They've known each other, Joshua Spassky and Natalie, for five years, and have often met, as lovers. They last met at the West Yorkshire Playhouse; Joshua was over from the US rehearsing a play he'd written. But they'd not seen each other in a while. She stops off at the ladies on her way to find him: 'I rubbed make-up onto my nose and cheeks, under my eyes. I had another drink in there, too, and then leaned back on the sinks and waited, watching the minutes pass on the clock on my phone. My heart was beating quite purposefully.' When she arrives at the rehearsal room, the actors stop mid-line and stare. Their pause rouses Joshua:

'Oh,' he said, 'hey,' and he stood up, and bent down to put his coffee cup on the floor.

He edged out into the aisle. His hair was longer. A strand went in my mouth when he gave me a hug.

LRB 16 August 2007 | PDF Download