I cannot believe Sabine is living ten minutes away from me, and here I am, in my house, not talking to her. I wish I understood how to fix things. Specifically, Sabine. I'm fairly handy otherwise. I've known how to fix a flat since before I could drive. I was the tech guy in my family – who everyone would come for to fix the Wi-Fi in their phones. And now I'm a permanent tech guy – my uncles and aunts sometimes address me as Mr. Software Engineer.

For a software engineer, I've been staring stupidly at my laptop screen for quite a while now. I have only two days left to submit this project, and I was completely invested in it until yesterday, but right now, I can't even lift a finger to press a single key.

My phone is lying right there in front of me. I have contemplated calling Maryann many times. I'm surprised she hasn't called me herself. She's very Mama-Bear energy. I was definitely expecting an angry-rant call from her, demanding I tell her what I did wrong.

But I don't know what I did wrong!

Sabine is angry. At me. Why!

Angry at me, Sabine is. Why!

I put it in so many ways. I don't get it.

Shouldn't you be happy to see your friend after many years? What kind of reaction is yelling, crying, and then storming off? I was absolutely delighted to see her. I felt so much happiness when I saw her. I didn't even think about how she had gotten there – in Maryann's house, on her couch, wrapped up in a blanket, looking small and sleepy. She was there – like a friendly dream. And I just wanted to sit by her and talk about what I'd been up to, and know what she had been doing with herself in all these days.

I push out of my chair with a loud scrape.

Fuck this. I'm going over to Maryann's house.