Truly, Madly, Greekly: Sizzling summer reading

by Mandy Baggot

  ‘I do not know yet. Maybe go to beach,’ he answered.

  ‘There is space on the boat trip. You could come with us,’ Sergei suggested.

  He shook his head. ‘You enjoy last day with Lacey.’

  48

  ‘Do not fall down steps. Keep your eyes closed.’

  Ellen felt completely disorientated. She had met Yan in reception and now he was carefully shepherding her out of the front doors and down the marble steps.

  ‘I don’t really like surprises. I’m sure I’ve told you that before.’ She was finding it hard to just put one foot in front of the other when she had no idea where she was going.

  ‘Just a little further. Keep your eyes closed.’

  ‘This sounds too much like a cocktail game. Is that what this is? Are you using me as a guinea pig for future animation items?’

  ‘You guess right. Is that OK?’

  She laughed. ‘Stop it.’

  She felt her feet on tarmac and the heat outside hit her skin. It was another perfect day in Corfu; sunshine, blue sky, just a hint of a breeze and that smell, of the sweet flowers, the fir trees, sand and sea. Ellen breathed in, filling her lungs with the scent and the memory, hoping to embed it deep inside her.

  ‘OK, stop.’ Yan smoothed his hands down her arms. ‘OK, open your eyes.’

  She didn’t snap them open like she’d wanted to when he’d started this game, she unfurled her eyelids slowly, taking time to adjust to the brightness of the day and what was in front of her.

  ‘Mountain bikes.’ She said the words mechanically, with no enthusiasm. ‘Yan, I haven’t been on a bike in years. I can’t go mountain biking. I’m wearing a dress.’ This wasn’t what she’d had in mind for their last day together.

  Yan let out a laugh then and passed her a helmet. ‘You think I take you up hills and tracks?’

  ‘Aren’t you?’ she asked, a flicker of hope in her voice.

  ‘No.’ He shook his head. ‘We go to near village, Kassiopi. Just small kilometres.’

  She hoped small kilometres was the same in translation. Her legs always ached after water aerobics, she could only imagine how they were going to feel after even a few kilometres on a bike.

  ‘You look like you do not want to do this?’

  His deflated look stirred her next response. ‘No, no. I do.’

  Ellen smiled. Yan had obviously put a lot of thought into this.

  He laughed then, that deep, rounded sound that warmed her inside. ‘You lie.’

  ‘No, it isn’t a lie. It’s just I’m unsure about my cycling capabilities.’

  She watched him throw a leg over his bike and start to strap on his helmet.

  ‘You wish you go on boat trip with Sergei and Lacey,’ he added.

  ‘No. No, I don’t. Not at all.’

  ‘Then get on bike.’

  Ellen looked at the bike, sizing it up like it was an enemy she had to defeat. It was all spokes and wheels and circular discs. There were levers on the handlebars. But how hard could it really be? It was a bike. She could ride. She didn’t need to use the gears.

  ‘Fine. Let’s go on a bike ride,’ she said, slipping the helmet on her head and attempting to do up the clasp.

  ‘Make sure helmet fits,’ Yan said. He reached down and pulled his backpack up from the ground.

  ‘I know!’ She started to fiddle with the adjustment at the side of the helmet. She tugged at the strap but it wouldn’t move.

  * * *

  Yan got off his bike and went over to her. Her cheeks were reddening now with the frustration of trying to secure her helmet. The bike riding had been a spur of the moment idea. He wanted to take her somewhere special for their last day and he knew Kassiopi was that place. He’d only been there once, on a tour when he’d first arrived at the resort, but the village had made an impact on him. He wanted Ellen to experience that too.

  ‘Here, I help you.’

  Carefully Yan unravelled the material, turning it so it was straight and aligned properly. Ellen was looking at him, her cheeks pink, her beautiful eyes wide and dewy, her lips slightly parted. His fingers grazed the skin on her cheek and he saw her swallow. He wanted nothing more than to kiss her at that moment. A long, deep, kiss that would mean so much. He inched forward …

  ‘Hey, Yan! Enjoy bike ride!’

