Long day ahead [open]

Lynne hurried down the stairs of Owen's apartment building before she lost her nerve and turned back. She practically burst onto the street and then stopped, leaning against the side of the building, running her hands through her hair and closing her eyes. She was no good at this; why had she even bothered if she knew that she was just going to get hurt? She always got hurt. Why should last night have been any different, regardless of the guy? So what if Owen seemed nice? He was still a man and it seemed to be men's mission in life to kick Lynne when she was already down.

Taking a deep breath and letting it out in a huff, Lynne opened her eyes and dropped her hands to her sides, spying what looked like a coffee shop across the street. "Fantastic," she breathed, pushing off the side of the building and waiting for a chance to cross. She didn't look over her shoulder at Owen's building, although it took a lot of willpower not to. She was more than deservedly bitter, but she decided not to hate him over it - she'd been the one who'd walked willingly into it, after all and he had inferred that this morning wasn't going to be the end of it. So, to his credit he'd either been a damn good liar or he wasn't such a creep after all. She'd have to wait and see.

She shook her head and walked into the coffee shop. What Lynne needed was an espresso - who the fuck stayed out all night shagging strangers when they had to get up at six in the morning, anyway?! - and a newspaper to delve into. What Lynne needed was to forget about Owen and the sooner, the better; less suffering for her that way if he never showed up at her bar again.

There was no one else in the coffee shop, save the teenage boy behind the counter. He leered a little at her and Lynne pulled her disheveled hair over her shoulders again to cover her chest. If she'd known what the morning would bring, she'd have worn something much less revealing to work the night before. "Espresso, please," she sighed at him. "Grande. And stop looking at my boobs, you little pervert, or I'm not tipping you."

Six forty-five and Daniel Johansson was already up - he had gotten a good night's sleep and decided to just hit the playing field a bit earlier that day. Okay, a lot earlier, but he walked instead of getting stuck in traffic so it was okay.

It was barely daylight out as he tread down the sidewalk on Brewers Avenue, his Nike back on his shoulders. A young woman in business attire passed him and they exchanged glances, a wry smile went across his face. God, it had been such a long time since he was with a girl. Well, a good looking one...

The last 'real' girl he had been with was about seven months ago. She was a blond, green-eyed, gorgeous bird and she treated him as if he were a god. He had met her at one of his soccer matches, she was the cute one changing the numbers on the score board in short shorts and a tank top. They were together for a total of six weeks... before she ran off with another guy on an opposing team. Figured, he was foreign and was tall, dark and handsome. Dan gritted his teeth thinking about it, the guy looked like such a tool.

Dan reached his favorite morning coffee bar and pushed open the heavy door. That kid was working there again. Great, he thought. Little bugger was as obnoxious as well... he was when he was that age. Only Dan was nicer in the fact he was rude to the people he knew.

"Grande. And stop looking at my boobs, you little pervert, or I'm not tipping you."

The woman ahead of him sneered at the kid and Dan couldn't help but laugh. He missed laughing and didn't get to do it often.

"Hey don't even warn him," Dan chuckled. Looking at the woman next to him he smiled. "I'll take a black coffee and scone... put hers on my tab as well."

"Hey don't even warn him," Dan chuckled. Looking at the woman next to him he smiled. "I'll take a black coffee and scone... put hers on my tab as well."

Lynne startled and looked away from the kid behind the counter. There was a man standing there. Fantastic, exactly what she needed - another man offering to buy her a drink. At least this time, it was coffee. "Oh, thanks, but I've got it," she insisted, reaching into her back pocket with one hand. No cash. She tried her other pockets, thinking maybe she'd just mistaken which she'd shoved her mobile and tips into. Nothing.

"Oh, fuck me," she snapped. Worst morning ever. She sighed heavily and closed her eyes. Somewhere along the way the previous night, while letting Owen toss her clothes haphazardly about his flat as he'd led her to his bed, her cell phone and cash had slipped out of her pocket. "Cancel that, kid," she said through gritted teeth. She gave the new man a forced 'thank you, anyway' smile and walked across the coffee shop, flopping down onto one of the couches there and dropping her head in her hands. Could it possibly get any worse for her than the past twelve hours, save shagging Owen, had been?

"Oh, thanks, but I've got it,"

Dan watched the woman fiddle with her pockets trying to find money. There was something just a little weird about her, but in no doubt she was in a bad mood. She cancelled her drink and walked to the other side where, ironically Dan usually sat and looked as if she wanted to cry.

