You'd never guess.

I’m halfway down the path when the door re-opens and I hear a soft “Wait”. I turn and see Scarlett there with a tissue. I turn and lift my eye brows, putting an innocent expression on, trying my hardest to hide my excitement and shock.

“Come in, I can trust you can’t I?” She asks, and I nod sombrely.

I follow her into the hall and wipe my feet. “Haven’t I seen you before?” She asks, studying me. I nod my head and say; “I walk home this way, I have a day job at the independent book store.” I smile. She nods and leads me towards the kitchen where she sits down and puts her head in her hands. I frown and move to put my hand on her back. Her shoulders start to shake and I remove her hands and wipe any tears on her face.
“What’s the matter?” I ask, worried.

“Everything’s pilling on top of me, family, and friends. It’s all there” She whispers. She smiles, and says with false happiness; “So, I’m Scarlett, had a minor breakdown about life, and you are?” “Ben” I say, smiling.

She smiles back and asks; “Want anything to drink? Eat?” I shake my head and wipe a stray tear from her cheek bone. My touch makes her flinch and she backs away. I nod and grab a pen from my pocket.

I gently take her hand and write down my new number. She smiles and I turn and walk out the door.

Scarlett’s POV
After Ben leaves I’m kind of in shock, not sure what to do. I wander round the house, only stopping to sit down at the sofa. Shaun flumps next to me and stares like a zombie at the TV.
“So who was that guy then?” He asks, not taking his eyes of the TV.

I stare at him, how did he know there was a guy? He was upstairs! I shake my head and walk back upstairs, staring at my bag and wondering if I should do my homework. Not wanting to risk it, I grab my French book and sit at the big bay seat by my window.

Making sure I have some severely motivating music to work to, I start on translating verbs. I see some guys walk up the hill by my window, and pause my homework. They all look similarly like Ben; tall, dark skin and silky black hair. I watch them, and focus, seeing one of them is Ben, wearing the same jeans and black polo as earlier. They turn right into the alley way and I sit on the comfortable cushions and think. Think about why the hell I invited some boy into my house, no matter how hot.

Folding up my book, I place it on my cluttered desk and grab a towel. A shower is what I need, not because I smell, but because it’s where I make life decisions. I plug in my iPod into the docking station and put it on random. Stripping and stepping into the shower cubicle I wet my hair and pour on the shampoo, tipping my head back to not get any into my eyes.
Making sure it’s all out, I stand and let the hot water pour over me, probably wasting water, but I deserve it after today. I think about Ben, and how I got a feeling when he touched my face and that’s why I flinched. Just as I’m thinking the door goes and I’m yelling at Shaun to get it. He yells that it’s one of my friends. I get out and tie my hair into a pony tail, and put on my clothes from earlier.

The steam has made my face a bright red, so I splash some cold water on it. I look up and I could pass as presentable. I walk into the front room and find Shaun talking to Ben. I shoot him a confused look and he looks apologetically at Shaun. Shaun makes a face, but gets up and trudges upstairs. I smile at Ben and sit down on the sofa.
“What brings you here?” I ask, flipping back a stray hair. He smiles and moves it, because it’s fallen out of place again. My heart beats quickly, making me duck my head.
“I just wanted to come by, to see if you’ve sorted anything out.” His voice lifting up at the end, into a questioning tone. “No, not really.”