"But he lied to me, Oz." Ess accepted the mug of disgusting tea and sipped it without even tasting it.

Oz sat at the table and shrugged.

"I'm not taking sides, but technically speaking, he didn't actually lie, did he?"

Ess scowled at her friend. Of course he'd lied. She tried to think of the actual words he'd used, but failed to find them. "In principal. He lied to me in principal, if not in actual quotable words, and that's just as bad. Worse, even."

"He took a new job. He told you that. He wasn't allowed to say with whom, so he didn't. Sorry, Petal, but I can't see that he deceived you in any way."

"But he's taken a job with a suspect!"

"A suspect. My goodness. We've elevated a serving member of parliament to 'suspect', have we? For what crime?"

"Don't be a smart arse. You know what I mean. He's, um, he's a thingy. You know what I mean."

"Material witness?"

"Ha! Yes! Material witness. That's what he's done, he's taken a job with a material witness."

"And?"

"And? What do you mean, 'and'? He's trying to compromise me, that's what he's doing."

"Best of luck to him. I've tried to compromise you since we first met and got nowhere."

Ess gave him a withering look. "Not in the mood, Oz. It's just so deceitful. And then he tried to take me off the case. He actually engineered an argument to get me to give it up. Can you believe that?"

"No."

"Well, he did."

"No, I mean, I literally can't believe it. He's not stupid, and he's not unprincipled. Let's take the stupid angle first. If he really wanted you off the case, the last thing anyone who has known you for five minutes would do would be to try and dissuade you. You're a stubborn bitch." He held up her hand. "It's a compliment. It's one of your more admirable qualities." Oz waved a hand in her general direction. "I mean, your non-physical qualities. You're a terrier when you get your teeth into something. And even if he was stupid, do you really think he'd stoop to that? For what? A new job? Really? How well paid would that job have to be for him to betray you like that? Can you even think of a figure? Could you ever have contemplated hooking up with that big an arsehole in the first place?"

Ess shoved the mug away from her, scowling at the tea that slopped from it.

"But that's what he did, Oz. You weren't there. He tried to take me away to Paris for a few days so I couldn't follow up on the case."

"Oh my God! He tried to take you way to Paris? Zeus and all his handmaidens, what an utter bastard. What sort of man would want to take his girlfriend away to Paris?"

"Shut up."

Oz sighed, sat back and clasped his hands over his belly.

"Your first tiff?"

Ess shrugged.

"Listen to an old man versed in the art of love. You're not angry he's taken a new job. You know he didn't actually lie to you. He's not going to intentionally sabotage your job. You're just scared shitless you're going to lose him, and you don't do scared very well, so you're turning it into anger."

"You think you know me?"

"Christ in a basket, if I don't, who does? But you're not anything special. You think you're unique? Everyone goes through this. If you didn't, then it wouldn't be a relationship worth holding on to. After me, he's the best man for you, I know it and you know it."

"I'm not going to go begging. He was the one that walked out the door."

"Did he have a choice? It's your flat. He could hardly throw you out, could he?"

"He could have stayed. He could have talked it out with me. He could have consulted with me before betraying me like that."

"Ah."

Ess narrowed her eyes. "What's that meant to mean?"

"He didn't consult you first?"

"Not a bloody word."

"Because that's what he should do, right? Check with you first?"

"No. Not like that. But he should talk about it."

"Like you consult with him? I've seen you together, Dearheart. You say one thing and mean another. You punch him every time he implies you're a couple, but I've never seen two people more married to each other. Poor lad. One minute you're holding him at arm's length, the next you're climbing inside his trousers. Consult with you? As much as you consult with him? No wonder he's confused."

"I'm not apologizing. I've done nothing wrong. He's the one that engineered the argument."

Oz waved a dismissive hand at her. "Fine. Buy a cat. Buy twenty. Spend your evenings surrounded by empty Chardonnay bottles and chocolate wrappers. At least you'll have your pride. That'll keep you warm at night. Look, I'm not saying anybody has to apologize for anything. Like I say, this happens to everyone at some point. So don't go begging. Don't apologize. But talk to him, you stupid little girl. Sit him down and hammer out a truce of some sort, because I'm not entirely sure I can seduce you, even on the rebound, and I'm damned if I'm going to open my door to you every Saturday night to have you cry on my shoulder about how all men are bastards."

Ess stared at the mug in front of her. She was so angry at Shades, but now she was angry at Oz, though she wasn't sure why.

"I came here for a bit of sympathy," she said.

"No you didn't. You came here because I'm your friend, and I'm being one. You may want sympathy, but what you need is honesty." He looked at his watch. "Pubs are open. Want to drown your sorrows?"

"No. I'm detoxing."

"Hungover, eh? Okay, then revenge sex?"

Ess held up a middle finger in reply. Oz heaved a sigh. "Only one thing for it, then."

He pulled out his phone and hit a key.

"Yo, dude, or however you young people greet each other nowadays. My place, now... Yes, it's Ess... Can't talk, I have to watch out for the ambulance." He hung up and grinned at Ess. "If you're not going to booze or bonk, then you're going to have to talk."

"What? That was Shades?"

Oz shrugged. "Someone had to make the first move, and neither of you were going to."

"Well, best of luck, but I won't be here when he arrives."

Oz sprung up and leapt into the doorway. "Oh no you don't."

He disappeared into the hallway and a second later held his T-shirt out between finger and thumb. He let it drop on the floor. His voice floated into the room from the hallway.

"I'm getting naked. If you want to leave you're going to have to squeeze past me, and it's a very narrow hallway."

"Oz! I'm not messing about."

A gigantic pair of trousers appeared.

"If it helps, I can lube myself up with cooking oil."

"Oz!"

"I would hold out my underwear, but I'm not wearing any."

"Oz, you -- you -- Oz!"