The bright glare of the service station lights made Eutopia squint, invading the quiet shadows of the car.

'Are we stopping?' she asked, looking over at Jinn and noting the tension in his solid jaw.

'Just for a minute,' he replied, pulling up next to a petrol pump, un-clicking his seat belt and jumping out of the car in one fluid movement. She was surprised by Jinn's sudden abruptness since they had slipped into a companionable silence for the most part of the journey. Eutopia turned in her seat to follow Jinn with her eyes as he stalked purposefully past the fuelling station and stopped at the driver's side window of the dark blue Saab parked behind.

'What's he doing?' she murmured to herself as she watched Jinn pull open the car door. 'Oh, God!' Eutopia flung her door open and tried to clamber out of the car quickly, only to be restrained by her seatbelt. 'Bugger, bugger!' she panicked, fumbling to release the catch before she stumbled over to the Saab where Jinn had the driver slung over the bonnet of the glittering paintwork and pinned down by the throat. Eutopia launched herself at Jinn, grabbing his heavily muscled arm and trying to pull it away as the man gasped for air.

'What are you doing?!' she cried in disbelief, 'Jinn, let him go, you'll kill him!' Eutopia pounded her fist as hard as she could against Jinn's unyielding muscle but Jinn's fiery eyes were burning into the man in front of him.

'He's been following us,' was all he said, coolly, without looking at the girl beside him. The man sprawled out on the bonnet was in his early forties and smartly dressed; a businessman perhaps. Through his own shock and confusion he made note of the battered and bruised looking girl who stood terrified beside the tank of a man who held him down.

'What?' he sneered, his shaking voice strangled by the hand squeezing his neck, 'you're such a big man, gonna beat me up like you've done your girlfriend?!' Jinn's hand tightened all the more, causing the man to splutter and choke as his eyes blazed.

'Please,' Eutopia begged, quieter, 'let him go, Jinn, we have to get going.' It was the fear in her voice that made Jinn look around at her and he caught the terror in her eyes. He looked up at the pay kiosk where the shop attendant was gazing out, slack-jawed, from behind the glass. Luckily there were no other cars around, no other witnesses. Jinn let go of the shaking man who scuttled back quickly into his car and revved the engine before he'd even closed the door.

'You're mental!' was his parting comment out of his window, his tyres squealing against the courtyard in his haste to get away. Jinn looked back at Eutopia who was stood trembling and staring wide eyed at him. He caught her upper arm gently and steered her back to his car, leaning in to fasten her seatbelt when she made no move to do it herself before closing the door behind her.

'What the hell were you thinking?' she growled at him as he pulled the car away with an echoing screech. Jinn could see her fear had given way to anger now and it caused his lips to turn up slightly, though fury still emanated from him in waves that Eutopia could feel like static against her skin.

'He was following us. He'd been tailing us for at least six miles.'

'Jesus, Jinn. It's a motorway. There is only one direction cars can go on this road and it happens to be the same direction as us!' Eutopia pulled her legs up onto the seat to rest her chin on her knees, massaging her bare toes absently as she watched him watch the road. 'You've probably made more trouble now. He'll probably report you to the police and they'll check the CCTV and see me with you.' She sighed heavily and closed her eyes, snarling through gritted teeth in frustration, 'Why does my life have to be such a mess?'

'Peace,' Jinn said, softly, glancing at her from the corner of his eye.

'What?' she asked, weary with worry.

'Peace. Take it easy. It'll come out in the wash and all that crap.' Jinn looked at Eutopia more seriously. 'Everything happens for a reason.'

'Do you really believe that?' she asked.

'Yes, I do. Truly.' He grinned, sexily, and then reached out to turn the music up, filling the car with a heavy beat that made Eutopia smile too.

The crunch of tyres on gravel woke Eutopia from the doze she'd been lulled into, despite Jinn's taste for pounding music. The dashboard clock glowed 23:58. They'd made good time. She glanced out of the window as Jinn slowed the car to a stop and she could see nothing but the dark lacy shapes of trees surrounding the huge gravelled drive. The immense bulk of Jinn's 'small' house loomed up on her left in utter darkness, its features shrouded by the night.

'We're here,' Jinn said, unnecessarily as he cut the engine and released the boot catch. The cool night air caused Eutopia to shiver slightly as Jinn climbed out of the car, it was still cold for August and she thought it might rain again soon. She slid out and stretched, closing the door as quietly as she could though the sound echoed around the still driveway. Jinn was already stood in front of the wide door fiddling with the lock and a complicated keypad, their bags resting at his feet. Each key gave a computerised bleep as he entered a code and it was obviously taking him a little while to remember it correctly as Eutopia could hear him muttering under his breath. She stifled a yawn, still feeling tired since she hadn't really slept properly in the car. Travelling always made her sleepy.

'Sorry, I haven't been here for a little while,' he apologised, finally wrenching open the heavy oak door and leading the way inside.