  He quickly stepped back from Ellen, waving a hand at Spiros from the kitchens. They were too close to the hotel and now the moment had gone.

  ‘You can do this now?’ Yan asked her.

  She snapped the fastening together. ‘Yes.’

  ‘Then let us go.’

  * * *

  ‘This is it. The harbour.’

  Ellen’s back was aching, her thighs sore and she had a scrape on her left shin from a pedal incident, but seeing Kassiopi harbour melted everything else away. She got off her bike and pushed it up and over the kerb to get closer to the water. She unfastened her helmet and clipped it to the bike.

  It was beautiful. Azure water dappled by the bright sunlight, fishing boats bobbing up and down with the gentle motion of the sea, a larger cruiser mooring up. Circling the harbour were little restaurants, terracotta urns of clematis and bougainvillea surrounding the seating areas, tiny shops selling holiday souvenirs. All around she could hear the sounds of relaxation – the chink of plates and glasses as people dined or enjoyed a cool drink in the shade, the hum of mopeds passing by, the lapping of the ocean.

  Yan stepped up beside her. ‘Look this way.’ He touched her arm and pointed to the left.

  The Greek flag flew from the top of ancient ruins. All along the highest point ran a wall of stones, like a castle, towers still standing strong.

  ‘What is it?’ Ellen asked.

  ‘It is castle. It has been here for many thousands of years. It was built to protect the island but it has been with many people in all this time. Norman people I think, and Venetians.’

  ‘You must have read a lot of guide books.’ She smiled.

  ‘No.’ He paused. ‘They tell us on tour here. I have good memory.’

  ‘It’s so amazing. Not just the castle, this whole place. It’s beautiful.’

  She didn’t want to take her eyes off it but she turned to Yan. ‘Thank you for bringing me here.’

  * * *

  This was what he’d wanted. To see how she would react to this place. To find out if she felt the same way about it as he had the first time he’d seen it – awestruck by its simplicity, spellbound by its magic. The Greek people going about their day, the holidaymakers feeding the fish from the low harbour wall, the quaint buildings, the greenery of the hills, all kneeling below the great mountain of Pantokrator. This was what he wanted from life. Peace, an uncomplicated life, nothing more.

  ‘You are welcome,’ Yan whispered.

  With her helmet off, her hair seem to float in the sea breeze, wafting back from her face, leaving her skin exposed, that delicate area along her jaw … He cupped her face in his hands and drew her towards him. Here there was no one watching. Here they were free to be together. Here they could be just another couple in love, getting caught up in the Greek majesty.

  Her lips met his with such passion he almost stumbled. Hungry, hot and sweet, they explored each other’s mouths with a matching intensity. They couldn’t have forever. They couldn’t have anything past tomorrow. But what they’d had in this week was something he’d never forget.

  He kissed her mouth, sweeping her hair back with one hand. ‘I love you, Ellen.’

  He saw the tears forming in her eyes and wondered if he should have said those words. The very last thing he wanted to do was upset her.

  ‘I love you too,’ she responded. She took a breath. ‘Yan, I don’t want to let you go.’

  * * *

  She let out a sob then and put her hand to her mouth, feeling stupid. She had promised herself all goodbyes were going to be left until tonight. After their day together. When she could go to bed and sob until the transfer bus came to pick
them up at six a.m.

  ‘Then do not let me go,’ Yan responded. He wrapped his arms around her and held her against his body. The firm, muscular chest wall embraced her cheek and she breathed him in. That familiar scent of musk and lemon filled her nostrils and, like the view of Kassiopi, she tried to etch it into her memory’s hard drive. A moment never to be forgotten. The man she had fallen in love with when she was at her lowest point. The man who had given her the strength to be the person she’d forgotten she was.

