Page 27 of Take a Chance on Greece

‘If you do not mind me unpacking this delivery at the same time, I am very happy to listen. I am always pleased to have your company.’

I glowed at his words.

He pulled two large cardboard boxes out from behind the counter.

‘We’ll do one each,’ I volunteered, glad to have something calming to do while I told my story.

It was an exercise in judging books by their covers. I stacked the volumes in piles according to the genres I thought they were, making the occasional stab at trying to translate their titles or authors, and then Alexis corrected as appropriate. While we worked, I told him about Already-married Andreas. Despite how upsetting I’d found the whole encounter, I played it for comedy value, enjoying making Alexis laugh at my description of the awful self-portrait T-shirt. But when I got to the bit about Andreas’s fingers dancing up my thigh, Alexis looked disgusted. He instinctively reached out towards me, then picked up another book instead, clearly concerned that I might not feel comfortable with him touching me so soon after being pawed by Already-married Andreas.

‘I feel like I should apologise on behalf of men. Are you sure you’re OK?’ He watched me closely, compassion radiating from his every pore. I self-consciously rubbed my wrist, which was now throbbing. Alexis’s expression turned to one of horror as he spotted the marks on it. His voice grew even softer. ‘Would you like to take it further? I will support you with whatever you choose to do. That Andreas is not worthy of being called a man.’

I shook my head quickly. I wanted nothing more than to put the entire episode in the past and forget about it.

‘Thank you for your support, but he’s not worth our time or energy. I can’t abide people who think it’s OK to say they’re single when actually they’re married. His total lack of honesty and his appalling attitude towards women mean he doesn’t deserve any of my headspace. And you have no need to apologise. You couldn’t be more different from him. He claimed to be a nice guy, whereas you really are one.’

‘Do you not have a phrase in English that says nice guys finish last?’ Alexis said lightly, although I later wondered if there had been a flash of disappointment in his expression first.

I reached across and squeezed his hand.

‘I hate that phrase. And it’s rubbish too. Being nice should be valued much more highly. It’s one of the qualities I admire most about you. I feel I can trust you completely.’

Alexis held my gaze. He’d left his glasses on the counter, and without them he seemed vulnerable somehow. I found myself squeezing his hand again, wanting to convey reassurance, and how much I valued his kindness and friendship. But as I looked at him, I felt a pang of something deep within, a longing, and a question. Was friendship really the right word to describe our connection? I felt myself moving closer to him, the atmosphere between us suddenly thick with an achingly beautiful tension. I whispered his name, the huskiness of my voice saying far more than my thoughts could articulate.

‘Lydia, I…’ He started to respond, but the clanging of the shop bell interrupted our moment of intensity. We let go of each other’s hands, and Alexis quickly jumped to his feet to welcome the new customer, apparently oblivious to what had just happened. But I still felt the sensation of his hand against mine, long after he had moved it away.

Chapter Fourteen

That night, I lay awake in bed for a long time going over and over what had happened in the bookshop. Had I imagined it, or had Alexis and I nearly shared a Moment? I felt like there had been something between us, a charge in the air. Maybe the heightened emotion after my encounter with Already-married Andreas had confused me, or perhaps there was something more to it than that. After all, Alexis was the person I’d rushed to after that disturbing date, knowing instinctively that I would find comfort and safety with him.

Daylight alas did not bring with it clarity of thought, but as I lay in bed, I realised that there was only one person I wanted to spend my day off with. Before I lost courage, I rang Alexis asking if he’d like to go to the beach with me. After yesterday’s events, I felt quite shy extending the invitation. He’d been so kind since he’d rescued me outside the tattoo studio, but I couldn’t work out what he really thought about me. An insecure part of me still feared that he was acting out of a sense of duty, as if I was some kind of stray animal that he felt obliged to look out for.

But I could hear the smile in his voice as he enthusiastically responded. ‘I would be very happy to. I have not been to the beach much this summer. As my sister keeps telling me, I am spending too much time at work.’ He dropped his voice to a confidential tone. ‘But I don’t think she fully understands that when I am surrounded by books, it does not feel like work.’

‘If I worked in a bookshop, I’d spend the whole time reading.’

Alexis laughed. ‘That is pretty much what I do, which is why it doesn’t feel like work. Anyway, enough talk about my lack of business drive. Which beach would you like to go to?’

‘When I visited with the girls, we went to one on the other side of the island, I think it was called Myrtos beach? It was absolutely stunning, but I’d love to go to a beach closer to home. Is there a good one in the local area?’

‘I know just the place,’ promised Alexis. ‘It is only a short drive from town, and the water is unreal.’

Half an hour later, I was climbing into Alexis’s classic Mini and trying not to laugh at the sight of his tall frame folded into the driver’s seat. My attempts were not very successful.

Thankfully, Alexis’s eyes were also sparkling with amusement.

‘It is a shame the car does not have a sunshine roof for me to have more headspace,’ he said completely deadpan before he started chuckling at the thought. ‘Perhaps I should arrange for a hole to be cut in the roof.’

‘And you’d get your own air-conditioning system too,’ I joked.

His car may have been more suitable for someone of a much smaller stature than Alexis, but I soon realised why he must have chosen it. No sooner had we buzzed through the centre of town and past the port, than we were on a road which narrowed as it steadily climbed upwards, with an interesting collection of hairpin bends added into the mix for an extra driving challenge. The Mini’s engine may have been making complaining noises as it wheezed up the hill, but it was nipping around the tight bends like nobody’s business.

‘Does our destination have a name?’ I had to raise my voice above the rattling.

‘It is Antisamos beach.’

‘And…’ I pressed for more details.

‘And I will not tell you anything more, but will leave you to make your own mind up about it.’

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