MATE AND HIS LOVER 9

#52 He's here

Daisy turns the key and hears the click. It's locked. She climbs up to the wooden deck, picks up her backpack and looks at the sea.

The sea is calm and golden, reflecting the underbellies of the birds gliding above it.

It was at the beach at Raketrope where she first saw Nate jealous, telling her to keep away from all the boys in his pack.

Daisy smiles at the memory. She pulls the backpack over her shoulder and jumps to the boardwalk. On her way to the airport she drops by the Cassidy bar to meet Riola. "Hey Ri!" Daisy waves at the lean, brown and curly haired girl. Riola finishes serving her drinks, makes a martini for Daisy and comes over to her table.

Daisy places her boat's keys on the table and picks up the martini glass. "How long you'll be gone?" Riola asks.

"Just for a day."

"And this is not for work?"

Daisy shakes her head. "Personal. I have to visit someone. I'd already waited too long."

Riola stares at Daisy's face. Daisy is the most beautiful girl Riola had ever seen, and had developed a crush on. But there's something about Daisy that's heavy, and maybe even dark. "Look, I know you'll be back if you say you'll be back, but, this time it feels different, so if you need me..." she says placing her hand over Daisy's.

Daisy smiles and gently takes her hand back. She's aware of Riola's feelings, and might've even used that at moments for her own benefits, but Daisy can not give her a false hope. "That's okay. I got this. See you later."

On the cab over to the airport Daisy closes her eyes. It's a big risk, what she's doing. But she had made up her mind. She can't put this off forever.

"THAT'S FIFTY DOLLARS, dear," says the florist. Daisy hands her the bills and takes two small bouquets of Portland Roses. She walks to her destination. It's a familiar route.

She soon reaches the archway of the Saintrope Cemetery. She walks to the graves of Thomas and Madeline Stanton. Thomas used to bring her here on every anniversary of Madeline's death and would give her a bouquet of roses to place on Madeline's grave.

Daisy places the bouquets on each of the grave. She stands next to Thomas', shedding tears. "Sorry I couldn't come sooner."

She stays there, watching the orange sun disappear, talking to Thomas.

She checks the time. She looks at Thomas' grave. She doesn't want to leave. Even if it's just a carved tombstone, and this is a graveyard, suddenly this feels like home.

But she has to go back.

She catches a cab, heads to the airport and flies back to Panama. She first wanted to leave a letter for Ian at his father's grave but then she thought he would never visit him, like he never visited his mother.

Daisy heads straight to the Cassidy bar, for a quick dinner and to grab her keys from Riola. When she reaches the bar, Riola is not there. Her sister Rita is serving the drinks. "Ri is at your place. She said she needed to check something," Rita says.

That's odd, Daisy thinks. Why would Riola go to her place first when she was going to pick up her keys here?

When Daisy reaches her dock, she shouts, "Hey, Ri, I'm back."

She climbs up onto the deck and sees that her door is broken open. "Ri?!" Daisy cries out and enters her room. Her things are scattered. Her friend is not here.

"Ri!" Daisy shouts and comes out. She gets out to the boardwalk, still shouting. "Riola!"

And then she stops in shock as she sees a familiar face come to the other end of the boardwalk.

Seeing him, Daisy starts crying. Covers her face and squats down, unable to even stand anymore.

He comes over to her crying and crouched figure. He kneels on one knee before her and gently places his hand over her shoulder and pulls her close. "It's okay. I'm here. He's here, too. It's okay."

She pulls away her hands and wraps them around him. "Oh, Frank."

THEY BOTH ARE on the one of the metal benches on the dock, staring at the horizon. "It was a stupid plan," Frank says.

Daisy laughs. "I know. I didn't know what else to do at the moment."

"I know," Frank says. "Thanks for saving me that day."

"That's my line. How's Lily?"

"She's great. Misses you terribly."

"Drey and Tim?"

"They are great, too. But they also miss you. They wanted to come, too, but someone had to stay back and watch over the pack."

"I'm sorry for causing all the trouble."

"You aren't the one who should be sorry," Frank says. Daisy looks at him. He suddenly looks very serious. He's probably thinking about Ian.

Daisy looks down at her hands, feeling guilty.

"He's here," Frank says and gets up. "Your friend is safe by the way. Sorry about breaking into your place."

Daisy smiles. "That's okay."

Frank leaves. An even more familiar werewolf sits next to her where Frank was a moment ago.

Daisy closes her eyes and rests her forehead on her interlocked hands. "I'm sorry."

"I know you did that to save Frank. But you should've come back."

"I got scared. The longer I stayed away the more scared I became."

"Scared of me?"

Daisy shakes her head.

"Of Ian?"

She nods.

"I'm to blame, too," he says. "Even though I swore to protect you, I let you get hurt."

Daisy finally looks up and sees her mate's eyes. "It was my fault. I was... I was—"

"You were mourning Thomas. I know how much he meant to you."

Daisy hugs him, tearing up. Nate wraps his arms around her, taking a deep breath. He has been miserable and lonely without her. "But please don't do something like that ever again."

Daisy nods while her face is still buried into his chest. "I won't leave you, ever again, no matter what. I missed you so much."

"I missed you, too." 

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