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“You’renotfine.”

“I know that!”I yelled back.“But he needed to hear it.He cares.For some insane reasonhe caresand if I told him I was on the verge of losing it all, that I hang on every day by a thread, that if one more thing goes wrong I will throw in the towel and find a new career, he’d care more and wanttohelp.”

“I don’t see how that’s aproblem.”

Ted was really getting on my nerves now.“Because it’snothis problem.I barely know him and I solve my own damnproblems,Ted.”

“But you’renotfine.”

I let out an exasperated sigh.“No.I’m better than I was before I got here but I’m a long wayfromfine.”

“He’ll forgive you for all your little fibs.”Then he pulled me into acrushinghug.

“Uh, Ted...” I pointed behind him to where Charley had just emerged from the bathrooms.“I’ll give you two aminute.”

They already had plans to see each other tonight when they got in—Ted wasn’t taking any chances on vacation remorse.I had to talk him out of buyingaring.

When he said he’d let the universe know when he was ready, I thought he meant he’d put it out there and startdating.

This was a whole otherlevel.

I wandered into the gift shop and looked over the same titles I’d attempted to read at the beginning of our trip, which of course reminded me of my first conversationwithColt.

Poetry.

That ache I’d been trying really hard to ignore came roaring back.Imissedhim.

How was it possible to miss someone Ijustmet?

Maybe it was because he helped me find what I was looking for.I’d tried.Tried and failed before Colt brought me a shrimp cocktail.From there it became natural.I found old hints of myself until I no longer felt like I’d been snatched by aliens and placed in anewbody.

I was meagain.

I had Colt to thank for that.He’d given me one the best presents in my life and I couldn’t even say thank you.At least not forayear.