Pulling a blanket over her legs, Carla took a sip of wine, enjoying the quick hit of it, and let Baz’s talk of his day wash over her. She looked around the rooftop, a mixture of people in workwear, the odd group of women gearing up for a long night with their lipstick and heels, before spotting a woman standing by the wall to Carla’s left. She was shrouded in shadow but – even so – Carla could tell she looked out of place. About twenty-eight, she was dressed in a black bomber jacket, hair tucked under a scruffy hat, face obscured by a thick wool scarf, and she seemed to be looking for someone, as her eyes darted around the room, briefly alighting on Carla before looking quickly away.

‘And then the damn woman wanted different tiles in the bathroom, as if she hadn’t made enough changes,’ Baz was saying, beer almost finished. Carla turned back to him.

‘Do you see that woman?’ She gave a light nod to the woman by the wall. ‘Don’t you think she looks, well, odd?’

Baz followed her stare before shrugging and downing the last of his pint. ‘She’s obviously homeless and has come in for a bit of warm. It’s not a crime, Carla, even though the police would probably like to make it one.’

She ignored the dig. Ever since she’d hidden from Baz that she was still using contraceptives, which she’d fully admitted was a terrible thing to do, he had increasingly made negative comments about the police in general and her colleagues in particular. She weathered it, figuring it was a price worth paying for him to trust her again, but every time a jibe came it was just a reminder he didn’t.

Baz stood. ‘I’m getting another pint, want another?’

The mood he was in made her want a whole bottle, but she said, ‘No thanks, I’m good.’

She watched him walk off and felt a pang of love – but whether it was for what they had now or a memory of what had been, she couldn’t tell.

Taking a sip of wine, she looked back at the woman by the wall. She hadn’t moved. Carla thought how small she looked, as if she was trying to make herself invisible. Maybe Baz was right – she was homeless and hiding from bar staff, but there was something about the way she kept scanning the crowd which made Carla think she was waiting for something.

Suddenly, the woman took a step out of the shadows – her face pale, her thin lips and nose overshadowed by wide, dark eyes, giving her a lost look. She appeared to have found what she was looking for, eyes fixated on a spot to the right of Carla, but the strength of the crowd made it impossible for Carla to see what it was.