I'm not who you think I am

-

Elsie slowly walks down the hallway with her little bag rolling after her. The past days have been horrible to say at least, she deserves this weekend to herself away from everything. Friends, family, and coworkers keep calling her, asking how she is, can they help? The answer is always the same: "He's gone, there's nothing to do. Unless you can find the one who did it." Of course none of them can do that, not even the police is able to locate him, and it's been weeks since all of it started. She should cry, scream, but she can't. She's still in shock, walks around in some sort of trance, can't really cope with the fact that he really is gone. Forever.

Eventually the cabin with a number that matches the one on her key appears on her right side, she steps inside and sinks down on the small bed, letting out a loud sigh. The curtains are drawn, so she walks over to the window to let in the last rays of sun. Below her waves lazily hit against the side of the ship, they've just started moving. Sitting down on the bed again, she hides her face in her hands, attempting to still the thoughts in her head. She misses him. So much. Never ever will he hold her again, never ever will she wake up and see his face inches from hers, and never ever will they play their silly games. She feels so empty, like a monster invaded her body and ate everything inside her. But the emptiness scares her. If she thinks about it too much, she might start feeling again, and right now she doesn't want to feel.

The vibrating phone is what makes her snap back to reality. Another call from one of her friends. She lets it got to voicemail, can't really handle any calls at the moment. After a second of consideration she shuts off the phone completely. A weekend on a cruise ship with no contact from the outside world could be a good thing for her. The laptop in her bag is neatly placed in one of the drawers in the nightstand table, and will remain there until it's time to go home. The tv remote goes as well. Then she heads down to the cafeteria to get something to eat, her stomach rumbles just at the thought of food.

Elsie is sitting down at a small table in the corner of the room, chewing slowly as she watches the people around her, making up stories in her head about some of them. What they're like, where they're from, their favourite colours, and so on. The couple just next to her consists of a man and a woman in their late 40s. She decides that the man is a very successful businessman, but he's stressed very often, so that's why he's balding. Stress is also the reason why he goes to the bar a little too often, and the reason to why he has a small beer belly. The woman, she concludes, is a trophy wife and stay-at-home-mother, glamorous in her expensive clothes and flawless make-up. Elsie is just making up a story about their kids when someone settles down at the other side of the table, making her jump just a little. Opposite to her sits a man her age, grinning widely at her, wait no, chuckling actually.

"Sorry if I scared you." he says with a voice soft as velvet. His green eyes has a playful glint, and Elsie has to admit that he is very attractive. "You just looked so lonely, and I thought, a pretty lady like you shouldn't eat by herself." he gives her another smile, sweeping away a strand of jet black hair from his forehead.

"Uhm, it's okay..." Elsie whispers, not sure how to handle the sudden situation. "And thanks, I guess?" She can't think of one single reason why someone would just randomly sit down by her table. It makes her feel uneasy, but she's not about to bluntly ask about the man's intentions. Doing so might make her sound rude, and being rude is the one things that Elsie is not. The strange man shoots yet another dashing smile her way, as he offers her his hand over the table to shake. Tentatively, she takes his hand in hers and shakes, looking up at him through thick eyelashes.

"I'm Devon. Devon Coldman." the man says. His grip is firm and warm. He holds her hand a few moments longer than necessary, watching her intesely before he, at last, lets go.

"Elsie Stoddard." she replies, trying to not squirm under Devon's searching looks.

"So, what's a lovely girl like you doing on a cruise all by herself?" Devon asks curiously.