Page 34 of Take a Chance on Greece

‘Gee, thanks,’ I said. I knew the comment hadn’t been a swipe at me, but I couldn’t resist teasing him. I smiled broadly, so he knew that I wasn’t being serious.

He clapped his hand to his grinning mouth, enjoying joining in the banter. ‘Ah jeez, there I go again. Speaking first, thinking second. But that’s me. What you see is what you get. Right, chop chop. There’s a cave to be explored and I’m reliably assured that this is one of the wonders of the world. It might not be on the official list, but it should be, or so myyiayiasays.’

Chapter Seventeen

Thankfully after only a few more twists and turns of the road we arrived at the Drogarati Cave, or rather its car park. At the back of my mind, I’d been picturing an olde worlde cave in the side of the mountain, the kind of thing you’d imagine a hermit lurking around in, so I was rather surprised to see what looked like another standard tourist complex of shop, café and even a swimming pool attached. The car park was full of coaches and hire vehicles, and brightly dressed tourists were milling around in every direction.

‘We seem to have picked a popular time for visiting,’ said Andreas. He pushed the moped over to a space big enough for a car and left it propped up there. ‘The old girl deserves a decent place to have a rest.’

A frustrated driver hooted at him, wheels spinning as he took off to find another place to park. Andreas laughed. ‘People on holiday should learn to go with the flow and not get upset about petty things such as parking spaces.’

‘And what about us? We’re not really on holiday, are we?’

‘We should go with the flow too. Fresh starts in a new place require a significant degree of chilling out. Audits can do one.’

I could agree with that sentiment.

‘Cave time?’ I asked. ‘I assume it’ll be obvious how we get into it when we’re closer.’

‘Sure,’ said Andreas. ‘Time to reveal my inner caveman.’ He pretended to beat his chest and let out an enthusiastic roar. I laughed, unbothered by the stares we were attracting. In some ways, he reminded me of a spaniel puppy, full of boundless energy and excitement.

Andreas leaned across and tapped me on the head. ‘I don’t think you’ll need to wear this, though, it’s not that kind of cave.’

I felt myself flush with embarrassment as I realised I was still sporting the helmet he’d given me. My fingers fumbled as I tried to unclasp it, but Andreas stepped in to help. Did I imagine it, or did his hand linger on my jawline for just a little longer than was necessary?

Once the helmet was safely dangling from the handlebars of the moped, we followed the crowd through the shop and past the swimming pool towards the entrance to the cave. Andreas kept up a steady stream of chatter, asking me about my life in the UK and tactfully steering clear of too much tattoo talk. He was entertaining company and I found myself putting the pressure of finding Awesome Andreas to one side, and settling into enjoying the moment.

We wandered along the dusty path until we came to a kiosk selling water and tickets. On this date, there was no quibbling about us splitting the entrance fee fifty-fifty. Before we joined the queue to enter the cave itself, I bought a bottle of frozen water and rubbed it along my arms, half-expecting it to sizzle when it came in contact with my skin.

Andreas also waved his bottle in my direction, but mimed it going up in smoke from being so hot, setting me off laughing all over again.

‘OK, quickfire round as we queue,’ he said. ‘Dogs or cats?’

‘Dogs.’

‘Madonna or Kylie?’

‘Hmm, Madonna.’

‘Cheese or chocolate?’

‘Definitely chocolate.’

‘Interesting,’ said Andreas. ‘I’m sorry to say but I’m not sure if we’re compatible. Because I love nothing more than eating vast quantities of cheese while curled up with my cat listening to Kylie, Australian icon that she is.’

His eyes sparkled with amusement.

‘Well, they do say opposites attract,’ I responded lightly. ‘And at least I won’t have to fight you over who gets the last piece of chocolate.’

Auto Andreas pretended to flex his muscles, giving me an Athletic Andreas flashback.

‘You’re not an influencer, are you?’ I asked quickly.

‘Social media is most definitely not my thing. I prefer to live in the moment, rather than experiencing everything through a phone screen.’

I nodded. ‘Good to know.’

Slowly the queue moved forward until we were at the front. We swiped our tickets and went through the modern barriers and straight onto a very old staircase. The treads were narrow and steep, and after the brightness of where we’d been queuing, it was hard to see where it was safe to step in our shadowy surroundings. I started wondering whether it might have been a good idea to keep the moped helmet on after all. As we descended into the depths, the air around us became noticeably cooler, a welcome relief in the heat of the afternoon. And then, at last, the wooden steps gave way to solid stone and we were in the mouth of the cave.

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