Eutopia was too weary to really be impressed by what she saw in the cavernous entrance hall as Jinn switched on the lights, illuminating the airy space with the crystal chandelier that hung twinkling from the ridiculously high ceiling. A wide staircase swept up straight in front of her, the shiny bare floorboards laid out with a rich and fussy carpet. High arched doorways branched off from either side of her heading into who knew where. Despite the glitter and gleam of opulence that Eutopia could see already there was a definite emptiness that had nothing to do with the lack of occupants or the late hour. This place had not been lived in for a long time. Jinn, having made sure the door was locked behind them, had disappeared leaving Eutopia alone in the hallway. Every now and then a burst of warm light would seep from various rooms to join the pool in the hall where she stood. Despite the lamplight Eutopia still felt afraid, though she knew it was due to more than her fear of the dark. She noticed a large oil painting hung in an ornate gilt frame on the wall above a spindly hall-table which held a telephone that might have been new in the 1930's. Moving closer to examine the picture Eutopia found that the subtle pink, purple and gold tones that had first caught her attention actually depicted a sunrise. The gentle green hills beneath the luminous sky were tainted gold, the twisting scraggy trees that reached up to the rolling clouds reminding her of somewhere else; some sort of Italian countryside depicted by Van Gough, or was it Monet? She could never remember. Eutopia raised a hand, fingertips brushing the thick paint where in the gap of two of the hills lay a little smudge of white, a suggestion of a building, a house perhaps, or a villa?

'Shall I show you to your room?' Jinn's soft voice caused her heart to skip a beat and she whirled on the spot to face him, her hands clasped behind her back like a guilty child caught in the biscuit tin.

'I wasn't touching anything.' Eutopia muttered as he laughed, kindly. An unreadable emotion flickered briefly across his beautiful face as he looked at the girl stood alone and vulnerable in the entrance of his home, the uncertainty and fear at her situation registered clearly in every inch of her body. 'It's OK,' he reassured her, 'it's an old painting. It doesn't matter if you break it.'

'I wasn't going to break it,' she said irritably, 'I was only looking at it. It's beautiful. I love the sunrise.'

'How do you know it's not a sunset?' he asked, one eyebrow raised.

'It's too hopeful to be a sunset,' Eutopia replied, confidently, as she turned again to trail a finger over the purple brush strokes. 'Sunsets are always gloomy. This is a sunrise; you can feel the anticipation, the hopefulness.'

'Well perhaps you should get some sleep before the next sunrise? Or would you like something to eat first?' he asked, as though the thought had only just occurred to him. 'I take it you didn't eat anything back in London?' he reached down for his backpack that lay where he had left it. 'There won't be any food here, but I did grab some stuff before we left the flat.'

'Actually, something to eat might be a good idea, thanks.'

'Sure. The kitchen's this way.' Eutopia followed Jinn down the length of the hall towards the back of the house to find a sprawling kitchen that was littered with every gadget and appliance that must have ever been invented. She smiled at how different the space was in comparison to Jinn's other kitchen. This room was warm and inviting with its soft honey coloured cupboards and terracotta tiles, the cream coloured lace that swept down from the French doors and the chunky butchers block table nestled in the corner. Eutopia instantly felt at home as Jinn swept out a chair from beneath the table and motioned for her to sit. He walked to one of the work surfaces and began to unload various packets and tins from his backpack.

'Cheese on toast?' he asked, holding up the small loaf and block of cheese so she could see. 'It's the quickest thing I can think of. That damn agar takes forever to kick start.'

'Perfect,' Eutopia grinned, resting her elbows on the table and watching as Jinn set about making it for her. Neither of them had spoken of the incident at the service station since the hyped tension between them had melted in the car. Jinn had every right to be paranoid and angry, she supposed, since he hadn't asked to become involved in her mess. Eutopia's stomach growled appreciatively as the rich smell of melting cheese reached her from the grill and thankfully it wasn't long before Jinn set a plate down in front of her.

'You aren't having any?' Eutopia asked, as Jinn took the seat opposite her and dwarfed the small table with his size.

'No. I never eat this late. Bad for the figure,' he grinned, patting the tight muscle of his obviously toned stomach. 'You go ahead though.' Eutopia was too hungry to worry about her figure, and made short work of the two slices on her plate. She began to eat the third slice that Jinn topped her up with more slowly, her hunger sated now.

'You aren't from here, are you?' Eutopia asked him, curiously.

'From Surrey?'

'From England. Your accent, it's sort of funny. Is it American?' Jinn smiled and shook his head as he settled more comfortably into his chair.

'No, I'm not from England. Or America. I've travelled. A lot. I guess I've just picked up different mannerisms from all over. No one's ever described it as funny before, though.' He smirked, amused. Eutopia was struggling with her fourth piece of cheese on toast now, pushing the crumbs and stringy cheese around with a half eaten crust.

'You don't have to eat it all. I won't be offended. You want to see your room now?' Jinn asked as he stood up.

'Thanks,' Eutopia nodded, sleepily, following Jinn out of the kitchen and up the huge staircase to the floor above.

The bedroom Jinn showed Eutopia to was bigger than any hotel room she'd ever stayed in, and as richly and ostentatiously decorated as the other parts of the house that she'd seen. Stately-Country-Chic if she had to give the style a name. But despite the comfort of the furnishings, there was a coldness that Eutopia couldn't shake. After Jinn had pointed out the en-suite that contained a huge claw-footed bath, which Eutopia would have jumped straight into had she been less tired, he had reminded her his room was across the hall should she want anything, and had left her to get some sleep. Her whole frame jangled with the need for slumber and so, despite the unfamiliar room that would usually prevent her from doing so, she curled up on the high king-sized bed and nestled in amongst the sumptuous down-filled duvet without even bothering to get changed or even pull the heavy drapes at the tall window.