Kostas addressed me. “We have a room for you this way.”
I glanced at Bas in confusion, but Kostas had taken my suitcases and walked down the hall. We caught up and allowed him to show me into a lovely room with a view of the water beyond.
“Where are you staying?” I asked Bas.
He rubbed his neck. “Theo Kostas. Chelsea’s my girlfriend.”
“Girlfriend. Not wife.” He lifted a scolding eyebrow at us. Neither of us argued, and I moved my suitcases farther into the room.
It wouldn’t matter anyway. We’d be home soon, and then we’d have to figure out our living situation for real. Would Bas move into my house with me?
As I rooted around for a change of clothes, Bas said, “This isn’t going to work. I’d rather get an apartment in Athens. What do you think?”
It was for only a couple of nights, so it seemed silly to go to the trouble. Still. “Yeah. This is bullshit. We’re adults.”
“I need to go sort things out with my uncle anyway. He may have rental properties available in the city. I’ll come find you before dinner.”
I squeezed his hand for courage. “You’ve got this.”
His lower lip disappeared between his teeth, and his eyes looked tired, scared, and sad.
“Then we can start making our plans for the future,” I said, hoping to take the sting out of disappointing his family.
He leaned in for a kiss. “We’ll talk at dinner.”
Then he went to break the news to his uncle. I stretched and considered how to kill the time alone. I hadn’t been away from him in days and days. If I slept, he slept. If I showered, he showered. Or watched. We’d been inseparable.
I checked the time and put my phone on speaker and let it ring while I poked around in my suitcase for something that didn’t look like I’d worn it three times already.
“Chelsea! Where are you?”
“Greece! You got home okay?”
“No. I’m currently in the basement of this nice man I met in Paris. He had a van.” She cackled.
I didn’t laugh. Instead, I switched to video. “Show me your house, E.”
She came on screen with an eye roll. “I’m here, okay?”
Seeing her living room gave me such heartache. “I miss you! I wish you were here.”
“Tell me everything!”
I sat on the bed and filled her in on the past few days. I’d sent her pictures, but we hadn’t talked, and her eyes grew wide as I confided in her how I’d finally taken a leap.
“So yeah. Everything’s been great. He was considering his uncle’s offer, but things have been so perfect between us, he’s promised to go home with me. I do wish we had more time here. It was magical driving down the coast with him.”
“Coming back home is going to be a drag. But we can start planning our next big trip. Maybe Cancun.”
After the places Bas had shown me, I didn’t think Cancun would cut it. I wanted to go to Budapest. To Cyprus. To Prague. “Maybe.”
“I’m glad everything worked out so well, Chelsea, and you finally let down your guard. You deserve someone who puts you first, and he obviously cares about you.”
It had taken me long enough to realize it. “I want to hear allabout your solo trip when I get back. Did you have any fun without me?”
“We have a ton to discuss. You want to have a girls’ night on Sunday and catch up?”
“I’ll bring the wine.”