"Hey, just leave it," Dan spoke up, before the boy poured the large coffee down the drain. He left a little larger of a tip than he usually did before walking over to the condiments right next to where the woman sat.

He fixed up his coffee - nice and black with a bit of half an half, sugar and honey. Grabbing a couple napkins for his pastry, he took a small coffee straw out of the bin and set it and the drink on the table in front of the girl.

"Here," he said, pausing a bit before her. "It'll perk you up and you won't have me hanging around."

With that Dan headed out the door, digging into his scone.

"Here," he said, pausing a bit before her. "It'll perk you up and you won't have me hanging around."

Lynne looked up just in time to see him turn and walk back out the door. She grabbed the coffee and hurried out after him. "Hey wait!" she called out. "Hey!" she called out, swearing when some of the coffee sloshed over the edge of the cup and burned her hand. She switched the cup to her other hand before she could reflexively drop it all together and she shook her hand in the air, both to dry it off and to ease the burn.

"That was really rude of me and I'm really sorry," she said as she caught up to the man. "I just...had a rough morning. I'm Lynne," she offered. "And you didn't have to do that, but thank you," she added, giving the man a small grateful smile.

"That was really rude of me and I'm really sorry. I just...had a rough morning. I'm Lynne," she offered. "And you didn't have to do that, but thank you."

Upon hearing a few shouts, Dan turned around and saw the woman he had just bought coffee for, introducing herself. His cheeks were blown up from the ravishing hunger for the carmel scone and he stared at her, trying to chew and swallow. No one ever said he was graceful.

"You're welcome," he said, mouth full and swallowed the last of the rather dry baked good. "Sorry, Lynne you said? Hi, I'm Dan." He gulped down some of his coffee and wiped his mouth off with this dark blue sleeve. "It's really not a problem..."

Dan looked down at his shoes. How awkward. Yes, he found her attractive but there was something he couldn't put his finger on that was screaming 'no'.

Lynne smiled a little at him. Wow, maybe there were genuinely nice guys in Cardiff who didn't want anything from her. "Lynne, yeah. Nice to meet you, Dan. Listen, this is going to sound so stupid, but...do you know where I can get some cash? I mean, uh..." she paused and grimaced at how that must've sounded.

O for two, so far with this poor guy, Lynne. Way to go, she thought with an inward roll of her eyes.

"I mean, where a bank is? I seem to have lost my wallet...so I've gotta get some money out without my ATM card. I was about to get a cab after the coffee, but..." she crinkled her nose and shrugged. "I'm not from this side of town...I don't know where anything is," she clarified, just in case her accent wasn't enough to suggest she was lost.

Dan looked up as she began talking again.

"..but...do you know where I can get some cash? I mean, uh..."

It took awhile for him to realize what that could have sounded like and after another one of his awkward silences and probably one of his most stupid faces, Dan chuckled.

Her accent was different, he had noticed that before in the coffee shop and secretly wondered what she was doing around these parts. Not that was any of his business, but he couldn't help but wonder.

"Yeah, there's bank about, oh, four blocks away from here. It's right next to the soccer field... I'm headed that way myself and if you want I could show you the way." He nodded. "That way you can remember how to get back, somewhat."

Daniel shifted his wait as he waited for a response. She was very pretty and looked like she had been out clubbing the night before. He thought it was a bit odd she didn't carry some sort of purse or whatnot, considering his sister never when anywhere without one, even if she was going to the loo. But as he watched her and studied her face, he could tell she had been through some rough times - it was in her eyes. She looked as if she needed a friend...

Lynne blushed a bit when he laughed at her and she crinkled her nose in distaste. She was screwing up left and right with everyone under the sun, it seemed, in the past twelve hours.

"Yeah, there's bank about, oh, four blocks away from here. It's right next to the soccer field... I'm headed that way myself and if you want I could show you the way."

"That would be really..." Lynne paused and sighed, "really nice of you," she breathed, looking up at him gratefully.

Then, he went on, "That way you can remember how to get back, somewhat."

Lynne looked down at her feet and frowned. "Don't think I'll be needing to know how to get back to this side of town," she muttered more to herself than to Dan.

She looked back up at him. "Lead the way?" she asked hopefully.

When Lynne smiled the sun seem to come up from peeking above the horizon. Although that was just a mere coincidence, Dan felt a great start to his day and his friendship with Lynne.

"Lead the way?"

Grinning, Dan nodded and began walking the way he had been heading before. Noticing he was walking alone, hee stopped short and looked back at Lynne. "You know, you can walk beside me you don't have to follow."

