Roughly two weeks later, I had decided to see her. I never contacted her on the phone, because I didn't see a need to, and also wasn't sure if she was just playing with me or if she was serious.

I called the shop, readying myself to book for a session in an hours time. I had even bought a small plush toy as a gift for her. I was looking forward to this.

A girl answered the phone, and I asked if she was working tonight. She said "no, go back to China, holiday, two months" and hung up on me. I thought "what the?" and sat down, shocked. I felt like I had just seen a meteorite - something completely unexpected. I also felt a huge sense of disappointment. Then my mind began running wild:

Had she really gone back to China?

Why didn't she tell me about this before?

Or was the shop lying?

Why would the shop lie to me? About this?

Had she told the shop she never wanted to see me again? If so, why? And how could the shop recognise my voice?

These were the questions I ran over in my mind over and over again, as I made my disappointed way home.