The next morning I woke up, which I estimated to be about 8am. Like every other day, sometimes even in summer, my bed was stone cold and already my toes felt numb. I groaned and got out from my bed. It was a Sunday morning so I was delighted about the face that there was no school; the day of rest.
Phoebe snored loudly at the bottom of my bed. Her small Staffordshire body was crouched up into my spare pillows. It was cute. I didn’t want to wake her for some reason, but my footsteps were more than loud enough and her eyes shot open like a big women hearing the word cake would do.
“Walkies Phoebe… Walkies” I chanted. She pounced up and down, still half asleep and whimpered to be taken out. I smiled to myself and began doing what I usually did every morning.
Everything was always as it was. I’d wake up, I’d wander to the bathroom, back through to my bedroom and either I would leave to go to school, or I’d spend the day in my house. Unemployed, still living with my mother, single for god knows how long. No wonder I hated my life! I mean—how does this sound appealing?
Argh!

When I reached the more or less caved in bridge at the Almond, which led to the fields and woods, I let Phoebe off from her lead and watched her bold across the field like a predator.
I slowly walked down the path, twisting the lead around my fingers and wrist. When I watched Phoebe run on the grass, it was like watching her walk on water. The grass was completely frozen, not even the breeze from the biting wind could move it. Again, I sighed and looked around me.
I passed plenty houses that all looked the same; I passed the old folk’s home and the shop. There was not a soul in sight—complete tranquillity.
That was until I saw a dim shadow sitting on a bench at the bottom of the path. He too, was twisting the leash around his fingers. I spook too soon.
Another dark shadow was prancing about in front of him, and just my luck, it spotted Phoebe and began cantering towards her.
“PHOEBE!” I screamed. My face was ashen with terror, for all I knew, the dog, which I soon realised to be an Akita, could’ve eaten Phoebe alive—literally!
“It’s OK” The boy assured me with a clear voice, waving his hands in the air “They’re playing”.
“Are you sure?” I asked at the bottom of the path, and I could tell by his smile he was more than sure.
“I’m positive” He nodded his head. I stared at his face while walking towards him. He was a tall blonde, well built man, and he barely looked down at me.
His eyes were a somewhat light blue and they were deep in their sockets, provided by the cheekbones. His nose was thin and pinched and his lips were formless. Even his skin tone was paler than pale, it was so tightly drawn over his face; it gave you the effect of it having been in a parchment. Nonetheless, he was still an unbelievably attractive man. There was no question about it. I think it was the way he spoke, his accent was so sexy and his mouth, attitude and expressions were the “I can’t be bothered to talk” manner that girls fell head over heels for. “Would you like to join me, miss?” he stared at me, his smile barely stretched over to the other side of his face. He looked utterly delicious!
“S-sure” I replied and after hesitating to sit next to him on the bench, I sat beside him. It must’ve looked odd. I could picture it. I placed on the furthest left side of the bench, avoiding contact with him, and he on the furthest right. I slightly moved closer, ensuring him that he never had a contagious disease of some sort…
“So, you were the one I had a delightful opportunity to speak with yesterday, weren’t you?” He asked, giving me full eye contact. I blushed and began switching with his right eye to his left before whispering in a low, coy tone “Aye, but I never had time to reply… but I agree, it is lovely weather for a picnic”
“…are you hinting on taking me out for a picnic, miss?” he chuckled. He looked over to the dogs and back at me, with a sweet smile on his tense face. His opened his mouth but I interrupted him and said “Before you say anything… my name is Ashleigh, stop with all the misses”
“Certainly, pleased to meet you Ashleigh. I’m Draco Lee Fraser” He put his hand forward. I placed my trembling, clammy hands in his stone cold ones and shook it, ever so gently.
“Nice to meet you” we both said at the exact same time.
“I never knew our old neighbour Alan had moved out” I began “…how long have you been staying here?”
“Only a few months, up until recently everything was all over the place. It wasn’t until now, that I feel like this is my… well… home”
“And do you like it here? I mean… You seem so… um—“
“Posh looking?”
“Yeah, I didn’t just want to, you know… label you or anything” already, I could feel my cheeks burning up.
