When your lost you can always be found

Geez, Israelins are crazy.

"The Lord loves every one of you," I hear him say as I walk away, "even those who don't heed to his words."

I hear footsteps behind me and speed up. The person catches up with me. I turn expecting to see Troy but instead I see a boy about my age, he is matching my stride. Looking ahead as if we'd been best friends for years.

"Hi," he says when he catches me looking at him.

"Hi," I manage to say, I was never nervous around guys but there was something about him that just...

"Why you cry?"

What? "I'm not cry-" I feel my face, it was wet, I didn't realize I was crying.

"Nothing," I say.

"I am Ravi."

"Hi Ravi, I'm Isabella."

"Your hungry?"

"Well-"

"Good, come on." He grabs my wrist and leads me to small place I'm guessing is a fast food place. Inside there are many people my age. I guess this was the hang out. Some people acknowledge Ravi, he just nods and orders us some pizza.

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Ravi walks me back to the hotel later that afternoon. He's cute and I love the way he talks. He wants to see me again tomorrow. I smile as I walk into the room I share with Troy and one other. I couldn't believe I would have to put up with Troy for a whole month.

"Where did you go?" Troy is standing in the middle of the room, arms crossed and foot tapping with a fake stern face. I laugh.

"Out."

"We've been in this country three days and you are already going 'out'?"

I ignore him and go to the bathroom to take a shower. We had a Church service later. The service was actually Pastor John, us others from the community and hotel in a big room downstairs, why we had to come all the way to Israel, I didn't know.

After my shower I comb my hair at and put on my favorite black dress.

"Wow," Troy says when I walk out. I twirl around and pose. He comes over, holds me around the waist taking me by suprise, then grabs my hand. We clumsily walzt around the room. Our roommate walks in on us and we almost fall over from laughing.

In an hour we head downstairs for the sermon.

Halfway through I felt tears coming to my eyes and had to leave. The sermon was about how if we prayed and believed our prayers would be answered.

I found myself going to the place Ravi took me, when I got there I was suprised to see him sitting at the counter talking to an older man behind the counter. When he sees me he smiles.

"You look beautiful, Isabella."

"Thanks," I say sitting next to him.

"This is my uncle, Asad. Asad, this is Isabella." We acknowledge each other, then in Arabic he says something else. Asad smiles then after nodding at me he walks away.

"What did you tell him?" I asked. He told him that I was here for a month with my youth group. "Why'd he leave?" I ask. He shrugs then says,

"Maybe so I could do this."

He leans in and I feel his body heat as he comes closer. Is he gonna kiss me? Already? Geez, Israelins are crazy. Just as our lips are about to connect I hear my name...again. Wow. Will I be left alone today?

Troy is standing in the doorway and looks flustered.

"I've been looking for you everywhere!"

"Obviously not everywhere." I remark.

"Who's this?" he asks coming up to me and Ravi.

"This is Ravi, Ravi, this is Troy, he's my roommate." Ravi holds out his hand but Troy just looks at him. Still looking at him he says,

"We have to go, Isabella." I sigh and stand up.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Ravi." Before I knew what I was doing I kissed him on the cheek. He smiled and walked behind the counter watching me as I left. I had never kissed a guy on the cheek before. Is that sad?

"So this is where you were earlier?" Troy asks.

I nod but he probably doesnt see it in the darkness. "Yeah, isnt Ravi great?"

"Yeah," he says gruffly. Whats his problem?

A/N

Troy on the side