Lying stretched out on my porch is a man with red-gold hair and pale skin. He's dressed in clothing that looks reminiscent of the Victorian era, but the suit is made of material I've never seen, and it has a design that's a touch to modern to be considered historical. How did he get here? And why my porch? Surely the meteor shower didn't just drop him here. That shouldn't be possible. I lean in, trying to tell if he's even alive.

He groans, his head lolling to one side, and I jump back, a hand pressed to my chest. My heart jackhammers against my ribcage, trying to escape my chest, and in my haste to back away, I trip and land on my butt a foot or two from the stranger. He opens his eyes and stares at me with a frown. I stare back, examining the strange swirling gold and red of his irises and then searching his face for signs of malintent.

The only thing I find is confusion. He presses a hand to his head with another groan and squeezes his eyes shut. "Who are you? Where am I?" His voice is a low, gravely baritone, and I wonder how long it's been since he drank anything.

Then his question registers, and I clear my throat. "I don't know. But I wish I did. Because then I could send you back."

He quirks a brow. "Send me back?"

"Yes. Send you back. What?" I crossed my arms. "You think I want a complete stranger staying in my house? And a guy at that..." I sigh. "But since I don't know, I guess I can't just leave you sitting out on the porch." I tug on my lower lip with my teeth. No, I can't leave him out in the chilly fall night. But I also don't want him in my house. And I have a rule about guys in general: avoid them. Now this strange guy falls out of the sky with a meteor shower, and I have to decide if I'm going to break all the rules I've set for myself.

He sits up, still clutching at his head. "Any chance you could quit shouting your thoughts at me? I'd like to get rid of this cursed headache and get out of the cold."

I shoot him a glare. "You could just choose not to listen-- Wait. You can hear my thoughts?" I groan and bury my face in my hands. "Of course I'd end up with a guy who also is a mind-reading freak. Am I dreaming?"

"I think we've established you aren't." He sighs. "Can you just tone down the thoughts? And maybe bring me some blankets if you're too scared of me to let me stay in the house."

I raise a brow and cross my arms, waiting for him to realize his rude behavior. He doesn't do anything. He just continues staring at me. I roll my eyes. Apparently, I'm going to break all my rules. I guess I'll just lock him in the basement room for the night so I can make sure he won't do anything to me. But I can't leave him out in the cold. Standing, I nod. "Fine, then. Basement room it is."

He stands too, towering over me and glowering at me. "You are not locking me into the basement."

I smirk. "It's either the basement or the porch. At least the basement is heated and has a bed. But if you prefer the cold without a blanket." I shrug. "Take your pick. I really don't care if you freeze or not since you're behaving like a jerk." Then I turn and march back inside, giving him the choice to follow or not.