The knock on the door comes again.
‘Will, open up right now,’ Lydia’s warning tone orders.
I close my eyes. ‘Go away.’
‘Will? Please.’
I stare at the ceiling.
Sam.
Warmth spreads through me, and I look at the door wistfully.
‘Two seconds,’ I finally say, pulling on a dressing gown.
Sam stands next to Lydia, both of them holding a pizza box and a bottle of wine.
‘What is this darkness?’ Lydia pushes past me, striding into the room without being invited. ‘You are in a beautiful city and one of the most romantic in Greece. At least see it.’
I don’t know what time it is, let alone the day, but as Lydia pulls back the curtains, sunlight streams in, and I flinch as if I might burn up in its rays.
‘We were worried,’ Sam says, closing the door behind him. ‘I couldn’t wait any longer to see you.’
Before he can put down the pizza box and the wine, I hug him. He hugs me back, albeit awkwardly, and at some point, Lydia must have taken the things from his hands, because his hands are on me. When he pulls back, my robe parts ever so slightly, and he takes in my naked body, before he ties the robe back together to preserve whatever shreds of dignity I have left.His hands move neatly, with a gentle ease, and he focuses to tie the knot.
‘I’m sorry if I worried you.’
‘You have been very dramatic,’ Lydia says, sitting out on the balcony.
Sam sits in an armchair, and I perch on the bed, making sure my robe keeps me covered.
Lydia glares at me. ‘Will, I understand your predicament, but I will not have you wasting time over a man that deserves nothing.’
They say there are five stages of grieving and loss, and even though Ollie isn’t technically dead, what we had is over. Finished. Kaput. I realise I’m finally ready to accept this and let go.
But not before I hear all about how trash Ollie is from people around me.
That is essential to heal.
‘He’s the biggest narcissist I’ve ever met,’ Sam says. ‘Have you heard from him yet?’
‘No.’
‘See? He is a waste.’
Sam smirks at Lydia’s words.
‘I haven’t been here thinking solely about him,’ I say, and it’s the truth. ‘I’ve been rethinking everything. An awakening.’
‘You have plenty of time to awaken,’ Lydia says. ‘Awaken by enjoying Athens while you can.’
‘That’s just it,’ I say. ‘I realised I don’t want to go back home.’
Sam hears my words for what they are. A statement of intent.
Lydia misses the whole point.
‘You have to go home. You check out soon,’ she says.
