Guess who's back in Andros??? Me!!! And guess who did I meet here? ANDREW! A.K.A. the cute guy who works as a cashier at the local ice cream shop, is Andrew Garfield's twin but blonde and the guy who I first saw during Easter Holiday and gave me inspiration for this story!!! I call that FATE! I'm melting right here! Enjoy the chapter, my lovelies and don't forget to vote and comment! love you all!!!
Batsi is beautiful. A town full of small white houses, St. Phillip's church and the endless blue of the sea, the sky, the windows of the buildings. I wish I could paint so that I drew the view from my window and carved it in my mind forever. You can say I'm a romantic. I won't deny it. The graphic beauty of Greece makes me feel content, as if every breath I take adds something to my soul, infinity.
Last night I dreamt I had wings. White, soft feathers, like an angel's. I flew between every single house, street, building until I rocketed up to the sky. And then I fell. Down to the turquoise waters of the shore. The water added weight to the silky feathers but I managed to rise up. Rain drops falling down my cheeks due to the storm that made the quiet waves angry and wild. But that is what the sea should be like. Infinite. Wild. Untamed.
You probably wonder why my dream has anything to do with the story. My grandma used to say that dreams almost always mean something. She would add that my vision of flying meant freedom. And I believe that sea and freedom are exactly what I'll find in Batsi.
I'm outside of Gelaterie, waiting for Andrew to come. Inside, there is a girl at her late twenties with dark brown hair and tired eyes. Instead of the usual rock music playing during Andrew's shifts, now La la la by Shakira is heard. Finally, I see Andrew at the corner, holding only a towel and his cell phone.
"Hey there!"
"Blondie! Ready for your exploration?" He asks, grinning widely.
"Sure. What do you have in mind?" I ask, beginning to walk with him, heading to the beach.
"We'll, I was thinking about going for a swim here and then showing you the real town," he suggests.
"Got a dejá vu, there. I've seen at least a dozen movies where that particular line is said," I laugh.
"Yeah? Me too. Where do you want to sit?" He chuckles, showing me the entire length of the beach.
"I don't know. Why don't why just go down there?" I ask and motion at the furthest end of the sand, about 50 feet away from where we stand. Right above it there are trees that Andrew calls "αλμυρικια", licking the beachside. On my right there are huge rocks, dressed with some local clinging plants, called μεταξάκια.
"You have really good taste," he grins and we begin making our way there.
Once we finally set our towels on the still warm sand, we begin undressing. Andrew's body is balancing between the line of scrawny and muscular but his back is strong and smooth. On his shoulder blade there is a small tattoo, an anchor. I'm trying not to be very obvious that I'm checking him out but he's doing the same so, I guess we're even. I watch him observe my collarbone where a black feather is resting at. I got it the day after I finished my junior year, along with Kat, who added another colorful design on her arm.
"Take a picture, it will last longer," I smirk, untangling my hair from my side braid. He blushes a little but doesn't miss a beat:
"Believe me, I will."
Children are playing with their toys, forming the sand into castles or just splashing with their parents. There are a few elder couples too, enjoying the crystal blue water and the sun, a few college guys, laughing around and playfully shoving each other, along with a group of teenage girls who are playing rackets. I begin walking towards the water but jolt back when a young boy dives into the water next to me and splashes me completely with freezing water. I turn to look at Andrew who is laughing his ass off at my shocked expression.
"I think I forgot to mention that Andros has really cold waters," the little bastard says before diving and splashing me all over again.
This time I don't hesitate and dive in myself. It takes me about five seconds to get used to the water and then I can only enjoy its coolness. I watch Andrew swimming a good 20 feet away and back, water droplets caught on his eyelashes.
"How do you like it so far?" He asks, taking his damp hair away from his eyes.
"It's gorgeous. The view is amazing. And the combination of such colors together is just...ugh. Gorgeous. And the rocks on the right are as if they want us to climb them, don't you think?" I half state, half ask, lifting my eyes to look at him pleadingly. "Can we?"
Andrew sighs, before pointing at him and saying:
"You step only where I step, okay? I want to return you home in one piece."
