Next to Me (Triplets book 3)

Chapter 4

They finished dinner with the attentive Gandis standing guard, and then they made their way out of the very loud dining room toward the elevators.

"Your vote is still for the Welcome Aboard Show?" Gene asked as he pushed the button.

"Yes, but I'm not set on the idea if there were something else you would rather do?" Elyse stepped forward into the elevator, with Gene following closely behind her.

"It sounds good to me," he said as he pushed the button for the correct floor.

Others filed in behind them, so it was a tight fit. Gene stood very close to Elyse, with his shoulder facing the doors and his back toward most of the people. It was an odd position, and Elyse wondered if he was claustrophobic or a germaphobe.

They were too close for Elyse to look at Gene's face, so she studied the front of his button-down shirt, noticing for the first time that he was missing a button. Yet another indicator that he was a mad scientist.

When the elevator reached their floor, he still let her go first, taking his time and even holding the door for the people getting on it. Elyse was coming to realize that one of his character traits was that he was always polite.

"Are you claustrophobic or something?" Elyse asked as the doors closed, and they suddenly were alone in the lobby outside the theater.

"Or something," he replied as his phone rang.

She watched as he pulled it out and looked at the screen.  "I have to take this. Why don't you grab us some seats, and I'll find you."

It was probably for the best that they were interrupted because she was about to call him on his vague and impertinent response to her question. 'Or something,' who replied with that, and what was the something? Elyse shot him an irritated look before turning and heading into the theater. Before she entered, she looked back to see that he had turned and was walking in the opposite direction with the phone pressed against his ear.

Then in a flash, she had the thought that maybe he was married.  Was that what he wanted to forget? When he said he wanted to be someone else, did he want to be single? A cruise was odd for a man to take alone, especially if he had a family. Maybe he was a vacation advisor.

Her mind racing, Elyse wandered to a small couch toward the middle of the theater and sat down. She knew nothing about the man. She liked him, but he could be anyone and do anything to make a living. Over the next few minutes, her mind had him being everything from a nefarious drug dealer to a neurosurgeon. Elyse was so caught up in her doubts that she was caught unawares when someone sat beside her.

"Hello again?" the man from the top deck said as he sat beside her.  "I didn't get a chance to introduce myself earlier. I'm Ron."

Elyse closed her eyes in frustration. Who was this guy, and why couldn't he take a hint?

"I'm sorry, that seat's saved," Elyse said as politely as she could while refusing to look at the man. Perhaps if she didn't engage, he would leave. Was he traveling alone too? Was this a new trend that she didn't know about?

"Is it for your husband?" he teased, pretending to look around in alarm. It was a joke that fell flat. He obviously hand's believed her and Gene's earlier show.

"Yes, it is," Elyse agreed, still refusing to look at the man. Technically Gene wasn't her husband, but she didn't think he would mind her saying he was in this instance.

"Where is he?" Ron made a show of looking around again.

"He's around," Elyse did her best to make it sound dangerous. "He learned the art of blending in from an ancient warrior named Gandis." Then she had the sudden image of Gandis popping up next to them at the sound of his name, and she had to cough to cover up her laugh.