I have an unexpected feeling of excitement in my belly as I watch his cab pull away. But 'Fingers' he calls himself... the mind boggles.

I haven't had this kind of feeling since that chance meeting with Charles and I honestly hadn't expected to again. I fire off a text to my new mate and surprised when the eager beaver texts straight back.

He makes me smile with some witty banter on the walk home making it seem much shorter than usual, although I'm walking much slower than I normally would in the hopes I'll swerve Georgie's guest entirely.

We text back and forth and it's light and easy conversation. Something that wasn't possible with Artan. There was always an undertone of aggression with him, whether that was face to face, over the phone or by text message, I always felt scared. It's what I came to expect and believe I deserved but after a lot of late night wine and girl talk with Georgie, I've come to realise that I deserve much more than I've ever been given in life. I deserve a nice bloke and I deserve to be treated right.

I let myself into the flat and am shocked to see Georgie fully clothed and dead to the world on the sofa. Maybe her guest never showed. Either way, mission to swerve him was a success.

I munch a bit of toast before heading to bed, still texting Fingers and still quite enjoying myself.

I shit myself as my phone starts ringing and fuck its loud when the flat's in complete silence.

"Hello" I whisper and can't help but giggle.

"Haven't even said out yet and you're already laughin'... has to be a sign you should got for a drink with me?"

I'm giggling again like some silly school girl and spend the night chatting like I've known him all my life. He seems different… care free and light hearted and that's exactly I need after Artan.

The sound of the birds singing signals it really is time for bed if I want to be any kind of functioning human tomorrow and I tell Fingers goodnight but he's reluctant to let me go.

"If you agree to a date, I'll let you go to sleep Miss Molly"

I feel the heat rising in my cheeks and the tell tail giggle gives me away once again.

"I'll think about it... Good Night... Fingers"

"I thought I heard you talking" Georgie barks in her gruff morning voice.

"Let me sleep in with you, it's freezing out there on the sofa - gave my mate the bed as he's injured"

She sighs heavily so I turn to face her, try to be a supportive friend even though fatigue now hits me like a tonne of bricks. "What's up?" I ask as I pull back to covers to invite her in bed with me.

"Tonight was a massive mistake... seeing him and talking. It just brought everything I've worked so hard to move on from back to the surface. You know… Elvis and that. He's his best mate, not sure what I thought I'd gain from it and he seems as regretful as I am, now the poor bugger is stuck here until the morning. Couldn't get a cab and I'd had one too many to drive him. With the leg injury he's carrying, I couldn't let him walk back to where he's staying. I fucked up thinking me and him could be friends. It's not possible."

"You didn't... You know, shag him did you?"

She snorts a laugh "God no. No, definitely not. It's all still too raw and like I said, he's Elvis' best mate. It's not like that. I think I just needed to feel close to someone that had the connection with Elvis"

Tears slip down her cheeks and it's not the first time I've seen her cry in all these months of friendship and being flat mates. Every time it's because of this Elvis wanker that I'll be sure to add to my shit list and if I ever do meet him, I'll give him a piece of my mind. Twat.

She's asleep within minutes but I can't seem to switch off. I'm both buzzing and knackered but the last few unexpected hours of conversation with Fingers play on my mind. I think I want to go on a date!

Eventually I must have drifted off into a happy sleepy bubble until the smell of bacon arouses me only a few short hours later. I groan, only a small bit regretful of my late night but it doesn't matter much as I'm off today.

I can hear that Georgie still has company so I make myself look decent before facing them.

I walk out to find her kneeling in a questionable position and stop dead in my tracks. Fuck, am I interrupting something?

"How was that?" She asked before climbing to her feet and I'm praying that death will come quickly or for the ground to swallow me up PRONTO!

"Yeah I think I'll live. Like I said, the medic says it's just bruised. I'll be fine in no time"

I do an awkward dance around the outskirts of the room hoping I'm no more noticeable than a fly or something but it's too late. She's spotted me.

"Ah Good Morning you. I thought the smell of bacon would wake you. Have some breakfast with us" She makes a pained face that tells me there is no choice in the matter, flicking her head towards the table letting me know where I'm needed to act as a buffer.

Her mate limps towards the table and he's all tall dark and possibly handsome now I'm dying to see the front of him. With a head full of dark curls that are just inviting me to run my fingers through, he resembles someone from a L'Oréal Men advert. I hope the face doesn't disappoint!

Georgie, ever the army medic continues to fuss over her injured mate and bends down into the same questionable position in front of him, this time to pull a tube bandage over his foot, which she promptly raises onto a chair leaving only one seat for me and that's dead opposite Mr Tall, dark & possibly handsome.

"Can never be too careful with your previous injury" she babbles awkwardly.

She serves up breakfast and after pouring myself a coffee, and trying to catch a glimpse of him in any shiny surface I can find, I admit defeat and park myself in my space to face the situation I had done so well to swerve last night.

"Molly this is..."

He lifts his face to look at me and those brown eyes from the lift stare back at me.

I'm mesmerised by the smooth, tanned arms once again as he lifts his sandwich to his mouth and I can pinpoint the very second that it clicks in his brain that we've already met and he knows exactly who I am despite the change of hair and now he looks like he wants to throw up into his breakfast.

"Charles. We've already met"

The awkwardness in his body language ceases instantly.

"Molly?"

He climbs to his feet despite his injury so I do the same and I'm shocked when he pulls me into a hug.

"I never thought I'd see you again! I've thought about you a lot since that day. Wondered how you were and if you were okay? You look bloody fantastic... new hair?"

