Page 143 of Whirlwind

Beck took my hand in his as we strolled in the Thisseio neighborhood of Athens at the base of the Acropolis. My pulse eased at his firm touch, and I laced my fingers firmly in his. Was he on edge too?

We sucked down the last of our iced cappuccinos, tossed the cups in a wastebasket on the corner, and continued walking slowly down the ancient stone avenue of Dyonisus Aeropagitou. Vendors lined the pedestrian only boulevard, selling all sorts of handmade colorful crafts and jewelry, while street artists painted and exhibited their work. Lights were strung everywhere. Music from hand cranked organs and chimes filled the air.

“He’s a go with the flow type of guy,”Tag had said. I glanced over at Beck. A slight smile brightened his face as he watched a man carving a piece of driftwood. Beck was grooving, soaking up what the moment had to offer. He was good at that.

We arrived at an intersection where loads of cafés and bars lined the streets, their tables splayed out over every available inch of the sidewalks and corners. Right here, from any seat, you had a view of the Parthenon, the ancient temple to the goddess Athena on the hill of the Acropolis. There it was, dramatically lit by strong white lights hovering over this neighborhood. I’d had to blink when I first laid eyes on it earlier. A postcard come to life. A piece of history I never thought I’d ever see myself.

This past week I’d done and seen a lot I’d never thought possible.

Beck tugged on my hand. “How about we have a glass of wine to kick off our evening?”

“Sounds perfect.”

Holding hands, we crossed a tiny and very busy street filled with motorcycles, scooters, small cars, and taxis to one of the cafés lining the sidewalks. A waiter greeted us and led us to a small table. We ordered a carafe of dry white wine, and it arrived with a small dish of olives bathed in oil along with sesame and sunflower seed encrusted breadsticks.

“Yum.” I munched on the crunchy freshly baked breadstick. “Everything we’ve eaten here has been amazing. Even a humble breadstick is tasty.”

He cleared his throat. “I have something for you. I was going to give it to you later tonight, but I’m too excited for you to see it.” He put a black velvet box decorated with Alessio’s gold logo on the table in front of me.

I wiped the crumbs from my lips. “What’s this?”

He let out an exhale. “I wanted you to have something special to remember this week.”

“Beck…” My voice cut, warmth swirled in my chest.

“Open it.”

I opened the small box. A ring. A purple stone gleamed from a silver setting that was a claw. “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh.”

“On Mykonos, I asked Alessio for something very special and unique for you with this special amethyst he’d told me about. For my violent Violet.”

My throat burned. I was mesmerized.

“Do you like it?” his soft voice asked, as he leaned over the table.

“I love it. There’s something raw about the stone, and the claw makes it gothic. I love it.” It was intriguing, it was perfect. It was deliciously rock and roll. And he and Alessio had designed it for me.

He took the box from my suddenly numb fingers, took my hand in his and slid the ring on my finger where it nestled snugly at the base.“Beautiful.”

“Beautiful,” I whispered.

I’d never had anyone pick out such a perfect and perfectly magnificent gift for me. Ever. And I was a picky girl. “Thank you, Beck. I love it.” I tilted my hand and the stone glimmered in the soft glow of the votive candle on our table.

The ring was heavy on my finger and I stroked the incredible purple stone. This was an emblem of Beck’s support and encouragement, his seeing the real me, his appreciation of me—from the very beginning. Heat pricked the back of my eyes, and I sprung at him, kissing his lips.

His arm went around my shoulders pulling me closer, another hand at the side of my face, a moan rising in his throat. “I love tasting wine on your tongue.”

I laughed out loud, and Beck’s phone buzzed. “It’s Alessio.” He answered, “Hey, Alessio, how are you? Yes, Tag and everyone left, they all had a lot of planes to catch. Violet and I have been wandering around the city, and right now we’re having wine in Thisseio…you are?” Beck glanced at me and mouthed: “They’re close by. Do you want to hang out with them?”

I nodded enthusiastically.Yes yes, anything to distract me from being sad about leaving here, about leaving Beck.“That would be great. Okay…we’ll see you soon.” He tapped on his phone. “They’re not far. They’ll be here in a few.”

“They? Who’s they?”

“Alessio is with Adri and Turo.”

“Great. I really like them.”

“Me too.”

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