Page 35 of Sunrise By the Sea

It was a tremendously lovely view when you looked straight ahead out to sea; a slightly concerning one when you looked down.

He was smoking one of those strong-smelling cigarillos. He hid it immediately when he saw her.

‘This is bad too?’ he said, unsmiling.

‘No. It’s fine,’ said Marisa timidly. He nodded stiffly. She glanced back at the oven.

‘That is smellink very good,’ he said, just as she moved to the door.

She blinked rapidly, trying to play down the panic response.

‘It’s just dinner.’

‘Ah, dinner.’

She blushed shyly, just at having the conversation.

‘You don’t have any dinner?’

‘I have dinner. It doesn’t smell good like your dinner.’

Something in her softened – perhaps it was not having to go outside, and the fact that he didn’t seem quite so scary when he was a far drop away.

‘Well,’ she said, wondering if she dared be so brave. But he didn’t seem angry any more. Just hungry.

She thought about what Anita had said, and what Nonna would say.

‘Would you like a plate?’

He thought about this for a moment. His narrow dark eyes looked serious, as though this was a very complex suggestion. Finally, he came to a conclusion.

‘I could not take your food.’

‘I have enough. Bring me a plate.’

‘How you get food on my plate from there.’

They both eyed the gap.

‘You throw spaghetti? Is high risk.’

‘How did you know it was spaghetti?’

‘I can hear it roll over. It roll over.’

Maria glanced around. It was indeed rolling over – boiling over, of course, was what he meant – and with a quick gasp she leapt to save it. She couldn’t find a colander anywhere, and shouted, ‘Colander!’

‘What is this?’

‘Thing . . . holes . . . sieve . . . water . . . pasta . . .’ she shouted, breathless, until eventually a colander came flying onto her balcony and she dashed over and grabbed it. His colander was sky-blue. These houses were ridiculously colour-coordinated. Well, she had to give him some now.

She drained the pasta and tossed it with the light garlickypastasciuttasauce in the pot, then quickly unbagged a small rocket salad. She filled a plate, added a glass of wine and, carefully took it over to the balcony.

‘Aha!’ said Alexei excitedly, reaching out his big bear arms to grab it over the barrier. Amazingly, he could reach.

‘Don’t drop it!’

‘If I drop it I go after it,’ he said. ‘Thank you very million times.’

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