"Already?"

"Already. Dave's mum is getting itchy about what sized turkey to buy and wants to know if we're going to hers or ours."

"Ergh, come here! Anyway, I'll just go get her."

"Call me soon for a proper chat."

"Will do."

I yelled for Mum, waited for her to pick up the other phone, and then called out I was leaving.

You could tell autumn had arrived by the air. I sat on my favourite bench, at the top of the common, and felt the slight chill in the breeze. I had the place to myself again. I stretched out on my back, closed my eyes, and let calmness overtake me. The sun was just about warm enough and I listened to the birdsong as I lay with my eyes shut. I smiled as I felt my body delve into half-awake-half-asleep mode.

I'm not sure how long I'd been lying there when I felt cold on my face. It had been plunged into shadow. I opened my eyes and squinted to see who was responsible for blocking my sun. And I almost fell off the bench in surprise.

It was Noah.

"Poppy?"

I struggled to get upright as I tried to imagine why on earth he was there. He watched me, amused, none of the nastiness of the previous night in his expression.

"How come whenever I see you you're never vertical?"

I analysed my body's reactions to him as I sat up like a normal person. My heart was beating slightly faster but he had shocked me. Other than that...no...everything seemed normal. That was good. My epiphany had obviously worked.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I hadn't forgotten his horrid smirking and wasn't prepared to be overly friendly.

"I was about to ask you the same thing." He gestured to the space next to me. "Do you mind if I sit down?"

I shook my head and he sat. Not close though. In fact, if he'd sat any further away he'd have fallen onto the muddy ground.

"I always come here," I answered, still shell-shocked at his sudden appearance. "It's my favourite place in the world." I turned to look at him, holding my breath to ensure my body behaved itself. He stared back at me.

"That's so weird," he said. "I'm up here all the time too."

We both contemplated the coincidence silently.

"Where do you live?" I asked.

"On Green Acre Drive."

"So just round the corner then?"

"How about you?"

"Ash Road." I thought about it. "I suppose the common is just one of those places you only know about if you live nearby."

Noah nodded. I risked another quick look at him, trusting my new-found strength. He was still gorgeous, even though he'd obviously dressed not expecting to bump into anyone. He was wearing a baggy pair of jeans with a hole in the knee and a grey woolly jumper, and his hair was dishevelled and standing on end. Anyone else would have looked a bit ropey, but he managed to pull off the scruffy look. Then I realized I also hadn't been expecting to see anyone and panic set in. I wasn't wearing a scrap of make-up, my hair hadn't been washed and I was wearing a giant hoodie emblazoned with the logo for a now-embarrassing band I used to worship back when I was fifteen. I tried to rake my hair back with my fingers and we sat together in silence. Enough had been said already. It was awkward. Horribly awkward.

Noah eventually broke the silence.

"I can't believe you're here," he said, looking at me. "This is just too weird."

I couldn't believe he was speaking to me after what I'd last said to him. Maybe now he was with Portia he wasn't upset any more. The thought made me feel a little ill.

The words came out of my mouth before I even knew I was going to say them. "Noah, I'm really sorry."

He raised an eyebrow. "For what?"

The words continued to gush out. "I was a bitch. I'm not usually like that. Ever. Okay, well sometimes. But, anyway, I've not been able to stop thinking about what happened and I feel awful about it. I've not said sorry. But I am. So...sorry, I guess."

I held my breath as I waited for his reply.

He looked out over the view and I felt stupid and also very aware of how greasy my hair was.

"This really is too weird," he said, still focused on the distance.

"Why?"

When he turned back I got the full force of those dark eyes. He stared at me searchingly and I stared right back. My heart was quickening a little, but no fainting spell yet.

"It's weird because I come up here when I need to think. And for the past couple of weeks all I could think about was you."

I gulped, not quite believing my innocent walk had brought this boy back into my life. So intensely. So quickly.

"In fact I came up here to clear my head after last night. I'd been getting better at not thinking about you until I saw you yesterday. And then to find you here is very strange."

I still didn't say anything.

"Why were you lying on the bench by the way?" he asked. "It's not a bed, you know."

I smiled. "It was comfortable."

"I could see that."

"I wasn't expecting to see anyone. Which is why I look like crap, by the way."

He stared at me again, and then, very slowly, he tucked a loose strand of my hair behind my ear. "You don't look like crap."

I blushed.

Not able to handle the intensity, I turned back to the view, trying to collect my thoughts. More silence fell. And it was still awkward.

"So that guy you were dancing with last night..." His voice had an edge of anger to it now. "...Is he your boyfriend?"

That's when I burst out laughing.

"What?"

I was unable to answer for a moment, still laughing. "Are you being serious?"