  He let her go then, his eyes a little glossy, a half-hearted attempt at a smile on his face.

  ‘Let us have drinks.’

  * * *

  They sat in a bar right at the harbour’s edge. Ellen was so close to the water that if she leant a little to the left she could dip her hand right in. They’d ordered beers and olives and the combination of the bitter, salt taste and the July sunshine was making her more relaxed than she’d ever been. Here she didn’t have to pace her breathing, imagine herself in a happy place or rub her arms up and down in the Havening technique. Here she felt lighter, brighter, existing happily without a strategy.

  Yan opened his backpack and she watched as he placed some paperwork on the table between them. He pushed it over towards her until she picked it up.

  It was all written in Greek, several paragraphs with bullet points and numbers.

  ‘What is it?’ she asked. ‘I don’t really know any Greek. I can just about order drinks now and say hello.’

  She looked at the words again, trying to make out a word or two she recognised. She saw a familiar place name.

  ‘Agios Spyridon,’ she said out loud. ‘Is this about the old church?’

  The smile that appeared on his face spread across the whole width, his eyes lighting up at her acknowledgement.

  ‘It is contract,’ Yan said. ‘I have no idea what it say but … I want to take this on. It will be hard work, I know this, but I think I can do this.’

  Ellen put the papers down and reached across the table for his hands. She took them in hers, locking their fingers together and holding on tight. She wanted him to know how proud she was of him. To come to a different country to better himself for his brother’s honour was so admirable.

  ‘I’m so proud of you.’ She pulled his hands closer. ‘And Boyan would be too.’

  At the mention of his brother’s name a faraway look replaced the joyous one. She wondered what his life had really been like back in Bulgaria. She suspected she’d only been given a snapshot. She squeezed his hands.

  ‘You’re going to have your dream.’

  * * *

  The way Ellen said the words, so full of admiration and pride, hit him hard. Did he dare to believe that, after all he had been through, simple perseverance and hard work could pay off?

  He held onto her hands. ‘What of your dream?’

  Ellen smiled. It was pure and serene, nothing artificial.

  ‘I’ve got everything and nothing in front of me.’ She laughed as he furrowed his brow. ‘Ross left this morning. He’s not going to press charges against me and I’m not going to pursue the issue of my mother’s inheritance.’

  He didn’t know how to respond to this. He was glad the man was gone but part of him still wanted him punished for what he had done.

  ‘It’s OK,’ she said. She unfastened their hands and softly brushed her fingers over the back of his hand. ‘It’s the right thing. We can both move on from everything with a clean slate.’

  ‘To start again?’ he queried.

  She nodded. ‘Yes.’

  ‘Then you will go back to work for the money people?’

  She shook her head. ‘No. I actually don’t know what I’m going to do. And for the first time in my life that doesn’t scare me.’

  Ellen took her hands from the table and slipped one into the small pocket on the front of the bottom of her dress. She took out a slip of paper and held it in her hands, looking at it.

  She slid it across to him then picked up her bottle of beer and sat back a little in her chair.

  His heart was thudding now as he picked up the hotel compliments slip and looked at it. Letters, numbers, lines of words. He felt himself going red from the soles of his feet and upwards, the heat taking over his entire body, boiling it without any let-up. What did he say? He couldn’t get this wrong.

  ‘I … don’t know what I say,’ he spoke finally.

  ‘I don’t want us to say goodbye at the end of my holiday, Yan. I want us to stay in touch.’ She paused. ‘Maybe see each other again this year. If you want to, that is.’

  He swallowed down a lump of fear that was lodged in his throat and tried to stabilise his heart rate. He reached across to touch her hand again.

  ‘Have I got this wrong?’ she asked. ‘Don’t you want to?’

  The concern in her eyes spiked his heart into action. He wanted that more than anything. ‘I do want this. I want this very much.’