"Sorry," Lynne said, jogging a bit to catch up. She'd found herself looking back across the street at Owen's building and without really realizing it, she'd taken note of the intersection. Not that she'd need it, she thought with a pang of regret. "So, Dan..." she started awkwardly.

The two of them walked the four blocks slowly making small talk.

Lynne looked up at the bank's sign. "This is where I get off," she said. She paused and closed her eyes, pursing her lips at the unintentional innuendo. Too much time spent in the bar being hit on by drunken college boys with stupid lines.

"Uh, so thanks," she said quickly, trying to distract from her previous statement. "I owe you one," she added. "Have you got a pen? Maybe I'll manage to find my stupid phone and we could get together sometime. I mean, you know, so I can pay you back for the coffee."

She paused awkwardly again. "With, you know, another coffee, I mean..." She crinkled her nose again and had the decency to look as embarrassed as she felt for stumbling over her words so clumsily.

Owen noticed he had left his mobile on the floor, where he had thrown it in disgust when Jack interrupted him. He told Jack, and headed out, grabbing his keys from where he'd left them yesterday.

About four blocks from his flat, he saw Lynne with some man. He managed to make eye contact with her briefly as he drove by.

Who was that guy? She said she lived nearby. Was.... Was he her roommate? He pulled over to the side of the road in front of his building. He rubbed his hand through his hair and started in.

Lynne looked away from Dan just long enough to catch sight of Owen driving by. He caught her eye and she froze, heart racing again. Maybe he really had meant that he wanted to see her again? Maybe he'd regretted letting her walk out the door this morning?

Oh shit... she thought to herself. She had told Owen she lived nearby when, in reality, she lived all the way across town. Lies always tended to tangle themselves up and trip her. And then there was the issue of Dan. He'd been so nice to her this morning when she'd been in such a rotten mood and she didn't to be rude to him again. On the other hand, her mobile and wallet were at Owen's place and this was her chance to get them in case she was completely wrong about his appearance back so soon.

Biting her bottom lip, Lynne looked apologetically up at Dan. "You said you'll be at the soccer field? Can I meet you later? I'm really sorry, but I just saw a friend and I've gotta run - he's got my mobile and my money and everything," she said gently, hoping Dan would understand.

As Lynne spoke, Dan saw a blue car driving past with the man inside staring at them. Did Lynne have a jealous boyfriend? Luckily nothing came out of it.

"You said you'll be at the soccer field? Can I meet you later? I'm really sorry, but I just saw a friend and I've gotta run - he's got my mobile and my money and everything,"

Dan came back to reality when Lynne spoke. "Yeah, yeah I'll be over here at the field till noon and then I'm going to get something to eat after that and come back. It's fine really, I'm glad you were able to get here and I hope things with your friend go okay." He smiled genuinely and touched her shoulder before turning towards the green.

Owen shut the door of his flat behind him and leaned on it, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He noticed a small pile of money on the floor and looked at it oddly. He picked it up and put it on a shelf as he made his way to the bedroom to get his mobile. Before he could reach it, he heard a knock on his door. Owen stopped and sighed heavily, before going back to answer it.

He opened the door and saw Lynne.

"Hey."

Lynne hurried back into Owen's building and bounded up the stairs, trying to remember which door was his. She knocked on two incorrect ones receiving odd looks from their occupants before she found his. When he opened the door, Lynne felt her stomach clench nervously.

"Hey."

"Hi," she said awkwardly. "Look, I'm sorry, I know it's, like, a total nightmare when a one-night stand comes back, but I think I left my phone and my walllet here..." she said softly, face burning with embarrassment. "Uh, and we never did exchange information..." she added nervously, hoping he wouldn't be upset that she'd followed him up and was imposing on his privacy, now, just by being there uninvited.

Owen peered as best he could into the hallway. He guessed he was looking for the man she was with, but that would have been dumb. He opened the door fully for her. "Yeah, uh, come in," he said, gesturing, and closing the door behind her.

"I found some money, too," he said, pointing to where he had put it on the shelf. "Not sure if that's yours or not..."

Lynne noticed Owen looking out into the hallway and she wondered what exactly he was looking for, but didn't say anything. When he gestured her inside, she came in, suddenly feeling a little stupid about the entire thing. As if it wasn't bad enough that he hadn't stopped her leaving earlier, she must've looked like some desperate idiot "forgetting" her mobile just to have an excuse to come back. Of course, that wasn't what happened, but Owen didn't know that and it probably looked bad to him.

