Page 28 of Take a Chance on Greece

‘Nobody tells me anything,’ I pretended to complain but I was actually rather pleased. One of the things I liked most about Alexis was that he never felt the need to impress his opinions on me. It was liberating to be able to make my own mind up about things again.

We crested the brow of the hill, turned yet another corner and then Alexis pulled off the road into a dusty layby. I gasped as I caught my first glimpse of the beach far below us. It looked like a painting, the lush greenery of the bay giving way to a wide strip of sun-bleached white sand and pebbles. And then there was the water itself, the luminescent turquoise blending gradually into a royal blue, its surface shimmering in the light. A couple of yachts were moored in the middle of the bay, and I could see the distant splashes from people jumping off the decks and into the sea. Part of the beach had rows of colourful parasols and lines of deckchairs set out in front of a handful of tavernas, but stretching beyond the touristy bit were long swathes of untouched shore with plenty of space for people to sit quietly and enjoy the view.

‘To call it breathtaking seems like such a cliché, but it really is stunning,’ I said. It almost looked unreal in its pristine beauty, as if someone had cut out a picture from the glossy pages of a magazine and stuck it on the inside of Alexis’s windscreen.

‘Every time I come here, it looks different. The water is always changing, every day a different mood, a different shade of blue. Even in the middle of winter when it’s stormy and grey, it still has a magical quality.’

We sat in companionable silence for a few minutes more, both of us wrapped up in the enchanting scenery before us. I wondered what Alexis was thinking about. He must have seen this view countless times before, but the expression on his face was as happy and wondrous as if he was experiencing it for the first time, like me. I had thought about how special it would be to see the island with Awesome Andreas at my side, but it felt pretty good to be seeing it with Alexis.

‘Thank you for bringing me here,’ I said quietly.

He turned to look at me. ‘It is my pleasure,’ he said simply.

The sound of a car horn interrupted our quiet moment, as someone hooted to let other drivers know they were rounding the corner. Alexis started the engine up again and we zigzagged our way down the other side of the hill.

I’d half-expected the illusion of perfection to be destroyed when we got nearer, but no, on closer inspection I decided the beach was still utterly glorious. Despite its obvious appeal, thankfully it wasn’t too crowded and there was plenty of space on the rough ground behind the tavernas to park up. We left the car under the shade of a tree, Alexis winding the windows down in an attempt to stop the interior cooking. He caught my questioning eyebrow.

‘It won’t make much difference,’ he said. ‘The seats will still be nearly too hot to touch when we get back, but it is worth a try. And the heat is a small price to pay.’

‘Back at home, if someone left their car windows wound down, they’d probably find a half-eaten takeaway chucked in there. That is, if the car was still there by the time they got back.’

Alexis shrugged in that relaxed way of his. ‘Car theft is not really a problem around here. It is harder to get away with stealing cars when you live on an island. There aren’t many vintage Minis around, and the culprit would soon find themselves attracting attention. You will find if you hire a car, they will leave the keys under the wheel arch for you to collect. Everyone knows this is done, yet nobody really takes advantage of that. I am not saying that Kefalonia is perfect, no, but…’

‘But it’s pretty close to it,’ I sighed, as we strolled along a wooden walkway straight onto the beach. I bent down to unbuckle my sandals so I could enjoy the feel of the sand and pebbles between my toes, but moments later, I was hopping around as if I’d stepped on hot coals.

‘Have they got underfloor heating activated here? I think my feet are about to get cooked.’

‘There is only one way to deal with that problem,’ said Alexis. ‘Race you.’

And before I’d properly processed what he’d said, he set off at a run down the beach, his long limbs making easy work of the distance. I attempted to follow at a quicker-than-usual pace, which was more motivated by the heat of the beach than by any real sense of competition. The warm breeze blew my hair in a tangle around my face, the pebbles forced my feet into odd contortions, and I could feel sweat dripping down my back, but I didn’t care. This was a slice of heaven and I was free to enjoy it.

Alexis reached the water’s edge and skidded to a halt.

‘Hurry up,’ he teased, beckoning for me to join him before he went into the water. He laughed as I continued my tiptoeing run towards him. As I ran, I looped my maxi skirt over my arm so I was ready for paddling. I didn’t care how ridiculous I might look, nothing was going to stand between me and the Ionian. Eventually I caught Alexis up and he held out his hand. Together we stepped into the sea. It felt deliciously refreshing compared to the warmth of our surroundings, and I waggled my toes, relishing the way the gentle waves tickled my skin. Tiny fish were darting around the shallows, chasing the sparkling reflections of the light and almost dancing in formation as they decided whether or not they dared move closer to my legs. The chatter of other tourists faded into the background as I savoured the moment, leaning closer to Alexis for support as the wash from a passing boat threatened to make me wobble. He gently squeezed my hand as if to reassure me that he wasn’t going to let me fall. I glanced up and caught him looking back at me. All at once, I felt very hot. I let go of his hand and waded further into the sea.

‘This is torture. I’m desperate to go for a swim,’ I said, fighting to dispel the sudden tension I felt rising between us again.

‘Then swim,’ said Alexis simply.

‘If only it were that easy. My friend Amira’s a doctor and she gave strict instructions to avoid full immersion for at least a couple of weeks until the tattoo has healed up properly. It’s been just under a fortnight since I got it, so it might be a bit too soon. I’m still nervous about causing problems, to be honest. The tattoo has been responsible for enough trouble already.’ I paused. ‘Actually, it’s better to say adventure, rather than trouble. After all, if I hadn’t had it done, I’d probably be hunched up over a desk right now making sure columns C and F balance out in a spreadsheet, and worrying about what I was going to serve Jim for his dinner.’

I was babbling again, but since that moment in the bookshop with Alexis, I’d been looking at him in a new light. He was sending me off balance, and it was confusing.

‘It has brought good along with the inconvenient.’ He paused, then quietly said, ‘May I see the tattoo? If that is not too personal a thing to ask?’ he added hurriedly, as if he’d realised that it was a pretty intimate request.

Although I had talked about the tattoo with many now, I realised I could count on one hand the number of people who had actually seen it, and that was only in moments of necessity. Alexis had done so much for me, taking me at my word, while never having seen the proof of the thing itself. I knew he wasn’t asking to see it now because he doubted me. Did he want to see it because he wished it said something else? I let the fabric of my skirt fall into the water, then slowly, carefully rolled up the back of my T-shirt. I could almost feel Alexis’s eyes tracing the words written on my skin.

‘Awesome…’ His voice trailed away, as if he was surprised to see the reality of the words in front of him.

‘… Andreas,’ I finished off.

‘Andreas,’ he repeated. Was there a note of something like disappointment in his voice, or was I just imagining it?

Again, I experienced a moment of exquisite tension during which for some reason I imagined Alexis reaching out and tracing the letters of the tattoo with his finger.

‘Lydia…’ Alexis’s voice was more accented than normal and I felt my heart start to beat faster as I turned around to face him. I took a step closer, my hand moving towards his face almost without me thinking about it. Then our moment of quiet peace was interrupted by the sound of Alexis’s name being bellowed across the beach by one of the waiters from the tavernas.

Alexis held my gaze for an exquisite few seconds longer, then he shrugged apologetically and hurried over to greet his acquaintance with a broad smile on his face. I waded around for a bit, telling myself to get it together. What was I thinking? I was meant to be searching for Awesome Andreas, not getting distracted from my mission by imagined moments with my friend. Alexis was kind to me because he was kind to everyone, because he was a lovely person. Thinking there was anything more to it than that was plain ridiculous.

---