Dammit. I just missed him.
Slumping in the saddle, I unclenched my fist and let my crumpled ticket slip away from my hands. The horse shifted under me as I fished my phone out of my evening bag.
Alex,I messaged.
Nothing. I connected to the terminal’s Wi-Fi and tried again.
Alex.
I slid awkwardly off the horse and patted him.
My screen lit up:I’m listening…
My heart somersaulted with delight.
I stole something,I typed.
Heart-Eyes. Nooo. What?
Look toward the terminal.
My phone was quiet for a few ticks, and then it pinged again.
Is that you? You stole a mini disco?
It’s a horse. I chased you down on a freaking horse. I just missed you.
LMAO. Only you.
“There she is.” I swung around at the sound of the horse handler’s voice. He was leading a small crowd toward me.
I love you, Alex wrote.
I bombarded him with heart-eye emojis.Gotta go. I’m about to be lynched by a mob.
I saw Isabelle, Thomas, George, and Kassia trailing behind the man.
My people,I thought. Dolly, Rachel Auntie, Naani, Joseph Uncle and the rest of the wedding party came into view.I’ll live to see another day.
I handed the horse back to his owner and reclaimed my suitcase. “I’m so sorry for taking off like that.”
“You missed the ferry?” Isabelle asked.
“I feel horrible for pulling you away from your reception.”
“You didn’t. We were on our way to the hotel. This…” She pointed toward the receding lights of the ferry. “You and Alex would’ve been the perfect ending to our day.”
“What now?” Dolly asked.
I shrugged. “It’s fine. I’ll see him in a few months.”
We faced the water together, our faces glowing with fluorescent hues from the disco horse, now being led away.
“Ah, well.” Joseph Uncle put his arm around me. “It was a valiant effort, kiddo.”
We turned away from the harbor, breaking into little groups. Isabelle and Thomas held hands as they led us back to the hotel. PPP steadied Naani as she zigzagged her way out of the terminal. I walked next to Dolly, a sense of ease settling between us. We weren’t exactly strolling arm-in-arm, but a new equilibrium was in place.
My phone pinged.
