Chapter 1

Sal peered into the bathroom mirror and patted some more powder foundation onto her nose and cheeks to cover up the sprinkling of freckles there that always frustrated her so much. She put down the powder puff and picked up her mascara, applying a thick coating of the makeup, which made her lashes look longer and her eyes more piercing. She had always considered her eyes to be one of her most appealing features. They were such an unusual shade. Although they were predominantly dark blue, flashes of green could be seen in them at times, depending on her mood. She stood back to assess the results of her labour.

“Sally Fitzroy-Smith, airport supervisor on the sunny island of Crete, almost ready for duty,” she said to her reflection. She turned to glance out of the window briefly and then shrugged, swinging her head back to the mirror. “Sunny day, nothing different there, would love to go to the beach right now but alas, needed at airport shortly for touristic commitments. Time,” she looked at her watch, “twelve fifteen, day...oh hell! Twelve fifteen! I’m late!” She grabbed her brush from off the sink and dashed for the door, pausing very briefly to shout to the mirror, “Still waiting for my Mr Mind-Shattering man by the way!”

In the bedroom, she threw on her airport clothes as quickly as she possibly could and ran a brush through her shiny, auburn hair. When she had begun the summer season as airport supervisor that year she had decided to adopt a more classy, sophisticated look to fit the part, and she considered her new hair cut to be an addition to her transformation. She liked the fashionable, sexy bob that she now wore, and it suited her lively, outgoing personality. She quickly surveyed the finished results, her smart, figure hugging, navy blue skirt, pale green blouse, which accentuated the colour in her eyes, her high heeled stiletto shoes and the blue and green neck tie which she hated wearing, but which made her look the part all the same. Although her clothes, shoes and makeup all epitomized a classic airport staff member, her freckles, eyes and hair betrayed the true Sal. She was anything but run of the mill; Sal was different, fun, and often quirky, but most of all Sal was unique.

“Hmm, not bad,” she said to herself, backing away from the mirror but pausing for thought before she left the room. “Hold on, you may be starting to look too much like one of them.” She pointed a chastising finger at herself in the mirror. “Tonight you are putting on the most outrageously sexy little dress and going wild in town.” Narrowing her eyes at her new, reserved looking reflection, she chuckled and stuck out her tongue to herself before grabbing her handbag and leaving for the airport.

Sal jumped into her bright yellow Cinquecento, which was parked outside her apartment, and turned the key in the ignition. The car shuddered for a moment and then fell silent.

“Oh no please, not now Bobby. Come on mate, work for me please!” she begged, stroking the steering wheel for a while before starting up the car again.

There were a few heart stopping moments when she thought that it was going to refuse to start, before it hummed into life and she breathed a sigh of relief, pulling out into the road. She had spent what remained of her savings at the end of last summer to buy the car, but now that she had been promoted, she had contemplated on several occasions trading the car in for a more reliable model. Every time she thought about giving up her beloved Bobby however, she pictured it being mangled and squashed into a metal cube, and so the car had remained in her possession, and she had resigned herself to coaxing and cajoling it to start up every morning.

She turned onto the main highway, which ran alongside the east coast of the island to Heraklion airport, and put her foot to the floor. Reaching into her glovebox she pulled out a CD and slotted it into the CD player, turning the volume up full blast as she sped around the bends in the road which was cut into the mountainside. She made it to the outskirts of Heraklion in record time but was dismayed to find as she approached the airport that the road slowly became more and more congested, forcing her to slow the car down. She spent a frustrating ten minutes crawling towards the airport until eventually the road widened and split into several lanes, allowing more traffic to move past the busy town centre. At the last set of traffic lights before she could turn into the airport, Sal stopped, waiting for the lights to turn green and glancing out of the window at the car next to her. Her eyes immediately came into direct contact with a cheeky pair of chocolate ones as the man in the adjacent car grinned and winked at her. She did a double take and laughed, blowing him a kiss and speeding off suddenly when the lights changed.

“See ya later sexy Greek guy!” she shouted out of the window as she passed him.

At the airport, she faced a buzz of activity by the outside desk as the reps crowded around Adam, the company manager who had been organizing the coaches and transfers of the guests since early that morning.

“Sal, thank God! Sort this lot out for me will you? I have to go now, I said I’d meet Fay and she’ll think I’ve forgotten her,” a flustered Adam appealed to Sal.

“No problem, but I thought this lot would have left on the coaches before now, hasn’t the Gatwick flight landed yet?” she asked in confusion.

“Afraid not, there’s a delay, but you can get more details from the handler’s office inside. Good luck,” he said, leaving the situation in her capable hands.

Adam had been surprised at how quickly Sal had got to grips with the airport work, and when Fay had suggested that he promote her best friend to airport supervisor, he had decided to give it a go. Sal hadn’t let him down, and it had given him more time to spend with the new love of his life, Fay.

