For the first time in days, I actually slept soundly. A comfortable bed, a warm blanket and a full belly all helped immensely with that. When I awoke, I had a hot shower and pulled on a white, fluffy, robe before heading out of the bedroom.

“You’re awake.”

Lisa’s warm smile of greeting was especially nice to see. I’d been worried that I’d be imposing on her space since Mark had basically dropped me off and then rushed back to work. She had been nothing but welcoming though.

“Morning,” I said, looking around the well-lit space. “Mark at work?”

She rolled her eyes and laughed. “Never anywhere but there these days.” She pushed herself up from where she’d been lounging on the sofa. “Do you drink coffee?”

“God yes.”

“Then sit down and I’ll make you some.”

I watched her cross the room to the kitchen area, feeling a little awkward. I wasn’t really built to be a guest in someone else’s home. I always felt out of place and unsure of myself.

Would it be considered ruder to let her make me a drink or should I offer? I never knew the answer to that.

I settled into the armchair and adjusted the robe to make sure I wasn’t revealing too much of myself. Last thing I wanted was to flash my best mate’s girlfriend.

As girlfriends went, he hadn’t done poorly. Thirty-one, doe-eyed, with a stunning smile and a personality to match. She was as much of a gym fanatic as he was and a lover of hiking and adventurous hobbies that kept her as trim and fit as Mark was.

She worked for some tech company, doing god knows what, but apparently doing it really well. Judging from the two-bed apartment in Finsbury Park that likely cost as much a month in rent as I earned in my job, she was paid decently.

“I washed your clothes,” she said, coming back with an armful of folded clothing. “Once you’ve had your coffee, we can head out to get some breakfast and pick you up some new things.”

“Ah, yeah, thanks.” I looked at the folded clothes. Was I supposed to dress then and there or wait? I took a guess. “I’ll just go get dressed.”

“Sure, coffee will be ready when you get back.”

Back in the bedroom, I quickly dressed. The clothes were clean and smelt faintly of summer flowers which was eminently preferable to how they had stunk last night when I’d taken them off. It was a little embarrassing to think that this woman I didn’t know had washed my soiled clothing, underwear included, but there was little I could do about that I guessed.

As promised, a steaming mug of coffee was waiting for me and I took it gratefully, inhaling the rich aroma and feeling almost normal again. Lisa settled back onto the sofa with her own mug in hand and scrutinised me as I sat back down in the armchair.

“We have some friends coming over tonight,” Lisa said after what felt like an uncomfortably long silence. “I’m sure you’ll like them and I’m sorry that the numbers will be odd, but it was a bit short notice to find someone to pair you with.”

What was I supposed to say to that? As someone who had never attended a dinner party in his life, let alone hosted one, I had no idea of the etiquette that surrounded such things. So, I just smiled amiably and nodded as I waited for my coffee to cool.

The silence stretched out between us again.

“So, how are you feeling?”

She seemed to be struggling to find something to say, or perhaps she was just struggling to try and carry the conversation one-sided.

I gave a non-committal answer in reply and the next fifteen minutes was spent much the same. Taut silence that was punctuated by short answers to her questions. The art of conversation was not something I was adept in and small talk was especially difficult.

Finally, the coffee was finished and Lisa flashed a strained smile as she ushered me up and out of the apartment with her.

Her building was fairly compact, with six apartments to a floor with twelve floors in total. Each apartment had its own balcony or in the case of the corner apartments like Mark and Lisa’s, two balconies.

In the lobby, there was an actual concierge who appeared to be both gatekeeper and general caretaker of the building. He greeted Lisa warmly and soundly ignored me, and my shabby appearance, as we walked out into the warm morning air.

The sounds of the city were all around us, washing over us as soon as those doors opened. The constant background noise of traffic and the chatter of people as they walked through the streets, either talking to one another or on their phones.

Music blared from mobiles and open apartment windows, while children laughed and screamed as they played. The heat beat down on me, sweat glistening on my skin as the rays of the summer sun were reflected from the gleaming towers of concrete, glass and steel all around us.

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It was overwhelming and for a moment I stood, frozen, as I gathered my bearings. Lisa, seeing my hesitation linked her arm with mine and gently pulled me along with her as we joined the crowd of people who all seemed to understand how to move along in their own little bubble, never bumping into another person, no matter how crowded the street became.

A short walk down, first, one street and then another, and we were at the Metro station. Up some stairs and onto a crowded platform where we waited for the train. I was a passive follower, happily letting Lisa take the lead as it was a world she understood and entirely baffling to me.

Hull was a city, and one I had lived in all my life, but it was an entirely different beast to London. I could admit that I was lost and without Lisa, I would have still been wandering the streets confused just by the sheer scale of it all.

The train, when it arrived, was packed with people and I found myself standing, pressed in by others on all sides while the city flashed by outside the windows. It wasn’t long before we entered a tunnel and the train joined the famous London Underground that I had heard of so many times.

It was not a fun experience. I should definitely have asked to borrow some deodorant and judging from the damp cloth beneath my armpits and the way my t-shirt stuck to the small of my back, Lisa would probably be wishing I had too.

