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The man’s eyes bounce to meet mine before he returns his attention to the table and the conversation he’s missing.
When I look back at my wife, she takes a bite of her dinner as Florence’s gaze dances between us. I want to press her again, but I don’t want to make dinner any more awkward than it is, so I decide to let it go for now and ask her about it when we get back to our room this evening.
It’s probably nothing.
* * *
We’re halfway through our meal when Mae pushes back from the table gently and stands.
“Everything okay?”
“Yes,” she says, a hand to her neck. “I just need to use the restroom.”
“Want me to come with you?” Florence offers.
“No, I’ll be okay. Stay and finish eating. I’ll be right back.”
I watch as she zigzags through the room with determination, around this table and that one, and past a waiter and around the pillar in the center of the room before making it out the oversized doorway and into the atrium. Florence looks at me with an awkward grin.
“How’s yours?” she asks, filling the silence as she points to my half-eaten dinner.
“Delicious,” I say honestly, though I’m hardly listening as I watch what’s happening in disbelief. I spot the man at the far table stand. He pushes his seat in, adjusting a button on his shirt, and then heads for the door, leaving in the exact direction Mae just went.
I take a breath, watching it happen. Of course he’d have to take that path out of here. It’s the only way out. But what are the odds? The timing is too suspicious.
I stand from my chair.
“I’ll be right back,” I tell them. If either realizes where I’m going or why, they don’t make it clear.
I rush through the restaurant, between the tables and the crowd, then around the column and through the door. The hallway is bustling, and I immediately lose sight of him. Cursing under my breath, I hurry on. I power walk behind an older woman moving at a snail’s pace and do my best not to huff when a group of drunk men bumps into me, hollering loudly at each other as they go, barely noticing I’m standing here.
I spot the signs for the restrooms and zip past the woman, moving along the wall as quickly as I can. The restrooms are down a long hallway, and I slow down as a crewmember steps out of a doorway, his smile quickly fading.
“Everything okay, sir?”
“Fine,” I tell him, making my way toward the door. He probably thinks I’ve overindulged at the speed I’m moving.
I hesitate outside the women’s restroom. For all I know, Mae went back to the room rather than use the public bathroom. For all I know, she isn’t here at all. Either way, I can’t go inside. Even as panicked as I feel, I know that crosses a line. Instead, I lean up against the wall, tapping my foot against the baseboard.
So much for not being a jealous man.
Jitters fill me as if I’ve drunk several cups of coffee on an empty stomach.
For the first time, I feel the effects of the ship moving. When I close my eyes, I can sense the shift as we hit each wave with a slow, pulling sensation. My stomach feels too full, my skin too hot.
When the door in front of me opens, I remember where I am. My eyes open, vision coming back to me. Mae stands there, staring as if in disbelief.
“Blake? Are you okay? You look like you’re going to be sick,” she says after a moment.
To be honest, I’m not sure if I’m okay. I shake my head. “No, I’m fine. I was just making sure you were alright.”
“So you followed me to the bathroom?” she asks with a soft laugh. “I told you I was just going to pee.”
“I know. I just…you know. I didn’t want to leave you alone. I told your parents I’d take care of you, didn’t I?”
“Well, I guess I should be flattered.” She looks unsure. “Do you need to go, or should we get back?”
“Did you, erm, did you see anyone in there or…on your way?”
