31. Chapter 31
Chapter thirty-one
Dimitri’s side of the bed is empty when I wake up. I listen for a minute, wondering if he’s in the bathroom or downstairs but the house is silent. Strange.
I reach for my phone to check the time, noting a text message from him.
Dimitri: Had some things to do this morning but I’ll be back to get you at 10.
I frown at the message, feeling a little disappointed that he disappeared when we have so little time together left. However, his time here is nearly up too as he flies back to Athens on Sunday. As much as I want to be greedy and keep him all to myself, I know he has people here to see and things to do before he leaves the island.
Today is his last day working with Spyros on the Elena and since it’s my last day on the island, I’ve decided to join him. Arthur, Marie, Tom, Ed, and Mary are all coming along too with a few newcomers looking to explore the beaches and experience the magic of Symi. It will be bittersweet, but I think it’s the perfect way to wrap up my time here.
As promised, Dimitri shows up at 10am to pick me up. Hearing the rumble of his scooter out front, I grab my beach bag and head outside, locking the front door behind me before heading over to meet him.
He wraps me in a warm hug that I melt into as he presses his lips to my forehead. “Ready to go?”
I nod and he opens up the compartment for me to stash my beach bag during the ride.
“I took Arthur down.” he explains, passing me a helmet. “The others should be there soon too.”
We cruise down to the pier where we find Arthur and Spyros waiting. Dimitri joins Spyros to finalize everything on board so I make my way to sit beside Arthur on a nearby bench.
“So,” Arthur greets me, his eyes bright behind his glasses, “I hear you took my advice.”
“I did.” My eyes flick over to the Elena, finding Dimitri adjusting some of the ropes. “You were right.”
“Had a feeling I would be,” he says, looking rather proud of himself.
I lean over and give him a hug. For a moment, he seems surprised, but then he hugs me back.
“It won’t always be easy, you know,” he warns me, “but the best things never are.”
He’s right. It’s not going to be easy and we haven’t even had the chance to discuss how it’s going to work yet. We were too busy with, well, other things to bring it up last night and then Dimitri left while I was still asleep this morning. Still, the most important thing right now is that we know we both want to try.
By 10:30am, everyone is on board and Spyros takes us out of the bay. On top of the group I know, we have eight additional newcomers. A family with two young boys and two middle-aged couples. Everyone seems friendly enough but it’s a bigger group than I’m used to and, especially with the two young boys, much louder.
I spend the time with Arthur, Margaret, Tom, Ed, and Mary but Dimitri barely has time to pause throughout the day. One of the new guests on board can’t swim but insists on getting in the water and the two boys quickly become bored of being stuck on a boat. Despite their parents’ efforts to rein them in, they go wild. By the time we arrive back in Symi hours later, everyone is ready to get off, myself included.
As per tradition, we head to the cocktail bar where Jim and Nora, and Peter and Dennis wait for us. While they decided not to come out on the boat trip, everyone planned to get together here as a sort of send-off for me and Dimitri. Our last evening all together on the island.
We order our cocktails as we wait for Dimitri and Spyros to finish up on the Elena. By now, everyone knows Dimitri and I are a couple and while they seem happy and excited for us, they all want to know how it’s going to work.
“What’s the time difference?” Ed questions me.
“Ten hours.”
His lips purse in a sight frown.
“You’ve both just used up all your holiday time though, haven’t you? When will you be able to see each other again?” Nora asks.
“I’m not sure, we haven’t talked about that yet.”
She nods encouragingly, but I see the concern in her eyes.
“Can you work remotely? Would you go live with him in Athens?” Peter wonders.
“I can work remotely, but we haven’t discussed anything like that yet.”
He exchanges a quick glance with Dennis.
The questions keep coming and the more I get asked, the more I realize how daunting this is. Despite the positive words of encouragement, I see the looks on their faces as I answer everything with uncertainty. Forget living in different countries, we live on different continents and ten hours is a huge time difference. All of this seemed so trivial last night as I lay in Dimitri’s arms but now, alone, with all of these successful couples, I have no idea how this is going to work. I can feel my heart rate speed up in my chest and I drop my hands to my lap, clenching them into fists as the anxiety kicks in.
