Valentine Fling

2|First Encounter

Looking at the security section, I queued up in the fewest lines. After placing my bag at the checkpoint, I passed the security gate. A female officer scanned my body with a device before letting me through.

My stomach churned. I looked around me. Fortunately, there was no one near me. I was starving. After months of controlling my food to look perfect on my wedding day, I could eat whatever I wanted. Therefore, I chose a fast-food restaurant.

“Do you want to eat here or take it away?” the cashier asked politely.

“Eat here. I'll have a burger, fries, drinking water, and salad,” I said.

The woman typed on the cash register quickly. When she offered a large portion, I declined. I could eat on the plane if I was hungry. After she mentioned the total price, I reached for my purse in my bag.

However, I didn't find it anywhere. I put my bag on the counter and searched carefully for the purse. I remembered I had put it in my bag. No way. Not only had I lost my purse but also my phone!

“What's wrong, ma'am? Can we help you?” the cashier asked.

“I-I... Uh, this is very embarrassing, but I lost my purse,” I admitted. My face heated up, feeling humiliated to experience that when I had no acquaintances nearby.

“Are you sure you have it with you?” the woman asked in concern.

“Yes. I even lost my phone. I just talked to someone on the phone,” I muttered. I did. Paris called me. So, I didn't leave my purse at the hotel.

Gosh. What was going on with me? Why did I have to experience such an embarrassing incident repeatedly? My fiancé didn't show up for the wedding blessing, and my purse suddenly disappeared when I was about to pay for the food.

People in line behind me looked at me with various emotions. Some looked impatient, the others were dismissive, and the rest giggled at me. Seeing my order ready on the counter, I couldn't bring myself to cancel it.

“Sorry, I played a prank on my friend.” Someone stood beside me and handed a piece of money to the cashier. “Please make the same order and wrap it up.”

“Okay.” The woman smiled cheerfully. She typed quickly, then handed the man a few bills with smaller amounts. “Thank you and enjoy. Next.”

The man and I stepped aside, so the customer behind me could order food. I was relieved that someone helped me out of that awkward situation. I caught my breath to calm my racing heart.

“Thank you,” I said to the man.

“You're not in time to thank me yet.” He looked at me seriously. “Did you only lose your purse? What about other valuables?”

“Um, I lost my phone. It's weird. I had it because someone just called me.” I stared at the contents of my bag in confusion.

“We should go to security.” He took our food from the waiter. “Come on.”

I frowned at his invitation but complied. We left the restaurant and walked back to the baggage check. That was right. My bag was out of my sight when I passed through the gate.

“Excuse me, sir,” the man said to one of the officers.

“Yes, sir. Can I help you?” the officer asked kindly.

“This lady lost her purse and phone. She didn't take off her bag except when she passed through that gate.” The man glanced above us. “Would you please check your security cameras?”

The officer checked the footage when he scanned my bag. My phone and purse were still in the bag when I passed through the machine. His colleague checked the security camera footage to observe what happened after my bag went through the machine.

I should have called Orlando. He could help me deal with the problem in no time. But I refrained. My brother would forbid me from going on vacation alone if he knew I'd been in trouble for a few minutes without his supervision.

I didn't know who the man who helped me was, but he was a good person. I must have panicked to find the purse and phone by myself. How stupid of me. All the money and cards were in that precious thing. I wasn't even holding cash.

“Oh. Someone was near the bag and seemed to be doing something,” an officer said.

“Replay the recording,” his colleague ordered. He watched the screen intently. “You're right. He did it so fast that we could only see it when we slowed the video down.”

“What are the characteristics of the person?” my helper asked.

“We'll report to the security center. They will arrest the man,” the officer replied.

“Please sit here,” his partner offered, pointing to a man moving two chairs.

“Come. Let's sit down. They'll catch the culprit and return your purse and phone.” The man invited me to oblige the officer's request.

“Okay.” I complied.

After sitting down, the man took something from the paper bag. “You must be hungry. Me too.” He handed the bag to me.

Before answering, my stomach rumbled. I cleared my throat to cover my embarrassment, but the man didn't react. He might have heard it. I accepted the bag and picked up my burger.

I glanced nervously at my watch. The officers must have taken some time to search for the man through the security camera footage. I hoped he was in the building and not outside. They couldn't find my purse and phone if he was out there.

My straw made a gurgling noise as I sucked the water. My drink was gone. The man extended his hand, so I gave him the empty bottle. He disposed of the wrappers from our meal in a nearby trash can, then returned to sit beside me.

“Miss Violet Maxwell?” the person next to the man called.

I turned my head. “Yes?”

A man dressed as a security guard smiled at me. He held out a familiar object. “We've found your purse and phone."

“Oh! Thank goodness!” I accepted the two objects with relief. My eyes heated up as I realized I had escaped disaster.

“Please come here for a moment. We need your signature.” His colleague placed a document on the counter and held out a pen.

“What is this?” I asked. I looked at the header and quickly read the contents.

“This is a statement that you have received the lost items,” he replied.

The officer answered honestly because that was what was written on the paper. I signed twice, and our business was done. They kept the culprit in the security room, waiting for the authorities to pick him up. The police would notify me if they needed any further information from me.

Shit. I didn't like hearing that last sentence. My family would panic if they found out. We parted ways after they apologized for their negligence and promised not to let me experience the same thing.

“Thank you very much,” I said to my helper as we walked towards the waiting room.

“You're welcome,” he replied kindly.

“Ah, let me introduce myself,” I extended my hand, “my name is Violet Maxwell.”

The man shook my hand. “My name is Dylan Walters,” he replied.

“I'll pay for my meal. What's your account number?” I pulled out my phone and opened my bank app.

“No need. You can pay for it by treating other people in trouble,” he answered.

I smiled at that. “Okay. Thank you again.”

“You're welcome,” he returned.

Seeing the restroom, I stopped. “Um, I need to use the restroom before boarding. We'll split up here.”

He glanced at the place I pointed to. “Okay. Have a nice flight.”

“Have a good flight,” I replied.

I'd been holding it in after the meal. How relieved I was after coming out of one of the stalls. I washed my hands and took stock of my appearance before leaving the restroom. I smiled at my reflection. Thankfully, I could solve the problem without Orlando's help.

I exited the restroom feeling lighter. However, someone blocked my path by standing before me. I frowned at that person.