Two Weeks With Chelsea

Chapter 32

Chelsea scanned the overhead signs to find the Metro platform at the St. Charles stations in Marseille. Trevor followed her down the escalators, knowing she had gained this confident independence while travelling with him.

"Please tell me we are taking the Metro," Chelsea said. "Here I am feeling all cocky and self-confident, so if you tell me we have to take a taxi... I just..."

"Yes, we will take the Metro. We have to figure out which line gets us to the Old Port. That's where the hotel is," Trevor said as they looked for a system map.

"Don't worry, I got this! Blue line, Vieux-Port, this way."

"You have learned well–" Trevor said in a Yoda like voice.

"If you call me padawan I'm gonna have to hit you. Besides, 'learned well, you have' I think it should be."

"Star Wars fan, you are?"

"No... One of my teachers used to say it to everyone all the time. I had to google it."

"Yeah, I picked it up from Dave," he said as he steadied his suitcase on the escalator.

A few minutes later they pulled their suitcases around the corner from the Metro stop at the Old Port and walked towards the Hotel Alize. Chelsea had navigated them through the Metro but Trevor took the lead for the short walk to the hotel.

"Oh look! Amorino. After we check in let's go for some ice cream," Chelsea pleaded.

A few steps further brought them to the green canopy over the door to the hotel. Tall bushes separated the hotel entrance from restaurant patios on either side. Chelsea looked up at the building and smiled.

"See if we can get a room on the front side with a balcony, please," Chelsea pleaded.

While the hotel clerk worked at checking them into the room, Trevor tapped away at the screen of his phone. Chelsea scanned the tourist brochures near the desk and was pleased when the clerk said their room was on the front side of the hotel. She scanned a tourist map and noticed several beaches.

"Terrific! Breakfast with the view will be so nice. Look at all the stuff there is to see around here!" Chelsea replied.

"It looks like it'll be cloudy tomorrow but the weather's going to be nice all week. We should do some of that touristy stuff tomorrow and hit the beach somewhere Monday."

The clerk handed Trevor a message slip then a room key, "This message was left for you earlier today. When you leave the hotel, please leave the key at the desk, either of you will be able to retrieve it when you return."

"Excuse me," Chelsea said to the desk clerk while Trevor read the message slip. "If we wanted to go to a beach on Monday, which one should we go to?"

The clerk used a pen to mark the hotel's location on the map with an X. He then circled his recommendation and followed up with some pointing and hand gestures to relate the map to the real world outside the hotel's front door.

As they found their way to the room Chelsea said, "Are you hungry? I really want some ice cream."

"Sure, we can grab some lunch. Is the ice cream going to be an appetizer or desert?"

"Could be the main course!" she suggested.

"Would you settle for appetizer and desert, we can head along the port and look for something that goes with a beer as the main course," Trevor replied in a cool tone.

There was something in Trevor's response that, to Chelsea, seemed off. It was more than just his words, he seemed distant since arriving at the hotel. She wondered if it was something on the message slip the clerk had given him, perhaps some sort of bad news. She wanted to ask but didn't want to pry. If it was something that concerned her, she was sure he would bring it up in conversation, eventually.

*****

Sleeping-in and a Sunday morning tour of Chateau d'If was followed by a leisurely afternoon walking tour along the edge of the old port of Marseille. Throughout the day Trevor seemed to be stuck somewhere. His mood drifted between that of the broken Trevor that left Well Stone and the version of himself that happily guided her around Barcelona and Béziers. The only constant she noticed throughout the day was a lack of physical contact. Not once did he take her hand.