Margaret, sensing my discomfort, gently pats my hand under the table before changing the conversation. Thankfully, the others follow her lead but I tune most of it out, my mind still spinning with their questions. I’m so caught up in my own thoughts that I don’t even notice when Dimitri and Spyros join us until Dimitri asks me if I’m ok.
I note the furrow of his brow and concern in his eyes as he looks at me.
“Yes, sorry. Just distracted.” I do my best to smile convincingly before turning back to the conversation.
One drink turns into two and drinks turn into dinner. Dimitri catches my eye, making sure I’m ok with the way the evening is going. I give him a quick nod. Reminding myself again that it’s not just me leaving. All of this is mostly for Dimitri. After all, this group is like his family.
We end up at a nearby taverna, everyone grabbing chairs and plunking down to continue the conversations they had on the way over. Dimitri and I end up separated, a theme that continues throughout dinner as we are both drawn into different conversations. His pseudo-grandparents trying to get as much time with him as possible after three years apart, not knowing when they will see him again.
As for me, I’m flooded with requests to come back and recommendations of where else to visit in Greece next time. It’s all heartwarming and I do enjoy myself but amid the family-style spread of Symi shrimp, local cheeses, grilled octopus, tomatokeftedes, and giant salads, my brain is counting down the hours until I catch my morning ferry. Until I leave the island. Until I leave Dimitri with no plans in place for when I will actually get to see him again.
Finally, after tiny slices of orange cake and various shots of Greek aperitifs, the night comes to an end. Hugs and promises to keep in touch are exchanged all around.
Margaret wraps me tightly in her arms. “Och,” she sniffs, “I hate goodbyes.” She somehow still smells of her floral perfume despite our day at sea and I let myself breathe her in. Over the past two weeks, I’ve come to think of her and Arthur as my own adoptive grandparents, and saying goodbye isn’t easy. Especially since I don’t know when, or even if, I’ll ever see her again.
We pull apart and she cups my cheek, her eyes as glassy as my own. “Come to Scotland any time, my dear. You will always be welcome in our home.”
“Aye,” Tom agrees, leaning in for a hug. “Don’t bother with all the talk of the bad weather. Scotland is beautiful. You’ll love it and we’d love to have you.”
I thank the both of them profusely and make my way over to Dimitri and Arthur. I take one look at Arthur, my final goodbye from the group, and my eyes start to well up again.
“If you don’t mind,” Arthur says, “I’d like to come down to the ferry tomorrow to say goodbye. Seems only right that I send you off after being the first to welcome you to the island.”
“I’d like that,” I tell him, dashing the tears away from my eyes with the back of my hands. Relieved that my time with him isn’t quite over. At least not yet.
With a promise to see Arthur in the morning and a final round of goodbyes, I follow Dimitri to his scooter. Straddling the seat behind him, I hug him around the waist as we take off, leaving Gialos behind. The shadowed houses and twinkling bay falling behind us as we zoom up the hill. Another last, I think to myself as I take in the view, trying to memorize it. To soak it all in.
Dimitri grabs my hand and leads me into the house and upstairs. It’s nearly 11pm and between the lack of sleep from last night and the full day today, we’re both exhausted. He showers quickly while I finish packing, then it’s my turn. I come out of the bathroom from brushing my teeth to find Dimitri already in bed waiting for me. He throws back the blanket and I climb in, curling up beside him.
His arms wrap around me, stroking me as he kisses me softly.
“Are you ok?” he asks me quietly.
“Yes.” I sigh. “Today was just a whirlwind. It didn’t go quite how I had thought it would.”
“Me neither,” he admits, his lips pulling down into a frown. “I’m sorry.”
“Hey.” I reach out, sweeping his hair back from his face, “Don’t be sorry. It’s important to see and spend time with the others too.”
He grabs my palm and kisses it.
“Yes, but I wanted more time with you.”
“Same.” I play with the ends of his hair on the nape of his neck, still damp from his shower. “We still have a lot to figure out.”
“We do,” he agrees, fingers tracing circles on my hip. “And we will. But right now, I don’t want to worry about that. I just want to enjoy tonight together. Is that ok?”
Part of me wants to push to talk now, to help relieve my anxiety. But as I look at his tired eyes, entirely focused on me, I sense his needs too. To touch and hold me, and be touched and held in return. He’s right, we can talk on the phone. But we only have a few more hours in each other’s arms.
