I struggle through the door with my unwieldy encumbrance and then busy myself trying to shrug it off my shoulders.

‘This is Lena,’ Pip says.

In wrestling with my distracting load, I’d failed to notice the extraordinarily beautiful and dishevelled-looking girl draped in the corner of Pip’s sofa. It’s December and she’s wearing a skimpy camisole and very short shorts. She’s also eating something white and creamy rather pornographically.

‘Oh,’ I say. ‘Hi.’

Lena nods and waves her spoon at me. If I’d arrived a few minutes ago I might well have caught them at it.

I lower my voice. ‘I should have phoned first.’ Now I’m the one who’s confused. ‘I didn’t mean to disturb you.’

‘You didn’t,’ Pip says.

‘I’ll go if this is a bad time.’

‘It isn’t,’ he insists. Then the penny drops. ‘Well, it is if you want to talk to Simon.’ He glances across at the pretty young thing. ‘Lena is Simon’s girlfriend.’

We both grin cheesily at Lena, who smiles back vacantly.

‘Come into the kitchen.’ Pip takes my arm and steers me in the right direction.

I lower my voice even further and leaning towards Pip, I murmur, ‘I thought Simon was gay.’

‘So did I.’

‘Ooo.’

‘Lyssa,’ Pip says with a sigh, ‘the ways of the world constantly amaze me.’

‘I thought she was your…well…’

‘I know,’ he says with a bemused shake of his head. ‘You might have credited me with better taste.’

We both exchange a furtive look.

‘Have you got time for coffee?’ he says, turning away from me.

I slide into one of the seats, remembering the last time I was here drinking coffee in less pleasant, but equally strange circumstances.

‘No,’ I say. ‘I’ve literally popped in to say goodbye.’

‘That sounds very final.’

‘I’m going back to Nepal.’

He rocks on his heels slightly before recovering his composure. ‘I’m pleased for you,’ he says.

Jake has told me about his legendary poker face. Keep it all in, give nothing away. ‘Are you?’

‘Ah,’ he says. ‘So my blundering “confession” has finally clicked. I wondered how long it would take.’

‘I had no idea….’

‘Well, at least it proves I’m not the only one who’s slow on the uptake.’

‘Edie told me about your lunch,’ I say. ‘The edited version.’

‘How edited?’

‘I know that she threw herself at you and that you kindly declined.’

Pip laughs. ‘It was a bit more subtle than that.’

‘Was it?’ I say. ‘That’s not like my sister.’

‘Well, we had a nice lunch, anyway.’

‘She’s got a nice souvenir to remember it by too.’

Pip looks puzzled.

‘She’s pregnant,’ I tell him.

‘Wow!’

‘Yes. She blames you completely,’ I add. ‘I think she took your advice about having a wild night out far too literally.’