Grace shut the door and hurried down the steps with the dog at her heels. She rushed across the road and entered the park. It was colder now, her heavy breathing clearly noticeable from the big puffs of condensation. The park was deserted. Grace power walked down the hill towards the river, she stood by the railing watching the city skyline on the opposite side. The dog sat next to her. Grace listened to the wind whistling through her hair, the sharp ice wind stung her face and made her eyes water. The view across the river was so peaceful. Grace thought of all those people in the high rises and skyscrapers; how few problems they have, how nothing bad every happened to them and if it did, the money they had to find something new. She didn't have any of that; stood by that railing the world seemed awfully big.
The dog barked and ran towards someone approaching. Grace turned around to see a short man in a thick woollen coat and hat. The man was bent over stroking his excited dog, she couldn't see his face. Once he'd said his 'hello's' to the dog the man stood up and froze on the spot. They looked at each other, frozen in time. Unable to feel the cold air biting them.
'Grace…' it was barely audible.
'It can't be you. You died. You were killed. They didn't find a body.' Tears streamed down Grace's cheeks but she didn't care. The man she loved had died and he stood in front of her.
The man took a limped step forward, Grace raised her arms and he stopped.
'Say my name please Grace.'
Grace shook her head. 'You're dead.'
He took another step forward.
'Grace Hendricks, it was here. I approached you one day in January eating ice-cream. You were painting. I offered you one. On your birthday, we went on a scavenger hunt to Guggenheim Museum to see your favourite painting, The Red Tower. You asked me what was wrong and I was going to tell you, then you said to do it in my own time so I waited till I was ready. But we didn't get time.' He paused. 'I proposed to you, just up the path from here. I gave you a copy of Sense and Sensibility. You have a birthmark above your heart, oval shaped, almost like a kiss.'
Grace choked back more tears. No one else knew about her birthmark and only one man said it looked like a kiss. It didn't really look like a kiss but she' always been beautiful in his eyes.
'I can explain everything Grace. I love you, I never stopped loving you. I did it to keep you safe, I didn't want you tainted with what I do. I've done some terrible things Grace, terrible things. You made me a better man and I have missed you every second of every day since. My world has been cold and empty, I am dying inside Grace. Please just say my name.'
Grace hesitated. 'Harold…' a whisper carried on the wind to his ears.
Harold limped over to Grace in just enough time to catch her. The weight of Grace proved too much for Finch and his legs gave way. They fell to the ground, it was wet and cold but he didn't care. He held Grace as she cried. They sat for what felt like ages; Finch whispered words of comfort into her ear and held her close.
'We should probably move.' Whispered Grace, she stood up and helped Finch to his feet.
'I got injured in the explosion. I wanted to tell you.'
Grace took Finch's hand and they started walking back up the path towards her house with Bear, the dog, at Harold's side.
OXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
Finch shut the door and paused before turning around. Grace was stood by the breakfast bar with her back to him, he could hear soft tears still falling. Bear whined at him and pointed with his nose to Grace.
Finch limped over to Grace and put his arms around her.
'You have no idea how sorry I am Grace.' He whispered in her ear. 'So so sorry.'
'I waited for you, I hoped that it was all a dream and that you'd come back to me. I read in the news at the list of people who'd died and you weren't there so I hoped that you'd survived. Only you never came back.' She turned around so that she was facing him. 'You never came back.'
'I wanted to. The attack was aimed at myself and a friend.'
'Why?'
Finch led her over to the sofa and sat her down, he cupped her small, delicate hands in his.
'I built a machine that spies on people. After 9/11 the Government wanted something to find the terror acts before they happened. I built it for them in secret. It's not supposed to exist. It's wrong and unethical. If they rest of the world knew what I'd done, I'd been locked up for killed. The Machine sees everything: phone calls, text messages, computer searches, documents, everything. Officially, I'm dead. I have been for years, that's why you didn't find my name. I don't exist. It brought me to you, the machine. You were so pure and innocent, a white rose in the thorn bed of society. The Machine singled you out because you didn't bear anyone any ill will.' He paused. 'I wanted to keep you safe, and you couldn't be safe around me. One of the people who knew died in the explosion. They are very dangerous people.'
'Why didn't you tell me?'
'They'd kill anyone who found out. I watched you most days to know that you were ok. I longed to walk up to you but I couldn't, I didn't know who was watching me.' Harold wiped a tear off her cheek with his thumb, her skin was so soft. 'I have a picture of you on my desk, I look at it every day and wish things were different. You're looking back at me, eyes glazed with love. Not a day goes by when I wish I wasn't with you.'
Finch moved his head then winced in pain, Grace noticed.
'I was injured in the blast. Hip replacement and three titanium rods in my neck. The man who I built the Machine with was killed in the blast. Do you see why I left? I didn't want to get you. When you walked into the hospital in the gym, I was hiding behind a screen. I saw you, I saw everything. Sense and Sensibility, you picked it up. I gave it to you when we got engaged.'
Silence fell between them, Grace looked down at her hands encased in his – just like old times.
'You said that you'd never hurt me and I believed you.' Whimpered Grace through her tears. 'You tore out my heart and crushed it in your hands.'
'I…'
'You crushed me Harold. I became nothing, I didn't eat, I barely slept and I saw you everywhere.' She cried more, 'and you came back.'
Finch looked down at Bear who looked up at them eagerly, his tongue hanging out the side of his jaw. He understood her pain, he felt so much worse knowing he'd caused it. He never wanted to hurt Grace.
'I guess he saw how I looked at your photo.' He shrugged.
'He's a lovely dog.'
'His name's Bear. He's a Belgium Sheppard Dog, ex-military.'
Grace itched Bear's ears. Bear turned his head into her hand and Grace smiled, sniffing away her tears.
'He's a good dog Harold, kind, protective and caring. He has a good heart.'
Finch looked up at Grace. 'Yes he does. What a beautiful place the world would be if people had the hearts of dogs.'
'Yes.' Grace agreed. 'A beautiful place indeed.'
Finch stood up and Grace looked up at him, upset and puzzled.
'Grace, I hope that you can forgive me and if you'd like, we can get past this, move on, and make up for those lost years and broken hearts. I love you, always have and always will.' He bent down onto one knee and held Grace's hand. She smiled a cute, adorable smile only for Harold. 'So Grace, will you have me back?'
'Oh Harold… yes.'
Finch kissed her hand then her lips. Bear barked in appreciation. Grace giggled, he loved that sound and had missed it. Whenever he thought of her, he'd seen her tears and the heart he'd broken. But she was back and she was his.
