“More or less. My mother would have probably wanted for me to become a doctor or a lawyer, you know, something in which I had to spend years inside of a building hunched over books,” he chuckled, his tone warm. “But then I discovered surfing, and that was it. I got into it and went pro at eleven.”
“Like Ale.”
“How long have you known her?”
“Since we were five. We met at a summer camp in Conil, became friends, and then our families became friends. We have spent every summer together since then. I couldn’t travel to her events because I was studying, but we always kept in touch. She’s my best friend.”
“Ale talks very highly of you,” Ilias said, sipping his beer. “Weren’t you about to become head of some important research institute before you dropped it to start Salacia?”
“Something like that.”
Maybe one day I’ll tell you my most tragic and embarrassing story.
“What does Salacia even mean?”
“Salacia was the Roman goddess of the sea, Neptune’s wife, actually. But what I like is that she represented calm, saltwater itself. The hidden life beneath the surface. That’s what the project is about, uncovering the quiet, powerful beauty of the ocean that people tend to overlook.”
Ilias gave her an impressed look. “Who came up with the name?”
“Ale.” Sofia smiled. “She’s a huge Roman and Greek mythology nerd and kind of infected me with it, unfortunately.”
Ilias chuckled. Then they fell into silence. A comfortable one, both of them watching the sun set beyond the horizon, casting golden hues around them. It was beautiful, magical, and surprisingly peaceful.
“See? We’re not that bad together,” Ilias said after a while. “I think this could work. A tiny price to pay for reputation and money.”
Sofia rolled her eyes and scoffed. “Yeah, it’s not that bad when you don’t act all cocky.”
“I’m sorry, it’s part of my default charm. You’ll get to love it.” He chuckled. Then he called for the waiter. “Could you take a picture of us, please?”
The young girl nodded as Ilias motioned for Sofia to sit on his lap. She was about to protest, but he shot her a warning look toward the waiter.
Right. They had to fake it.
So she sat sideways, wrapped her arms around his neck, and leaned her head against his. His strong arms hugged her closer.
“Diz 'xis'!” The waiter smiled.
Ilias turned his head and pressed a soft kiss to her cheek. Such a simple, harmless gesture, and yet her entire bodybetrayed her. Heat shot through her chest, blooming up her neck and down her spine until even her fingertips tingled.
Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. It was just a kiss. On the cheek. From a man who probably didn’t even think twice about it. And still, her pulse was racing like she’d run a marathon.
As soon as the waitress handed the phone back, Sofia pulled away and sat back in her chair.
“Look, we can use this one,” he said, showing his phone. Sofia took it and for a moment, she was at a loss of words. She could have fooled even herself if she hadn’t known it was all fake. The way her arms wrapped around his neck. The flush on her cheek. Her smile. Wait, was she actually smiling? Impossible.
Ilias snapped her out of it. “Who’s going to post it?”
“Who has more followers? Maybe that would help,” Sofia asked, giving back the phone trying to pretend nothing had happened.
Nothing has fucking happened, Sofia. Santo cielo.
“No idea. Let me check.”
Sofia did the same, and nearly choked on her beer. “You have 10 million followers, Ilias?”
“Why do you sound surprised? I’m a very hot Olympic gold medalist.” He chuckled.
Sofia frowned, not answering. Why hadn’t she checked that before? Why didn’t she notice it when she stalked him after the clean up?Maybe because you were checking out his abs in the first pictures?She wasn’t that different from her mother, thirsting over him.
