Page 30 of Clean Point

He pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned, the noise tinged with disappointment as his gaze fell to the warm sand below our feet. ‘You shouldn’t thank somebody for treating you like a human being.’

‘You’d be surprised how little it happens.’ I truly thought my words would break the tension, relax him, and remind him this was nothing new to me. Then I remembered how he looked at me that day in Jon’s office when we agreed to all of this. How his face turned to concern after Jon showed us the article about us landing in Rhodes. Did he actually care?

‘What do you mean?’ he asked, his tone still sinister, that dark look in his eyes anything but a comfort. Did this man live somewhere without an internet connection? Or did my existence before now mean so little to him, he didn’t even brush up on tabloid gossip?

‘What do you mean?’

I was beginning to think maybe I thought too much of myself, that I was still unimportant and my impact on the world over the last two years didn’t extend off the gossip pages of the Daily Tea, when he softened, his shoulder relaxing somewhat.

‘People …’ he trailed off, losing track of his thoughts for a moment. When he looked at me, his gaze was a little wild, a little unhinged. I was begging to know what he looked like truly feral. ‘People should treat you better, Scottie.’

My throat was dry as I nodded. ‘I know.’

‘No matter what you’ve done.’

‘You haven’t exactly been pleasant to be around,’ I pointed out, remembering our first meeting. The handshake he refused, everything we had said on the plane. Every bit of ground we gained felt uneasy. Every time we got closer, one of us went too far and we ended up further apart.

His hand went to the back of his neck and rubbed it uncomfortably. ‘I’m sorry for everything.’

I didn’t need him to explain. I was just as guilty for twisting the knife between us. I was wrapped up in secrets, sensitive when he dug too deep. He had no reason to trust me other than Jon’s word, and less when I lashed out like I had.

‘I’m sorry, too,’ I said, before a small smile creeped onto my lips. ‘Especially all those times I reminded you of how ancient you are.’

‘Thirty-three is not old.’

My jaw opened wide in fake shock. ‘You’re how old?’

‘Oh, shut up,’ he retorted, the darkness almost completely erased.

‘What was it like back in the old days? Did you use a horse and carriage to get around everywhere?’

Nico rolled his eyes at me. ‘I’m only eight years older than you.’

‘That must feel like a lifetime at your age.’

We turned together, and headed back up to the villa, leaving the incident behind us. I was cautious, but optimistic that maybe this could work. We could work.

‘I thought you were going to play nicely, katsarída,’ he murmured, curiosity sparking inside of me.

‘Are you ever going to tell me what that means?’ I already knew his answer.

‘Ever going to tell me where the coffee is hidden?’

‘Maybe if you actually win a game on court, I’ll take pity.’

‘I think you are seriously misremembering our training sessions.’

I smiled brightly, an edge of satisfaction there. ‘Then I guess more coffee for me.’

15

Nico

Meltdown – Niall Horan

‘I mean, what were you thinking?’ Jon’s face was almost the colour of a tomato as he grilled me.

‘Sarah was being inappropriate.’ I paced back-and-forth across his office. Just like Scottie had said he would, Jon was reeling my ass for what had happened on the beach. I didn’t care. Sarah had deserved it.

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