My friend Dee has volunteered to drive me to the airport. She recently bought a car because she and her fiancé Neil are moving to Farnham and apparently you need a car if you live outside London. She says she needs the driving practice and before we even get to the end of her road, it becomes clear that she does.

I’ve known Dee since we were kids; we met aged eleven, in the girls’ bathroom on our first day at high school. She had a long black fringe covering half her eyes, and she grabbed me by the elbow as I was leaving the loos. I thought she must be about to steal my lunch money, but she pulled me close and told me I had the back of my skirt tucked into my knickers. She saved me from humiliating myself in front of my new classmates, and she’s had my back ever since.

Vanya is tagging along for the ride, mainly because she doesn’t own a car, and saw the opportunity to persuade Dee to drive back via the out-of-town IKEA. She wants more bookshelves our tiny flat definitely doesn’t have room for.

‘I can’t believe Suki signed off on a three-day trip, you are so jammy,’ says Vanya from the back seat, thrusting an open bag of Haribo Giant Strawbs between Dee and me. It’s less than an hour’s drive to Gatwick Airport, but Vanya’s come with enough car sweets to take us to Mexico.

‘Only because she got a sponsor to pay for it,’ I say, taking a handful of gummy sweets. ‘I wish you were both coming with me, it would be much more fun.’

‘You know, I have this weird intuition you’re going to meet someone while you’re away,’ says Vanya.

‘Is this the same intuition that told you I wouldn’t get a parking ticket if I pulled into a bus lane to drop you off outside Selfridges?’ asks Dee, waving her left hand for someone to pass her a sweet.

‘Yeah, well,’ Vanya clears her throat. ‘I’d say my intuition is more finely attuned to love than it is parking wardens.’

‘I wish you wouldn’t fill Laura’s head with these ideas,’ Dee scoffs.

‘What ideas?’ I ask.

‘These romantic notions about finding love having anything to do with destiny or intuition.’ Dee exhales loudly through her nose and shifts into fifth gear with a clunk as we merge onto the motorway. ‘Look, I’m going to say something controversial now, OK?’

‘Brexit was a good idea? Brad Pitt hasn’t aged well? You think we should all take up smoking again?’ I give her a goofy smile as I try to think of what else might qualify as a controversial statement.

‘No, I don’t think you should have broken up with David.’

I shake my head and Vanya makes a prrrrft sound from the back seat.