Page 24 of The Little Greek Guesthouse

She’d had just about enough of that.

Vassilis took her hand and walked confidently past the queue to the door, where he greeted the bouncer with a nod. The bouncer smiled as they approached, shaking Vassilis’s hand as they spoke in Greek.

The bouncer slapped Vassilis on the back and smiled at Nina, then pulled the rope aside to allow them through. Immediately the beat of music greeted them, thrumming through the floor and reverberating off the walls. Nina, blinking in the darkness, felt it in her chest as he led her down a corridor and into a room that felt like walking into a wall of sound; the beat of the music deafening, throbbing through her body, combined with the chime of laughter and voices straining to make themselves heard. Yellow strips of neon light zigzagged across the ceiling and the air was thick with the smell of sweat and spilled drinks as bodies heaved in time to the music.

The staff seemed to recognise Vassilis, smiling and coming over as they entered the room. He spoke to the suited man who greeted them, and they were shown to a private area up some steps with a velvet sofa and vases of flowers on glass tables. Nina tried to lower herself elegantly onto the low sofa, although the half-light and the mojitos weren’t helping and she ended up flopping down in a rather ungainly fashion. Vassilis didn’t seem to notice, but sat next to her and leaned in, and she felt giddy with the intensity of his gaze as she breathed in the citrus tang of his aftershave.

‘You look beautiful tonight,’ he said. He had one hand on her arm, twisting her mum’s bangle around her wrist, the other gently pushing the hair from her face. His lips were so close. Nina closed her eyes, waiting and longing for the kiss.

He pulled back, and when she opened her eyes she saw the suited man flourishing a bottle of champagne in a cooler and two glasses. Vassilis smiled. Nina tried to; all she could think about was how it would feel when they eventually kissed. She’d never been less thrilled by the arrival of champagne.

It would be rude not to drink it, though, she thought as she accepted the glass, bubbles fizzing gently in golden liquid. The first sip was crisp and cool, and she soon found that she’d had a couple of glasses as she and Vassilis sat close together, his hand on her thigh, the heat from his touch radiating through her skin. Their attempts at conversation had limited success as the music pounded through them.

‘You don’t need to spoil me, you know,’ she bellowed over the music. ‘It’s all lovely but I’m not some kind of princess.’ The words brought a sting of heat to her cheeks as she remembered the mean accusations George had made. ‘I’m happy with something simple.’

Vassilis just gave a lazy smile. ‘It is all you deserve.’ He grinned and tapped his nose. ‘And anyway, owner is a friend of mine. I have the connections, you see!’

She laughed and took another sip, feeling a little easier now she knew the night wasn’t going to cost either of them a fortune. She didn’t have cash to splash like she’d had in her old life, and she wasn’t some spoiled kid who expected everything to be paid for by someone else. Despite what some people said.

At last Vassilis put his glass down, then took hers from her and placed it on the table. ‘Dance?’

And she gladly followed him. She swayed a little as she stood, the room slipping sideways for a moment, and she wondered if the drinks were getting the better of her. She’d thought they were going out for dinner and so hadn’t eaten before she came out. What she would give, she thought dreamily, for Theo’s gyros now.

As soon as she was on the dance floor she forgot everything else; the beat of the music ran through her and the sway of the bodies all around was mesmerising. The space was crowded, and she and Vassilis were forced close together, so that she could feel the heat of his body and smell his skin as he began to sweat. He moved easily, twisting in time to the beat, his dark curls flopping over his forehead. Nina lost herself in the music, dancing until her feet burned in the heels she wore and her dress began to stick to her hot skin. Vassilis stepped closer, his hand on her waist, pulling her in, and they moved together, effortlessly, as she slipped her arms around his neck. He gazed at her, looking deep into her eyes, and though she knew the room was full, she felt like they were the only people there.

When he took her hand and led her away, her heartbeat quickened. She followed him out to a terrace lit by fairy lights that overlooked the harbour. A few smokers and vapers lingered out there, but he took her to a quiet corner, where the faint thud of the music combined with the gentle calls of gulls on the water.

His arm was warm around her waist and he pulled her close, so that she could feel his firm chest beneath his shirt, feel the heat of him through the light material. Her breath caught in her throat. This was it, the kiss was finally going to happen, and it was everything she wanted; she could think of nothing else.

He stroked the hair from her face as he leaned down and their lips met. He kissed her passionately, pressing her against the railings of the balcony, and she responded, her breath coming fast and sharp, her arms around his neck, and it was everything she’d dreamed it would be.

She arrived home at four in the morning, still dazed and dreaming of Vassilis, reliving the kiss over and over. Taking off her shoes she crept in, startled to find Theo sitting at the kitchen table in the light of a lamp, his expression careworn. He looked older in that light, the hollows under his eyes darker and the lines around his mouth etched deeper.

‘Antheia,’ he said softly. ‘Where have you been?’

‘Baba . . .’ Nina glanced at her phone, and only then noticed the five missed calls from him. ‘Baba, I’m sorry, I was just out with Vassilis. Were – you weren’t worried, were you? You know I’m a grown woman.’ She smiled as she said this, sitting opposite him and taking his hand.

He sighed and rubbed a hand over his eyes, smiling a little. ‘I know, I know, but you’re still my daughter. You said you were out for dinner and it got so late . . .’ He waved a hand dismissively. ‘Ah. I’m just stupid old man.’

‘No, Baba.’ She squeezed his hand. ‘I’m sorry, I should’ve messaged. I will next time. But I’m fine, see? Just been having a nice night out.’

And though she keenly felt the pain of causing him such worry, she found she was smiling just a little too much. Theo watched her shrewdly, then raised his eyebrows and shook his head, beginning to chuckle.

‘Oh you like this boy?’ He nodded. ‘Good Greek boy.’

The smile spread, and Nina had no control over it. ‘Well, it’s early days, you know, just nice and fun for now but . . .’

Theo nodded, tapping his nose. ‘Good Greek boy. I told you all along this was what you need.’

Nina snorted a laugh. ‘You told me nothing of the sort!’

He shrugged, spreading his palms and raising his eyebrows. ‘I say this all the time, you need to listen to your old baba.’

He had literally never said it once. She laughed. ‘Okay then, if you say so.’

‘See, you know I’m right.’

His words were light, but the careworn expression hadn’t quite lifted. He rubbed a hand over his eyes. Nina bit her lip; it wasn’t like him to be so anxious. She thought again of his raised voice in the argument with Maria; it wasn’t like him to be angry, either.