‘W-where did you f-find it?’ Dan stammers. He really has paled awfully.
‘Are you okay? You look awfully pale all of a sudden,’ I ask, more than a little concerned for him as I move further away from the banister and take another step in front of him.
‘It’s mine, Maggie.’ He places his hand on my arm as though he needs steadying.
‘What’s yours?’ I ask, watching the colour return to his face.
‘My chain. That is my chain. My necklace. I-I’ve been looking everywhere for it,’ he whispers, lowering his head to stare at my closed hand.
‘W-what? It can’t be, I found this in New York.’ Putting my free hand on his shaking one that is still resting on me.
‘It is. I thought I lost it in New York. Ididlose it in New York.’ He looks to me as he grapples with what he’s saying.
‘Noooooooo?’ I almost fall backwards as he drops his hand and I steady myself by the banister again. ‘Oh no way? Tell me you’re joking.’ I’m feeling acutely dizzy, clutching the chain tighter.
‘I’m not. It’s mine, well it was my father’s, but it’s been minesince he gave it to me when I turned twenty-one.’ Dan’s mouth drops open. He shuts it and it drops open again. I watch him twist away and pace around the lobby now. Neither of us know what to say. I’m trying to take this in.
He stops and finally he speaks. ‘It’s you.’ His two hands hold either side of his head, his dark, unruly hair protruding through his fingertips. ‘It wasn’t déjà vu! Maggie, you’re – you’re the woman on the sidewalk in New York with the wild red hair. It’s you! I was running .?.?.’ There’s incredulity in his voice that is barely audible now as I look at him again, suddenly recognising the faded leather jacket he’s wearing, and that burnt orange hat peeping out of the pocket.
‘It’s you! The running man? I can’t believe this .?.?. is this for real?’ I shake my head in utter disbelief. My legs turn to jelly, so shaky that I have to sit. Lowering myself onto the last step, I clutch the chain in my hand.
Dan’s chain.
‘How is this even possible?’ Dan sits beside me on the step. He bends over and cradles his head in his shaking hands.
‘You must have dropped it in the lobby, when you went to meet Frederick Macken.’ I gulp. ‘And I stood on it. I found it and not only that but you stepped into the elevator with those two guys from Acquired Finance, I saw you .?.?. I was in there with Eliza.’ My brain replays everything I’ve just said in slow motion.
‘We were in an elevator together?’ Dan’s face peeks up from between his hands, stretching the skin on his face. ‘Jesus,’ is all he says, ‘this is utterly bizarre. Every hair is standing up on the back of my neck.’
‘I stood on your necklace. You’d just run past outside, almost knocked me off my feet .?.?.’ I hear myself repeat like it’s some crazy fantasy I’m saying out loud.
‘I remember! I remember thinking I should stop to see if you were alright. But I was really late. I hadn’t slept the nightbefore, not a wink. I’d paced the floor all night high up in that hotel room debating,torturing, myself on whether or not I was making the right choice in selling Castlemoon. Terry tried to talk me out of it. He was the only one who knew why I was in New York. We talked for hours that night. At five o’ clock in the morning I made the decision I wasn’t selling, then I woke at six-thirty in a blind panic and ran! I literally ran all the way from my hotel room to that office building so I couldn’t think,’ Dan says to my dumbfounded face.
‘I can’t get my head around it. Shock is too small a word for how I feel.’ I look around in confusion at everything that is happening.
‘It was only when you took your hat off here in the lobby, when we were arguing, I saw your red hair and something triggered in me. I said it to Mary. I said I think I’ve met that woman somewhere before. Remember? I was right.’ Dan gently moves my hair back off my face. I look down again at my clenched fist. If this isn’t fate I don’t know what is.
‘I was so angry at myself for not shouting after you that morning, then I went into my building, I got a caramel latte and stood on your chain.’ Closing one eye, I retrace that life-changing morning. ‘I stuffed it into the pocket of this coat and I forgot all about it until right now. Imagine I hadn’t just looked for a tissue right now.’ Uncurling my fist, I hand Dan back his necklace.
‘Do you believe in fate now?’ He looks at me, his eyes so familiar now. I can’t stop looking at him.
‘I do. I mean like, what are the chances?’ I say softly, pulling my knees up to my chest, resting my chin on them, I pull my phone out to check the time, wanting time to stand still, but I’m afraid to look at the phone, I know time is racing away. I rest my phone on the step beside me.
‘A gazillion to one.’ Dan holds the chain at both ends and links them together behind his head; the half-moon sways in theneck of his open shirt.
‘Suits you,’ I say, my eyes raised.
‘I almost feel complete,’ he tells me, his long fingers linking the chain.
‘Almost?’ I dare to ask.
‘May I?’ He lifts my hand and carefully removes my Claddagh ring, easing it down my finger.
‘What?’ I look down at my bare finger.
‘I can’t let you go, Maggie, but I can’t ask you to stay. You have a life in New York, I do know that. You have family and friends and a career. I’d leave here if I could but I think you understand that I can’t?’
‘And we barely know each other.’ I have to be honest.