“Kiss me,” I tell him.
Dimitri’s hot mouth crashes into mine possessively as he pulls me against him, hands digging deliciously into my curves. I cling to him just as tightly, savouring the feeling of his skin on mine. Trying to hold on to him, to us, for as long as I can.
Morning comes all too quickly and it’s near impossible to pry myself out of bed and the incredible man in it.
I shower quickly before packing the last of my things, while Dimitri goes to borrow Yiannis’ and Angela’s car to bring me down to the ferry. I take one final look around the bedroom to make sure I grabbed everything before heading downstairs, admiring Dimitri’s mom’s paintings one last time. I pause at the one showing the windmills at sunset. The spot where Dimitri and I started, even though I didn’t realize it at the time. I reach out and touch it, gently running my fingers over the canvas. Remembering the first time I saw him smile and laugh. How much it surprised me to see that side of him after thinking him to be moody and surly on the boat. How much we’ve smiled and laughed together since.
I continue down to the main floor, taking it all in. The kitchen where Angela taught me how to prepare food the Greek way. The table where the four of us shared a meal. The counter, and the couch, where Dimitri and I… I feel my cheeks flush as I remember what we did in this space the other night. I think back to joking with Dimitri on the boat that maybe he’d be in some of my memories of the island when the truth is, he’s in almost all of them.
Pressure builds behind my eyes as they start to water and I make myself pull away.
It will be ok, I tell myself. This isn’t the end.
I hear the car door slam, signaling Dimitri’s return and I quickly wipe the tears from my eyes. I say a quick goodbye to his home, which has also felt like mine for the last week, and walk out the door.
As promised, Arthur comes with me and Dimitri to the ferry. I know I should be taking the time to soak up my last few minutes with both of them but I find myself distracted and jittery as I watch the ferry bob in front of us, getting ready for passengers to board.
“RóDOS!” one of the crew yells, and the short line of people shuffle forward.
I turn to Arthur, who stretches his arms out for a hug. “Thank you,” I whisper in his ear as I squeeze him back, “for everything.”
“You take care of yourself, Calla.” He pats me on the back and we pull away. “Stay in touch and don’t worry.” He flashes me a quick wink. “Everything will work out.” I give him a watery smile, wishing I had his unfaltering optimism.
Turning to Dimitri, I fall into his embrace. He holds me as I cling to him, head resting on mine. I squeeze my eyes tight, trying to focus on the feeling of his arms around me. Hoping his touch will imprint on my skin so I don’t forget.
“I hate this,” I whisper into his chest.
“Me too.”
He pulls back, staring at me, and I drink him in. Dark hair falling slightly over his eyes. Thick lashes framing those chocolate brown eyes, the golden flecks glinting in the sun. Plush lips I’ve kissed more times than I can count. By the way he is staring at me, I know he’s doing the same.
Dimitri cups my face with one hand, the other pulling me in at my waist as he gives me a final kiss. Deep and passionate, his mouth claiming mine one last time.
“LAST CALL FOR RHODES!” A loud voice erupts behind us.
I break away, breathless.
“I’ll call you,” I promise him. “When I get to Athens.”
He nods and lets go.
With a heavy heart, I grab my suitcase and head to the crewman waiting for me. He scans my ticket before waving me on board. I’m the last one on and they quickly pull back the plank and close the door behind me.
I think back to Panormitis Monastery and Dimitri telling me that Archangel Michael will stop boats from leaving if someone on board doesn’t keep their end of the bargain. For a moment, I hope that someone on board made a promise they couldn’t keep. So that the ferry can’t leave. Which, in turn, would mean that I have to stay. But my wishes go unanswered and the engine hums loudly as the crew unties us from the docks.
Shoving my suitcase onto a rack, I head for the stairs. We’ve started to pull away already by the time I make it to the upper deck. I race to the edge, waving at the two figures I’m leaving behind until they are tiny specks in the distance. Dimitri and Arthur disappear as the ferry rounds the corner of the island. By now the tears are streaming down my face but I continue to watch until Symi grows smaller and smaller behind me, until it finally disappears on the horizon line, taking a piece of my heart with it.