Alexei walked into the diner a little after midnight, and Evie’s stomach flipped at the sight of him. His cheeks were red from the cold and the collar of his jacket had been popped to keep any wind from the back of his neck.

She almost scowled at herself for her own reaction, reminding herself of everything the lecturer had said today. But seeing him offer her a hesitant smile threw all her concerns out of her mind. It wasn’t fair for her to blow him off just because he might be someone to be wary of. She should be wary, she couldn’t deny that. But she also shouldn’t be rude, or too fearful to take chances or make new friends. Being polite didn’t mean she had to jump into bed with the guy.

“Hi,” she greeted him softly.

His eyes warmed as he glanced at her, then he turned and took the same seat against the wall that he had last night. The rest of the diner was empty, so she grabbed her pad and pen and headed over to him.

“Couldn’t resist those burgers, huh?”

“Something like that,” he murmured, his eyes travelling over her face. Her skin heated at his look. Not from embarrassment, but from a subtle kind of hunger. It wasn’t the aggressive roar of lust she remembered from her pre-Jimmy dating days, but it was a muted, tentative version of it just the same.

“Got any fights this week?” she asked, almost as a reminder to herself.

He shook his head. “We always fight Saturday.”

“But you train most days?”

He nodded.

“Did you have class today?” he asked, surprising her.

“Yeah, it was…well, it was kinda tough, particularly on not much sleep, but I got through.”

He scowled. “You should sleep. Maybe work less.”

Evie swallowed. She knew, in her mind, he wasn’t being dictatorial. Abrupt, maybe, but she put that down to the language barrier. However, Jimmy had said many similar things over the years. “You’re never home” and “Who will take care of me now you’re never here?” and “Work and school are taking you away from me, you should drop out”.

She shrugged, hand shaking. “Not long now. Only a few more months.”

He nodded, and didn’t pursue the topic of conversation, for which Evie was grateful.

“So do you know what you want?” she asked, pointing at the menu with her pen.

“Same,” he said.

She nodded and scribbled it down, then turned and headed into the kitchen.

Bob ignored her as she put the order down on the counter and headed straight through to the walk-in freezer in the back. She shut the door on herself and revelled in the cold air and the quiet, calm stealing over her.

She needed to stop thoughts of Jimmy affecting her like this. She couldn’t allow her whole life to become a careful avoidance of any topic that even slightly reminded her of him. It was no way to live.

Evie took a deep breath, and then another, until she’d settled herself. Then, she determinedly marched out of the kitchen and back out onto the floor. While she’d been out back, a young woman had settled herself at the counter, so Evie took her order and poured her a coffee before grabbing Alexei’s burger and taking it to him.

“So what do you do for fun?” she asked, and slid uninvited into the seat across from him.

He chewed thoughtfully on a chip. “Train. Watch TV. Go to movies. Hockey.”

“Hockey? Play or watch?”

“Watch. I never learned to play.”

“Which movies?”

“Action. Ones with not too much talking.” He gave her a wry smile, and she returned it. “You?”

“Movies or hobbies?” she asked.

“Both.”

“With movies, I like action, too. Romantic movies are too unrealistic.” She swallowed at that and glanced down at the laminated table top, trying to keep her composure. Alexei’s plate nudged into her field of vision.

“Chip?”

She smiled, the odd feeling dissipating, and grabbed two chips from the plate.

“Hobbies?” he reminded her.

“I like to read. I used to like walking through parks and things, spotting pretty plants, but I don’t do that so much anymore. I don’t have the time.” Besides, being on her own—outside—scared her slightly. She didn’t feel safe and secure like she did in her apartment with her reinforced door. “Studying is kind of a hobby,” she finished.

He gave her a disbelieving look that made her laugh. “It is!”

He shook his head. “I never finished school. Too hard.”

“I enjoy it. Some people’s brains just don’t like academics.”

“I liked the sport.”

“I bet all the opposing teams were afraid of you.”

He grinned and the expression lit his whole face. “Not at first. I grew late.”

She raised her eyebrows. “That surprises me.”

“My father was disappointed I was so small.” He swallowed and his eyes shifted away. There was a story there, one she wasn’t quite ready to hear, and she suspected he wasn’t ready to tell.

