But after four hours of futile waiting and a hundred calls to Paulo, she wasn't feeling that confident. And the last couple of times she had called him, his number had been unreachable. Imogen called her to inform her that she too had been unable to get to Paulo. The hotel couldn't help either, informing her that Paulo was to be on vacation for the next one week. But they would be trying to locate her luggage and would let her know if they did! She was beyond the capable of any reaction by then.
Well, I suppose I could always go to a hotel. She thought. A quick trip to the ATM machine dispelled that option too. Her credit limit wasn't going to cover the expenses for more than two days. And then she would be left with nothing.
Thank you God! She hissed under her breath. You just had to. You had to prolong my misery and make it impossible to leave with my dignity intact. Cursing under her breath, she dialed Feanor's number. Chewing her lip, she waited for him to answer.
He didn't answer on the first ring. Hating herself, she called back a second time. And then a third time. And still, no answer. And then, standing among the milling crowd around her in the vast airport, without her passport or sufficient money, she hit the real panic button.
Feanor arranged his dress carefully on the hanger and pulled out the mobile from his pocket. It had been ringing constantly since the last five minutes. But he was busy, trying out his costumes for his upcoming show and hadn't been able to answer.
Three missed calls. From Idril! Oh wow! First she does a runner and then calls him up? Why? As he stood there contemplating whether to call her back or not, the phone started ringing again.
He didn't want to talk to her. What would he say? Hey, thanks for making a fool out of me? How could she do it? Last night, falling asleep curled around her; he thought he had seen the same emotions in her eyes as he had for her. Clearly he was wrong. So much so that she had just up and left without bothering to even say goodbye. Okay, there was a note, but that was even more insulting than the former! In all his life, he had never thought he will be the one subjected to such parting lines from a woman!
The ringing stopped. He waited for her to call again but after two minutes, she hadn't. Not wanting to think overmuch about it, he hit dial.
After he didn't answer her fourth call, Idril started preparing herself for spending the night at the airport, her brain already resigning itself that no help was coming and she was on her own here. She didn't want to call her parents until she absolutely had to. She would go down to the hotel tomorrow, find out about her luggage and arrange for a flight. If she couldn't, them she would ask her parents for help.
But then her phone rang and it was him. Instantly, her panic returned. Trembling, she received the call and said a hesitant "Hello."
"Hi, you called me?" his voice sounded polite and impassive.
She stammered. "Y-yes. I, I actually, am in a fix." Stammering, she explained the situation. "So, I was, kind of hoping that, that you could maybe help me out a little." Her voice trailed away at the end, she couldn't ask him to come fetch her from the airport. "Maybe let me know if there are any cheap hotels around here where I can stay the night probably." She had no idea why she said it. But once said she waited for him to reply.
There was a pause before he said, "Okay. I will meet you there in an hour. Please meet me in the café."
Idril was surprised and giddy with the amount of relief that went through her at his words. He was coming to get her. Everything was going to be alright! And she hadn't even needed to ask him! He had understood her need and was ready to help her.
Which means, her the logical part of her brain raised an eyebrow at her, he saw through you. While you tried to play it cool, he heard exactly how desperate you were and now he is thinking what a loser you are to go back for help to the person you had tried to ditch this very morning.