Chapter 7 #2
“Do you?” As she tilted her head to study him, he noticed people below them holding up phones. So strange, this phenomenon. Why record complete strangers like that? Were they hoping the elevator would plunge to disaster? Planning to gain followers on some social media platform that didn’t matter?
“Do I understand that being with you feels too good to be true? Yes. Absolutely.” He let out a long breath.
“My whole life changed overnight. I was expecting it to. From active duty to retirement. From living overseas to coming back home. I leave here and pick up my new truck from a dealership in Boston, and I’ll drive it to a home I’ve never known.
My parents, brother, and sister all sold their houses and we’re living on a big piece of land together. ”
“That sounds amazing!”
“It is. But everything familiar will be gone. Not my hometown, but my childhood home. My brother and sister’s homes.
My baby brother moved out of his apartment and bought into the new property, too.
All of my siblings have partners who have come into the family over the last few years.
I’ve been the outsider by choice for more than two decades, and now I’ll still be the outsider, but at home.
That major life change I was expecting. You, though.
You,” he said with a chuckle, “are an upheaval that was definitely not on the radar.”
“Bad timing for us both,” she said in a low murmur.
“Is timing a good reason to give up on something so…”
“Perfect?” she answered with a hopeful expression.
He kissed her then, full and hard, the rich feeling of her lips against his so gratifying, so beautiful. Nothing about their embrace felt awkward or strange. On the contrary, she fit against his body as if they were molded for each other.
Serendipity had a funny way of occurring exactly when you least expected it–and when you needed it most.
A sound like thunder in the distance filled his ears as he lost himself in the kiss, her grasp desperate and eager, her body responsive in his hands.
Then a loud whistle pierced the muffled undertone and he realized what he was hearing–but didn’t break the kiss.
Applause. From the audience.
Suddenly, the floor moved beneath them, his hands instinctively tightening around her, and the elevator car descended slowly to the lobby, coming to a gentle stop.
The ding! of the doors opening made Ana’s muscles instantly go slack.
But her legs had another idea: to exit the elevator as fast as possible.
Four men in blue uniforms with company logos on the chests were standing in a line, all frowning.
Their faces changed as they saw Ana, who sprinted off like an Olympian.
Two of the guys stepped onto the elevator and grabbed their bags before Dennis could do it, so he followed Ana, who looked like a timid mouse being interrogated by bears.
“Give the lady space. Lots of space,” he growled at the group, who swayed away from her instantly. Dennis slipped his arm around her waist, blocking them with his body, and she leaned into him. The fragile beat of her heart was like a hummingbird’s.
The elevator fiasco had gone on for so long, too long for her nervous system to handle it all.
A man in a suit, wearing a hotel name tag on his lapel, approached them, a tablet computer in hand.
“My goodness! We are so, so sorry about that!”
She waved the man off. “I’m fine. I don’t need any compensation. I just want to go home.”
“But surely we can–”
“You heard her,” Dennis said, fixing the man with an unblinking stare. “We’re fine. Leave us alone now.”
Dennis knew that when you confront someone so clearly, you have to be prepared for pushback.
He also knew this guy’s job was to cover his corporate employer’s butt in case of liability.
“Um, yes, sir. I–”
Their bags were next to them. The uniformed crew were now all over the elevator, touching and probing, an Out of Order sign already hanging crookedly over the button panel next to it. Dennis slung his backpack over his shoulder, then pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked the time.
Twelve eleven.
“We missed check out,” he said as he reached for the handle of her bag, now pulling one in each hand. “Where are you going next?”
“Train station. I live in Newburyport, remember? I’ll take the train to Gloucester and my mom will pick me up. She’s expecting me.”
Dennis absorbed that information.
“Your mom and stepfather live near you?”
“They live in Gloucester.”
“Nice. You know, I’d offer you a ride if you can wait a bit. I have to go pick up my new truck at the dealership, but – ”
“I – you’re very sweet. Really. But can you accept that I need some time alone? To clear my head and regulate?”
“I can indeed.”
They reached the big doors to the outside and stopped, each checking their coat, zipping up, preparing for the blast of cold air that winter always brought in Boston. Cabs were lined up at the curb, and his stomach dropped.
“That was a lot to go through, Ana. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Better than I would have been without you there,” she said, squeezing his forearm with a casual, friendly touch that made him grin.
“Happy to help.”
“What’s your number?” she asked.
“It’s in your phone. Remember?”
He realized her next question would be his last name, a ritual he despised with anyone in the United States.
Say the name Luview and everyone knew. Asked again. Teased and joked.
The longer he could delay it, the better.
To his surprise, she didn’t ask, but instead said, “Text me back!”
Dennis sent the word Test, Ana replying with a single heart.
“I’ll call you,” he said, but her face was neutral. Was she holding back from being too attached? Hiding a waterfall of emotion?
Or had her sneaking out of his room this morning been a clue?
“Promise?” she asked, standing on tiptoes, giving his cheek a sweet kiss. “Don’t guys always say that after a one-night stand?”
“This wasn’t a one-night stand.”
“It wasn’t?”
“Can’t be if we see each other again. And we will. Promise.”
On impulse, he flipped his phone to camera mode and held it up, Ana instinctively moving closer to him, going for the selfie he was after. A flick of his thumb and the picture was taken, preserved with so many others that were important to him.
“Before you go,” he said, pulling her aside, “I never asked you why you’re here. In the hotel.”
“A conference.”
“On what?”
Smiling, she closed her eyes, squeezing them tight as if afraid to admit something.
“Trauma.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
“Man, you were super-prepared for me, then, weren’t you?”
“Actually, no.” Her smile dropped. “I’m not sure what to do with you.”
Impulse got the better of him and he kissed her again, the tip of his nose brushing against the rim of her wool hat as he angled their lips, the chilly air making her cheek cool.
“Well, I know what to do with you. And I know that whatever this is between us, it’s special.”
“I feel the same way.”
“Then let’s follow up.”
“That sounds very businesslike.”
“Then let’s have dinner? Is that better?”
“Perfect.” She kissed him again, a light, sweet brush of her lips on his, the kind of kiss you give someone you know you’ll see again. “I’m going to miss my train, so…”
“Goodbye, Ana. I’ll reach out soon.”
“Goodbye, Dennis. Thank you for being such a wonderful surprise.”
“You deserve wonderful surprises, Ana. As many as life can possibly send you.”
And with that, she disappeared down the street, Dennis turning in the opposite direction to get his new truck, drive to his new home, and start his new life.
The valet was hailing a taxi for him when he felt his phone buzz.
It was his mom.
About to leave? she asked.
Yes.
A giddy feeling, something young and raw, made him add, And I have a story to tell about that woman in the picture.
You do? she replied. What a wonderful surprise!
Yes, he wrote back. Life is throwing nothing but surprises my way these days.