Sweet afternoons

Chapter twenty three

I hadn't worn them in a while because the skirt showed a little more leg than I was comfortable with and the jumper was quite tight. However, when I put them on that morning, I felt a surge of confidence flow through me.

My hands couldn't help my run along the soft material covering my body, in disbelief at the rare feeling these clothes were giving me.

Even with the tired look in my eyes and the clamminess of my skin from the lack of care, I felt better about myself than I had in a long time.

Taking the feeling on board, I went about washing my face and pulling my hair into a loose bun atop my hair. Running mascara through my eyelashes, I decided against foundation or concealer and finished only with a swipe of lipgloss.

Usually, I would prefer to put on a full face of makeup to take away from the rest of my body. For once, however, I didn't feel the need.

Leaving the bathroom, I noticed Andres had moved to the table in the main room and had a phone pressed to his ear. His movements were erratic and he seemed to be talking loudly at the other person, occasionally shouting unfamiliar Greek words.

Keeping quiet, I moved towards the man and leant silently on the arm of the chair across from him. I didn't want to leave the room without saying goodbye, so waited for the man to finish his conversation.

Part-way through his angry ranting, the businessman looked up at me. His words trailed off and his tone returned to normal. For a moment, the man struggled to find words and eventually told the person on the line he'd call them back before hanging up.

My eyebrow furrowed with curiosity and I rose from my perch to approach Andres. "Is everything okay?" I asked, coming to a stop next to him.

In this position, myself standing and Andres sitting down, the man had to tilt his head upwards to look at me. The look in his eyes was intense as his gaze trailed my figure and he barely acknowledged my words despite our closeness.

"Andres!" I resorted to snapping my fingers in front of his face, forcing him to pay attention to something other than my body.

He hummed for a moment before clearing his throat. "Yes? What is it?" Andres asked, finally looking me in the eyes and acting as if nothing had happened.

"Oh I don't know, you were just staring at me for 5 minutes!" I said with sarcasm dripping from my tone, a hint of humour showing through. My arms crossed over my chest as I spoke and my head tilted to the side in anticipation of Andres' answer.

Scratching the back of his neck with an embarrassed look on his face, a faint pink tint found its way to Andres' cheeks. "I...umm..." he stumbled over his words, "I think you look really pretty today."

A smile made its way onto my face, partnering with the blush that was forcing itself upon me. Feeling the heft of Andres' affection, I leant down and encased him in my arms for a moment. I responded with a quiet 'thank you' before placing a kiss on his cheek.

"I'm going out now, don't work too hard," I said before waltzing out of the room with an impossibly happy look on my face.

I didn't have much of a plan for the day's adventure. The only thing I knew was that I wanted to go to the top floor of the hotel. There was a strange childhood joy I got from wandering the top floor of hotels and buildings. Not to mention, the views from that high were often spectacular.

With any luck, there wouldn't be many people staying on the top floors since it wasn't the time of year for holidays or trips. That way I could explore without getting in anyone's way.

Going back to the elevators from the previous day, I was relieved to find very few people around. I pressed the button and the doors opened immediately, showing an empty silver room that almost sparkled under the bright lights of the hallway. Clicking the button for the top floor, I let the elevator take me away and enjoyed the slight humming as it rose through the floors of the building. It didn't stop, signally that no one else wanted to use the elevators, and I had a smooth ride all the way to the ninth floor.