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It had taken what felt like a lifetime to get up the stairs, since neither of them were particularly steady on their feet, and once they had reached the top they had said an awkward good night. He had looked so pleased, so hopeful after what she had said downstairs, but instead of lifting her mood, a sense of foreboding sank into her stomach and settled there, where it remained all night, keeping her awake.

She lay on the bed, still wearing the toweling robe she had put on after her shower the day before, and felt her mind turning in circles as she searched for some way out of the mess she had plunged herself into. There was a pattern here, starting to repeat itself. Was she about to give up her life to satisfy someone else - again? But what else could she do? She toyed with the idea of leaving, of sneaking out right then and disappearing into the faceless city crowds, but she had already abandoned someone who needed her, and she didn't know if she could bear double the guilt she was carrying around.

Alice. She saw the face in her mind's eye, and remembered the weak grip on her hand and tears welled up into her eyes.

"Oh Alice, I wish I could have taken you with me."

The tears fell from her eyes and on to the smooth cotton pillowcase below. She wished she could have said goodbye, or explained. It tore at her inside to think of Alice confused and disappointed when she didn't turn up in the morning.

"I abandoned her. I won't abandon him. I can make a difference, and this time I won't run out on my responsibility."

With her decision made, she sank into uneasy sleep.

The next morning she was woken by the sound of strange noises downstairs. Two muffled voices, one male and one female. She thought at first he must have a visitor, but then heard a strangely familiar sound. She wrinkled her forehead as she tried to place it. Vacuum cleaner. The cleaning lady was here. She had a funny feeling Martin was probably one of those people who tidied up before the cleaner arrived, and then followed them around apologising for the mess.

She lay listening to the movements downstairs for a while, then heard two sets of steps coming up the stairs.

"If you could leave..." she heard Martin begin, but then the door to the room flew open.

"Leave the spare room for today." he finished his sentence. "Umm, this is Angela, she's a umm friend of mine, she's not very well, so she's staying with me for a while."

The cleaning lady, a sturdy, middle-aged woman, looked as if she had come across far worse sights in her career, and merely nodded at Angela before leaving the room and starting work somewhere down the hall.

"Sorry for disturbing you."

His hand came up to the back of his head, rubbing his curls a little, in the gesture that told her he was embarrassed.

"I was awake anyway."

He sat on the end of the bed. Surprisingly, considering the drink he had last night, he seemed full of energy today.

"Your clothes are clean, they're in the bathroom. I thought maybe if your ankle wasn't so bad today we could go shopping."

"What? Shopping?" she squinted at him. He'd gone mad. "I can't afford to..."

"Well I'll pay, obviously. I'll give you a credit card."

"You will..." she began shouting at him, but remembered the cleaning lady just down the hall and dropped her voice to an angry hissing whisper, "You will do nothing of the sort."

"You said you'd let me help." He looked angry then, his face taking on a stony look that told her there was no way to get out of this.

"Alright. But nothing expensive, do you hear me."

His face brightened again, as if the sour expression had never been there at all.

"Hurry up and get ready then, we can have breakfast out somewhere." and with that he swept out of the room, leaving Angela with her face buried in her hands, and the uneasy feeling in her stomach back in full force.