‘Can I tell you a story? I missed out when you were young. I’d like to make up for that before it’s too late again.’
Kate wasn’t going to argue. She found that the more she complied, the more freedoms he gave her, and with the pain in her shoulder, she could do with sitting up. ‘Can I sit up, please? My shoulder hurts.’
He cocked his head to the left and smiled. ‘Of course, sweetheart. You’re turning into a right daddy’s girl, aren’t you?’ He attached the chain to her leg at the bottom of the bed.
The bed never moved and Kate guessed it must be somehow secured to the floor. He lowered the bars attached to the sides of the bed, and once he removed the restraints on her arms, she pushed herself into an upright position.
‘Thank you. That’s much better.’ She rubbed the back of her shoulder and winced when a sharp pain shot down her arm.
‘You’re best to leave that to heal for a bit.’ He sat at the end of the bed and rubbed her foot. ‘How about that story now?’
Kate nodded and forced a smile.
‘You may not remember, but I’ve met you before. The first time I saw you, my heart raced. I couldn’t believe you had returned.’
Kate scrambled her brain. Although he still covered his face, every now and again there was a familiarity that caused her hair to stand on end. And his eyes. She was sure she’d seen them before; she just couldn’t place where.
‘I was still grieving. I thought I’d lost you. I didn’t mean to hurt you, but your rejection … it angered me. I just snapped. But then you came back. You were there, right in front of me.’ He looked up to the ceiling. ‘I had prayed for that moment but I was never one for religion. Inside I was torn apart.’ He gripped his hands together. ‘I really thought I had lost my chance to love you, to be a part of your life. I felt abandoned when you died. So many thoughts bombarded my brain. Now what would I do? Who did I have?’ He coughed and moved a little closer. Kate had to force herself to sit still rather than jump out of his reach.
Who did he think she was?
‘And there you were. My girl. Right in front of me.’ He shook his head. ‘It couldn’t be true. I mean, I know what happened back at my flat in London. But you changed the spelling of your name. I can understand that. You didn’t want anyone to know. You were protecting me.’
‘I remember the bell above the door ringing and in you walked. Your raven black hair blowing in the wind and your piercing blue eyes – just like mine – looked my way and then you smiled. You had noticed me. I smiled back. Do you remember? I didn’t want to cramp your style, though, as you walked past me to a group of people sitting behind. Playing it casual, like I was your secret. And you’d be mine. Our game.’
It came to her then. She recalled the moment he was talking about, but that had been years ago!
Kate had arrived at the coffee shop later than she expected. She was meeting some friends from the university.
When she walked through the door, a gust of wind had caught her and blown her hair in her face. She brushed it back with her hand and immediately saw her group and waved. She smiled as she walked towards her friends. The coffee shop only had a few people in it – a lone man, two teenagers, and then her own group of friends. Kate noticed these things, took in her surroundings, but she hadn’t taken much notice of him. She tried to recall the details of his face.
As if reading her thoughts, he reached up and pulled off the mask.
Kate gasped.
‘You! B-but …’ She couldn’t get the words out.
He moved closer. ‘Sshhh. It’s OK. I know it’s a shock, but Daddy’s here.’