My best friend, Rachel, raised an eyebrow. "Still paranoid about the virus, huh?" She didn't understand; she never did. The memories of last year's lockdown still haunted me – the endless days stuck indoors, the constant fear of infection, the loss of loved ones.

"I'm just being cautious," I said, trying to sound casual.

Rachel sighed and put a hand on my arm. "We're vaccinated, and the cases...