Shit.
I cancel the call and check my messages instead. Notifications keep popping up.
Callie Coconut – 20 unread messages
I’m so so so os sosorry mate. Pls don’t give me the silent treatment. Come have pizza call me.
Baby Joan
What time u at Cal’s? Don’t leave me alone w him. He’s goin mental cos ur not replying.
Kimmy Kaczynski – 36 unread messages
Hey Cutie, how’s life in the tropics? When you coming back to AMS? Kitty is asking fr milk. Purrr.
Jay Ginger Spice McKenna
What the hell. Arcadia called me. You failed the drug test!? Why am I not surprised? You’re a fucking disappointment!
Gotta love notifications. Gives you the option to leave messages unread.
My eye falls on a text from Yosh. I do open this one:
Yosh
I need some time alone to clear my head, so I might go quiet for a couple of days. I’ll call when I can. I’m sorry, Sapphire.
My heart sinks. Time alone. What does that even mean? I get needing space after this disaster. I do. But right now I’ve got no idea if he’s safe, and that’s the part I can’t sit with.
What if I scared him off? I don’t want him to think I pick fights all the time.
I try again. Straight to voicemail.
Come on, Yosh. Pick up. Nothing. One more time. Still nothing. Shit.
I give up and call Joan instead. A sleepy voice answers on the third ring.
“Babe, can you come get me? I’m in Saint Luna. Just got out of the bloody police cell…”
“…”
“Yeah, it’s a long story. You wouldn’t believe what’s happened in the last twelve hours.”
“...”
“I’ll send you my location. Okay. See you in a bit.”
The line goes dead.
I look up and find myself surrounded by the daily life of Saint Luna.
Cruise passengers walk past the market stalls, taxi drivers play dominoes in the shade, waiting for tourists who need a ride. One of the vendors comes over, offering me a guava. A guava of all fruits! The universe is clearly taking the piss.
I decline politely and keep scanning the crowd, half-expecting Yosh to appear out of nowhere. He’s always there, I’ve grown used to that these past weeks.
God, Yosh… where the hell are you?
I roll my shoulder, like that might loosen the knots in my back. Nothing else to do but wait for him to call. Until then, I’ll head back to Palm Oasis.
