The rain was coming down in sheets making a steady thrum against the black plastic of my umbrella. This is London weather for you, pissing down and freezing cold. I walked alone, my black converse splashing through the puddles collected on the concrete sidewalk. Everyone I passed had a head under the umbrella, all moving too quickly to take in everything they are passing, but that's also London for you, not looking at the little things... that and always bustling.

The little green man blinked at me and I crossed the road with the steady stream of people. I turned left, breaking away from the mass of the crowd, swearing under my breath as I got water in my shoe, soaking into my sock. The crossing was red so I stopped.

I looked up, watching the blurring colours of the cars whizz past in the blurry rain. That's when I saw her, she was shorter than me, had long brown hair and had no umbrella or rain jacket. I felt sorry for her, her clothes and hair was plastered to her and she was soaked to the bone and quietly shaking outside the perimeter of my umbrella. I extended my arm slightly to get her inside my brolly's safety,

"Hey," I mumbled, suddenly aware that I was talking to a stranger, "You don't want to catch a cold," she looked up at me, she had big green-blue eyes with a slight smug of mascara around the bottom, her full lips were quivering and her high cheekbones and dainty nose had a pink tinge of the cold. She paused momentarily and took me in, then smiled,

"Thank you," she said in a pleasant, accentless voice – well not British at least – I smiled back down at her and said something semi-courageous for me; My Pleasure.

We walked across the street together in silence, not an uncomfortable silence but one that didn't need filling,

"So, a mysterious stranger saves me from the rain... the least I could do is buy him a coffee?" she asked, half laughing. I shrug and agree, "So..." she continued, "What's your name?" I swore to myself, I have been walking for this girl for about 10 minutes and I didn't even know her name, Great job Howell, my mental voice applauded me,

"Dan," I reply, "Dan Howell. What is your name?" She sighed a little and said,

"I'm Abby," with a slight shrug and smiled at the ground. This girl was cute, if I do say so myself... "So, where's the best coffee around here?" she said, sweeping her arms out, gesturing to the bleary grey London. I laughed, and told her about my favourite little coffee joint not too far from where we were.

We hurried along as the onslaught of wind and water went up a notch. We stopped momentarily under cover, I looked over to her then and realised that she was absolutely drenched, I offered her my heavy warm coat but she declined, claiming that she'll just make it wet.

When Abby and I arrived at the little coffee house, it was absolutely packed, probably because of the weather. Abby swore, never had a heard a girl swear so freely... I liked it. She looked up at me with expectant eyes before asking,

"Well, where else can we get a coffee?" I was dumbfounded, a girl has never intentionally wanted to spend more time with me than necessary... But where could I take her? All the other coffee houses would probably be packed too...

"Well..." I said stalling slightly, "I know a place where you can get warm and dry and get a good cup of coffee," I might have been exaggerating with the 'good' but I had no other option.

"Ok..." Abby said, looking up at the apartment block, "Are you trying to get me inside your apartment, Dan?" She rose her eyebrow and looked up at me with her hands clutched around her small frame. And I almost choked on my own spit,

"What!?" I sputter, my expression must have shown that I was struggling because she cracked a smile and elbowed my ribs,

"Unfortunately... I trust you Dan... And I am freezing," she added, blushing and looking down.

I lead her to my apartment door and let her in,

"Flat mate?" She asked seeing the pairs of dishes in the sink of the open kitchen, I shrugged and nodded in response and called out,

"Phil!" A pause, no response, "he mustn't be home," I told Abby who took one of the seats at the breakfast bar, arms still clutched around herself, "Are you cold?" She raised a judgmental eyebrow and I threw my hands up in defence and said, "Ok, you are... Do you want a blanket or something?" She shrugged and said,

"I don't need one, it's fine," she uncrossed her arms and looked down at her transparent red button down shirt over a white singlet, slowly her fingers undid the buttons and shrugged off the water soaked shirt revealing a plastered wet semitransparent singlet over a tight toned body. I dropped my brown eyes, feeling like I was perving on her beautiful -

"Dan?" I look up and meet her eyes, they were kind and energetic, "I was wondering if I could have a hot shower... then the coffee?"

"Sure," I say a little too quickly, cringing at my eagerness... Well not eagerness, more desperate to make amends. Never had I thought a girl, let alone a hot girl, would be in my apartment today... Abby was too good to be true.

I showed her the bathroom and gave her a navy towel, she walked in ahead of me into the white tiled bathroom and paused to silently point at the hair dryer and straightener and giving a soft giggle like wind chimes and looking up at me,

"That's not mine," I said flushing a bit, I am a bit ashamed of my need for straight emoish hair...

"Really?" She asked running her hand over the ceramic vanity looking closer at the discriminating evidence, I rush in and grab the hair straightener and said,

"Ok, do you want to get warm and dry?" She took a step back and raised her arms. I left her then.

I went into my dull room and dumped my hair straightener on my bedside table and quickly changed out of my wet clothes into my favourite black shirt, skinny jeans and mismatched pair of socks. Friggin' sock goblins. I was fixing my fringe in my mirror, cursing the wet weather that is making my hair revert back into its hobbit format... When I heard a loud scream.