by E. M. Irons
I looked back to see him watching me go.
5
"Rise and shine, sunshine!” I was knocking on Elliot’s door at exactly eight. I’d already eaten breakfast, stolen three apples and was ready to go.
There was some noise inside the cabin, and finally the door opened. Elliot had his phone in his ear and was gesturing to me to get inside.
“So far it’s good.” He was laughing. “Not my fault, Daisy, I’m two hours ahead and I’m not sure I’ll have a signal later.”
Daisy. What a pretty name. Was she his girlfriend?
“Yeah, yeah, send the guys hello for me. And keep me posted about that douchebag, worst-case scenario me and your brother can go have some words with him. And probably Will. Maybe Arthur, if we promise not to get caught. Ok, bye. Love you too.”
He hung up and looked at me, still standing by the door.
“You can come in. I’m just going to get my wallet and we’re ready to go."
I looked over the room, and it was bigger than mine and it had a window. Wait. It was not a window…
“Is that a veranda?" I practically squealed and crossed the room.
“Yeah." He followed me out.
“Oh my God, this is amazing. I would eat breakfast every day here. Order food and just watch the view. You’re so lucky!”
The breeze caressed my skin and made my maxi dress billowed around my legs.
“We can have breakfast here another day. If you’d like.” Elliot’s voice was low.
“Really? That would be awesome.” I beam at him.
“Sure. But right now we should go. Kusadasi is waiting, and I’m certain you have a long list of places to visit.”
“You already know me so well.” I joke with him.
We left his cabin and walked towards the ferries. I was super excited to have company for the day, and I was crossing my fingers, hoping he would enjoy our day. Getting in and out of the ferry was easy, with Elliot by my side, helping me climb over. Every time his hand held mine, or he gripped my arm, I had to take a deep breath. He was warm, and he made me feel warm.
I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to be feeling anything towards Elliot, because I was in a relationship not even a week ago. Maybe a harmless flirtation was just a happy surprise. Or so I kept telling myself.
On shore, I opened my notebook and showed him my plans, and he just bowed his head and gestured for me to go. We got a taxi and 15 minutes later we began our day in the archaeological site of Ephesus, seeing the ruins, then we headed up into the hills to the house of the Virgin Mary, then the Temple of Hadrian, the Marble Street and the Celsus Library. It was probably boring for him, but I was so happy that I kept talking about history, the myths and the societies long gone. I loved history. It was my major and post-grad studies, and I truly believed we could learn a lot from studying the past.
“How do you know so much about this?” Elliot sounded curious.
“My post grad focused on archaeological findings and how we can learn from past mistakes. Plus some restoration. I mean, not even a hundred years ago Hitler made the same mistake - and thank God he did - that Napoleon did. Trying to conquer Russia in the middle of the winter was never a good idea. Imagine what we can learn from societies that were here thousands of years ago. Or more.” I was passionately speaking and not even a little embarrassed.
“That’s an interesting point of view."
“Yeah, and it works in your world as well.”
“My world?”
“The business world. I bet you have case studies of companies that did well or that went bankrupt. It’s kind of the same."
He looked at me curiously.
“You’re full of surprises, Olivia.”
I shrugged my shoulders, but I could sense his eyes on me while we walked.
“If we have the time, we could do one of the Jeep Safaris. If you don’t mind getting a little dirty.”
“Well, I love me some dirty stuff.”
Was that an innuendo? I raised an eyebrow and met his eyes, twinkling blue seas, filled with mischief.
“I just walked into that one, didn’t I?”
This time, he laughed out loud. “You did.”
Who would have guessed that the serious and responsible man I met drunk had this sense of humour?
“But it does sound fun. That safari.”
“And there are waterfalls, lunch with pide in a little café and Zeus Cave.”
“Pide?”
“Think of it as Turkish pizza. Or pizza bread?”
“I’m down for any kind of pizza.”
“A man after my own heart.”
I raised my hand for a high five, and after clapping my hand, we followed the signs to exit the archaeological site. Once again we were in the back of a taxi, riding towards the next adventure, but this time we sat a little closer, our hands almost touching in the backseat.
It felt wrong being so close to him, so I scooted sideways, almost plastering myself to the door. Sensing my discomfort, he placed his hands on his lap and looked at the window.
At the meeting point for the safari, he didn’t let me pay for my ticket, saying that the company would pay for it. And so we found ourselves in the back of an open jeep, dirt flying around and music playing on the speakers. The road for National Park was more of a small path and quite bumpy, with trees by one side and a slope on the other, and I had no qualms to grab Elliot’s hand and hold it for dear life. I needed some reassurance that I would not be thrown from the open moving car. His thumb caressed my wrist, calming me. We stopped halfway there to eat the famous Pide in this small café, and the sheer amount of carbs and cheese made me a happier person. Back on the road, Elliot held my hand again, this time on his own accord, and I was glad, because it was a bumpy ride. It was all worth it when we saw the waterfalls and later Zeus Cave.