Sal delegated work out to the reps that were standing around the desk and disappeared into the airport, heading for the office upstairs to find out more details about the delayed flight.

OXOXO

Nick Elliot stepped onto the runway into the blazing Cretan sunshine and gave a whoop of delight.

Back at last. He loved that place!

As he boarded the shuttle bus, he took out is mobile phone to send a message to Jen, his girlfriend back in London who was going to join him at the end of the week.

I’m here and it’s the best feeling ever! You had better hurry up and get here or I’ll find someone else to enjoy the sunshine with!

He laughed light-heartedly but then hesitated after reading the message for a second time.

Oh damn, she was so bloody moody lately, he’d better change that bit.

He looked down at his phone, wondering what to put instead.

To hell with it!

He deleted the whole message and decided to text her later.

Hanging onto the rail as the bus swerved around the bends of the runway, he wondered if Adam would give him another job that year. Yeah, he probably would. He wasn’t half bad for a bloody executive, business owner type! He could see if he can tear him away from Fay for a bit to watch the football that night in The Wheelhouse. He could even make it into a guy’s night out… yeah, he could do with a good night out. Well, even if Adam couldn’t make it, Sal was always up for a fun night on the town. Bloody hell, she’d better still be there. He should have kept in touch with her really, it’s just that...

Nick gave some thought as to why he hadn’t contacted Sal over the winter that he had spent in London. If he was honest with himself, Sal had begun to linger in his thoughts a little too much for his liking at the end of the last season that he was on the island, and he had decided to put some distance between them, uncertain at the time if he would return to Crete at all. He had missed his life there however: the people he had met, his friends, and also, he had to admit it, Sal.

Finally Nick flashed his passport at the customs officer, retrieved his luggage, after a long, frustrating wait, and entered the busy airport building.

Right, he would see if he could hop on a transfer bus back to Agios Nikolaos. He really needed to sort out a motor bike rental as soon as he could too. He couldn’t wait to hit the open roads on a bike again! He would need to get some money together first though. Perhaps he’d see if he could get some transfer work while he was at the desks. The sooner he got work, the sooner he could get himself that bike.

He made his way outside to the transfer desks and scanned the line of booths for number eight, where he was hoping to see Adam. Unfortunately there was no sign of Adam though, but desk number eight was surprisingly busy and crowded with reps.

Bloody hell, Adam must be doing well that year. He’d taken on enough staff anyway!

At the desk, he asked one of the girls if she knew where the boss was. The girl looked at him with a horrified expression and stuttered and stammered before nervously admitting that it was her first day at work and pointing him in the direction of another rep.

Hell, you’d have thought he had two heads or something the way she jumped and looked at him! Maybe he was losing his touch with women; he seemed to be scaring them off!

Tapping another rep on the shoulder, he asked once more for the boss. The girl looked him up and down with interest and smiled.

Ah, that’s better. He must still have what it takes!

“She’s in the handler’s office upstairs inside,” the girl informed him.

He turned and dragged his suitcase back into the terminal building, hauling it up a set of stairs just beside the electric sliding doors.

‘She?’ Adam must have employed a new supervisor, and a woman too! He could have waited to give Nick the job!

He left his suitcase outside the office door and peered into the room. His eyes widened at what he saw. A woman with her back to him, bending over the desk and jotting something down on a piece of paper. The tight skirt she was wearing clung invitingly to her figure and revealed a shapely pair of tanned legs beneath it.

Mmmm, he might just forgive Adam after all for employing her! Sexy lady!

His jaw dropped in shock however when the woman stood up and turned slightly to speak to a man sitting at the other end of the room.

“So, do you think it will be delayed any more than this now? Or has the plane left the UK already?”

“Sal?” Nick said in amazement. “Is that you?”

Sal swung around to see Nick leaning against the doorframe, his face a picture of shocked surprise.

“Nick!” she grinned. “Oh my god! You’re back!”

“You look completely different Sal! You look fantastic!” he said, running his eyes over her.

She frowned. “Only just got back and already you’re insulting me! Hell I must have looked awful before then.”

“Just as much of a drama queen as ever, come here you crazy woman,” he replied, holding out his arms.

She tutted but then her face broke out into a smile and she ran to him, jumping into his arms with a squeal of delight.

“I can’t believe you’re back!” she laughed as he spun her around.

“Yep,” he put her down and took a closer look at her. “I like the new hairstyle, very sexy Sal. It suits you.” He laughed then. “However...”

She gave him a suspicious look.

“It’s not working you know.”

“What’s not working ?” she asked in confusion.

“Your attempts to cover up these,” he grinned, gesturing to the freckles on her face.

She narrowed her eyes at him. “I don’t know what you mean.”

