t had been exactly one month since Will had heard from Louisa Clarke, though he thought of her constantly. The morning after he had found her he woke up and she wasn't next to him anymore. He felt so weird, displaced even, he sat up putting his head in his hands. He had wanted to talk to her before she left, to make sure that she was going to be okay.

He sighed and got up, ready to get in the shower, when he realized that his house smelled strongly of bacon and pancakes. He walked out to his kitchen and found her hovered over the stove, humming happily, swaying her hips side to side.

" Louisa?"

She jumped, clutching her hand against her heart.

" Oh my God. Will. You scared the piss out of me."

" What are you doing?"

" Well I thought I'd make you breakfast to thank you for everything you did for me last night."

She looked a lot different then the girl that he had found last night. She had changed back into her dress, her cheeks were full of color, eyes brighter, and a smile on her face.

" You didn't have to do that. Anyone would have done that for you."

She shook her head.

" No, no they wouldn't have. Actually, I'm pretty sure that most people might have walked away and left me to my fate."

" Well most people are total assholes then aren't they?"

" Or you're just really brave."

He shook his head with a smirk.

" Well this looks wonderful. Are you going to stay to eat it with me?" He asked.

" Only if you want me to."

" Wouldn't have it any other way Ms. Clarke."

They sat down together and he realized she was quite a chatty person. She filled the conversation with questions for him about his job, his travels, his ambitions. He asked her about what she planned to do now that she was done with high school, and her face flushed a deep red.

" Well I just got a job actually at the Buttered Bun in town. So I think I'll just be working there for a while. Help out my family a bit."

" No plans for University?"

She shook her head no. He could tell she was sad about that. But decided not to pry into it. He knew nothing about her family, or their struggles, and he couldn't imagine having to feel like he couldn't have gone to University to try and support his family.

She looked up from her plate and gave him a small smile.

" Well, I probably should be heading out now. What you did for me.. I will never be able to repay you. But if you ever need anything. I mean anything really. Please don't hesitate to ask me."

" I would just like you to stay safe."

She smiled.

" I will. I promise."

She stood up, tossing her plate in the trash.

" How will I know that?"

" Give me your number. I will keep in touch."

"Here." He walked to his coffee table, grabbing a business card for her.

" Thank you. Thank you again Will. Really. What you did.. You saved my life."

She reached around his waist, hugging him tightly. He hesitated, but hugged her back gently. Honestly, he didn't want her to leave, and he wasn't sure why.

" Are you sure that you're going to be okay?"

" Yes. One hundred percent." She gave him a wide smile, and though he had never seen her before last night, he imagined that when she used to smile her blue eyes would light up, captivating everyone. But they didn't now, her eyes didn't smile, and he wasn't sure if she even knew if she'd be okay.

She walked towards the door, and looked back at him one more time, giving him a quick nod, and was gone before he could think of anything else to say.

It was Wills lunch break, and he found himself standing in front of the Buttered Bun. He had walked back and forth past it several times already.

" I'm a stalker." He said out loud. An older woman happened to pass him at the same time, snapping her neck towards him as the words came out of his mouth. She gave him a horrified look, speeding up her face to get away from him.

" Oh not you. I didn't mean that." Will yelled after her, though she didn't turn around anyway.

He didn't know why he was even still thinking about Louisa, but he was. She never texted or called, and though she had no obligation to, he had just wished she would have. She had told him she worked here, and he had decided he would stop by just to ease his mind about everything, but he also didn't want her to think that he was a stalker, or had any bad intentions towards her.

He took a deep breath pushing through the door, half expecting to see her standing at the counter in front of him. But she wasn't. He looked around and sighed, the only person who was working was an older man he figured to be the owner.

" Can I help you young man?" He asked.

" Actually yes. Does Louisa Clarke work here?"

" Yes, she does. Not in today though I'm afraid. She's been out for a bit. Her grandmother passed away. She's been taking it hard so I've heard. Been gone for about two weeks now."

" Jesus. Really?"

" I'm afraid so. She told me she would be back Monday though. Would you like me to tell her you stopped by?"

" No, thanks. That's alright."

Will walked back to work, but couldn't focus the rest of the day. He figured he should let this go. She had been through a lot, but she obviously had family that cared about her, maybe she even had a boyfriend. What was it his place to pry into her life if she didn't want him there. So he decided to let the thoughts of her drift out of his mind.