The cave had the bluest water I ever laid eyes on, and everyone was already taking off shirts and shorts to dive in. I pulled my maxi dress over my head, rolling it to stow away in my bag, and that’s when I saw Elliot watching me. His eyes held something different, like there was a fire in it, and I kept watching as he took his shirt off and his torso came into view. I don’t know how or when he had the time to workout, but he certainly was a frequent gym member, if that body was any sign. I cleared my throat, looked around, and finally spoke to him.
“Do you want to give me your shirt? I can put it in my bag…"
“I appreciate it.” He came over and handed me the shirt, our fingers touching and electricity sparking.
I was so screwed.
“Let’s go see what Zeus liked about this cave."
He followed me to the edge, where I dipped my toe to check the temperature.
“Oh shit, it's freezing.”
He crouched and touched the water.
“It’s not so bad.”
“Yes, it is. Go for it, I’ll just wait over here.”
“Oh no, you won’t.”
He rose and grabbed me by the thighs, throwing me over his shoulder in a fireman grip.
“Elliot, put me down!”
He was laughing while I tried to wrestle my way out of his hold, and he kept walking as if I weighed nothing, straight to the deep end of the water. Waist deep, he allowed me to slide from his shoulders, my front brushing his slowly, and suddenly he had his hands around my waist and was submerging us both in the cold water. I came out for air before he did, free from his hold and hot all over. Sighting, I watched him emerge, like Zeus coming out of the water. If Zeus was a thirty something year old human man.
“Not nice, Mr. funny pants, not nice."
“It’s called shock therapy. I was doing you a favour.”
“Yeah, right.”
We traded water, circling each other, floating around.
“Didn’t want you to regret not swimming in Zeus Cave when you’re back home.”
I splashed him a little and rolled my eyes.
“Eventually I'd get in.”
<
br /> “Keep telling yourself that, shorty.”
We swam a little more, climbed the rocks, jumped in again, floated, until our arms were tired. Only then we left the cave and went in search of the sun to dry us, lying on the grass. I got my stolen apples out of my bag and shared them with him. Munching, I decided to ask him something that was on my mind all day.
“So… Your girlfriend doesn’t mind you spending the day with me?"
“Girlfriend?” He sounded confused.
“Yeah, that girl you were on the phone this morning.”
He choked on his apple, laughed, choked again, and I slapped him on the back, giving him my water bottle. He took a long sip, gave it back, looked me over, and laughed some more.
“What?!” I was losing my patience.
“Daisy isn’t my girlfriend. She’s my cousin.”
“Oh.”
My face was on fire and if there was any place I could hide, I would gladly do so. I should have kept my mouth shut. It was becoming a horrible habit to blurt out or ask anything to Elliot.
“Oh indeed.” He had a secret smile on. “I don’t have a girlfriend.”
I bit my lips, looking at the fruit in my hand.
“I’m not engaged and I’m not married as well.” He continued.
“Okay.”
“Okay.”
The tour guide and driver called our group so we could begin our journey back. We had almost an hour on the road, and that would leave us near the port around six in the afternoon, with two hours to spare and maybe we could walk around a little.
Looking at the passing view, I was quiet, feeling foolish for wanting to know so much, and for having expectations about a man I met two days ago. I wasn’t looking for anything, I had just got out of a relationship, and that was all bullshit.
I was happier and more at ease with Elliot than I’ve been for the last six months with James, and that told me something about that relationship that I was not yet prepared to admit.
“I’m sorry for laughing.” Elliot was speaking quietly near my ear. “It's just that Daisy would’ve got a kick out of that.”
I looked over my shoulder, right in his eyes, giving him a timid smile. “It's all right."
His eyes kept bouncing around my face, and he slowly nodded, leaning on his seat, and, unhurriedly, held my hand again, caressing it. I blinked and looked at our joined hands, his bigger than mine, and tanner.
“Thank you for a wonderful day.” He said, so low that I almost didn’t hear it.
“Thanks for the company.”
The rest of the way was uneventful, and we agreed to walk around for half an hour to see the souq. I watched him bargain for some presents, and I wandered a little far, looking at a shop filled with unique Turkish shoes. The owner kept looking me over and I was getting annoyed when I felt a hand settle on my lower back, and Elliot’s presence by my side.
“Hello, mister.” The owner of the shop finally approached us.
“Good afternoon.” Elliot was distant and polite.
“Mister, how much for the girl?”
“Excuse me?” I must have heard that wrong.
“Arzu is looking for a wife, and the miss is beautiful. You family, yes? Let’s talk dowry.”
“The miss is not getting married, sorry.” I spoke.
“But miss, you'd like to be here. Nice girl, nice shop, nice wedding."
“Thank you, but no.”
Elliot’s hand came around my waist and pulled me closer.
“She’s mine.” His voice sounded hard.
I was his?
“Oh, sorry, mister. So sorry.” He looked apologetic. “You have a cousin, miss? Pretty nice cousin?”
I spat a laugh, surprised by the entire exchange. “No cousin, sorry.”
“I watched the show 90 days fiancé. Maybe Arzu can find a bride, yes? American bride or English bride.”
“Good luck with that.” Elliot grunted, pulling me away from the store.