  An excited smile crossed her face and she squeezed his hands again. ‘Then let’s not think of it as goodbye tomorrow. It’s just goodbye for a while, not forever. Now you have my email, my mobile number and my address, we can stay in touch.’

  Her email and address. She had given him these details because she loved him and she couldn’t bear for what they had to end. He felt exactly the same. The trouble was, like the church contract, he couldn’t read a letter of it.

  49

  They had walked along the headland, stopping at the castle and chasing each other through the ruins. Then they had lain on the pebble beach, letting the sea lap over their feet. He had never seen Ellen so light-hearted, so completely happy. And when they’d taken the bikes off the road, they had found a deserted olive grove, and made love so slowly, with such tenderness, both of them had cried and made promises to remember.

  He couldn’t bring that crashing down after everything else she had been through. He had kept the truth from her since the very beginning and, in all honesty, he didn’t know whether he had ever planned to tell her. Despite wanting to be with her, wanting to love her, he hadn’t thought further than those feelings, never dared to consider a future. He had let her in on so much of his life – Bulgaria, Rayna, Boyan – but there was still that one thing he was so ashamed of, boxed up and locked away. You are worthless. You are stupid.

  Tonight was the Fakir show. He and Sergei would be swallowing fire and lying on broken glass for the audience’s pleasure. It would require concentration, on the one night he didn’t have it.

  He looked into the mirror, tying the black bandana around his head. This afternoon he had felt like a man who had it all. Now he resembled someone about to lose everything. The look on Rayna’s face when her father had told her the truth invaded his consciousness. It was going to happen all over again.

  * * *

  ‘God, I’m going to miss their puddings.’ Lacey sat back in her seat, settling her hands on her stomach.

  ‘Good food ‘ere,’ Al said, scraping cream from the bottom of his bowl.

  Ellen smiled at her family, enjoying sitting together, eating, conversing. Life got so busy you put things off, worked too hard, ignored the most important things. She couldn’t remember a time before Corfu where they had all sat together and enjoyed a meal. Last Christmas Lacey had gone to Mark’s parents and it was just her, Dad and Nan. On Lacey’s birthday, Dad had left after the starter when one of his units caught fire. They needed to make more effort to be together like this when they got back home.

  ‘I love this hotel,’ Lacey said, stretching her arms out behind her. ‘If I was going to get married to the man of my dreams it would be here on that water platform.’

  Her statement stilled the air between them and Ellen wasn’t sure how to respond. Was Lacey having second thoughts or simply being philosophical? Neither option seemed quite right.

  ‘Oh my days, the look on your faces!’ Lacey laughed. ‘I’m talking in the future, when I meet Mr Right. Just because I decided to end things with Mark
and I’d thought about having that wedding here, doesn’t mean I can’t come here again.’

  ‘You don’t even have to have a wedding to come here. We could just have a holiday,’ Ellen remarked.

  ‘You’re thinking about Yan. I knew it! You’re going to stay in touch, aren’t you?’ Lacey clapped her hands together.

  Ellen’s eyes dropped to her plate. She wished Lacey hadn’t said anything in front of their dad. Now she was going to have to say something. He was bound to ask questions. Any second now …

  ‘The animation bloke?’ Al’s tone was sober.

  ‘We’re just friends, Dad.’ She didn’t want to have to explain. She didn’t know what to say to him. How did you explain love in seven days?

  ‘I think you’re a tiny bit more than friends,’ Lacey carried on. ‘He’s nice, Dad. Always polite, looks great in trunks and he and Ellen saved a boy from drowning.’

  ‘What?’

  Her fingers itched to pull Lacey’s hair like she had when she was younger. It had always been the only way to stop her blabbering.

  ‘It was nothing. A bit frightening at the time, but …’

  ‘Nothing! Dad, according to everyone I spoke to, they were like a pair of paramedics. Ellen jumped in and pulled him out and Yan resuscitated him right on the poolside.’