Page 86 of The One That Got Away

‘Laters.’ He hung up.

When I got back from organising the car, Stella was ready and so we set off straight away.

I could lie and say we spent the journey there talking and admiring the scenery, but the truth was, we spent most of it kissing.

When the driver sheepishly announced that we’d arrived, we dragged ourselves apart and out of the car.

‘I didn’t even get to ask you where we were going!’ Stella straightened her skirt and attempted to fix her hair.

‘This is Córdoba: one of my favourite cities in Spain.’

‘I haven’t heard of it before. What’s here?’

‘I’m about to show you.’ Before I even realised I’d done it, I took Stella’s hand and led her through a large ancient gate which was surrounded by high stone walls and battlements. ‘This is the old Jewish Córdoba, which is calledLa Judería.’

I showed Stella some of the famous Cordovan courtyards orpatiosas they were known as in Spanish.

‘It’s really pretty,’ Stella said, taking in the beauty of the courtyards which were decorated with colourful flowers planted in pots, hanging from the walls or on the stone paving. Some courtyards even had wells, fountains and antique furniture.

Hearing her say that she thought the city was pretty caused awarm fluttery sensation in my chest. I loved this place and really wanted her to like it too. So seeing the awe written across her face made me so happy.

‘Every May they have a competition here to find the bestpatio.’

‘That sounds amazing!’

My heart swelled again as we continued walking.

‘This isCalleja de las Flores,’ I pointed. ‘It’s one of the most popular streets here.’ The whitewashed walls were lined with blue flowerpots filled with bright pink flowers.

After we’d taken some photos, I led Stella to the famous Great Mosque of Córdoba which had a cathedral inside.

Annoyingly, Colton was right: Stella and I strolled around admiring the stunning architecture hand in hand like our palms were moulded together. The only time we separated them was when we went to the toilet.

And I was kind of embarrassed to admit that when Stella released her palm from mine, I missed the warmth and softness instantly.

Shit. I sounded like some loved-up teenager.

‘That was incredible!’ Stella said as we stepped out of the mosque. ‘I’ve never heard of a cathedral being built inside a mosque before. And how did they build everything so beautifully all those years ago?’

‘No idea, but it’s impressive. You hungry?’

‘Yeah.’

‘Let’s go eat.’

I took Stella to one of my favourite restaurants and she tried theSalmorejo, which was a cold soup that was a traditional dish from Córdoba, made from tomato, olive oil, breadcrumbs, garlic and vinegar topped with Serrano ham and pieces of boiled eggs.

‘This is actually really nice.’ She scraped the last spoonful from the bowl.

‘Glad you liked it.’

‘Thanks for bringing me here. It means a lot that you took me to one of your favourite places. It’s like you’re letting me in.’

‘Letting you in?’

‘Yeah. Like you trust me.’

‘But Idotrust you.’

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