I was so stunned that my mouth kept opening and closing with no sound at all coming out of it. And then suddenly I was laughing so much that some tears were running down my face.
“Olivia? Are you ok?” Elliot turned me to face him.
“Yeah!” I kept laughing. “I can’t believe that just happened!"
He grunted, scratching his forehead.
“Was I going to be traded for camels?”
God, I couldn’t breathe.
“That’s why travelling is fantastic! I almost got sold in a market."
“You did not almost get sold. Give me some credit.”
I was wheezing, doubling over my knees.
“How… much… is a camel?”
“Jesus Christ.”
Elliot grabbed my hand and dragged me out of the souq, until we found a little cafe. He sat me down in a chair - I was still giggling like a lunatic - and went inside. When he got back, carrying a tray, I was almost in control of myself.
“Here, I got some Turkish coffee and delights.”
“Thanks.” I had an idiotic smile on my face.
“Better?” He sat in front of me.
“Yes, sir.”
He poured the coffee and gave me a cup. I sighed, looking at him, all serious and adorable. After a couple of sips and devouring two Turkish delights, I managed to speak without creaking up again.
“You know, I never thought that I would get a proposal from someone I never met. Especially so soon after a break-up.“
“Those damn reality shows.” He mumbled.
“One more thing to write about in my travel journal."
He squinted at me. “You have a travel journal?”
“I do. It’s a great way to keep memories alive. My grandma used to do that, and, one year, when she took me to Spain, I started doing it too.”
“Do you have many journals?"
“Not as many as I would like, but some, yeah.”
“Can I read it?”
“Hell no. It’s personal.”
“What do you write in them?”
“Things I saw, what I learned, people I met.”
His eyes flashed. “Did you write about me?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” I grinned.
His mouth twitched, and we were silent, enjoying the sound around us, the water lapping the shore, the foreign language and the city.
“Time to go back.” Elliot was looking at his watch.
He rose, left some money at the table, and held his hand for me. We walked all the way back to ferries like that, swinging our hands between us.
Back on the cruise, he walked me to my door, waiting for me to open it.
“I'll see you at dinner.” And he placed a soft kiss on my forehead.
I dropped my bag on the floor and sat on the bed. I scrubbed my face, looking at myself in the mirror, trying to see what Elliot saw. Today has been intense. And I don’t mean the amount of things we saw, or how much we walked, but right now I was choosing to escape it all and to put all the messy thoughts in the back of my mind and get ready to eat away my feelings.
After a long and hot shower, some pampering, and finally picking a jumpsuit to wear, I left my cabin behind and went to the restaurant. I saw Elliot right away, leaning by the door, head bent down to his phone, a line between his eyebrows. On an impulse, I made my way toward him, and when he looked up, I smoothed the crease with my index finger.
“You'll get a permanent mark on your forehead with all that frowning."
“Good thing I have someone taking care of that.” He gave a half-smile.
“Are you waiting for someone?”
“You.”
“Oh.” I blinked.
“Shall we?” He straightened from the wall, coming to his full height.
He was at least 6 feet, but I would give him a couple of inches more. And yet, he was not threatening at all; he was just comfortably big. Placing a hand on my shoulder, we passed by the hostess with a nod and went right to our table, with every
one already seated.
“Good evening.” Elliot greeted everyone and pulled my chair.
“Hey.” I smiled, sitting down.
“So, tell us, Elliot, how was your day with Olivia?"
And so we began recounting the day trip to Kusadasi.
6
I was surprised to learn that Elliot wanted to keep up with the plan and visit the islands with me. I really believed he was going to give up and give me some bullshit excuse to bail. Instead, we agreed on having breakfast together before leaving the ship, so we could define our plans and settle on what to do. I didn’t want Elliot to feel like this was my trip and he was just tagging along; I was curious to learn the places he wanted to see as well. So, at half past seven I was knocking on his door, this time with a backpack, wearing shorts and a shirt. I was greeted by him and a wonderful smell of coffee, and walking in, I saw the table on the veranda heaped with food and drinks.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I ordered room service."
“Are you kidding? This is amazing!”
I dropped my bag by his bed and gave him a hug.
“Good morning to you too.” I could hear his chest rumbling with laughter.
His hand swept my head and found its place between my shoulder blades. “Breakfast on the veranda is ok, then?”
“Super ok.” I pulled away and beamed at him.
“I didn’t know what to order, so it’s a little bit of everything.”
“It looks great, thanks.”
We sat and shared the food, swapping plates and drinks, so we could try it all.
“What are the plans for the day?” He asked, forking the last of a pancake.
“That’s what I want to know. Is there anything you'd like to do?”
He leaned back, a mug of coffee between both of his hands.
“Well, a friend suggested two restaurants, one called Astivi, and the other called Loza. It’s in Hora, so we could have lunch over there. And if we’re early, we can try to swim in Psili Ammos Beach.”
“Sounds great! Can we squeeze in the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian?"
“Absolutely. And we can do the Cave of the Apocalypse, of course.”
“Really?” My eyes were sparkling.
“Yes, Miss history post grad. I also researched some and found out that Skala has some ruins of an ancient acropolis, if you’d like.”