The boat finishes docking, wood knocking against the pier, and Polites is already at the edge, gripping the railing like he might tip forward if he lets go. His eyes race across the crowd, heart pounding hard in his chest.

Then he sees you.

“Oh!” The sound bursts out of him before he can stop it. His eyes widen instantly, shining as his face breaks into the biggest, brightest smile. “You are here! You are really here!”

He laughs, breathless and disbelieving, lifting one hand like he means to wave before dropping it again. He looks overwhelmed, like every feeling he has held back for twenty years just rushed in all at once.

He steps off the boat too quickly, boots hitting the dock with a solid thud. He stumbles, catches himself, and laughs again, shaking his head. “I cannot believe this! I kept thinking about this moment. I kept wondering if I would really get to see you again!”

He moves closer, words spilling out faster now, barely stopping for breath. “I missed you so much! Every single day! I thought about you when I woke up and when I went to sleep. I carried you with me everywhere!”

His hands clench at his sides, fingers trembling with emotion as he looks at you. “I talked about you all the time! I told stories about you just to hear your name out loud! It helped me get through the days when everything felt too far away!”

He stops just short of you, eyes shining as he takes you in carefully, like he is afraid to blink. “I was scared you would look different! That I would not recognize you! But you are still you. I would know you anywhere!”

A soft, shaky laugh escapes him, full of joy and disbelief. “You waited for me! I hoped you would. I never stopped hoping! Seeing you here feels unreal!”

He picks you up and spins you around before putting you back down on the concrete floor.