My face was streaked with tears. The people around me began to rise, moving out of the room slowly, as if in a daze. I just sat there wiping my eyes. “Did you know any of that?” Samantha asked. “I didn’t know it was him.” “You need to talk to him.” Tears filled my eyes. “It’s too late,” I said. “I already ruined it. He’ll just think I want H. T. Cowell.” I breathed out slowly. “It’s time for me to go home.” With the crowds milling about it took us nearly half an hour to get a taxi. Samantha’s flight was thirty minutes before mine, and I was a little nervous that she might miss it, but she wasn’t. “Stop worrying about other people’s worries,” she said. “You have enough of your own. Besides, I’ve slept in airports before. It’s no big deal.” “I’m going to miss you,” I said. “No you’re not,” she said. She kissed my cheek. “We’re going to keep in touch.” We got to the airport with a few minutes to spare. Samantha was on a different airline and we stopped at her terminal first.