Noah looked baffled. "Umm. Yes. Why? What's so funny?"

"That wasn't my boyfriend." I shook my head, trying to compose myself. "That was Frank. Honestly, if you met him you would know immediately he wasn't my boyfriend."

Noah's face remained confused. "Why?"

I threw my head back. "God! Frank is like my anti-type. I only know him from English and our whole relationship is based on torturing each other."

He didn't look convinced. "It didn't look like you were torturing each other last night," he said, through slightly gritted teeth.

I remembered the dancing and Noah seeing us. I suppose it had looked suspect, if you hadn't known we were just mucking about.

I shrugged. "We were just dancing. In fact he usually hates that kind of music. You should take it as a compliment..." Then I remembered Portia and got indignant. "ANYWAY, what's it to you who I dance with? Surely you were too busy sucking the face off that rich cow to even notice? By the way, public displays of affection are not cool."

The anger in Noah's face had gone and his devastating playful grin returned.

I, however, remained angry. "What?"

"Are you jealous, Poppy?"

I was rumbled. "Shut up. No I'm not. I just don't like people snogging in public. It's disgusting." I fixed him with a glare. "You're disgusting."

Instead of getting cross, he shuffled up closer to me on the bench. I stared at the disappearing space between us.

"I think you're jealous."

"I think you're a man-whore."

It was his turn to burst out laughing. "What on earth is a man-whore?"

"It's what people say about you," I explained, not sure why I was telling him this. "They say you go through women like incontinent people get through loo roll."

Why did I have to bring up incontinence? Noah didn't seem the slightest bit angry at the personal attack I was launching though. In fact, he was still grinning infuriatingly. "So is Portia your latest conquest then?" I waited for his answer with bated breath.

Noah leaned closer so our faces were almost touching. I melted a little.

"Would you be upset if she was?" he whispered.

Of course I would be bloody upset. I kept my face close but looked down.

"I don't care what you do," I lied. "It's your business."

Noah sat back, looking out at the view again. "So you wouldn't feel anything if I told you I was just using her to make you feel jealous," he asked casually.

I replied equally casually. "Nope," I lied again. "Although any feminist might want to have a few harsh words with you for being a complete arse wipe. Poor girl." Another lie.

Noah rolled his eyes. "Poor girl indeed. She's just using me too. She doesn't care the slightest bit about who I am. She just likes the image of having a rock god on her arm."

"Noah. I hate to be the one to tell you this but you're not a rock god. You're just a guitarist in one of the worst-named bands I've ever heard of."

At that, he grabbed my hand and clutched it hard. I looked down at our entwined fingers and felt an insane pulse of energy rush through me. It almost hurt but it was also amazing. I looked into his black eyes and got lost.

"Poppy," he whispered, still clasping my hand. "Something is happening here and I would really appreciate it if you would stop pretending it isn't." My breath shortened. He continued. "I'm not saying you have to marry me, or even go on a date with me. But could you just go for a coffee with me or something and we can try and work out what is going on?"

I paused for a moment, and then sighed. "Okay." Another brilliant smile and dolphins started diving through my belly. "I don't think I could say 'no' any more if I tried."

He stood up and offered me his hand. I took it, feeling another surge of energy pass through us.

"Thank God for that," he said.

And we walked back down the stinging-nettle-fringed path together, holding hands.

I insisted we stop at my house so I could make myself more presentable.

"But you look fine," Noah complained.

"Fine is the polite word for crappy," I replied, wondering if he would mind waiting while I washed my hair.

"Girls are so weird."

"It's what keeps us mysterious."

"Mysterious is an understatement."

I hesitated when we got to my house and dropped his hand. "Umm. Do you mind waiting out here?" I asked, looking down at the ground.

Noah took in my little detached house and smiled. "So this is where you live?"

"You're not going to stalk me now, are you?"

"You would love it if I did."

"I don't think people enjoy getting stalked. It's not up there on the list of great things to happen to you."

Another stomach-flipping grin. "Yes, well, they've not been stalked by me, have they? I'm wonderful. Very polite. Why can't I come in?"

I struggled for the right words. "Well...if you came in you would meet my mother...and that's just not a good idea."

He looked puzzled.

"She gets worried about me, you see. And, well, if she sees you I'm going to have to explain you, and I'm not sure I can, and...it's just easier if you stay outside."

He nodded. "Fair enough."

"I'll be five minutes."

I knew it would be more like ten minutes and I felt mildly guilty about leaving him standing in the street, but Mum would be UNBEARABLE if she saw him. I dashed inside and, as if she knew I was thinking about her, Mum appeared on the stairs just as I was about to run up them.