Unsuitable

When I get there, he’s making our coffees. I lean my hip against the center island, watching him move around the kitchen.

He walks toward me with a cup in each hand and hands one to me.

“Thanks.” I smile.

“Do you want to sit in the lounge?” he asks.

“Sure.”

I follow him through to the lounge in silence.

There’s a clear discomfort between us, for obvious reasons. I just hope that I can clear that away and put us back on a good path. Hopefully, together.

Kas sits down on the two-seater at the far side of the room. He places himself in the center of the sofa.

I get the distinct impression that he doesn’t want me sitting next to him. So, I take a seat on the sofa opposite him.

He leans forward. Elbows on knees, cup cradled in both hands, he looks at me.

Leaning over, I put my cup on the coffee table that sits between us.

“I’m sorry to just turn up,” I start. “But I wanted to talk to you, and I didn’t want to do it over the phone.”

“It’s fine.” He reaches over and puts his cup down on the coffee table without taking a drink. “Look, Daisy, I know you came here to talk, but there’s something I want to get off my chest first.”

“Okay…” I say hesitantly, biting my lip.

“Well, this morning, I didn’t get to say this, but I am sorry for turning up drunk at your place last night.”

“Kas, it’s fine.” I offer a smile. “It was my turn to take care of drunk you anyway.” I’m trying to lighten the mood, referring back to my drunken state when he took care of me, but it clearly doesn’t work, as his expression remains stoic.

He pulls his eyes from my face and stares down at his hands, which are now clasped tightly together. “I also want to say that I’m sorry for leaving you at Superhumans. It was wrong of me to just abandon you like I did.”

“You hardly abandoned me. And you were upset. It was understandable.”

“That might be, but it doesn’t make it okay.”

“Kas, it’s fine. Honestly, I was fine.”

His eyes lift back to mine. “But you might not have been, and I know that better than anyone. I left you alone and crying on an industrial estate. I just fucking drove away and left you. Anything could’ve happened to you.”

“But it didn’t,” I say softly. “I’m fine. I was at your building. Nothing was going to happen to me.”

He nods, but I can see that he’s not going to forgive himself for that. And I understand why he thinks the way he does. After what happened to him, I don’t think I’d be able to leave the house, let alone allowing people I care about to move about the world alone.

“How did you get home?” he asks quietly.

“Cece came and picked me up.”

“God.” He laughs a humorless sound. “I bet she thinks I’m a real fucking winner. Stranding you alone on our date and then showing up drunk at your apartment.”

I frown at his dressing-down of himself. “Cece doesn’t think badly of you, Kas.”

Black eyes flash to mine. I see the panic in them.

“She knows what happened to me?”

“No.” I vehemently shake my head. “I might be a snoop, but I would never tell anyone else what you told me. It’s your story to tell…not mine. All Cece knows is that I crossed a line, and I upset you.”

He nods his head in acceptance of what I said.

“Kas, can I ask…or should I assume that no one else here knows?”

He shakes his head. “After it happened and I was released from the hospital and came back home, it was…hard for me. My parents made the decision to move out of London and start fresh. My dad had a really good job; it paid him well. He and my mum were never big spenders, so they had a lot in savings. They sold the house in London, and it left them with a substantial amount of money. So, they bought this place. They wanted me to be somewhere I could feel safe…or where they wouldn’t worry about my safety.”

“Your parents sound really great.” I give him a gentle smile.

“Yeah, they are. What happened affected them, too. My mother won’t go into London anymore…” He trails off. “It’s only been recently that they’ve started going over to Greece for extended periods of time without me. Even though they both call me every day to check in.” Shaking his head, he laughs lightly.

“I’m glad you have them,” I tell him.

He stares at me, and for a moment, I get lost in his gaze.

“So, um…I came here to talk…well, tell you some things.” I shift to the edge of the sofa, curling my hands around the cushion. “Firstly, just to get it out of the way, I didn’t come in to work today, as I thought you might need some time and space. And, honestly, I needed to process everything.”

“I don’t care about work, Daisy.”

“Well, I do. And I want you to know, I’ll make the time up this weekend.”

Knowing what I have to say next, my mouth is suddenly very dry, so I pick my coffee up and take a sip.

He’s still watching me when I put the cup down.

My heart starts to beat a hard tune in my chest. I hold my hands together in my lap. “But, work aside, that wasn’t why I came to see you. I just wanted to tell you that…well, no, not tell you.” I’m rambling. Stop rambling, Daisy. “I want you to know what you mean to me. And I, um…well…”