The kitchen bell rang, and Evie leapt to her feet to grab the woman’s order. She filled up her coffee while she was there, then walked back to Alexei.

“You don’t mind my company, do you?” she said once back at his table. “I mean, I’m not bothering you, right? Unless you come here to be alone.”

He shook his head. “If I wanted to be alone, I would stay in my apartment.” He paused, his expression shifting, imparting some significance. “Or go to a different diner.”

Evie’s face flushed with pleasure at his admission that he was here to see her. She was already in too deep. As much as she knew she should keep herself back from him, she was already developing a crush, no use denying it.

And though fear nudged her at the knowledge, there was also a large swathe of gratitude. She hadn’t lost the simple pleasure of a man’s company. She could enjoy conversation, and light flirting with a man who interested her, without her terror getting in the way. Part of it was the fact that their conversations happened at the diner, a public space, and she felt comfortable getting to know him in a way she never could in their respective apartments, completely alone.

“I’m glad you’re here,” she said, before she could stop herself.

The warmth in his eyes made her lungs tighten until she could barely draw breath.

“Maybe we could see each other somewhere else. On purpose.”

It was like a bucket of iced water had been thrown over her head. “Like a date?” she squeaked.

He nodded but leaned away from her, as if giving her space. Her breathing was shallow, her hands clammy. She didn’t know what to say, how to answer. Her unexpected reaction made it perfectly clear she wasn’t ready for such a step. It was too much, too fast.

But she didn’t want to be impolite. She knew what happened when men felt rejected, or denied something they believed they were entitled to. She’d experienced it often enough with Jimmy. She tried to search for the words to let him down easy.

“I’m very busy,” she stammered.

“When you’re ready,” he replied softly.

He’d seen her reaction, and hadn’t been fooled. But rather than be angry at her brush off, his eyes were sympathetic. He wasn’t pressing her, or demanding anything.

She took a deep breath, then nodded. “I’ll let you know.”

He smiled, as if satisfied with that answer. And maybe he was. To her, it was momentous. Because the simple truth was that she didn’t want to reject the idea of a date out of hand. She wanted to consider it. Maybe it would even be her next step in her path to getting over what had happened to her.

And she liked Alexei. He was kind, and gentle, and considerate, despite his huge size and almost brutish appearance. And he was smarter than one might expect, if they let their prejudices get in the way. He read people well. Perhaps it came with being so quiet, and such a good listener. It means he could read her in a way not even Chelsea could.

Alexei finished off his burger while she processed all this information. When he was done, she grabbed his plate and headed for the kitchen, taking the woman’s empty plate with her. The woman dropped down some money as Evie came out of the kitchen, then waited as Evie counted it out and thanked her for the tip.

As Evie watched the woman head out the door, a hint of movement shimmered in the shadows across the road. She squinted, peering closer, but it didn’t happen again. It had just been her imagination. She really was losing it.

But that assurance didn’t stop her from walking closer to the window on her way back to Alexei, desperately searching the shadows for signs she wasn’t crazy, that someone really was watching her.

But there was just darkness beyond.

Evie turned to Alexei. He stood beside the table, counting out money from his wallet.

“What time is it?” she asked, then remembered there was a clock on the wall above the entrance to the kitchen. A few minutes to one.

“Oh, my shift is nearly over.”

He paused, then turned to look at her. “Should I wait?” he asked.

She hesitated for a moment. She didn’t want to rely on him, not for this. Not after Jimmy had insisted on escorting her from every place she went. The loss of independence, the feeling of being watched and examined and found wanting, had been one of the worst parts of the abuse. She’d got to the point where she could barely make a decision on her own without deferring to Jimmy.

But the cold shiver of fear had settled at the base of her spine, the terror that someone was out there, watching her. Alexei wasn’t demanding anything, she reminded herself. He was offering. He wouldn’t hurt her. He could have done so well before now if he wanted to. But he was big and protective, like a bodyguard. It would help her feel safe, until she got her feet under her again, and learned to trust her instincts and ignore her paranoia.

She took a deep breath, then nodded, placing her trust in someone for the first time in what felt like forever.