Butter. Bread. Pasta.
All the things I asked him to strike from my meals when I filled out the preference sheet. Not a rice cake or a steamed green bean in sight. Where had my rules gone?
Sometime between midnight snacks, a moonlit pool, and a patch of wildflowers, I stopped fighting food and started making friends with it. Somewhere between the quest for a three-thumbed man, a cabin with no window, and a cloudless day on a rocky island, I fell for the chef.
The irony hit me like a ton of bricks.
Bubbles rising in my chest. The electric surge each time I looked at him. My bones melting at his touch. My heart bursting when he smiled. Eating up all of him—his food, his voice, his words, his body.
Holy Doollally. I’m in love with Alex.
Alex shot me a questioning glance. I shut my mouth and swallowed. I would’ve been fine if the overwhelming urge to sneeze hadn’t gripped me at the same time. Between opposing inputs, my windpipe clenched around the piece of food in my throat.
Oh God. I’m choking. Again.
My hand clutched my neck as I gasped for air.
Alex shot up, his chair grating against the floor. Vasilis caught on a few seconds later.
“I’m okay. I’m good.” I sputtered as the spasms faded.
“Slowly. Siga-siga.” Vasilis handed me a napkin. “My father had a saying. Bite by bite makes a meal. Moment by moment makes a life. Some of it gets lost in translation, but you get the idea.”
I dabbed my eyes and glanced at Alex.
“Pappou was a wise man.” He sat back down and regarded me. “You sure you’re okay?”
I don’t know if I’m ever going to be okay. I’ve fallen in love with the wrong guy.
But it didn’t feel wrong. It felt fantastic—like a little red butterfly perched on my shoulder—rare, flitting, and unexpectedly delightful. There was no endgame with Alex, no rush to the altar, no expectations, no Dolly, no Ma Anga. It made me feel weightless in a way I hadn’t felt all my life.
Gravity ceased to exist when I was with him. My feet floated off the ground. My heart soared like it was tied to a hundred yellow balloons. The past blurred, the future evaporated. The place we intersected was all that we had, and it was magical and marvelous.
I smiled at Alex.Moment by moment, just like your Pappou said.
Isaid goodbye to Vasilis and waited as Alex gave him a hug.
“You’re going to take the Kiriakis job next?” Vasilis handed him his backpack.
“You don’t take a job on his yacht. You jump on it.” Alex grinned. “It’s pretty much a done deal. They’re just waiting on Captain Bailey’s letter of recommendation.”
His words faded as I walked over to the chair where Vasilis had cut Alex’s hair. The day was starting to get warm, but it was nice and shady by the trellis.
“You will be back? In between?” Vasilis asked.
Something fluttered against my feet as I sat under the grapevines. It was a lock of Alex’s hair, thick and dark and still slightly wet. I picked it up before the wind could blow it away.
“I’ll be back in a couple of days when this charter is done.”
My heart sank a little. Some beginnings had built-in endings. Ours was just a few days away.
I slipped his hair into my pocket, as if it would plug the void that had opened up in my chest.
“Don’t forget to water the plants.” Alex backed out onto the stone pathway, waving goodbye. “And don’t lose the spare key this time.”
“Kalo taxidi.” Vasilis waved back.
“Ta leme.” Alex hoisted his backpack over his shoulder and waited until his father went inside. “Ready to go, Heart-Eyes?” He turned toward me and froze.
