she says.

‘You and Abby,’ she says, ‘have really got something special.’ She’s not trying to pry; she just knows that talking about Abby will help Rob feel better about what they’re doing.

‘I think so,’ he says. ‘I’m a lucky man.’

‘And she’s a lucky woman.’

He blushes. ‘Oh, I’m not sure about that.’

Sienna leans forward, intrigued. She abhors gossip but wonders if Rob is about to reveal something about himself. ‘What do you mean? Of course she is.’

He takes a sip of coffee. ‘An ex-girlfriend said something once that still sticks in my head – I think it always will. At the time I didn’t pay it much attention, but now I think she had it spot on. She claimed that in every relationship one person always loves the other more. There’s no perfect balance as we all want to believe. That just doesn’t exist. For example, there’s always one person who would cope better if the other left.’

Rob’s words cement themselves in Sienna’s head. All this time she’s been desperate for her relationship with Greg to be equal, when most likely there’s been no chance of this happening. She will always be the one who loves more. With a different man, had she made other choices, it might have been the opposite, but this is the way it is with Greg.

‘I think you’re right,’ Sienna says. ‘So who is it in your relationship?’

His answer comes without hesitation. ‘Oh, definitely me,’ he says, shocking Sienna with his candour. ‘When I first met Abby, I never dreamed she would be interested in me. I mean, we were friends so I knew she liked me as a person, but I just never thought I could be… good enough for her, I suppose.’

‘Why on earth would you think that?’ Sienna says. ‘You’re an attractive man. You’re intelligent and work hard. I don’t understand.’

Rob shakes his head, stares at his shoes. ‘It’s not about that, though, is it? I can’t explain what it is, it’s just a feeling. Please don’t tell Abby I’ve said all this.’

‘Does Abby make you feel this way?’ Sienna can’t believe this is true. Abby is so down to earth, so unassuming.