‘Okay, well, I’ll leave you to it,’ she had said, reluctantly getting up from his bed. She had looked down at him, the top of his head reminding her of those early baby days when she would spend hours just holding him and smelling his hair. She had leant down then and given him a kiss and left the room.

After closing the door behind her, she didn’t hear Joshua reopen his laptop. Or watch him as he stared at the topless photo he’d received in his inbox, the girl’s name at the top of the email making his stomach flip in desire.

*

Chris had looked up at her questioningly as Claire sat down next to him on the sofa. She’d shrugged. ‘Nothing. Maybe you’ll have better luck.’

‘Okay. I’ll see if I can drop him off in the car somewhere this week, but honestly, Claire, you’re overreacting. It’s just normal teenage stuff.’

‘I know, I know. I’m just not used to him being like this, that’s all.’

‘Well, it had to happen sooner or later – we’ve had it good with him so far. And to be honest, it could be far worse. At least this way, it’s just girl problems.’

Claire recalled this conversation with Chris knowing now that he’d been right but at the time, she hadn’t been able to shake the feeling that there was something more to it. But then she’d always been more sensitive about Joshua. When Joshua was little, Chris was always saying she spoilt him too much, hugged him too much, was too cautious with him. She used to watch in horror as Chris threw him up in the air and caught him again, her precious boy screaming with laughter. When the two of them would roll around on the floor play-wrestling, Claire’s heart would be in her mouth that Chris would squash him or break one of his bones.

As Joshua had got older, she’d become used to it, but she still struggled with just how much physicality boys seemed to exert towards one another. Always moving, pushing, shoving, running, kicking, wrestling, jumping. Once, Joshua had run towards her, his head down, and she’d held the tears back as his forehead had connected with her pelvis, his boyish desire to hug her resulting in a painful head-butt.

But now seeing Joshua on his bed, relaxed and happy, she leant over to kiss him on his forehead, and he swatted her away playfully before grabbing her in a big bear hug, Claire leant in to him, thankful that her son had returned to his usual self.

‘Come on,’ she said, happily. ‘Let’s go and make hot chocolate and put up the Christmas decorations.’

*

‘Did you see about the reunion?’ asked Chris, as he took the empty boxes of Christmas decorations from her to put back into the loft.

‘Reunion?’ replied Claire.