‘Don’t be silly. You can both stay here until then.’

Jack looked across at me.

‘I mean, obviously you can stay here longer than that, I just meant the dog can stay here till then.’

‘To be honest, I wasn’t sure whether I would still be welcome after last night’s…’ he paused, ‘discussion.’

‘These things happen. You’re aware, I trust, that you crossed a line when you thought you knew what is best for me?’

‘Sometimes other people can see things clearer.’

I counted to ten and blew out a sigh. ‘The dog goes back Monday. You don’t make any other decisions on my behalf, and things can go back to normal. Deal?’

‘Sounds like you’ve already made those decisions, so…’ He shrugged and turned his attention back to the food sizzling and popping in front of him.

Clive nuzzled his nose further up my leg and gently pressed my tummy with the end of it. ‘I know, and I really am sorry.’ I leant down over him, speaking softly. ‘You are very lovely. I’m just not ready for this. You deserve to have somebody who will shower you with love and sadly I think my days of being able to do that are long past. You deserve so much better than me.’

Breakfast was a slightly awkward affair, with half-hearted attempts at conversation but mostly long silences. Clive looked between us at times as if trying to figure out what was wrong. They do say dogs can be very sensitive and there was definitely tension. To be fair, I was sure even a stick insect could have sensed it.

‘Well, I guess I’d better take Clive out for a walk. Unless you want to do it, of course?’ said Jack.

‘No, thank you.’

‘Shame. Looks like a lovely day out there.’

‘Which I can appreciate just as well from my own garden.’

‘Not really the same, though, is it?’ Jack countered. ‘And you did say how much you enjoyed getting out for that walk the other week. We could find a dog-friendly café and have a cup of tea afterwards.’

‘Which bit of the sentence “I don’t want a dog” did you not understand last night?’

‘Fine.’ He held up his hands. ‘There really is no point trying to talk to you, is there?’

‘I see the true Jack is showing his colours now. It did seem to be too good to be true that you’d changed that much. Still full of yourself, aren’t you? You’re like a stick of rock. If they cut you open, it would say arrogance all the way through. Just because someone doesn’t agree with you, they’re automatically the one in the wrong.’

‘Except it’s not just me that feels this way, is it?’ he snapped back. ‘Felix has been trying to get you back into the real world for God knows how many years. I don’t know why he keeps bothering. You’re clearly so set in your wallowing ways, even all these years later, you’re never going to change.’