Page 69 of Forever Fascinating

“I’m so proud of you for quitting smoking,” she said in one of the stores, to see his shy expression again – as he suddenly leaned down to kiss her on the temple.

She immediately wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him, feeling the need to show him how much she appreciated these moments with him. He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her, before chuckling softly and whispering against her hair.

“We probably need to get out of the store, so they don’t think we are shoplifting something, darling… but I like you holding me. You are welcome to do so anytime you want.”

Nodding shyly, she clasped his hand and bought two bright metallic stickers of the flag of Greece – one for her and one for Matthew.

They walked, darting into another shop where she could get some cheap sunglasses and beamed up at Matthew, who looked stunning in his aviators, just like the first moment she’d seen him outside in Texas.

It was hard to believe that they were here, now, together.

As they turned right to walk down the road, she caught her breath. The Parthenon was there, sitting atop the Acropolis, like some mystical wonder trapped in time.

Both she and Matthew had stopped walking, staring straight ahead, stunned by the beauty before them. It was like the structure was looming over the hills, surrounded by so much limestone and greenery, yet bleached by the sun.

Matthew immediately turned to her, pulled out his phone, and put his back to the view, pulling her to his side to take a picture of them with the Acropolis in the distance. She stood still for the one photo – and then impulsively slid up her sunglasses, leaning on her tip toes to kiss him on the cheek like he’d done when they had separated at the airport.

“Thank you for experiencing this with me,” she breathed softly in his ear. “There is no one else I would want beside me.”

He turned to look at her, those aviators were hiding his eyes, and she somehow knew he was processing her words and how to react to them.

“Don’t overthink it, just be here with me,” she smiled up at him, grasping his hand and pulling it to her lips, kissing his knuckles like he’d done to her several times in the past. Slipping her sunglasses back down, as if to stop any further conversation about the show of affection, she smiled at him.

“Let’s get closer.”

They walked down the hill towards the ruins, silent as the massive structure came further into view. Iconic columns, incredible stonework, and the sheer splendor that this was still standing after thousands of years was humbling. They were walking in places where long ago tribes of Grecians had strolled and generations had born, died, and moved on, in the shadow of this masterpiece.

Stopping to get apagotatzides, or a Greek ice cream made with sheep’s milk because the sun was beating down on them, they ordered fearlessly. Neither of them was sure what flavors they had picked because the attendant didn’t speak English.

Matthew selected one of the green and white ice creams with flecks of gold in it. Jana pointed at the brown one, hoping it was chocolate.

It was not.

“Ughh,” Jana shivered, before shaking her head, and laughing. “It’s good but that is definitely not any sort of cocoa I’ve ever had – in fact – I think it’s plum or fig… or maybe honey flavored?”

Matthew chuckled, taking a bite of his cone, and sighed happily. “Pistachio… and something else that tastes like cookies.”

She held her cone out to him without a second thought as he took a bite, before holding out his to her. It seemed so easily done, something close friends would do, but there was something incredibly sensual about eating her ice cream after Matthew had sampled it.

“Definitely has honey in it,” he mumbled, chewing. “Do you like it, or do you want to switch?”

“I love it, but was expecting chocolate when I picked the brown ice cream,” she admitted, smiling up at him. “But thank you for the offer.”

“Thank you for the bite,” he replied easily, holding out his cone again towards her.

Jana laughed and took another bite happily, wrapping her arm around his waist to hold him close to her side. She was loving this and could certainly enjoy four days with Matthew in paradise, exploring as much of Athens as possible.

Making their way to the site, they were immediately swallowed into a throng of tourists taking photos. Matthew clasped her hand tightly, pulling her off to the side to take the steps that were not as crowded. They walked and moved from location to location, gawking for hours on end, taking photos of everything.

Jana saw the Temple of Athena and Nike, theErechtheum, the Old Temple of Athena, and the Propylaea. Her favorite had to be the Temple of Athena. They had upgraded their tickets, allowing them to explore the museum and the excavation site.

Stunned at how fast the day passed, she was surprised to see that the sun was already starting to sink behind the ruins, giving them an eerie glow. They took a few more photographs, before Matthew took her hand.

“We need to start heading back towards the hotel and find something for dinner in case everything closes up at night,” he said apologetically.

“I agree,” she nodded in understanding. “One last photo… please?”

“How can I say ‘no’…” he smiled, turning to pose with her as he held up his phone before them, seeing the columns and the glow of the sun behind them.

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