“So, who is this?” he said, eyeing Logan up and down.
He could see in her face that Daisy was uncomfortable, and when she fumbled for an answer, he cut in.
“Logan.”
The guy chewed loudly, tightening his grip on Daisy’s shoulders. It all clicked into place. This was him, the one Daisy had called “not ideal” that day atThe Horseman, and she was spot on. Logan had barely exchanged a few words with him and already knew he was a total bellend.
“Well, Logan, if you don’t mind, I’m going to steal my girlfriend away.”
His gaze met Daisy's, and he caught a brief flicker of silent pleading in her eyes. He should’ve stepped in, and part of him wanted to, but at the same time, he wasn’t sure if doing so would only make her suffer later. So, he stood by as he pulled her away, and then Kate, seemingly amused by the whole situation, laughed.
“What?” he said, turning to face her.
“Come on, Logan. A girl who picksthatover you isn’t worth your time. Who does he think he is, Ali G?”
He ignored her remark and watched Daisy from across the room. They were arguing, and around them, people had begun to look. Then, just as it looked like he’d pulled up her dress and was about to strike her, she freed herself from his grip and bolted for the bathroom. Instinctively, Logan followed, and when he found her, she was staring at her reflection in the mirror.
“You can’t be in here,” she said without looking at him.
At that moment, he wanted to tell her. He wanted to confess that he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her since the day they’d met. But instead, impulse took over, and he took a step forward, pulling her into his arms.
Resting his head against hers, he closed his eyes. It was unexplainable, even to him, how her touch made him feel. It was as if their souls knew they belonged to dance together, but life’s tempo was offbeat.
“Sometimes, we settle for what we think we deserve and not what we need,” he whispered, swaying gently. “Don’t do that to yourself, Daisy. Don’t settle just because. You’re far too beautiful and intelligent for that.”
He held her for another minute, his arms tightening around her as if trying to keep her there, to hold onto something that was slipping away faster than he could grasp.
“Until we meet again,” he managed to force out, releasing her.
She didn’t need to say anything; her silence said it all. He could feel it in the way she held herself, in the way she didn’t try to pull away or fight him—this was goodbye.
In the weeks following their parting, Daisy remained a persistent presence in his thoughts. He reached out to her several times, sending a dozen emails, each one met with nothing but silence. As the months passed, he was forced to accept that Daisy’s life had likely moved in the direction she’d intended, and that any connection between them was fading into the past.
Meanwhile, despite the obvious differences between Kate and him, they decided to give their relationship a chance. Six months in, she proposed. He saw it coming from the subtle hints she'd dropped, comments about their ages, how they were the last of their circle to marry. He knew he should’ve said no, but when the moment came, he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
He liked Kate, but he didn’t love her. Still, he convinced himself, perhaps out of duty or a sense of obligation, that they could make it work. Unlike the other women he’d known, it wasn’t his money that attracted her; Kate’s desires were more complex than that. As she approached forty, what she wanted from him above all else was children—his children.
Perhaps he was being selfish or foolish for allowing it to happen. There were too many things about her, and too many things about him, that left him unsettled in ways he couldn't just ignore. She had an insatiable need for approval, always seeking validation from everyone around her, and an impulsive nature that saw her draining her finances on luxury handbags and regular visits to high-end salons, places where celebrities would go to reinvent themselves. She had strong opinions on everything: his clothes, his job, the way he made coffee in the morning.
He had to take the risk, or he'd be left alone, and though he kept telling everyone he was okay with that, deep down, he wasn't—not really.
VII
DAISY
Daisy thought she would never see him again. In a city of over eight million people, their paths to cross would be more cruel than coincidence. But less than a month after she saw his engagement announcement, while she was drinking a cup of tea and mulling over her dinner plans, he walked into the office.
“You’ve got to be kidding,” she muttered, sinking into her chair. It didn’t go unnoticed, and Edie cast her a concerned look.
“You alright there, pet?”
“Fine,” Daisy replied, avoiding her gaze. “Just spilt a bit of tea on myself, that’s all.”
It was a lie, and as Edie studied her, she sensed it hadn’t been a believable one.
Daisy was certain he’d been in their office before, multiple times, but that was before. It had been easier then, when she didn’t know who he was; it allowed her the luxury of not imagining him, of not fantasizing about their paths crossing in a crowded bar, or spotting him drinking coffee in a café, of his eyes finding hers and being glad that life had brought them together again.
Logan walked to the front desk and stood there, engaged in discussion for a while. He was dressed in a suit and yellow tie, and his hair had been cut to the shoulder. She wondered then: what if? What if she’d replied to his emails after the bar? What if she’d swallowed all of her self-pity and done something bold for once?
