Gabriella

As the storm whips around outside, you try to relax on your familiar couch binge watching another Sci-Fi / thriller series with an attractive heroine. Most nights, you'd have to bargain with your singer/songwriter brother for use of the living-room ... but he's got a gig tonight. Due to travel, and parties, he and his band will probably just stay over ... wherever they are. You've already spent a few hours playing a popular massively multiplayer online role-playing game with your friends ... but you suspect that your internet connection is adversely affected by the weather. The amount of pasta / tuna / sweetcorn / mayo which you prepared and enjoyed earlier was more than enough for just you. You are resisting the inclination to have a beer; firstly because you don't enjoy drinking alone, and secondly because you might not just have one - and your schedule tomorrow is difficult enough ... so you have a bottle of cola in the fridge which you've been working your way through. There are tempting snacks in the kitchen, but you know your brother will tease you if you just pig out while he's away. It's getting late, you can't quite ignore the sound of the rain still lashing down outside, when you hear a knocking, or scuffing, at the door. You wouldn't envy anyone outside in this weather, so you quickly go to check if there's someone there.