Dan scans three packs of paracetamol and the self-service check-out flashes red. He knows he’s over the legal limit, but he needs some sleep.

A uniformed girl whips away a pack, presses buttons, then rushes off.

Dan realises what he actually needs is someone to ask him if he’s okay.

Laura Besley is the author of (Un)Natural Elements, 100neHundred, and The Almost Mothers. She is also an editor for Flash Fiction Magazine. Having lived in the Netherlands, Germany and Hong Kong, she now lives in land-locked central England and misses the sea. She tweets at @laurabesley.