Page 49 of The Actor and His Secret

He studies the blanket, his face screwing into a brief grimace. But it lasts but a second before he takes the blanket from me. Oli doesn’t need telling in words as to what I want him to do.

Pretending this is ok, when it’s far from it, Oli lifts the blanket and drapes it over his beautiful face. It hangs down, perfectly large that you can only see his white trainers. He could be anyone - he's short enough compared to me that no one would think twice assuming it’s a woman I’ve brought to stay with me on some lust-addled getaway.

‘You’ll have to lead the way,’ Oli says, voice muffled by the weight of the blanket.

Alone for a moment on the jet, I lean in and kiss him with the blanket between our mouths. I slip my hand beneath, find his and entwine our fingers. ‘I’ve got you, Honey.’

I’m glad for his touch. It grounds me. As we step out of the jet, cameras flashing and people screaming from inside the closest terminal, we quickly clamber into the blacked-out car waiting for us.

Greek music is playing. An icon of Mary holding baby Jesus swings from the driver’s mirror. The air is thicker in the car than outside of it. Even with the air conditioning blasting at full speed, all I want to do is crack a window open, but I can’t.

‘Kalos irthate,’ the driver says, his accent thick, reminding me of home. ‘Are you ready to go?’

‘Just a moment,’ I reply, head reeling. Leaning into Oli, I pat his knee. ‘I hate to ask this of you, but can you keep that blanket on a little while longer?’

‘Yes,’ he replies, but with a lack of confidence. ‘Although you’ll have to deal with me being a sweaty mess. It’s suffocating under here.’

‘I’ll make it up to you soon.’

I can hardly think straight. I’ve booked me and Oli a private villa in the centre of Halkidhiki. It’s on private land, surrounded by miles of olive groves and vineyards. It’s perfect, the best place for us to hide away from the world. With its own pool, a fully-stocked kitchen, and a secret path to a private beach, there’s nothing more we could need once we arrive.

But. Big but. If the media knew I was arriving here, there is a chance they know where I’m staying. I can’t risk going, knowing cameras and fans would be waiting behind olive trees to get pictures of me and Oli.

So, I have to think fast.

There’s only one place I can go where the press won’t find me. Oli wouldn’t know any different. He was entirely modest and hadn’t even asked where we were staying. Proving his intentions were pure, even though I couldn’t wait to see his reaction when we walked into pure luxury.

I lean into the mirror, reaching into my pocket and withdrawing a handful of euros. Oli can’t see me do it, but I hand the money to the driver and give him a new location, telling him in Greek that we’re changing direction. One where we will be alone - except for all the ghosts of my past which I’ve run from.

The ghosts I thought I’d left behind.

Facing them won’t be as torturous with Oli by my side. At least, that was what I tell myself as the driver starts the engine and drives off.

‘This is…’ Oli drawls from my side, yawning as he steps out of the car to get his first look at our destination.

‘Plain?’ I answer for him, getting me first glance at the view before me.

‘Perfect,’ he says. ‘Completely and utterly perfect.’

Oh, to have Oli’s rose-tinted vision. Life would be a lot simpler - and more enjoyable.

We thank the driver, retrieve our suitcases from the trunk of the car, and stare ahead at the walk before us. The dirt track is set on an incline, just outside of a small Greek village. Cars can’t make it up to the house at the end of the path, because it was never designed for modern day cars. And in the years since I’d obtained the property, I’d not spent a penny changing it or modernising it.

Because it was my family home, with its familiar once-white-painted walls now faded and dirt-smudged. Unlike the rich memories that assault me as I get a glimpse of it at a distance, which are as vivid as ever. It wasn’t luxurious like I’d planned, but it does have access to a private cove at the back of the property.

Crickets play a symphony around us, blending perfectly in with the meows of the stray cats who live in the hillside around us. I look behind me, seeing the glint of the village in the distance. The last time I saw this view, I was walking away from my home, thinking I was leaving the demons behind.

Turns out they followed me wherever I went.

‘Shall we?’ Oli says, one hand on his suitcase, the other extended for me.

I take his hand, glad for the touch, even though I’d not taken my hand off him the entire two-hour drive here. ‘I’m sorry it’s nothing special.’

‘You’re joking right?’ Oli says with a smile. ‘This is everything I could need.’

‘What, a run-down house in the middle of nowhere?’

‘Not quite. I mean the privacy, and the fact I get to spend it with you. Plus, I’ve got all those books to read.’

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