He wasn’t here.
She forced herself to slow, exhaling hard. Her knees wobbled just slightly.
All that courage she’d mustered—every cell in her body telling her she was finally doing the right thing—and she’d still missed him. The shock drained the blood from her face, leaving her pale and reeling.
On some level, she’d truly believed it would work. That the world would reward her for taking the leap, for listening to her heart for once.
But the world didn’t work like that, did it? No perfect symmetry. No last-minute miracles. For once in her life, she’d tried her best to live for real—but she’d been too late.
At least the stories would still be there for her.
She just wasn’t sure that would feel like enough anymore.
Time was up. She turned to leave, scanning the travelers one last time as she moved past the gate.
Hopefully, she wouldn’t see Chloe on her way back. The thought of meeting the kind woman’s eyes, of admitting her defeat, was unbearable. She blinked hard, fighting the burn behind her eyes.
She’d tried. She’d failed. Simple as that.
Feet heavy, she started walking back the way she came. There was nothing to hurry back to. Nothing left but admitting to Leah that she’d been too late, and facing her pity. Her chest ached at the thought. She lowered her head, shielding her face from view.
Through the shifting maze of legs and luggage, her eyes snagged on a splash of fabric. A floor-length dress with enormous pink flowers. Her gaze shot up, finding a familiar blonde ponytail.
Sienna.
Emma stumbled forward, pulse surging.
And then she saw him.
Darren stood by the desk, backpack slung over one shoulder, ticket and passport in hand. He hadn’t noticed her.
For one suspended beat, she just stared. He was real. He washere.
Then reality slammed back into her, her brain catching up—he was just about to step through boarding.
“Darren!”
Her voice cracked through the noise, louder than she’d meant. Heads turned. Whispers started rippling. And inevitably, within seconds, phones lifted.
He turned around.
His eyes found hers, and something locked into place inside her. Relief made her shoulders sag, the roar of the terminal fading to static.
“Hi,” Emma breathed, even though he was too far away to hear. Maybe she imagined it, but the crowd seemed to part between them.
Darren said something to Sienna, handed her his backpack, and stepped out of the line. He came toward her, his expression taut and guarded.
“Emma. What on earth are you doing here?”
“I just...” Her voice nearly failed. She hadn’t thought this part through, which was very un-Emma of her. “I needed to see you. I went to the Con, but you weren’t...Indira said you’d left.”
His face stayed unreadable, carefully blank. Cameras surrounded them now, people staring openly.
The realization hit her like a bucket of cold water. She’d been so focused on finding him that she’d almost forgotten about this part—that he might still walk away, leaving her humiliated and alone in front of strangers.
Fear thundered through her veins, dizzying her, but she didn’t move. She’d spent so much of her life worrying about how things looked. About saying too much. Being too much.
Not this time.
