Page 18 of Electric Kiss

Chapter Six

Nate

Nate and Daisy arrived at the chippy at the end of the quay just in time for the last orders. He was still confused about the names she forbade him to use.

He paid attention because the vibe she carried meant there was a deep-rooted reason why.

The chippy was a small, white building with tables and benches set up outside so that customers could eat their chips while taking in views of the sea. Nate loved the place.

As they approached, Nate saw a figure clearing the tables outside, wiping the plastic surfaces and gathering the condiments to take inside. Nate casually glanced around before locking eyes with a couple, sitting at a wooden pub-style bench with plates of various fried foods.

“It looks like we’re in time for last orders. What do you want?” Nate asked Daisy, who was looking anywhere but at him.

She seemed transfixed by the couple, and Nate could tellthe sight of them had stirred something deep within her. He knew this kind of concentration, and he knew the only way to find out what was really bothering her was to stay and find out.

The couple were an older couple, perhaps in their late 50s, and although they had obviously been there for some time, Nate noticed they hadn’t made a move to leave. Instead, they seemed content to sit side by side, eating their chips silently. As they watched, the woman reached out and touched the man’s hand gently before smiling warmly at him. They were settled. And he longed for that feeling.

Nate stood at the chip shop counter, doing his best to ignore the smell of old fat that hung in the air. He glanced over to Daisy who was standing next to him, her face hidden by her long chestnut hair. She stared out the window, her brown eyes darting to the side as if looking for something or someone.

“Daisy?” Nate prompted.

“Oh, um, I’ll have chips in a cone. I can eat as I walk back home,” Daisy said.

Nate gave her a pointed stare. “Whenwewalk back home,” he corrected.

Without another word, he put the order in for two cones of chips and a battered sausage.

“We can share the sausage,” Nate said, still looking at Daisy.

She nodded, her eyes meeting his. Nate couldn’t help but notice the flicker of emotion that crossed her face before she looked away. Nate knew that look. He had seen it many times before. It was the same look he saw in his own reflection in the mirror each morning.

The server handed them the food through the small service window, and the two turned and started walking.Daisy was eating the chips from her cone, and Nate had the battered sausage balanced on top. One hand held his stack of chips. They walked together in comfortable silence, Nate not knowing what she was thinking.

“Why don’t you live at Turner Hall?” Nate asked, breaking the silence as Daisy guided him up the private road to the Turner estate.

She balled up her cone and shoved it in her pocket. Nate guessed she was stalling.

The trees were thick, blocking out what was beyond them. A forest hid the estate, but as they approached, the forest thinned until it became visible through the trees.

“You don’t have to tell me,” he said eventually.

Daisy crossed her arms over her chest.

“I don’t really know specifically, but I know I hate being in that building. Ridiculous, right? It’s just bricks and mortar, but I cannot stand going beyond the kitchens in the basement.”

Nate thought about saying something, but he didn’t know what would be helpful or what would make things worse. He kept his mouth shut, so he tried to change the subject.

“If it gives the same reaction as I saw twice this evening, then it isn’t ridiculous,” he said.

Nate stared at Daisy. He had so many questions but didn’t know which would be the right one to ask.

Finally, he settled on something simple.

“Do you remember why you can’t stand it?”

Daisy took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

“I remember bits and pieces,” she said slowly. “It’s all foggy in my head, but I remember feeling scared and alone in the dark, like I’d been abandoned.”

---