If only I’d spotted Jason before he’d spotted me, I could simply have legged it out of there and texted Giles to rearrange. Unfortunately, however, my ex saw me first and, judging by his relatively unsurprised expression when he did finally catch my eye, his time advantage over me had been long enough for him to pull himself together and adapt to the awkward situation. I of course had no such luxury, and my expression upon seeing him, as reflected in the mirror on the wall behind his head, was unblinking and bordering on lobotomised.

I froze: physically, emotionally and intellectually. So much so that I was unable even to raise a hand in response to his tentative wave – let alone leg it. It was the first time I had set eyes on him in the flesh since a near miss in a Clifton cinema, almost a year earlier. On that occasion, I had dodged into the loo after spotting him in the foyer, but tonight there was no escape, and to be so wholly unprepared for the encounter was nothing short of devastating.

In the end, taking matters into his own hands, he stood up from his table for two by the wall and walked to my position of petrification just a few feet from the bar.

‘Edie,’ he said, offering a smile as he reached me.

I looked him up and down. Everything about him, from his casual black sweater and jeans to his sleepy blue eyes and carelessly slicked-back, dark hair, conveyed a sense of charmingly effortless cool, even if at this moment it was tinged with uncertainty.

He cleared his throat before speaking again. ‘It’s great to see you.’ Wisely, he made no attempt whatsoever at physical contact.

Movement being no longer beyond me, I could have managed a nod. But I chose not to. ‘I’m meeting Giles,’ I said.

At that, he lowered his eyes. ‘Oh, yes,’ he murmured, having the decency to look uncomfortable. ‘He likes it here, doesn’t he?’ He looked back to his table and his drink. ‘I’ll get my jacket and go. I’m assuming Giles is just about as eager to see me as you are.’ He attempted to resurrect a smile, but achieved only a grimace.

‘You don’t have to leave. I’ll text Giles. He’s running late. Finish your drink.’

I turned to leave, at which point he reached out and placed a hand on my arm. ‘Edie.’

My head whipped round and I glared down at his hand. He withdrew it slowly, placing both hands into the pockets of his jeans. ‘Sorry… sorry…’ he said quietly. ‘But look, if Giles isn’t going to be here for a while, why not stay, just for five minutes, while I finish my drink? Then I’ll go. Five minutes and I’ll be gone. I promise. Please, Edie.’

But there was no doubt or debate in my mind.