Two Weeks With Chelsea

Chapter 22

More than an hour passed before Trevor awoke from his nap on the beach. Chelsea was still sitting beside him, tracing patterns with her finger in the sand. She turned to look his way as he sat up, then quickly looked away again.

"What time is it?" Trevor asked.

"Don't know," she replied before finding her watch in the front pocket of her pack. "Five twenty."

"We should get going," he said.

Trevor stretched, then pulled his shirt on. He scanned the area for a place to change and excused himself after pulling his shorts and a pair of underwear from his pack. Chelsea didn't watch him walk away nor did she watch for him to return. She waited, watching wistfully as a family played in the sand nearby. They too packed up their belongings and walked away.

Chelsea was startled when Trevor walked up from behind her and spoke, "How about we get out of here?"

While Trevor packed his bathing suit, Chelsea shook the sand from the towel and began folding it. She followed him as he headed from the beach. It was an awkward dance; he would turn towards her, walking almost sideways and slow his pace for her to catch up, she persisted in lagging slightly behind.

"Come on, let's walk back instead of taking the train," he suggested.

"Okay."

"Oh, let's check out that statue of Columbus!" he said.

Chelsea followed as he walked away from the waterfront towards the city. Trevor wanted to keep up the pace and reached to take her hand. He gently tugged on her arm and quickened his step. A day earlier, when he took her by the hand, she felt the sensation others may have described as butterflies being set loose in her stomach; today it felt more like a couple gulls fighting over a discarded napkin. Only a few hours earlier, a look from him set her heart racing. Now, nothing.

After a short walk, they were within viewing distance of a tall pillar with a statue of Columbus on top. How long they had been walking she didn't know, nor did it seem to matter. Trevor pulled his phone out and snapped a few photos. Chelsea did not. She simply gazed at the monument and waited for their next move.

Once again, he took her hand and pulled her along, and started to walk back towards the Gothic District. After a few blocks, he let go of her hand and continued walking. She sensed he had become irritated by her lack of enthusiasm and decided it was best if she defused the situation.

"Can we have dinner? I think I got too much sun and not enough to eat," she said. "I'm feeling kind of lite headed and... blah..."

The comment about feeling a little off was a bit of an exaggeration but she knew she would be hungry by the time they found a place to eat. She followed it up with a weary look and attempted to smile. It seemed to work. He looked at her with concern and took her hand again.

"Sure... You were right!" he said. "We should have got some snacks when we got the water and beer. What do you feel like eating?"

"Doesn't matter. Whatever you want."

Trevor pulled his phone from his pocket and began a search and memorized a route from the map on the display. He pocketed his phone and took her hand once again.

"There's this place called Sensi Bistro. It's supposed to be really good. Wanna give that a try?"

Chelsea nodded and walked at Trevor's side. He still held her hand and she still felt nothing. He proceeded confidently through the narrow and winding streets and delivered her to their destination. She paused outside of the restaurant with a look of wonder.