Lost!

I slept better that night than I ever had alone. It felt so nice to have someone there for me. It was something I wasn’t used to, but something I loved nonetheless. That night marked the first time I had not stirred during my sleep.

I was getting a perfect rest until something landed on my chest and woke me with a start.

“You got mail!” I heard Adail chime as she made her way back down the stairs.

I sat up, accidentally waking Peter, and stared at what Adail had thrown at me. It was a small brown parcel that immediately sent shivers down my spine. My ticket home was in my hands.

“Peter! Guess what came!” I squealed, opening the package as quickly as I could. I threw bubble wrap everywhere as I freed my passport from the sea of tape and cardboard.

“That’s wonderful,” he said dully. I couldn’t help but feel a bit hurt. Shouldn’t he have been happy for me? I shook it off and got up, heading over to my luggage.

“I can finally get out of here, I can finally go home!” I smiled, throwing everything into my suitcase. “Boston, here I come!”

I showered quickly and changed into the last clean outfit I had and rushed back into the bedroom. Peter hadn’t moved an inch. He was still lying on the couch, staring at the ceiling. I bit my lip and walked over to him, wondering if I’d see him again.

“I guess I’ll call you a cab,” he finally said. Something about his voice was different, and I definitely didn’t like it.

“I’d like it if you’d go with me,” I whispered, staring down at my shoes.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see him nod as he got up and stormed downstairs. I had never felt this torn in my entire life. Home was beckoning me, but I’d have to leave a piece of me behind in Marseilles.

I sat down slowly on the couch, not able to see straight. Taking a deep breath, I put my head in my hands, not looking up when I heard Peter come back in the room.
“Cab’s coming,” he announced before coming to sit beside me.

I looked up then, and what I saw nearly crushed my heart. There he sat, tight-lipped and teary-eyed, obviously trying to hide whatever it was he was feeling. I forced myself into his arms, and neither of us said anything until we heard Adail yell up the stairs, “Zere ees a cab here! I am not paying for zis!”

We laughed weakly at this and carried my luggage down the stairs and put in the car. The entire ride to the airport, we were silent. I never would have imagined I would have gotten attached to a complete stranger this quickly. I grabbed Peter’s hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

What happened within the next half hour was a complete blur. Somehow I managed to buy a plane ticket home with my remaining funds (ironically, from Vivian) and get through customs and security, but I didn’t realize what I was doing. I was just going through the motions; there was really only one thing on my mind: Peter.

He sat with me on the floor at my gate, holding me close and placing small, delicate kisses on my lips. I could feel people staring at us, but for once, I didn’t care. I was about to travel 4,000 miles home, leaving the boy I loved in the dust. That’s it, I decided. I was a terrible human being.

My plane was leaving in thirty minutes, but I didn’t care. Vivian was advising everyone to board, but there was no way I was leaving Peter that early. We sat there and joked endlessly about all of the good times we had, making it even more painful.

I found it was getting more and more difficult to breathe. I promised Peter, and myself, for that matter, that I wasn’t going to cry. Crying only made things worse.

Twenty minutes left.

I had so much that I wanted to say to him, but none of it would come out. How do you sum up love in a few short sentences? I remained speechless, staring into his deep brown eyes. I hoped that would be enough.

When Vivian finally announced that it was the last call for anyone boarding the flight to Boston, Peter helped me to my feet and kissed my forehead.

“I guess this is goodbye,” I said, tears streaming down my face in spite of my promise.
“I guess so,” he replied, pushing the hair out of my face. “You better not get into any trouble, or I’ll hunt you down.”

“Don’t tempt me,” I laughed halfheartedly, grabbing my carry-on bag and heading towards the outlet door. I turned around and kissed him, feeling his tears drench my face. I walked through the door, waving weakly at Peter the entire way. The doors closed.

I sat miserably in my window seat, waiting on the plane to take off. Words cannot effectively express how depressed everything made me feel in that moment. I hated everything. I hated the stewardesses, I hated the seat belts, and I especially hated the couple behind me that kept calling each other “honey.”

I closed my eyes and leaned back in my seat, wanting it all to be over. Maybe I’d be happy once I got touched back down on Boston soil.

I don’t know how long I had been sitting there before I heard it.

“Sophie!” a voice called, and I sat up almost immediately. It was him.

Sure enough, there Peter was, standing in the middle of the aisle. My eyes widened and my jaw dropped. I was ecstatic and shocked to see him all at the same time. He ran quickly to the seat beside me.

“I couldn’t live without you, Soph. I just couldn’t bear the thought of waking up and you not being there. I’ve never had anything in my life to be happy about. I—I need you.”

“How did you—“ I started, muddled beyond belief, but smiling uncontrollably.

“That Vivian woman sold me a ticket; I already had my passport in my pocket. You know, just in case,” he smiled.

Luck is a funny thing. I started out with the worst luck in the world, and it led me to the one I love, leaving me with the best luck in the world. I couldn’t have been happier.