"I found some money, too," he said, pointing to where he had put it on the shelf. "Not sure if that's yours or not..."

"Thanks, yeah...last night's tips," she said softly, tucking her hair behind her ears. She wasn't sure if she should go get it herself or if that would be pushing her luck, so she just shifted her weight awkwardly from one foot to the other. "I tried to buy a cup of coffee on the way home and noticed it was...well that everything had fallen out of my pockets, um...last night," she explained, looking up at him sheepishly.

"I tried to buy a cup of coffee on the way home and noticed it was...well that everything had fallen out of my pockets, um...last night," she explained, looking up at him sheepishly.

"Your friend help you out, then?" Owen asked, trying desperately to make it sound more aloof then it really was. "I'm not sure where the rest of your stuff is, though." He glanced around the apartment and saw a small object he presumed to be her wallet by the couch. He walked over to pick it up, and handed it to her, smiling politely when he caught sight of her eyes again. "Don't know where your phone is." He broke eye contact and walked towards the couch again, looking around.

"Your friend help you out, then?"

Lynne looked back at him and briefly considered lying through her teeth. But, if he was asking, then he might actually care, so the truth was probably a better option. "He's not really a friend. I just met him in the coffee shop. He offered and I turned him down, but he did it anyway once he saw that I had no money," she explained.

Owen handed her the wallet and she smiled a thank you at him as she took it and shoved it into her back pocket where it belonged.

"Don't know where your phone is." He broke eye contact and walked towards the couch again, looking around.

"Gotta be here somewhere..." she said softly. While Owen's back was turned, she somehow felt comfortable enough to take what was rightfully hers off his shelf, stuffing that, too, into her pocket. Hesitantly, Lynne made her way a little further inside and crouched to look under the bed. "Got it," she said, seeing it instantly and reaching for it. "I'll just..." her voice trailed off as she stood and gestured weakly toward the door. "I'm sorry. I would've just left you alone..." she added sadly. She hadn't wanted to and she wanted badly for him to tell her that he felt the same way, but she feared he'd just bid her farewell and leave it at that.

Then something occurred to her to ask him. "Actually...why are you home already...?" she asked, quick to add, "if you don't mind my asking."

"Actually...why are you home already...?" she asked, quick to add, "if you don't mind my asking."

"I forgot my mobile," he said, figuring now was as good a time as any to retrieve it. He looked at it before putting it in his pocket.

"Um.. Would you like to do lunch today? I.. I mean, if you're not busy?" he asked, looking up at her expectantly.

"I forgot my mobile."

Lynne nodded. "Ah," she replied, feeling slightly crestfallen, having let herself secretly hope that she had had anything to do with his return. Then, he spoke again and caught her by surprise.

"Um.. Would you like to do lunch today? I.. I mean, if you're not busy?" he asked, looking up at her expectantly.

She almost wanted to laugh, because she couldn't believe it. Instead she looked back at him in surprise. "Yeah, okay, definitely," she managed breathlessly. "I'm not doing anything," she added.

Inwardly, Lynne laid out her day for herself. She could kill time between now and lunch by heading over to the field and thanking Dan more properly; maybe get his number so she could pay him back with that coffee she'd mentioned earlier. Then, she could catch a cab home, shower and get fresh clothes...

"Where and when?" she asked.

"Where and when?" she asked.

"12:30, meet me in front of the Millennium Centre?" He smiled at her. "And uh, mobile numbers?" he added, pulling his phone back out of his pocket.

Owen smiled at her. "12:30, meet me in front of the Millennium Centre?"

"Sure...uh, where's the...Millenium Centre, again...?" she asked, wrinkling her nose and blushing. "I'm so bad with directions..."

"And uh, mobile numbers?" he added, pulling his phone back out of his pocket.

Lynne mimicked his movement and took her phone back out of her pocket, as well. "Right, yeah. I'm sorry...I'm pretty anal about my contact list, so, you said your last name was Harper, right?" she asked as she typed his first name in with her text keys. Lynne looked back up at him after doing so and waited for his reply.

"Sure...uh, where's the...Millenium Centre, again...?" she asked, wrinkling her nose and blushing. "I'm so bad with directions..."

"The Millennium Centre is that big building by your bar, near the waterfront," he replied.

"Right, yeah. I'm sorry...I'm pretty anal about my contact list, so, you said your last name was Harper, right?"

"Harper, yeah. And, uh I don't think I got your last name." He looked at her inquisitively, but lightheartedly.