Chapter 5

Getting Cleo to leave was not as difficult as I first thought it would be. Cleo left with both guys' numbers from the drinks earlier, in the evening. She was very taken with one of them. Cleo babbled in the taxi most of the way home; she was in high spirits. I was still distracted by the stranger who saved me.

I managed to get Cleo in and up to my spare room without much issue. She was still fairly conscious which helped me in helping her. I left her to change and get herself in bed while I headed to the bathroom. I grabbed the wipes from the cupboard and began to clean off my makeup. I dragged the brush through my hair and pulled out most of the curls. Once I was done, I brushed my teeth and headed to my room.

I grabbed some nightwear and took my clothes downstairs to soak in the sink. I collapsed in bed a little after 1am. My mind was running with the events of the night.

My mind drifted to the stranger. The demand his voice held both intrigued me and scared me. Sleep overtook me not long after. My dreams were flashbacks of the evening with other possible endings to the evening. His eyes were dark and filled with mystery; they felt like they held deep secrets.

The following morning to my surprise, Cleo was up and making breakfast. I expected to be waking her up before I left for my lunch with my mum. She slid some toast over to me on a plate while taking a bite from hers.

“You’ve turned up better than I expected you to be after last night.” I smiled.

“I will admit I am surprised myself too.” She laughed. “So, are you going to tell me more about this knight in shining armor of yours?”

“There’s nothing to tell, just a guy, he stepped in, the guy trying his luck backed off, and then the other guy walked away.”

“So, he didn’t leave his name, number, or say anything?” Cleo questioned.

I shook my head, “Nope, I thanked him, he said I was welcome and then disappeared into the night.”

“He’s batman!” Cleo exclaimed.

I couldn’t help but burst out laughing, I laughed so hard that I almost choked on my bite of toast. Cleo burst out laughing at my moment of spluttering.

“I’ll go jump in the shower and head off. I don’t want to make you late for your lunch.” Cleo smiled.

I nodded and finished up my breakfast before putting my clothes in the washer to try and get the drink stains out of them. Once I had washed up the pots and cleaned down the worktop, Cleo was coming down the stairs. She gave me a quick hug before bidding me goodbye.

“I’ll see you bright and early Monday morning for an interesting week ahead.” She smiled on her way out.

I got ready and headed out to the Blueberry cafe where I had agreed to meet my mum for lunch. The drive to the cafe was short. I arrived a little earlier than anticipated as there was barely any traffic on the road for a Saturday afternoon. I took a seat at our usual table and sat scrolling through the news on my phone while I waited for my mum. I received a text message to advise she was running late and would be there as soon as she could be.

I found myself scrolling through social media as a waitress came over to as if I would like to order a drink while I was waiting. I decided to order a cup of tea.