“No, it’s understandable. Some people think I look posh, It’s not until I speak when they finally comprehend what they think of me” he paused, bit his lip and then resumed “Sometimes its inverted”
“Oh aye, I see” there was a brief moment of silence before Draco stood up and walked over to the dogs.
“What kind of K-9 is this?”
“She’s a Staffordshire bull terrier, she’s a wee softy. What about your dog—I mean K-9?”
“Toya here” He turned from stroking Phoebe and began patting his dog “Is an Akita”
“Gorgeous” I murmured. I watched Draco look at a rather expensive looking watch, it wasn’t until he conveyed the time to me, which I realised how time did fly by. “If you don’t mind, I shall escort you home”
“No no, don’t be daft. I can—“
“We live at the same place anyway, why not” he broke in with a mellow tone. I stared at him for a moment. I had always been brought up believing “say no to strangers” but… he wasn’t a stranger. He was Draco Fraser after all.
I quickly nodded my head and we began strolling back home. The two dogs tagged along behind us, panting, obviously dehydrated.
“…It’s weird now that I’m thinking about it” I said, trying to think of some conversation to break the silence “What’s weird?” He asked in a confounded manner.
“I thought you’d go for friends like my sister, Mary-Louise, you know—the materialistic girls”
“Materialistic girls are certainly not my style, I have class, and so does your sister too from what I’ve seen of her”
“No, oh my god, I hope you don’t think that I think of my sister that way, I just meant…“ I stopped and instead of continuing my disaster of trying to make up conversation, I stared at his shiny shoes which where a step ahead of me.
“You make me laugh Ashleigh” he chuckled. What? I make him laugh? He does a superb effort as to hide his laugher then. “No, I completely knew what you were trying to say” He raised his eyebrows up and smiled “But I prefer the girls that are like yourself, clumsy, funny and unbelievably attractive”
“Now you’re definitely talking about my sister” I giggled. When I looked up, we were near the corner of my row of houses. He continuously persevered to me that he wanted to walk me straight to my front door. How gentleman like he was, but I objected and told him I’d be fine. It was only two doors away and the thought of my mother sitting me down and giving me the “dreaded talk” did not sound so appealing to me, even although I knew she would’ve saw us from her bedroom window already…
“…when will I see you again?” I asked, watching him walk around the bend and towards his home.
“If not tomorrow, the next” He smiled and disappeared behind the houses.
Quickly I entered my house with Phoebe and before I even locked the door, my mum shouted from where I guessed to be the living room. “Who was that lad Ashleigh?”
I stopped inside the porch, locked the door, and took a deep breath before replying “Just that new neighbour of ours” I said in a serene voice. My legs felt wobbly, my hands shaky… I just couldn’t believe that I, me, Ashleigh Grant, met somebody like him… Draco Fraser!
“Our neighbour” She mumbled in a high pitched voice.
“Yeah, our neighbour” I said while walking through to the living room, but she wasn’t sitting in her usual space, so I walked into the kitchen and there she stood, almost sweating over the oven. The steam rising as high as the ceiling “And how old is he then?” She said looking down her nose at me.
“The same age” I lied. Although, I wasn’t lying deliberate. I mean, he could’ve been the same age for all I knew.
“Mm, can you pass me the salt please?” She requested. I went to the other side of our tiny kitchen and looked inside the last cupboard; I took the salt and passed her it. My eyes watched her flick a handful into her homemade soup, my vision blurring with my extensive staring. “This should be ready in no time” She whispered more or less to herself.
“Good, I’m starving. I’ll be two minutes” I whispered, walking through to my room.
I sat in the middle of my king size bed, which almost covered up the entire floor in my room. I took out my diary and began neatly into it. My diary was an old, worn out blue folder which I clipped paper inside and called it my diary.
I wrote about the snow, and how much I hated it. I wrote about the new person I had just acquainted, Draco Fraser, and I wrote about how wonderful my day had truly been. It was like a completely new beginning. Nor ever had I had an opportunity to chat with such a gentleman like him… How nice the name Draco was, I thought to myself while closing my diary.
A long breathe exhaled out from my lungs, a smile stretched to the corner of my eyes and I bumped my head against my bed’s head board.
“Please, please, pleeeeeeease God, let this not be a dream” I whispered to myself…  but I daren’t have opened my eyes.