“Evie. And you?”
“Sarah. I moved here with my dumbass boyfriend. Well, I didn’t think he was a dumbass at the time. But we broke up because he is, in fact, a dumbass. And a cheater. Figure I might as well make some money while I sort this shit out.”
“That sucks, and I understand completely.”
“Wanna grab some dinner?”
“Let’s.”
We left the hostel room and returned to the darkened streets. The crowd seemed to have swelled as night hovered over the earth. It appeared the locals came here for the concessions and games along the strand.
A tall Ferris wheel blinked bright in the sky. On the ground, everything felt mildly damp and chilly. It would only be worse at the top, and that decided me.
“Have you been on that?”
Sarah looked up, blinking against the mist. “Not yet, but I’m game.”
We purchased our tickets and waited in line for thirty minutes before climbing in. It took another ten minutes before everyone else was loaded inside and the wheel began to turn in earnest.
“So what’s your story?” she asked.
I thought about that while we circled back down to the ground.
“Kind of the same thing. Hooked up with a guy for a while. Left him. Now I’m trying to figure out what to do next.”
“Asshole.”
“Yeah. Except…I mean, yeah he really is. By anyone’s standards, he’s an asshole.”
“But…”
“But nothing.”
“You’re in love.”
“He’s a jerk. If I told you everything he’s done, you would totally agree.”
“You haven’t even told me what he’s done and I already agree with you. But you love him.”
“He’s a priest.”
That gave her pause. Then she shook her head. “Doesn’t matter.”
“Oh, I think that matters. Plus other stuff. It’s just so frustrating. I want to go back to the way things were before I found him.”
I frowned, thinking how terrified I’d been that first night. Now here I was making friends in a hostel, exploring a new place on my own. I didn’t have much of a plan or much money, but neither did I have any fear.
My heart skipped a beat. No fear. That’s what I’d been looking for, and I’d found it.
“Well, it doesn’t matter now. I don’t know where he is, so even if I wanted to find him…”
“Which you do.”
“I can’t.”
She sighed, looking out over the purple-and-blue-hued falls. “Well, I know exactly where my boyfriend is. At our apartment with my friend. Who I only let stay with us because she needed a place.”
“That sucks. Big time.”