Piper was still reeling from the news that Will had tricked her. After Dale she had sworn to herself that she would never let another man manipulate her again. By the end of their relationship Dale had left her a shadow of her former self. The term 'gaslighting' was the perfect way to describe how Dale had made her feel while they were together. London held so many awful memories and now Will had tainted her time back home. Instead of going to the pub for a drink, Seb had suggested that they go back to his cottage which was walking distance from the harbour with a quick stop on the way to grab some beers and wine from Porthleven supermarket. Seb knew enough to know that Piper didn't want to be around people and who was he to judge?As Piper walked into Seb's living room she realised how minimalistic it was, but then again that was his nature so why should it surprise her. There was a simple grey sofa with a white coffee table in the centre of the room and the wal

By the time Piper got home, it was past 11 pm and both her parents were asleep. She carefully crept up to her bedroom and quietly got changed into her pajamas. Easing into bed she reminisced over the night and how perfect it was. Seb had walked ger home, said goodnight, and left. He was a true gentleman and Piper loved him even more for it.When she checked her phone she realised there was a text message on her phone. Opening it she stared in horror "You can't keep ignoring me you BITCH! Hiding won't protect you! Escaping London won't protect you either!".It was from an unknown number and she knew enough to know that they'd used an online text service in order to remain anonymous. She started shaking and her heart rate quickened. All she wanted was to be left alone, to forget her past and look forward to her future. There were times she wished she'd just stayed in Porthleven where she was safe and then none of this would've happened. Telling her parents w

When Seb called and asked Piper if she fancied lunch, she'd jumped at the chance. She'd spent all morning researching her options about starting work but was still none the wiser. She still couldn't decide whether or not being self-employed was the best way to go. "What's the situation with work?" Seb asked, "Have you made a decision on what you want to do?". "Nope, I feel like I'm just waiting for the penny to drop. I never thought it would be so hard just to make a decision. I'll have to do something soon as my savings are starting to dwindle. Are you glad you're self-employed?". "I like not having anyone to answer to and being my own boss is always a positive. It does have its disadvantages though; work is practically non-existent through the winter months so I have to always make sure I've saved enough money to see me through". Seb answered honestly. "But if you were to go self-employed your work wouldn't be seasonal, so straight away you have an advantag

The previous day had been a welcome distraction for Seb, and spending time with Piper had solidified their friendship and got it back on track. He was still suspicious of why she was being so coy about her reasons for coming home so abruptly. But pushing the issue might inflame whatever emotions Piper was already feeling.  He hadn't heard from Will either which was a good thing. No doubt Will would spit his dummy out when he found out they'd spent yesterday together and even though it was platonic Will would still act like he was hard done by. He seemed to have this misconception that every woman was in love with him and would follow him to the ends of the Earth if need be. Well, there were women out there like Piper, who wouldn't fall for his charms and he knew the kiss they'd shared had meant nothing to Piper. Seb wanted to call Piper and arrange another meet-up with her. Calling it a date brought with it expectations that neither of them wanted, especially Pi