‘I shall … With pleasure.’ It’s a genuine warm tone and a warmer smile from me. We do a weird silent look at one another and then away type of thing, awkwardness stiflingly heavy between us suddenly. A strange tension in the air crackles and my insides loop de-loop in response. It’s hard to decipher the emotion in how he looks at me before his face falls completely serious, and all ounces of softness disappear in the blink of an eye.

‘Get back to work. I don’t pay you to ...