Lost and Found: A Stranded in Paradise Romance

Disappeared

The following day, I left the office at lunchtime to find a quiet coffee shop to text Dylan. I was a little surprised he hadn't called me already after I'd told him he could reach out to me this week, but I was happy he was respecting my boundaries. With my hands trembling in anticipation, I pulled out my smartphone and started typing a message.

Hey you, I tapped. Been thinking about you. Do you have some free time after work today? There's a lot to get caught up on, and I've got some news I wanted to share...

I paused for a moment wondering if I should append my message with an emoji, and I scrolled through the pop-up list, wondering which one to send. I selected the kiss emoji with a little heart and held my thumb over the send button, then I erased the symbol and replaced it with a simple smiley face.

It'll be better to tell him face-to-face, I thought to myself. This is kind of a big deal, and I want to do it right. I want to look into his eyes when I tell him I love him.

I placed my phone back in my purse and approached the front counter of the coffee shop, ordering a black coffee and a Danish. After a few minutes, the barista passed me my items and after paying the bill, I retired to a corner table to check my phone. There was still no return message from Dylan, and I squinted at my screen, wondering if he was busy at work. My heart pounded in my chest while I waited to hear back from him, and the longer it took, the more I began to worry.

What if he's having second thoughts? I thought. What if he patched things up with his wife and decided to work on repairing his marriage? What if he's angry at me for taking so long to see him again?

The longer I stared at the screen, the more I could feel myself breathing heavily while a thin film of perspiration formed on my forehead. I knew I should be patient and give him more time to reply, but when I peered at my watch and noticed it was almost time to return to work, I picked up the phone and nervously typed a new message.

Did I catch you at a bad time? I said, adding the kiss symbol to the end of my message. I hope you're not getting cold feet. I miss our long walks on the warm beach.

Still no response. Either he was away from his phone, or he was too busy to reply. But it didn't make any sense to me. From the tone of his last message, it sounded like he was ready to drop everything to meet me.

I looked at my watch again, noticing I had less than five minutes to return to the office, and I shook my head, feeling beads of perspiration pooling above my brow. I didn't want to take any chance that he might misconstrue my meaning and spend the rest of the afternoon fretting about when he was going to call me back.

Please call me as soon as you're free, I typed, gulping down my coffee. I've got something important I need to say to you. Don't give up on us yet. I've made some important decisions I think you'll be happy to hear.

This time I added the smiley face surrounded by three hearts, hoping I didn't sound too desperate. When I still didn't get a response back, I rushed back to the office, reluctantly turning off my phone when I entered a late meeting. For the next couple of hours, I could hardly hear a thing anyone said, racing through the worst-case scenarios in my head.

Had I waited too long to tell him I loved him? Had he grown tired of waiting for me to make a decision about wanting to be with him or my husband? Was he afraid of the extra baggage I was bringing into the relationship? The more I thought about it, the sicker I began to feel, until by the end of the day, I could barely drive home with my hands shaking so much. I pulled over a block away from my house and rested my car under a shady tree, pulling my phone out of my purse.

This time, I tried sending a video call, but he still didn't pick up. Suddenly I regretted not taking his personal phone number when he offered it to me, then I remembered the name of the mining company he worked for. I dialed the number for the local office of BHP Group, and when the receptionist answered the phone, I took a deep breath.