We joined the flow of people moving off the train and onto the platform, Lisa once again pulling me along. She paused on the platform. “How’s your knee?” I cocked an eyebrow at that. “Mark told me.”

“Yeah, it’s okay. Hurts a little but I’m used to it.”

“Okay, well if you need a break there’s plenty of cafes or pubs we can stop at.”

“Great, thanks.”

Just what I needed, the pretty girl looking at me like I’m some crippled old man. Which, to be fair, I was.

We walked a short way along the platform and slowed as the crowd ahead of us bulged outwards. A trickle of traffic flowed around the outside of the bulge, close to the edge of the platform, but more people seemed to stop. A number of them had their mobiles out and were filming what was going on.

Lisa led us around the outside of the bulge and I had a glimpse of a woman lying on the floor, face red and eyes rolled back in her skull as she arched her back, limbs spasming. Her breathing was coming in shallow gasps and her purse had dropped beside her, the contents spilling out.

Blood leaked from her mouth where she had bitten her tongue.

“Why is no one helping?” I asked, but Lisa just pressed her lips together and shook her head, pulling me along.

As we cleared the bulge, two police officers were already pushing through the crowd to reach the woman, a cloth hood held by one of them.

Outside, I stopped and leaned against the wall, clearing the smell of urine from my nose as I sucked in gulps of fresh air. The stairs out seemed to be a popular place for tramps to void their bladders and the stink lingered.

“You okay?”

“I’m fine.” I wasn’t. “Just need a bit of air.”

“Yeah, it was maybe a bit much.” She flashed a sudden grin. “The underground isn’t for everyone, especially when it’s busy.”

“That woman…”

“Could have been epilepsy or anything,” Lisa said, her smile fading as her expression turned grim. “Mark said not to try and help. If they’re infected…”

She didn’t need to finish that. I nodded understanding.

For the next hour, we shopped. The going was slow, as much due to my leg as my general dislike of shopping warring against Lisa’s genuine enjoyment of it. While I would grab the first dark-coloured item of clothing I could find in my size, Lisa would pluck it from my grasp and lead me on a long, roundabout walk amongst the racks and aisles as she sought items that she considered suitable.

I was then required to try each item on which I did, only because it allowed me a few minutes to sit down in the changing room to rest my knee.

Finally, after I had gathered an impressive number of bags and with some concern over my credit card straining from over use, Lisa accepted we had done enough shopping and we headed towards a nearby pub for lunch.

As we walked, two police cars passed and shortly after an ambulance. Their sirens echoed from the tall buildings and joined the almost constant wail of sirens we had been hearing all morning.

The pub was clean with a modern interior and ample seating. I found a seat near a window and sat for a moment rubbing at my swollen knee while Lisa went to the bar.

It was always the same when walking. After a short distance, I would get jolts of pain that would grow in intensity until I was limping. Then I could continue on, my pace slow but steady, as the strain of walking grew more pronounced.

When I finally got to sit down and rest my knee, it would be swollen, sore and stiff. Then, the next day, it would be absolute agony to try and walk on it. I had a brace that helped, but had left that in my luggage and I had no idea where that even was.

The only thing that would help was a knee replacement but being only forty-four, I didn’t qualify for one on the NHS. I could have gone private, and if my job interview had gone well and I’d been offered the job, I would have been able to afford to.

As it was, I was stuck limping and managing as best I could. While I wouldn’t be setting any records for power walking, I could manage to get about well enough.

Just about.

“Oh, I need this,” Lisa said, sliding into her seat and planting two glasses on the table. White wine for her and a pint of lager for me. Who said I didn’t have class? “How’s the knee?”

“Sore but will be fine.”

“Good.” Her gaze flicked towards the window and back as another police car flashed past. “Getting crazy out there.”

“You heard anything else from Mark?”

“About the…” She lowered her voice and leaned in. “This new virus?”

“Yeah.”

“Same as he told you, probably. He did say that there was going to be an announcement of some sort in the next few days. The official government response most likely.”

“Wonder how that will go.”

She gave a slight shrug of her shoulders and I scratched at the bristly black stubble on my face. There was far too much grey in it for my liking and it seemed that while I had been blessed with a full head of hair, the payment for that was that it seemed determined to go grey.

“Toiletries,” Lisa said, nodding to herself as she added an item to some mental list. “Razors too.”

“No need, I’ll see about getting a train back tomorrow.”

“You don’t have to rush back,” Lisa said. “Give the company a call and see if you can rearrange the interview.”

“I don’t want to be a burden…”

“Pish, don’t be silly. You can stay as long as you need.” She leaned across the table. “Honestly, it will be nice to have some company. I have to admit, with Mark being at work, I’ve been freaking out about rats and I swear I can hear them scratching when I try to sleep.”

“I mean, if it’s not too much trouble, I can see if they will rearrange.”

“That’s sorted then.” She smiled happily. “So, you’re staying for a little bit and we’ll go get some toiletries and stuff after we’ve eaten.”

I thought back to what Mark had said and nodded slowly. “Maybe see if we can find somewhere that does rat traps too.”

Lisa’s eyes widened a little but she gave a little nod of her head and swallowed back her nervousness.

“But first,” I added. “Let’s eat.”