I felt my face burn with embarrassment, but when he looked up he smiled quite naturally and everything felt okay again. It wasn’t going to be awkward.
We did a bit of fussing about with chairs and who wanted to be sitting in the shade and who didn’t mind the sun, and then Jack called the waiter over and we ordered coffee. He ordered a second cup too, so he evidently didn’t see any need to rush away.
‘Beautiful place,’ Anna said. ‘I can’t get over how clean everything is, no litter, no graffiti at all.’
‘Isn’t it?’ he agreed. ‘I wish we had longer here.’
We carried on sipping our coffee and talking about the scenery, the food, the holiday, and for a while it was all very pleasant and peaceful.
‘Golly, I’ve just remembered something,’ Anna said, her eyes wide with alarm.
‘What?’ I said, somehow knowing where she was going with this.
Anna turned to Harriet. ‘That thing we were supposed to be filling in. That official form about the thing.’
Harriet frowned and looked blank for a moment and then her face cleared.
‘Oh, that thing. Yes, I meant to do that last night and, I don’t know, time just went by so fast what with the singing and everything.’
‘What thing?’ I said again. ‘Do I have to do it too?’
Anna drained her cup and stood up. And then she put some euros on the table.
‘I’ll explain later. Come on, Harriet, otherwise, you know?—’
‘We’ll be in trouble with Rocco.’
‘Exactly,’ Anna said. ‘We won’t be long, we’ll catch up with you later.’
And just like that they left, hurrying away along the harbour and apparently back towards the boat.
‘What was all that about?’ Jack said.
‘Heaven knows,’ I replied with a sigh.
‘I think they were trying and failing to be subtle,’ he said.
I didn’t reply because I was so embarrassed.
‘Shall we take a walk around?’ he said at last. ‘I’d like to see the monastery, and the city gate.’
‘Aren’t we supposed to be going to see all that this afternoon?’
‘I’ve done some research, and I have some notes on my iPad. I think I’d prefer to see them with you rather than with thirty other people.’
I’d prefer to see them with you.
‘Yes,’ I said at last, feeling very happy, ‘that would be marvellous.’
We sat and finished our coffee. I was feeling quite calm and yet slightly jittery at the same time. Perhaps it was the caffeine, and perhaps it wasn’t.
* * *
After a while we decided to make a move and after a brief polite discussion, I paid the bill, saying it was surely my turn, and he nodded and didn’t make a fuss. Then of course I started to wonder if we were slowly getting to the place where he would want to pay for the next thing. Maybe even lunch which would cost far more than a simple coffee, and then it would feel like we were a couple and it might get awkward.
And then I realised I was doing what I always had done and was overthinking everything. If he wanted to buy me lunch later, why should that bother me?
We walked slowly up through the narrow streets away from the harbour, where the rows of old houses crowded in on each other and the shade from the midday sun was welcome.
