Jessica waved her hand with a piece of cake in it. “Honestly, don’t worry about it, Fern. It was years ago. I’m just relieved you don’t think I’m a single white female for turning up tonight.” She stuck her pinkie in the icing and licked it off. “I just saw online you were doing this, and I only moved home a few weeks ago... And, well, I’ve missed you.”

I met her gaze. “I’ve missed you too.”

We were still a moment, drinking in its importance. It was all so long ago, wasn’t it? “So, tell me about you,” she said. “What’s the goss? No kids? Husband? Boyfriend?”

“No kids, no. No husband.” A smug grin involuntarily crossed my face. “But, a boyfriend. A really lovely boyfriend.”

“Oh, Fern, that’s great. What’s he like? Picture please.”

I pulled my phone out of my pocket. “Yeah, Ben’s great. He’s really kind, and funny, and nice. He’s a psychology teacher, which I think is so cool. I’ve started to train to be a counselor too, so he’s useful to have about the place to help me with my essays.”

“A counselor? Wow. You’d be amazing at that. How cool.” I could feel her genuine joy for me as I pulled up my lock screen of Ben’s face. “Oh my God, he’s handsome.” Jessica took my phone and peered closer to inspect. “I love the whole beard thing men are doing at the moment, it’s super sexy.”

A shrill anxiety shot through me. A sudden burst of rage, and it took all I had not to hit my phone out of her hand. But Jessica was looking at the time. “Shit, Fern, I’ve to go! There’s still only one train an hour home, can you believe it? After all these years? I won’t be back ’til eleven as it is.” She returned my Samsung and stood up. “Sorry, I’d love to stay longer.”

“Oh.” I lurched out of my chair, and hovered while she applied scarf and gloves. “That went quick.”

“Didn’t it?” She pulled her hair out from her under scarf, and, with our time together ending, the surrealness of it all hit me full force. “Well...” Jessica pulled a cute bobble hat over her perfect sheet of hair “...if you don’t find the idea totally off-putting, do you fancy grabbing a drink soon? So we can have more of a catch-up? I still haven’t a clue what’s going on in your life, or your job. Like, do you still see Amy and Kim?”

“Not much. Maybe once a year or so.”

“God, don’t tell me. Kim finally married Matt?”

I couldn’t help laughing, and, again, like a burst water main, memories of Kim’s obsessive lovesickness roared in. “No, but she has actually married someone called Matt.”