Chapter 49 He couldn't help but doubt

"Yo, check it out—gym's over there, and that's the training class," Ellie pointed out to George, giving him the lowdown.
George scoped the place out and gave a nod, trying to look all serious. Ellie thought he looked kinda goofy...
She couldn't help but giggle, leaning in and grabbing his arm. "Why you lookin' all goofy?"
"For real?" George straightened up. "I think I'm doin' alright."
Ellie laughed even harder. "You saying 'I think' alright' just means other folks probably don't think so."
"Uh... am I gonna embarrass you in front of your friends later?"
Ellie shot him a playful glance.
She couldn't help but remember her cousin always saying George looked a bit like Mr. Richardson, but not quite as good.
She glanced over at the training class nearby.
"Don't sweat it, your girl ain't gonna look down on you." She thought her George was way more handsome and tough anyway.
"Heh..." George chuckled softly.
Ellie laughed too and let it drop.
George noticed she'd changed a lot since she got back. She was more outgoing and chatty than before.
He knew it was partly 'cause of his job switch and her new social circle.
They strolled up to the entrance. George paused and pulled his hand from Ellie's grip, peeking inside.
Ellie, confused, asked, "What are you doin'?"
"I'm waitin' for you here."
"Eh... you can come inside and wait. There's a chill spot, you can just sit there and wait for me."
"Wouldn't I be a buzzkill if I did that?" Inside, it was all women dancing, with one dude leading the class. He had to be the instructor. It felt kinda weird for a grown man like George to just sit and watch.

"Nah, it's cool. People wait here all the time. Plus..." Ellie leaned in, lowering her voice, "The gym across the street has some hotties who come over to show off and flirt."

George's eyebrow shot up. "What did you just say?!"

He got a bit too excited, his voice a tad loud. Ellie blinked and quickly explained, "But not for me. Everyone knows I'm taken."

George was left speechless.

The girl behind the counter, who had been glued to her phone, perked up at the commotion. She greeted Ellie and George warmly.

"Ms. Stone, you're here?"

"Yep..." Ellie smiled, grabbing George's sleeve and pulling him into the training center.

"Oh, and this is...?"

"My hubby, hahaha..."

"Oh! So you're George!" The girl grinned, setting her phone aside and stepping out from behind the counter.
Seeing Ellie come, Allie came out. George quickly noticed her.
"Ellie." She jogged over, lowering her voice.

"Allie."

"You finally decided to show up." Allie rushed to her and then glanced at George.

"George, you're here too."

"Hey, Allie." George smiled and greeted her, but he couldn't help but notice that everyone who had been dancing had turned to look at them.
He felt a bit awkward and was about to look away when he caught something out of the corner of his eye. Instinctively, he turned and locked eyes with the male instructor leading the dance.

For some reason, his chest tightened, and he felt a weird mix of familiarity and strangeness deep inside. The guy didn't break eye contact, just gave a slight nod and a polite smile.

George found himself nodding back without thinking, and then Allie walked up with a grin. "George, man, it's a rare sight to see you. Last time must've been, what, two or three years ago?"

It was pure teasing, and George knew it. He felt a bit guilty, so he just gave an awkward smile and looked down a bit.

This time, Ellie felt the embarrassment. She nudged Allie with her elbow.

Allie burst out laughing. "Just kidding, George won't mind, right, George?"

"Of course not," George quickly shook his head.

At that moment, the young girl from behind the counter came over. "Ellie, take Mr. George Stone to the rest area. I'll grab some water."

"Sure thing."

Ellie led George around the counter to the sofa in the rest area. She waited until the receptionist arrived before heading off to change her clothes. Her cousin followed her without missing a beat.

Before they even got to the dressing room door, her cousin couldn't help but speak up. "You're so protective, I just teased him a bit and you nudged me?"
Ellie was at a loss for words. "That's what his job like, he doesn't want to either, and with so many people around, you should cut him some slack."

"If I were you, it wouldn't even be about him anymore. They're arguing at his workplace; who does that? He's gone almost 300 days out of the year!"

"It's not that bad," Ellie said, feeling a bit dishonest, and quickly changed the subject. "But this time, the bureau Director promised him..."

As they chatted, they entered the dressing room. Meanwhile, in the rest area, George sipped his water and looked around. He realized he had a pretty good spot—most people couldn't see him, but he had a clear view of everyone.

His eyes drifted back to the male dance instructor leading the group. He racked his brain, trying to figure out if he'd seen the guy before.
That earlier eye contact had sparked a weird sense of familiarity, making him suspicious. Especially since he was sure the person keeping tabs on him was an "acquaintance," and there were some shady vibes about this training class.

It was hard not to be skeptical.

Even though Isaac couldn't see George, he could feel his gaze. But he didn't freak out. He kept calling out the beat and flowing with the dance routine.

But Linda, who was in a spot where she could see George, was losing it. How could she not panic when George kept staring at Isaac?

Normally, she was rock-solid with the dance steps and beats, but she started messing up. And in a line of over a dozen people, her mistakes stuck out like a sore thumb.