Annie watched him stare at the café from across the road. He took a step forward, and then stopped. Stepped backwards and ran his hand up the back of his head.

"Come on," she whispered. "You can do it." As she willed him to find the courage, he stepped off the kerb and crossed the street. She forced herself to look busy by rearranging the condiments so she could pretend she didn't know he had opened the door and sat in the same booth he'd sat at before.

She took a deep breath and smiled at the spare salt and pepper shakers that lined the shelf. When she turned to face the counter, she noticed him quickly hang his head and grab the menu. Annie smiled again and watched his leg slowly shake. If it shook harder when she approached him, she would know it was because of her. She'd pretend she didn't see it like she would pretend she hadn't seen him standing across the street last week.

"Hello," Annie said. She wanted him to look at her before she spoke again and let out a little sigh when he didn't. She caught the movement of his leg as it bounced quicker and she observed him press his hand down on his thigh to stop it. "Have you been sick?" she added.

He looked up and blinked in confusion as he shook his head. "No."

"Oh." Annie felt her skin blush and asked herself what she thought she was doing. She wasn't cut out to be someone's saviour but he looked so needy. She said, "It's just you looked sick last time you were in. You haven't come in since so I thought you must have been ill." She smiled as he looked up at her again.

He blushed, and then focused on the menu once more. His leg jerked and shook as he swallowed and said, "I was a bit off, twenty-four-hour bug or something like that." Rohan inhaled deeply. He couldn't believe he had spoken a whole sentence to her without hesitation, even if it had been a lie. He felt a strange pleasant feeling in the pit of his stomach because she had noticed he hadn't been in.

"Are you feeling better now?"

Rohan looked up and nodded. God... she was pretty and today she wore her hair on the top of her head. Some strands had escaped and hung loosely around her face. He wondered if it would feel soft to touch, if she would feel soft to touch. She smiled. He could tell she wasn't laughing at him. Rohan quickly looked away as he said, "I'll have black coffee and a steak sandwich with..."

"Barbecue sauce," Annie tittered as she cut him off but frowned and quickly suspended her laughter when she realised, she had offended him. "I'm sorry. I was trying to be clever." He looked up at her curiously so she continued, "It's what you had each day you came in last week. I have a good memory. Lots of customers order the same every day." Annie saw his face brighten and a look of relief cross his features. She smiled gently and added, "Was I right?"

His lips quivered upwards as he nodded.

Annie swallowed hard and sucked in a breath of air. She wondered if he realised how good looking he was, when he smiled. She didn't think so because it disappeared as quickly as it had flashed across his face. "I'll go and put your order in and be back with your coffee."

Rohan dug for his wallet but she was gone before he could retrieve it. There was a pain at each side of his mouth and his chest hurt. It felt like it was going to burst. He didn't understand the sensation. She hadn't been making fun at him. The first person he could recall who had shown concern because he might have been offended by something they had said. Rohan had to cover his face so he could smile into his hands and control the lump, which he now thought was happiness, from escaping his chest and throat.

"Here you go."

As Rohan pulled his hands away from his face, he felt moisture in his palms and realised he had been crying. He kept his head down and handed her the money. "Thanks."

Annie made her way to the till. The note was wet to touch. She looked back to see him wiping his eyes. Her heart went out to him. What had happened to make this man so vulnerable?

*

Rohan bit into his sandwich and looked up at the sound of laughter. Two elderly men sitting in one of the other booths were laughing with the waitress. She stood at their table shuffling a pack of cards with a grin on her face. Rohan swallowed hard. The food in his mouth caught in his throat. She was like an angel. No... the halo of an angel, he thought. Her smile was radiant as she laughed with the men. Rohan wished he was one of them and that he could be blessed with such a smile. She dealt out two cards each, and then they all looked at their own.

"Another!" One of the men said as he laughed so, she dealt again.

"No way! You're kidding me," she groaned jokily, threw her cards on the table and stamped her little foot on the ground.

Rohan grinned into his sandwich at her antics. Then she folded her arms, held her head in the air and huffed away.

The old men laughed. "Ah... come on now, Puss. That's not a nice way to treat your favourite customers."

Rohan watched her beam back at them.

"You're a cheat, Harry Butler. I won't be kissing you anymore."

Rohan wished even more to be one of them if she did actually kiss them. He sighed in resignation, knowing he would never belong anywhere. He took another bite of his sandwich and watched her move from table to table chatting here and there while filling up coffee cups.

He held his breath as she came closer and smiled down at him with the coffee pot in her hand.

"More coffee."

He nodded but didn't look at her for fear he might be sweating again. Then she'd think he had a serious disease and call quarantine to cart him away.

"Those old buggers always beat me at pontoon. I'm sure they rig the pack." Annie watched his eyes flick up at her face. He smiled a little, and then looked back at his cup. Very shy, she thought, and then said, "Do you play cards?"

Rohan felt his leg move a notch faster and shook his head.

"That's a shame. They need some new competition." Annie giggled. "They're getting too big for their boots but they're nice and friendly. If you wanted to learn I could ask them and I'm sure they'd teach you."

"No! Thank you."

Annie frowned at his tone and decided not to push. She moved away and set up a new pot of coffee.

*

"He's watching her again."

"I know. I've been keeping my eye on him, Roobs," said Gus. "I'm sure you got it wrong. He's not just watching her he's watching her interact with everyone. He smiled at the carry-on Sid and Harry had with her... looked sad afterwards... lonely. If it was obsession with her, he'd be angry, jealous, and you'd see it on his face. I think you're worrying over nothing and Annie's right. He needs a friend."

Ruby grimaced. "Well, I hope you're right, Gus Williams, because she's like my own and if anything were to happen to her... well... I'd just go outer my head."

"Stop worrying." Gus patted her on the back. "Sid and Harry are on it, making sure no one follows her to the bus."

*

Annie didn't speak with him again. When he got up to leave, he looked in her direction so she held her hand up in a wave. He gave another shy grin and hung his head as he rushed for the door.

*

Penny Macy was in Jack's office when Rohan stepped into the lab. He could see her stacking papers on his desk. Probably invoices for Jack to sign when he returned. Rohan heard Bill and one of the junior lab technicians laughing, and then the words. "Shush he's here."

Rohan ignored them and went to the sink to disinfect his hands. He dried them under the blower before he pulled on a new set of gloves from the box. As he pushed his hand inside, he felt soft mushy liquid cover his fingers and immediately pulled his hand back out. Semi watered down faeces followed and dripped onto the sleeve of his jumper. Rohan jerked backwards. The sound of Bill and his follower's laughter carried across the room.

"Ah... what happened, Wayland? You have an accident?"

Rohan clenched his teeth and threw the glove into the bin as Bill approached his desk.

"Looks like you must have diarrhoea because it's all over your desk too."

The technician laughed again at Bill's taunt.

Glancing at his desk, Rohan saw faeces spread across the top. He inhaled and held his breath. Every time Jack went away Bill did something like this.

He ignored Bill and went to the sink again to wash his hands and tried to get the liquid off the sleeve of his jumper. What a stupid man to sully the place and possibly risk contaminating the rest of the samples. For a supposed intelligent man, he had the common sense of a two-year-old, Rohan thought, and wondered how Bill had got his degree.

Rohan grabbed a bucket and noticed Penny give him a sad look as she passed through the door to go back to her office. Rohan sighed and thought about the time, which would be wasted, thoroughly cleaning and sterilizing his work area. He considered reporting it to Jack when he got back but Bill Peters had been here a long time. 

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