“Let’s go explore.” She tugged on my arm and dragged me down to the quaint village of Oia, and I felt a little lighter as I let some of my reservations go.
But after we walked through the small town and arrived at the spot that promised the most breathtaking sunset in the world, I’d already had enough.
“This is not happening,” I stated as soon as I saw the crowd that had formed at the edge of town. We were shoulder to shoulder with other tourists, some even sitting on the ground as everyone prepared to wait the hour until they could watch the sun set.
Lila stuck her tongue out the side of her mouth as she assessed the situation. While we technically would be able to see the sunset from our spot, we were at least fifteen people back from the railing and wedged in like sardines. Tourists all around us were getting their cameras ready, and even more were piling in behind us.
Up until this point, the crowds had been relatively thin, and I’d been grateful we weren’t here in high tourist season. The streets of Santorini weren’t nearly as packed as the travel blogs Lila had looked up warned us they could be, but it seemed the sunset at Oia was just too good to pass up. There had to have been at least a hundred people gathered at this small edge of town.
Lila pointed to our right, where a small cobblestone path led away from the heart of town.
“Let’s go that way,” she suggested.
“What’s the point?” I argued, but she was already moving. I caught up to her in a few strides and lightly grabbed her arm, not willing to lose sight of her in this crowd.
“The sunset should be amazing from this entire side of the island. I’m sure we can find someplace better to watch it.”
“Everyone wouldn’t be standing up there in that crowd if there were a better place to watch it,” I pointed out.
She laughed. “Oh, please. One person waits in a spot and then everyone else does. It’s human nature. Why should we follow the crowd when there’s always a better path?”
“Not always.”
“Always, Harrison. Speaking from one fellow business owner to another, we know how to follow our own paths, do we not?”
She had a point there. I had never for a minute thought about joining someone else’s shop when I could open my own and have the control. It was what I had been working toward since the day I started my first apprenticeship. It was funny how Lila brought that up—us having that in common. I wasn’t something I’d thought about often, but maybe I should have.
The path went through an area that was mostly residential. We passed a few businesses here and there, until it was almost all houses. The noises of the crowd had completely faded away by this point.
“I don’t know. It seems pretty dead over here. I feel like we’re in someone’s back alley,” I said, wishing she’d just give it up and turn around.
“There,” she said excitedly, pointing to what looked like a resort hotel perched right up on the edge of the cliff. The pool deck had the perfect view of the ocean and the lowering sun. A few people sat in loungers by the pool, but it was pretty empty otherwise.
“That’s a private hotel,” I insisted. “We can’t just go in.”
Lila ignored me. “I’m going to ask.”
“Lila,” I hissed. But it was too late, she was already ambling toward the entrance of the pool deck. I followed her, muttering under my breath about what a pointless idea this was.
By the time I reached her, she was already talking with a smiling woman at a host stand.
“Great, thank you so much,” Lila said cheerily, before turning to me. “Let’s get those seats over there.”
I couldn’t hide the surprise on my face. “We can stay?” I asked. This place felt too good to be true. It was only a fifteen-minute walk from that crowded cliffside and had an even better view.
“Yep. She just asked that we buy something from the bar, which isn’t a problem for me because I’m starving. And you look like you could use a drink.”
Drinking didn’t loosen me up in the ways it did for other people. I always had control over myself. Always. But I didn’t argue with her.
“Here, you sit.” Lila practically pushed me into a chair. “I’ll go order for us. Any preferences?”
Before I could say anything, she gave me a thumbs-up. “Great. I’ll be right back.”
With that, she sauntered over to the tiki bar behind the pool, and I was left by myself.
Clenching and unclenching my fists, I tried to ignore the mild discomfort I felt. What the hell was even wrong with me? I was just sitting here, like every other tourist watching the sunset. A group still in the pool behind me laughed loudly, and the sound caused me to bristle. Slumping down further in my chair, I tapped my foot anxiously waiting for Lila to return.
“Here you go.” Her bright voice sounded just two seconds before a neon blue drink was placed in front of my face.
