“So, I won’t be doing that.”
“Whatwillyou be doing?”
I make another wild gesture with my hands. “I don’t know! I was kind of hoping I’d just bumped into my solution. But you’re not being very forthcoming.”
“I am. I offered to be your walking companion,” he jokes.
“Point. Made.”
He cringes. “I’m sorry. Do you have a phone? Any money?”
“Yes. I have some cash and a phone.”
“Great!”
“But it’s dead. I need to find a charger.”
He nods. “Then let’s do that.”
I glance behind him at the city and have this sudden anxious thought that we’re still chatting and I haven’t researched how long it will take to get to the next stop yet. What if it’s a whole night of travelling and here we are, wasting time?
I purse my lips. This is still feels a little too surreal for me. “Let me just clarify.Youwant to helpmefind a phone charger?”
He shrugs like it’s obvious. “I’ll help you. You can help me.”
“And how would I help you?”
“By letting me join you to the next stop,” he says. “I don’t actually want to walk to Dubrovnik. I realise that would be insane. Besides, going it alone feels far riskier than in company. Especially for me. Please?”
I can hardly say no. My eldest sister complex would never abandon someone who needed my help. And besides, he was sweet enough to help me when I was in a bad way. I’m sure some men would’ve run in the opposite direction or even taken advantage of the situation. It’s only one night, right? I’ll find a charger and once my phone is working again, I’ll call the cruise and insurance company and I’m sure all the pieces of this puzzle will start falling into place. Tomorrow, we’ll reboard the cruise and carry on with our holidays. Simple.
I laugh. “I can’t believe this is happening.”
“Tell me about,” he agrees.
“Ok then,” I say. “You can tag along with me. But on one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“I’m in charge.”
For some reason this seems to tickle him. When he realises I’m not joking, he swallows his laughter, clears his throat and nods. “Ok. That is fine with me,” he says, almost too easily.Hmm.
“Oh!” I suddenly remember. “You should check the port office first. They had my passport.”
He presses his lips together and nods. “Yeah, I best not leave that here. I’ll be right back.”
Once he returns, passport in hand, I jump to action, striding back into the city in search of the shops.
EightCruise Location – At seaNext Port – DubrovnikTime of Arrival – 10:00 (GMT+1)
Gus is on my heels as I tear through Split in search of a phone charger.
“Hey, wait up,” he calls from behind me. I ignore him, eyes peeled on the storefronts. “Where are you going? What’s the plan? Christ, you’re a quick walker.”
“I need a phone charger, remember?”
“Yep. Want me to search for phone shops in the area?”
