“When will you be back?” Lena asked anxiously.
We were sitting on the rooftop bar of a tavern near the Parthenon. Mama never liked sightseeing when I was little, she said there was too many tourists, but Lena never refused an opportunity to see the ancient buildings – especially when it involved good food. If I focused on the distance, I could see the crumbling structure, you wouldn’t know just by looking across the horizon of stone columns and scattered people that the streets below us were covered in graffiti. Two totally different worlds. Interesting part was that the same situation sat directly in front of me; you wouldn’t know just by looking at her that Lena was pregnant.
“I don’t know, a week, maybe two?” I answered after taking a sip of my iced tea “I’ll only be a call away.”
“I know, but I wanted you to come with me to the appointment…”
I sighed and crossed my legs. The exact thing I wanted to avoid; going with her to any baby appointments. “When is it?”
Lena’s face lit up and sat up straight. “Wednesday, early in the afternoon. It would mean the world to me if you came, Clo, really.”
“I’ll make sure I’m here for it.” I didn’t want to be, but that didn’t matter; I did plenty of things I didn’t like. “I’m just getting away for a while.”
“Where are you going anyway?” she asked suddenly, her brow furrowing. “I figured you might want to get away from Pete and his family, but honestly I just figured you’d move back in with me and Iva.”
“Peter didn’t tell you?” Talk about awkward. I’d rather crawl under the table to die than admit to where I was going and who I was going with. Mom would say that’s a sign, a snide little voice in my head pointed out, that it was a sign there was something morally or ethically wrong with my relationship if I couldn’t talk about it. “I’m going to Rome, alone,” I added quickly.
My stomach hurt, it was an instant reaction that turned me off my meal. Lying wasn’t a common thing for me and doing it often made me feel sick, stretching the truth or omitting certain things was usually fine but lately I felt like I was lying about everything.
“Oh. Okay.” She watched me for a minute, as if waiting for me to continue. “Have you told your mom?”
I couldn’t hold eye contact anymore and glanced back off towards the Parthenon. The gods parents ate them, raped them, or killed them, mama just wants to be there for me. At least if she did something evil like the gods had I wouldn’t feel so bad about not contacting her lately. “No…”
“Chloe,” she scolded. “Come on, she came all the way here to see you! The least you could do is talk to her, let her know where you’re going.”
“Can we not?” I demanded petulantly. “Seriously, I don’t want to deal with her right now, it’s not like I asked her to come here.”
Lena made to say something else but kept her mouth shut. The air between us was becoming heavy and I didn’t know what to say to make it better, or how to promise her that things were going to get better.
“Well, I guess we should start heading back soon so you can finish packing…”
I nodded but didn’t say anything, inside I was thrilled that Alex was sending me on a shopping spree and that I didn’t have to pack anything other than a change of clothes or my makeup if I wanted. I paid our bill and we hailed a taxi to go back to Aunt Iva’s. I wasn’t going to stay, but I figured I could at least make sure Lena got back before rushing off.
We had to go in the side door to avoid being seen, but I could still hear mom, Eleni, and Iva talking in the kitchen. It was Greek, their default when they were together and I felt a pang of disappointment for not being able to eavesdrop. I tiptoed behind her to the base of the stairs and paused, realizing that I had been about follow her up to her room. How many times did we take this exact route back in after sneaking out to Peter’s? Too many to count, that was for sure.
“I want to tell you something before I go,” I whispered, grabbing her hand. “You aren’t allowed to say anything about this to mom or Iva. Promise?”
She snorted and crossed her arms. “You’re helping me with this whole pregnancy thing, as if I’d turn around and tattle on you.”
I sighed and looked around the corner towards the kitchen before leaning in again. “I’m going to Italy with Alex, Peter’s dad, and it’s exactly what you think it is.”
Her mouth dropped open and she sputtered a few times. “Chloe—”
“Not a word!” I whispered fiercely. “Nothing! There is no room for moral superiority in this hallway.”
“But—”
“None, Lena!”
