The storm was getting worse. Outside the small ferry terminal, the wind screamed and the rain hit the windows like stones. Inside, the lights flickered.
Samuel sat on a hard wooden bench. He was a carpenter. He liked working with his hands because wood was easy to understand. If a board was broken, he could fix it. People were harder. His family always made him feel like he wasn't good enough, and his ex-girlfriend had left him for his own brother. Now, he kept to himself. He didn't want to get hurt again.
Alicia stood by the window, staring at the Canceled sign. She worked as a consultant, helping famous people fix their big mistakes. Her job was to always be perfect because her parents had worked so hard to give her a good life. She felt like she couldn't ever show she was tired or sad. To Alicia, being weak was the scariest thing in the world.
"The boats aren't moving tonight," Samuel said quietly. He was leaning against his bag of tools.
Alicia turned around. Her expensive coat was damp, and her hair was starting to frizz. "They have to move. I have a big meeting tomorrow morning. I can't stay here."
"The ocean doesn't care about your meeting," Samuel replied. He wasn't trying to be mean; he was just telling the truth.
Alicia felt a lump in her throat. She hated feeling like she wasn't in control. "I'll pay for a private boat. There has to be someone."
"No one is going out in ten-foot waves for any amount of money," Samuel said. He stood up and walked over to a small, old heater in the corner. He kicked it gently, and it started to hum. "Come sit down. It's going to be a long night."
Alicia hesitated. She didn't like talking to strangers. It felt risky. But it was freezing, and her legs were shaking. She walked over and sat on the far end of the bench.
"I'm Samuel," he said.
"Alicia," she whispered.
For a long time, they just listened to the rain. Samuel looked at his rough, scarred hands. Alicia looked at her phone, which had no signal.
"You look like the world is ending because you're stuck here," Samuel said.
"It feels like it," Alicia admitted. It was the first honest thing she had said to anyone in weeks. "If I'm not working, I don't know who I am."
Samuel nodded slowly. "I get that. If I'm not fixing something, I feel like I'm the one who's broken."
They looked at each other. For the first time, the "perfect" woman and the "lonely" man saw something they recognized in each other: fear. They were both afraid that if they stopped moving, they would have to deal with the pain they had been carrying for years.
The power suddenly went out, plunging the room into total darkness.
"Samuel?" Alicia's voice was small and shaking.
"I'm right here," he said, reaching out a hand in the dark. "I'm not going anywhere."