Page 76 of One True Loves

“Alex! Alex, it’s me!”

Then, because I’m trying to make him want to be with me again and not scare him away, I smooth my hair down and try to stop breathing so heavily. And I knock again three more times for good measure.

I hear footsteps, and when the door finally opens, my racing heart stops. But... it’s not him. It’s a gray-haired woman in aMediterranean Majestypolo shirt holding a mop and looking pretty irritated.

“Can I help you?”

“Um, the boy. The one whose room this is. Is he... is he here?”

She cocks her head to the side, looking at me like I’m not making any sense, probably because I’m not.

“It’s not his room anymore, sweetie. This block of rooms disembarked at six a.m.”

“Six a.m.?” I yell, too loud, and she startles. Her face shifts from just irritated to pissed.

“That’s what I said,” she says, pasting on a plastic smile. “Now if you’ll excuse me—”

“I mean, he did say they were leaving early, but I didn’t realize that early meantthisearly, like before ten a.m. early,” I say, still talking for some reason. “Where does disembarkation happen? Do you think there’s a chance he may still be on the ship? Like, if there was a delay maybe? That happens, right? Delays?” She blinks at me. “Because... I really need to find him. Today. Right now. Because, you see... I’ve finally realized our love story’s not over, it’s just beginning. And I’m scared if I don’t find him and tell him that I’ll lose my chance with him. I’ll lose my chance at real love.”

Now the gray-haired woman just looks concerned. She leans her mop against the doorframe and then takes two tentative steps toward me. “Sweetie, have you been watching that rom-com on the movie channel? The one they’ve played on repeat this whole trip?” She gently pats my shoulder. “Let me guess... you have an interior room? No windows? Real tiny?”

“No! Well, yes. But no! It’s not like that.”

“Mmm-hmmm, sure it’s not,” she says, eyes wide and nodding. “May I suggest you get some fresh air? There’s farewell piña coladas out on the pool deck.”

“I don’t need piña coladas! I need Alex!” I am mostly aware that I sound unhinged, but I’m past the point of caring.

“Well, this Alex boy is long gone, so I suggest you settle for the drink,” she says with a nod. She walks back over to the mop, her patience depleted. “Have a majestic day!” she says, gently but firmly, shutting the door in my face.

Okay. That’s okay. That’s only one obstacle. Things aren’t completely hopeless yet.

I head back to the stairs now, a little slower this time because I’m not trying to get sweaty, and walk to the Crown Room. My family is there, eating breakfast, and maybe Alex’s family is with them for one last meal. But when I get there, it’s just Mom, Dad, Wally, and Etta. I feel my chest deflate.

“What’s your problem?” Etta asks, making everyone turn to look at me.

“Lenore?” Dad asks. “Are you okay?”

“Have you seen the Lees? I went to Alex’s room, but he’s not there. I really—” My throat catches, the emotions overwhelming me. I take a deep breath and try again. “I really need to talk to him.”

“Oh, they already left, baby,” Mom says, rising to stand next to me, rub my back. “Ronni and David came to say goodbye to us last night. They had the earliest disembarkation time.”

I let out of grunt of frustration, falling down into a chair.I waited too long. I sabotaged myself. The moment has passed.

“I don’t understand. They live right by us at home. She can see the boy then,” I hear Dad saying through the pounding in my ears.

“Oh, hush!” Mom says back. “You remember how this felt.”

“I’m sorry, Lenore,” Wally whispers next to me.

While Mom rubs her hand in circles on the small of my back, I try to let the feelings go. Maybe this is all for the best. Maybe there was no chance there after all, and I was just going to embarrass myself. I replay our last conversation at my door, searching for signs that he was already done. That this would have been a futile mission.

But no.

I’m not going to let myself go down that path again. He came to check on me, to see how I was feeling, even though he didn’t have to. He wasn’t coming to say goodbye. That was all me. In fact, he was even telling me where he and his family were headed today in Barcelona—

“I need to go to Park Güell!” I shout, shooting up out of my seat.

“Say what now?” Dad asks.

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