How old are you now?
29.

How old were you when you broke up?
26.

When did you break up?
November 2019.

How long did the relationship last?
About 8 months.

How did you meet?
Hinge.

Did you live together?
No. His flat was grotty and gave me the ick. I should have listened to that, really.

Who called it off?
Me!

How did it end?
Over a very awkward coffee in a café that only had one free seat. I took the seat.

Why did you break up?
We were out for drinks for his 30th birthday and, as we were getting ready to leave, I nipped to the loo. He didn’t know where I’d gone so tried to call me. I came to find everyone outside and saw that he and my best friend were arguing. I ushered us home dismissing the weird tension as boozy tiredness and, by the time we got back to the house, I had a voicemail waiting.

He didn’t end the call when I didn’t answer from the bathroom, so I had a muffled recording of him shouting at my mate and repeatedly telling her to ‘fuck off’. I couldn’t really piece together why but when I spoke to my friend the following morning, she said that he got angry at her for ‘being controlling’ by trying to steady him while he was drunk swaying in the fresh air.

Last text from my ex: “We broke up when he upset my best friend, but it should have happened sooner”