I stared at the message, unable to believe this was the same beast that beat up an innocent girl last night. He was unhinged, without any moral code, and it was my fault for pushing him away. I typed back.

Fine thanks, Mother just left thank god. How are you?

Great. How about this Saturday for dinner?

My stomach flipped. Every time we set a date I felt like I was arranging my funeral, but he had to be stopped, it couldn’t wait any longer.

Sure.

I won’t see you at the gym. I’ve had to go to Oxford today.

Is your dad okay?

No, he’s had a fall. They’ve taken him to hospital. I’ll be gone for a couple of days at least.

I’m sorry to hear that. Hope he feels better.

I wasn’t sure if I was relieved or disappointed that I wasn’t going to see Ian for a few days. My head was all over the place. I had to stay focused. I knew it was him, all I needed to do was stick to the plan. I had wanted to look at his knuckles. Surely if he’d delivered a beating of that magnitude he was bound to have some marks? Maybe that was why he’d left town in a rush? Perhaps his dad hadn’t had a fall at all? Maybe if I could find where his dad was I’d be able to check if Ian was there? It was too risky to do any searches on my phone or laptop at home and as Susie’s shop was now shut it would have to wait until tomorrow. Frustrated, I headed home.

The presence of Ben, sat at the table shovelling pasta into his mouth, irritated me as soon as I arrived. For once I wanted the place to myself.

‘Haven’t you moved out yet?’ I joked and watched as Ben frowned at me.

‘What’s up with you?’ He pushed his bowl away and sat back, folding his arms.

‘Nothing, just thought she would have had you all packed up by now.’

‘Oh, fuck off,’ he said, rolling his eyes, a grin slowly spreading across his face.

‘Don’t rush in to anything, Ben,’ I said before I could stop it slipping out. His face softened and for a second, I panicked. I was going to cry. I turned away and poured myself a glass of water.

‘I won’t,’ he said from right behind me. So close I could feel his breath on my neck. I turned round to be pulled into a bear hug. My instant reaction was to fight the affection, the closeness, but instead I melted into him. It was good to be held after what had been a shit couple of days.

Determined not to cry, I pulled away, attempting a joke. ‘Don’t want to have to get her thumbprint tattooed on your forehead now.’