I grin and nod enthusiastically. I then follow him to the base of the rocks where you can climb on them and begin moving my feet where he places his. The rock is slippery because of the constant water on it and the mosses that have grown there but I finally manage to pull myself upwards. Behind me, curtains of μεταξάκια, with their fuchsia flowers peeking. I cut one and place it gently on the water, watching it go by where the sea commands it to.
"You're such a romantic," he whines playfully, climbing higher on the large rock besides me, almost daring me to follow him. I do.
"And you're an asshole!" I cry, lifting my weight with my hands and feet to reach the top. The rock is smooth, making it difficult to climb but when I finally make it, it is worth everything.
"And why is that?" He asks, his dark chocolate eyes staring back at me, almost smiling.
"Do you even remember my name?"
"Of course. Blondie."
...
Three hours have passed since we reached the beach. Three hours full of splashing, playing in the water or the sand, joking but mostly talking. I've learned he's a Capricorn, an only child, like me, his favorite band is Nirvana and his favorite color is azure blue. He lives in Athens, Egaleo, with his parents and his dog, Athos, a Greek shepherd who is both funny and clumsy. I've told him about my friend Kat, my obsession with movies and writing, my life in Salem and our new house there, that resembles an old witch's refuge, my cat Yzma, my favorite Disney movie, Tangled and my wish to fall in love with someone like Eugene.
The water is cooler now, sending shivers to my whole body, even though I have only my legs in it. I wear my Rolling Stones crop top over my floral bikini and stand up. Andrew has put on his t-shirt back and we're ready to go explore Batsi.
"So, we begin from the famous restaurant Cavo D'Oro, named by that special cape where the sea is always angry. Beware, Blondie, of the mighty pirates who rule these places! Thieves and beggars never-" He begins chanting in an old pirate's voice but I continue the familiar song before he's able to finish it:
"Never shall we die," I half whisper half chant, looking at him with my lids lowered over my eyes, full of mystery.
"Someone's studied, huh?"
"I'm in love with Captain Davy Jones, what can I say? What do Andros's pirates steal?"
"Pretty girls like you. Be careful Blondie, because those long hair could attract a filthy pirate," he jokes, taking a lock of my hair and swirling it around his finger.
"I wouldn't mind if he had tentacles," I chuckle.
"What can I say, everyone has their vice."
The next hour and a half is a blur of names and places and people and smells and food and Andrew. I don't feel as if I know him from forever, I feel as if I found a new best friend in his face, one that I'm beginning to know better. His blush, his grins, everything about him is screaming freedom. I feel as if I'm ready to fly when he shows me something hidden behind a big café, something only known to us. How movie-esque.
At 9 o'clock we reach Gelaterie where four to five people are inside, laughing and eating. Andrew notices me looking inside, so he drags me in, telling me to order from Gina, the girl inside. We end up each with a cone, mine with cherry and mango sorbé ice cream, and his with dark chocolate and tangerine. With our cones in hand, we begin strolling down the port, full with yachts and fish-boats.
"So, what did you like most from everything I shown you?" Andrew asks, his whole attention to his ice-cream.
"Will you hate me if I say that everything is in a blur right now?" I reply and extend my hand to touch the sail of the boat next to me.
"I'll do my best," he jokes and finishes his ice-cream.
"Well, what time is it? I should get going, 5 hours is a long time missing, for sure," I exhale and throw my napkin into the closest bin.
"You don't say? Where do you stay?"
"Near the big stair, at Villa Anastasia, you know it?"
"Sure. I'll walk you there," he offers immediately.
"It's really no big deal, I can walk on my-" I begin to say but he interrupts me:
"No way. It is really dark there, I can't let you go there on your own, can i?" He looks at me, his eyes serious.
"It's 73 stairs!"
"I don't care," he says, making me melt a little inside.
"Okay, then. Lead the way, pirate boy," I shrug.
"Only if you'll be my Tia Dalma," he chuckles and we begin our way back.
...
Only an hour later, when I'm on my bed, reading the Black Swan to sleep, do I realize that Tia Dalma was Davy Jones's love interest. And that there is a chance that the cute cashier of the Gelaterie actually likes me.
Αλμυρίκια -> (almirikia) a Greek tree, growing near beaches and on the sand.
Μεταξάκια-> (metaxakia) a Greek clinging plant with fuchsia flowers.