He actually looks genuinely happy to see me and like I've saved him from the lions den and Georgie also looks relieved that she can finally take a break from being the hostess with the mostess. Meanwhile, I'm here thanking god that I took the time to put on a bit of Make up and didn't roll out here with my eye bags hanging out. I can't quite believe he's standing here in front of me after all this time.

"I owe you a massive thank you" I'm blushing now.

He bites his lip "You don't owe me anything, I'm just glad it all worked out for you, or at least it seems it has"

We're interrupted by Georgie awkwardly clearing her throat; I think she wants our visitor to jog on now. I leave them to their awkward exchange to answer my phone which seems to be beeping none stops – Fingers!

"We on for this drink then? ;)"

I agree to the drink because, why the hell not? Maybe this 'Fingers' will distract me from the now reignited obsession over Charlie boy who was way out of my league then and is even more out of my league now I've had an even better look at him. Wow!

"I'd best be off. Wouldn't want to outstay my welcome" he chuckles and gives awkward Georgie a last glance and a wave.

I hug him once again. "I meant it when I said I owe you a big thank you. You really don't know what you did for me that day"

He's about to say something before Georgie ushers him towards the door shaking her car keys at him. Subtle!

The happy bubble I'd found myself in since last night feels deflated. How can he have such an effect on me after all this time?

"Do you wanna know why they call me Fingers?"

I hold my hands up in protest before he says something we'll both regret.

"You're alright thanks mate. Why don't you start by telling me your actual name?" I try my best to at least sound interested even if my face says otherwise.

"Well me names Frankie but I've been Fingers for years now. I like to think of it as an alter ego. The man, the myth, the legend... Fingers"

I don't know if I'm laughing because he's actually funny or if he's just a bit of a prat that likes the sound of his own voice.

"I'm a bit of a legend within my section but for all the wrong reasons you see... longest serving Private without even getting within sniffing distance of a promotion. But I'm lucky with the ladies so that's all that matters"

I'm running through all the excuses in my head and wondering if Georgie will bail me out with an SOS call or if I can slip off unnoticed on my way to the bog. How did we go from having so much chemistry to this? When I woke up this morning, I felt so hopeful. I thought that maybe I'd get lucky and someone would genuinely like me but it would appear that it's not going to be ol' Frankie boy here.

I decide that after much suffering, (1 hour and 42 minutes to be precise) now is the time to make my escape. He stops to talk to some other poor unsuspecting girl, a blonde this time and while his back is turned I make a dash -Never knew I could move so fast. I suspect he won't be too gutted by my abrupt exit as I glance back and he's leaning in now, think that's him sorted for the night.

I begin the long but therapeutic walk home which I always use to gather my thoughts about events of each day. Despite this little blip getting back onto the dating ladder, I don't feel too terrible about it. A few months ago it would have knocked my confidence but I appreciate now that you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find a prince.

"Well if it isn't my little trollop of a daughter"

His voice chills me to the Bone. I quicken my pace in the hopes I can lose him, he's not in the best condition – he's obviously sleeping rough.

"What's the matter Moll? Got no time for your old dad? You've ruined my life and you can't even stop"

I turn to face him, it's time to stop running from the past.

"I didn't ruin your life Dad, you did with your drinkin' and the manipulating and trying to sell me off like a bit of meat. None of it was right. I need to live me own life and be happy and so does mum. She's better off without you"

His wounded expressions pains me even after all he's done over the years, he is still my dad after all.

"Please get the help you need. Maybe in the future when you're sorted then we could all get together… finally do some talking. But until then Dad, stay away from us"

He says nothing which is unusual for a gobby twat like him. I feel uneasy turning my back on him but the sooner I'm out of here the better.

I didn't hear him coming and truthfully I never expected him to sink as low despite all the years of letting us down and hurting us. He uses all his strength to shove me to the ground before doing a runner with my clutch bag. Everything seems to move at lightning pace as strangers gather round me, they attempt to pull me to my feet and offer to call the police but I don't want to move. This latest violation by him is just too much.

He pulls me to my feet, twice now he's appeared when I've been on my arse.

"Come with me" he says gently and I go because I trust him. He wraps his jacket round my shoulders, gently guiding me in a direction I'm not sure of.

"You're still limping, leave me here, I'll be alright" I sob. Tears are coming thick and fast now.

"No chance Molly" he says gently, tucking my hair behind my ear as his gives my face a once over for visible injuries and uses his thumbs to wipe away my tears.

We end up back at his room where he gently tends to the superficial wounds my own dad has inflicted on me. His touch sends shiver down my spine. I don't actually think I've ever been treated so gently in life. I close my eyes, beginning to enjoy it, his touch and his smell. He's beautiful.

"You're making a habit of saving me Charles"

He smiles and continues the job at hand. I watch him for a moment and there is only concern in the depth of his eye. Something I've never known a man to show before.

"I think that's you all patched up" again his tone is gentle - I'm mesmerised by him.

Just him being here makes everything feel alright again.

"I best be going. Thanks though, for saving my bacon… again. You should rest that leg"

He looked down at the offending leg which he's now doing his best to avoid using and curses under his breath.

"I'm guessing that as he stole your bag, you've got no means to pay for a cab?"

Cringing here because this is indeed becoming a habit.

"Nah, but I'll walk. Not gonna bump into him twice in one night, not even I'm that unlucky"

He shakes his head "Nope. Not happening! I either shout you a cab or I walk you home, either way I need to make sure you get there safely"

I agree to the cab because the poor bugger is limpy enough without me adding any to it further.

I tiptoe to kiss him on the cheek before I leave and there is a flicker of something in his eyes that I can't quite guess what it is. I watch him until he disappears from view and now I fully understand what lovesick feels like.