Rummaging for my passport (booking a belated surprise trip for my girlfriend's birthday), my fingers brush something unexpected. Pulling it out, I remember why it's in the 'Boring Admin' drawer of my dresser: a one-handed, old-school watch running backwards, which some dodgy palm-reader gave me about a year ago – a seaside minibreak with friends while Ruby was at her parents'.

They'd made me go in because they had.

Supposedly, it's counting down to the moment I meet my soulmate.

Absolute balls, obviously, but nonetheless that's why it's in a drawer Ruby never touches. Just out of interest, I'll meet my 'soulmate' exactly two days, 11 hours and twelve minutes hence, at 7.21am on Friday.

"Emma? Dinner." Ruby sounds flustered.

I forget all about the timer again.

She wants to fuck later that night, and it's good.

Unable to sleep afterwards, I notice how I've begun to think of it as 'fucking', rather than 'making love' like it had been at the start. Love is a funny thing.

*

I'm always first in the office (before half-seven), apart from the cleaners. I head for my desk.

One of them settles at the desk opposite mine with a mug of tea. "Ey up, Emma."

"Hello, Jade." Jade is Ruby's age but chilled. She spends most of her time chatting and drinking tea – in fact, she's the most efficient cleaner we have, and has time to chat as a result.

"How's the missus?" She hoists her old DMs onto the desk and crosses her ankles.

"Ah...you know."

Jade and I go back a while: she's been cleaning here on-and-off for four years, around her studies and her main hustle fronting a blues/soul-covers band. We drunkenly shagged once, while she and Ruby were still in college. We both accept it was a mistake, but still like each other anyway. We often chat idly in the mornings.

"Doing a gig Saturday, Emma. Cross Keys. Your way on, in'tit? Bring Ruby."

"She's at her parents' this weekend."

"Bring yersen, then. Be nice to see you."

*

On Friday, I drop Ruby at the station near work, but am still in before half-seven. Jade and I brush past on the stairs, but barely have time to talk.

*

I haven't seen Jade play live before. Instead of her scruffy work clothes, she's transformed into a commanding stage presence in denim mini, tight top and full-throated, soulful voice. She plays a mean guitar, too. Squeezing into the crowded pub on Saturday night, I enjoy both the music and the overwhelming presence of Jade.

Ruby is away. Jade and I flirt. My house is walkable.

Jade and I fuck like the world's ending, then make unbelievably sweet love the next morning. To our mutual surprise, we agree we might have something deeper than we thought. I acknowledge I might have a difficult decision to make.

I find the watch-timer thing by accident on Sunday night as I'm about to head out to pick Ruby up. It'd stopped just as I was kissing her goodbye at the station on Friday morning.