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tell me where you see yourself in five years' time. You could tell me why you don't seem to be in any hurry to go back to London. You could tell me whether or not I could kiss you.”

Julia doesn't even notice his face moving closer and closer. She thinks she may have misheard him, but before she has a chance to ask him to repeat the question, because of course if she did hear him correctly then she'd have to say No because she does, after all, have a boyfriend, before she has a chance to say anything, his lips are on hers.

And when he finally lets her go the only thing she can do is sigh contentedly and smile.

10

“Would you just stop wailing about it for a second?” Bella says and gets up to grab another wad of toilet paper from the bathroom. “If you hang on a minute I'll go and see if there's a hair shirt hanging in my wardrobe.”

“But I feel so guilty,” Julia wails a bit more. “I can't believe I did that to Mark. I can't believe I've been unfaithful.”

“Darling.” Bella sits down next to her, hands her the toilet paper, and when Julia has finished sniffling into it again, Bella takes her hands firmly. “First of all, you haven't been unfaithful, it was only a kiss, for heaven's sake, not full-blown sex. More to the point, I think now is the time for you to realize that Mark and you are not, how shall I put this . . . meant to be?”

Julia looks up at her and sniffs.

“The pair of you have been ridiculously unhappy for years, and that whole baby obsession was because you were so unfulfilled you needed another focus and you thought a baby would somehow make everything okay again, but the fact is you and Mark are completely incompatible.”

Julia gasps. “I can't believe you just said that.”

“I know.” Bella looks shocked. “Neither can I. But Julia, you are the only one who hasn't been able to see how different you both are and how unhappy you've both become.”

“But that's just a temporary phase.”

“A three-year temporary phase?”

“It hasn't been that long . . . has it?”

Bella nods. “Perhaps I shouldn't say this but since you've been here I've seen the old Julia again, and I've missed her so much. We all have. You were always the life and soul of the party, always happy, always smiling, but since you've been living with Mark you've been so unhappy.

“And I don't think Mark's a bad person. Really I don't. But you rattle around in that ridiculously huge house of his, and I know you're not at home there, and you don't seem to have anything in common. All those times I phone and you say you're staying in watching television, and you never used to stay in, God, your flat was just the base for your answering machine and a place to lay your head, and not even that very often in those days.”

Julia smiles fondly at the memories and then shrugs. “I was young then,” she says. “We all were. Life is very different now. We have responsibilities . . .”

“That's rubbish,” Bella says firmly. “Look at me. I'm out every night, I have my own apartment, great friends, a string of men to call on should I feel in the mood for sex. I'm thirty-three years old and I still party with the best of them, and you know what? I love my life. There is absolutely nothing in my life I would change.”

“So you'd be happy to be on your own for the rest of your life?” Julia's fascinated.

“Once upon a time I would have said the thought of spending the rest of my life on my own was terrifying, but you know what? Now I'm not so sure. I don't have to compromise for anyone, I don't have to stop doing what I want to do because my partner doesn't feel like it. And I know I've been accused of being selfish, but so what? I am absolutely happy with my life exactly as it is right now. Can you say the same thing?”

“I'm happy right now,” Julia says firmly, reluctant to face the truth, but Bella pushes.

“Right now you are. You're in New York and living the life of a single woman. But are you happy living with Mark in London? Are you happy in that house? Is a baby really what you want? Is