“Oh my god…”
I shrugged and looked away awkwardly, shifting my weight back and forth. “I just wanted to tell someone before I left, I guess I shouldn’t have picked you.”
“Was this before or after…?” she asked hesitantly.
“Excuse me?” She wasn’t actually trying to say I cheated, she couldn’t be that much of a dick. “Don’t even try that, only one person cheated and it wasn’t me.”
“I’m sorry, alright? I just, I don’t know it’s so soon, and with Zander…” She cringed and shivered with a clearly fake chill that made me roll my eyes.
“I like him and—” I stopped suddenly; the women in the kitchen were getting up and moving around, laughing loudly and clearing their dishes from the table. “I gotta go, I’ll text you.”
“Chloe, be safe,” she pleaded as she watched me go.
I offered her a reassuring smile before slipping back outside. The ache in my chest told me to go back in to see mama, just to let her know where I was going and that I was okay and loved her still. I hadn’t returned any of her calls since our standoff at Iva’s, or my dad’s. I moved quickly down the street away from the house and pulled out my phone, I blocked the number and pressed myself up against the old brick wall as I hit dial.
The voicemail kicked in after a few rings and I let out a sigh of relief. “Hey mom, I’m sorry I haven’t been around a lot lately; things have been hectic and I’ve got a lot going on. Um, yeah, I guess I’ll call you when I get back to Athens, I’m leaving the city for a little while though. I’m alright, let dad know for me.”
It was the best I could do for now, I wasn’t ready for a string of questions and demands to know what was going on, especially when I knew she wasn’t going to like my answer no matter what. I’ll tell her everything when I get home, once Alex and I get to decompress and enjoy each other for a little while. I felt so selfish but I didn’t want to give this up, not after so long of not being apart.
I forced myself to start back down towards the docks, weaving through the narrow side streets and avoiding the wide-open spaces in case someone I knew would see me. I was just coming out onto a main street when a black car pulled up beside me and honked. I flipped off the driver without thinking and started crossing the road.
“Little girl, if you flip me off again, you’re not getting what you asked for.”
My mouth dropped open and I spun on my heel to see Alex watching me from the backseat. I covered my mouth and started laughing, doubling over with giggles as I approached the car. He smirked and threw the door open for me and I slid in next to him. After barking sharp directions at the driver in Greek the car started off down the road.
“You were supposed to meet me at the docks for twelve-thirty,” I said while curling up against his side. “How’d you find me?”
“I was on my way down there and saw you crossing the road, figured I might as well pick you up now.” His arm snaked around my waist and he kissed my temple. “Are you ready to go?”
I closed my eyes and nodded as I threaded my fingers through his. “Let’s go.”
***
The flight was barely two hours and landing in Rome brought a flood of excitement and mixed emotions. The music, the food, the beautiful architecture; it was gorgeous in same way Athens was except that now both Alex and I were outsiders and that made me feel oddly comfortable.
Dozens of bags from different designer stores littered the floor of the hotel room, I’d racked up bills that made me feel like I should never have control over someone else’s credit card ever again. I had lingerie, pyjamas, slutty dresses, and at least a dozen pairs of heels, and the one thing that I was actually supposed to get; an even gown.
The gown was perfect; I’d spent hours crawling up and down Via dei Condotti popping in and out of different stores before I finally found the one. It was a shimmering, glittery gold and fell in soft pleats gathered from the matching silk flower belt, it did up around my neck; pulling the upper half up into a plunging neckline that managed to stay elegant while perfectly framing my breasts. I stood in front of the mirror and laughed as I spun around, letting the gown billow out around me.
My favourite part of going to events with Alex was getting to dress up; the makeup, the accessories, pampering myself – it was like playing princess as a little girl but on steroids. I was almost kicking myself in the ass for locking away my little Audrey Hepburn tiara and not bringing it with me just to complete the fantasy. I bought everything else for tonight though; gleaming white and gold stilettos, matching white opera gloves, delicate diamond drop earrings, and wide band silver diamond bracelets over the gloves. It was pure magic to see myself in the mirror, to know how good I looked, to know that this wasn’t a dream anymore – I really was here with him.
