“Well, shall we?” I say.
“Ladies first,” he gestures playfully.
“You have the map, Popstar.”
*
Less than twenty minutes later, on tired, sore feet, we find ourselves strolling down the quiet, shady back streets of Old Town. Gus points to a sign. “This is it.”
“What is this?”
“It’s the BnB.”
I look up the stone facade and its crooked windows with green wooden shutters either side. We’re essentially in an alleyway. It’s clean and tidy, something I’ve generally noticed in Croatia, but there’s a problem. “There’s no door.”
“I guess it must be here somewhere.”
“Well, why would they put a sign here? If there’s not a door, how are we supposed to get in?”
At this exact moment, a middle-aged, dark-haired woman pops her head out of the window above us and talks rapidly. We both stare at her, mouths agape.
“I can’t tell if we’re upsetting her or she’s being friendly,” Gus remarks.
“I take it you don’t speak Croatian?”
“Nope. You?”
I sigh. “Also, no.”
The woman stops talking and waves her hands. A second later she pops back out but with an older man. “You are English?”
Gus nods. He’s still got his cap on backwards as his tips his head, there’s a lovely triangle shape formed in his throat. He has a straight nose and ears that look like they’ve been attached too low. And yet, he’s handsome because he has the kind of face made to smile. I bite my lip and look up too.
“Is this the bed and breakfast?” he asks.
“Yes. You must come round the front. We show you to rooms.”
“How do we get there?”
The couple share a look like we’re two dim-witted Brits. I mean… if the shoe fits, right? “Round the front.”
“Yes, which is… which way?” Gus makes a point of checking both directions.
“That way,” the man says, pointing down the street. “Take two rights. You find red door.”
“Right. Ok. Thank you.Havala.”
Without really thinking about it, Gus’s hand finds mylower back, guiding me towards the narrow alley.
The couple are already stood waiting by the red door when we round the corner. The woman is saying something with bags of energy, clapping her hands with excitement, her smile infectious. But when she grabs both our hands and squeezes, I realise she’s gotten the wrong end of the stick.Not again!
“Oh no—”
“My wife says you are a very beautiful couple.”
Before I can say anything, Gus laughs. “Thanks so much.”
“Gus—”