" Want to go for a drink?"

His co-worker and best friend Rupert poked his head into the door, a sly smile on his face.

Will couldn't remember the last time that he turned down a drink, but that seemed like the last thing he wanted tonight.

" I'll pass tonight. Got a lot of work left to do."

Rupert rolled his eyes.

" Getting bloody old aren't you Will? Alright, but your missing out. Heard there's a beautiful girl that's got her eye on you. Also heard she may or may not be making an appearance at the pub tonight."

" I'll take a rain check."

" Fine. See you tomorrow then."

He stayed at the office for two more hours before realizing that dusk was setting in. He packed up his stuff and left, walking out into the brisk night air. He worked way too much, he knew that, he probably didn't even have to work if he didn't want to. Could've lived off of his parents fortune forever, but his desire to get out of their shadow had turned him into a workaholic. He needed a vacation, badly. He was dreaming of the place he would go next when he heard a soft voice calling out his name.

" Will? Will!"

He looked over and standing across the street there she was. Long dark hair curled at the ends, a bright pink sun dress and neon yellow high heels.

" Will. It's me Louisa." She called to him waving, a big smile spread across her face.

" Hello, Louisa Clarke." He said, trying to mask how surprised he was.

She jogged towards him across the street, tripping slightly before she got to him.

" Sorry. Just a little clumsy." She giggled, and quickly reached out, pulling him into a hug.

" It's so good to see you Will. Really." She looked up into his eyes, making his stomach ache a bit. There was something about her eyes.

" It's good to see you too. I wondered about you.. if you were okay."

" I'm sorry. I really should have rang you. It's been a really bad month. Really bad."

" I'm sorry to hear that Louisa. I hope things are turning around now."

She lifted her shoulders slightly, glancing into the distance.

" Me too.. But hey. Would you like to get a bite to eat with me? I haven't gotten dinner yet, and I could use the company."

" Yeah. I'd like that."

They ended up eating at a small cafe, one that she loved but he had never been to before. She told him about how her grandma had passed two weeks after she had been attacked. How she hadn't wanted to leave the house, and hadn't told anyone about what happened to her because she didn't want to make things worse for her family.

He listened intently as she talked, biting her lip every once in a while, staring down at her untouched plate. He wanted so badly to hold her then, to tell her that she could've come to him. But he didn't. He wasn't sure why he felt this way towards someone he didn't even know, but he did. She was different, and he was drawn to her, wanted to help her.

" Oh, Will. I'm so sorry. I've been going on so much about myself. How have you been?"

" Don't be sorry. I've been fine. Just working. Planning my vacation."

" Where are you going?"

" I'm taking a month off to travel Europe. Not sure exactly where I'll end up. But I'd like to see and do as much as possible.

" That sounds amazing." She said smiling. " The farthest I've been is to London."

" What?! You're telling me you've never been out of London. You cannot be serious Clarke."

She giggled.

" I'm dead serious. My family isn't much for traveling."

" Well you have to get out of here. Go see the world, go anywhere. Don't get stuck here though."

She smirked.

" Well your still here too Traynor."

" Not for long. I'm giving myself one more year here, build myself up a bit more, and then I'm gone."

The waitress came by then, handing him the check.

" Can I walk you home?"

" I'd like that."

They took the long way back to her house, getting lost in conversation about the adventures he had been on. Sky diving, cliff jumping, cross country skiing, mountain climbing. She asked him a million questions, genuinely interested. He thought about how most women he came across seemed only interested in his bank account, and it was so easy to talk to her, he didn't want to stop.

" Would you like to come in?" She asked when they got to her doorstep. " My family is away for the weekend, so its just me here."

He nodded.

They sat on her living room couch talking for hours about nothing and everything. Eventually she turned on an old horror movie, and they stopped talking. He didn't notice she was asleep until her head rested against his shoulder. He waited for a while, taking in the silence and her soft features in the glow of the television light. He figured he should go home now, and started to shift from underneath her slowly. Her eyes fluttered as he moved.

" Hey Clarke. I should probably head home now, let you get some rest."

" Will." She whispered, reaching for his hand.

"Yeah?"

" Please stay. I haven't slept for a month. But I think I could if you were here tonight."

He smiled at her, relaxing back against the couch.

" Yeah, I'll stay."