“Glykia mou?”
I closed my eyes and smiled at the sound of my pet name before opening the door to the bedroom and coming out to see Alex doing up his cuff links. He looked up and froze, his lips parted as he stared at me and took slow, deliberate steps forward.
“You look stunning,” he praised, reaching out for me. “God, I forgot what it was like to see you like this.”
“You forgot?” I teased, straightening his jacket. “Please, you’ve seen me all dressed up plenty of times, but I’ve only seen you in a dinner jacket and tails once.”
“I look like a fool,” he complained. “You on the other hand, look beautiful, but I think you’re missing one thing…”
He trailed off and my heart started beating faster when he reached for the inside of his jacket and produced a slim bright blue box. “Now, I believe you wanted something big and sparkly. I’m hoping this makes the cut.”
I covered my mouth and bounced on the balls of my feet excitedly. I knew it was shallow of me, really I did, but I loved the feeling of receiving these gifts from him. He’d told me he ruined me, it was always something I remembered as being the last thing he ever said to me when we broke our agreement off, and right now I couldn’t help but think of was that no one else would put up with my spoiled, demanding attitude now.
He opened the lid of the box and I squealed in delight at the gorgeous diamond chain, he undid it and tossed the box on the bed before gesturing for me to turn around. I did and soon a cool weight hung from my neck, I touched it and my fingers trembled as I felt each pear-shaped jewel.
“Well?” he asked next to my ear, his minty warm breath making my eyes flutter shut. “What do you think, glykia mou?”
My heart was pounding in my throat and all I could do was nod vigorously while tears welled. I turned in his embrace and slipped my arms around his neck, pulling him down to my lips. There was something almost erotic about touching him with the gloves on; the tight, thin polyester material slid smoothly across his skin but it was the slight barrier that made everything seem more intimate and sensitive.
His kiss was becoming rougher, more forceful and demanding as he grabbed at my waist and moaned against my mouth. His tongue was insistent and I quickly found myself breaking away in short bursts, gasping for air while losing myself to him. I was eighteen again, standing in his hotel room and completely overwhelmed by being adored and loved and touched by a man that devoted all of his attention to me.
“Alex,” I whispered, pulling back just as a tear rolled down my cheek. “I’m so happy that we’re here and—” I broke off, sniffling and unsure about how to finish my sentence. I love you. It was right there, but I couldn’t say it.
“I meant it when I said I missed you,” he whispered back. “You were right there, and I couldn’t even talk to you without feeling like I was crossing a line.”
“Was there anyone else?” I shouldn’t have asked that, it wasn’t fair to him.
“There were a lot of someone’s.”
Oh. I couldn’t be mad at him, it just wasn’t in me to be upset about it when I had been in a long-term relationship. “I don’t want there to be anyone else.”
“There isn’t,” he assured, cupping my face and gazing at me intently. “There won’t be.”
I laid my hands over his and we stood there, just feeling his heartbeat in his palm. I almost wished we didn’t have a party to go to, that way I could just fall with him into bed a million times over.
“We should go,” I told him after a moment. “We should go before I push you back into bed and we never leave.”
“You mean before you trip me on your shopping bags?” he asked, arching an eyebrow.
I grinned and pulled him along to the door. “I like my credit card, I think the sales associates liked it too.”
“Oh, I’m sure they did,” he said with a snort. “You just paid their bills for the next month or so.”
“And the hairstylists, and the makeup artist, oh and the esthetician because I got my—”
He clamped a hand over my mouth and his eyes burned into mine. “Don’t spoil my surprises.”
I laughed and we continued on out of the hotel down to the waiting limo. I’d partied with politicians a few times, Alex had connections all over the world, but somehow it felt different now because I wasn’t going to be introduced as his PA or something similar. What was I going to be introduced as? I glanced at Alex and smoothed out the front of my skirt as I took a deep breath. I guess I was about to find out.