I deleted the number from my phone and the ‘Are You Sure’ dialogue box came up forcing me to perform the painful button press once more. I knew it was a futile gesture, I’d long ago memorised the number I was now deleting. It’s as if I was trying to forget her face by deleting all the pictures I had of her.

The phone vibrated, but I was so lost in thought that it was a few seconds before I realised what was happening. The name of a close friend flashed up on the screen and I readied myself for an awkward but necessary conversation. I waited expectantly for the unpleasant I-told-you-so but it never came and I realised I was talking to someone who just cared about how I was and how I was going to be.

At that point I realised it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was, that my almost automatic response of ’I’m going to be ok’ wasn’t as much of a lie as it used to be. I hung up happier than I’d been before I received the call, happier than I’d been for some time.