Michelle and Derek didn’t discuss the weeks of passion they’d shared when they were students. But he never gave up trying to catch her eye, hoping to recognise a glimmer of longing. She and Geoffrey had been married for three years, and he and Faye for six months less, when they eventually spoke of it. They were at an alumni dinner and found themselves alone at the table for a moment.

“You’re looking as gorgeous as ever,” said Derek, tipping back a third glass of wine.

“Why, thank you, kind sir,” said Michelle, leaning forward to clink her glass against his. “You’re not looking too bad yourself.”

“Ah! Is that regret I hear?”

She giggled. “Well, we did pretty well together for that short time, as I remember it.”

Derek raised his brows.

Michelle blinked. “Well? Didn’t we?”

“Do you think about it a lot?” he asked, his heart thumping in his ears.

“Don’t you?”

He nodded.

Derek phoned her at the work the following day. He expected her to laugh or worse, apologise for her behaviour and blame it on the wine, but he couldn’t help himself. To his surprise, she didn’t brush him off. To the contrary, she agreed to meet him for lunch later in the week. Then, the following week, they met at a hotel where they made love. Afterwards, as they lay in post-coital silence on the hotel bed with the curtains drawn on a sunny day, Michelle burst into tears and, to Derek’s horror, apologised.

“This is madness,” she sobbed. “I’m so sorry I dragged you into it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Geoffrey and I have been arguing.”

“About?” asked Derek, daring to hope that she’d told her husband about him.

“He wants to give up his job to start a garden services business. It’s driving me crazy.”

“Oh? But what does that have to do with me?”

“Nothing. It’s just that I’ve been so damn miserable thinking about him giving up a great job—he’s in line for a promotion, for God’s sake, and could be a director within ten years—to drive a bakkie around the suburbs.”

Derek didn’t care if Geoffrey cleaned sewers for a living. He shook his head, confused.

“He’s so stubborn,” she said, pulling her panties over her feet. “Says he wants to be his own boss and provide employment and training to unskilled people.”

Derek grabbed her arm. He didn’t want her to leave. “I don’t care about Geoffrey.”

She brushed his hair back and kissed his forehead.

“Don’t make a scene, please Derek. This is hard enough. I’m sorry I’m such an idiot, but let’s pretend I’m not. For everyone’s sake. Let’s forget this ever happened. I’m truly sorry. You’re such a good friend.”