Next to Me (Triplets book 3)

Chapter 3

Elyse took time with her appearance, choosing a pretty baby blue sundress with sandals. She hadn't brought anything fancy to wear with her because she had no one for whom to wear it. When she approached the dining room entrance, she saw Mad Scientist leaning against the wall looking at his phone, and she took a moment to study him. If he was a mad scientist, he was a self-confident one because he owned his space.

Elyse slowly made her way toward him, and as if he sensed her, he looked up, letting his gaze run her length as she approached. It made her knees weak. Didn't every girl want a guy to look at her like he was, as if she was a work of art?

Was it crazy that she barely knew him and didn't even know his name, but his look did odd things to her insides? The strange man from earlier had looked at her in a similar way, and it had made her very uncomfortable.

"Hello," she greeted as she reached him.

"Hello," he said, pushing off the wall and standing straight. He was very tall. Had she noticed that before?

"Shouldn't we at least introduce ourselves before we have dinner together?" Elyse suggested.

He paused and looked toward the dining room, then back at her as if trying to choose his next words carefully.

"Have you ever wanted to escape reality and be someone else?" he blurted.

Elyse paused, concerned by the question. "No, not really." She shook her head.

He gave a half smile. "I do sound crazy, don't I?" he asked with a lifted eyebrow. "I'm tired of being me. Let's be somebody else this week?"

All kinds of warning bells were going off in Elyse's head, and she shook her head, about to turn and leave, when he grabbed her hand to stop her.

The connection was mesmerizing, and they both looked at their joined hands. It was like jumping off a cliff and coming home all at the same time.

"Look, I know I'm not explaining it well, but I have a lot of stress in my life, and I really want to forget about it for the duration of this cruise. I'll still be me, just not me."

"I'm sorry, I still don't follow," Elyse shook her head. She had a high-stress life too, but she never wanted to be anyone else.

"Let's have dinner and talk about it. If my idea doesn't interest you, we can call it quits." He squeezed her hand in askance. "We're in a room of people. You're perfectly safe."

She thought about it his request for a moment. She had always trusted her gut, and her gut was telling her that while he was odd, he was relatively safe. "I guess it would be all right, although I do this with an abundance of caution, and if it gets weird, I'm walking out," Elyse warned.

"That's fair," he agreed and held tight to her hand as he approached the hostess. She appeared to know who he was because she smiled warmly and automatically led them to a table without a wait, unlike those surrounding them.

"Why didn't we have to wait like the others?" Elyse asked as they took their seats.

"I checked in before you arrived," he smiled at the waiter as he poured them water with a shaking hand, then faded away.

"I would like to know your name. Surely that can't be an issue, can it?" Elyse asked as she placed her napkin on her lap while looking around at her surroundings.

"What do you think my name is? What do I look like to you?" He leaned forward, waiting eagerly for her response.

Elyse tilted her head and studied him. "I've been calling you Man Scientist in my head," she admitted and enjoyed the sound of his laugh. "Eugene, maybe?"