He chuckled. “Sure. You can’t fool me you know Sal, I know you too well. You may have poshed yourself up but you’re still the same old Sal underneath.”

She huffed and pulled a face at him before moving back to the desk to the sound of his amused laugh.

“Want some advice?” he asked.

She collected a pile of papers together off the desk and glanced over her shoulder at him. “No, but I’m sure that you’re going to give me some anyway.”

“Leave the freckles alone; they look cute,” he smiled.

She sighed and smiled back at him. “So, how did you know that I’d be up here then?”

“I didn’t, it was a complete surprise. Came looking for the supervisor to ask for some transfer work and found you in the job!”

She gave him a smug look and turned to lean back against the desk, holding the papers in front of her.

“Yep, started last month as airport supervisor for Adam.”

“I’m impressed,” he said, watching her.

She jumped up then and grabbed her bag to pull out her mobile phone. “Hold on a sec.”

Dialing a number, she waited impatiently for someone to pick up.

“There you are! Do you think that you could answer the phone a little quicker next time? Listen, the plane isn’t due in for at least another hour so, if things are sorted out down there, you can tell the girls to go for a break...but make sure that you are all back in forty five minutes at the latest,” she added firmly, hanging up.

“So Nicholas, you’d like a job with us would you?” she said formally.

He shook his head at her.

What was she up to?

“Yes please Miss,” he came back politely.

“Hmmm,” she pretended to look thoughtful, chewing on the end of a pen. “We may have a vacancy. And you’re in luck...”

His face lit up.

“I just have enough time to conduct an interview for the position,” she finished, grinning at the way his expression changed.

Ooooh, she’s a cheeky one!

“Interview...of course. Go ahead,” he said, calling her bluff.

She sat down behind the desk and gestured for him to do the same. “Please, take a seat.”

He smiled sarcastically and sat down. Riffling through the paperwork she was holding, she found a piece of paper and took hold of her pen, letting the nib hover above the page.

“Name?” she asked, trying to keep a straight face.

“You know my name cheeky!” he replied incredulously.

She nodded and jotted something down.

“Age?” she grinned.

“Oh no you don’t, you don’t get to know my age. I’m youthful in outlook but experienced in almost all areas,” he said, leaving her to wonder if he was only referring to work.

She looked impressed but continued the questioning. “References?”

He smiled slowly. “Well, as I recall, a certain transfer rep I used to know assured me that I was the best transfer rep in the world. I think that’s a good enough reference, don’t you?”

She growled at him. “Hmm, I think that the said transfer rep must have been blackmailed into admitting that!”

He shook his head. “Not blackailed, just honest enough to admit the truth.”

She growled again and threw the pen at him. “Okay, okay Mr Smug, you can have the job.”

He laughed and she laughed with him.

Fun In The Sun chapter 2

Nick and Sal made their way out of the airport and into the sunshine, heading for desk number eight.

"Tell you what, I'll order you a uniform tomorrow and you can start next week Nick if that's okay with you," Sal suggested.

"Great, I need some cash a.s.a.p. Want to sort out a bike to get me around on...and to go out for voltas of course," he added.

She smiled. "Of course. So it will be the most expensive, flashy bike going that you'll be wanting then for your road trips."

"How did you guess?" he grinned.

She screwed her nose up at him. "Just a hunch!"

"I don't suppose I could get a lift back on a coach could I Sal? A taxi is going to cost me a small fortune," Nick pointed out.

"Well..." Sal began, seemingly unsure but then adding with a smile, "go on then, seen as it's you."

"You're a brick Sal," Nick said, throwing an arm around her shoulder.

"Okay, chop chop girls, plane's due to land any time now. You, you and you," Sal said pointing to three of the girls when they reached the desk, "you three can meet and greet at the arrivals door and the rest of you can find the coaches for me."

Nick widened his eyes at her. "Very assertive Sal, you almost sound as if you know what you're doing!"

She pulled a face at him. "Do you want that lift back to Agios Nick or not?"

He cringed. "Okay, I'll shut up now."

She nodded. "Wise."

The crowds of reps dispersed and went to their duties leaving one girl standing by the desk with a lost, bewildered look.

"Oh, hello," Sal smiled at her. "You must be new. Sally Fitzroy-Smith," she said, holding out her hand. The girl looked back blankly at Sal with terrified eyes. "And you are?" Sal prompted her.

"I'm here to do a transfer," the girl said in a small voice.

Sal's eyes swung to Nick's as he stood there smirking.

"Yes, I had gathered that but I was just wondering what your name was," Sal asked with a touch of impatience.

"Oh," the girl looked mortified, "My name is Freeda. My Dad is German," she added quickly, feeling that she should justify the name.

Nick chuckled to himself and Sal turned to him with a frown, kicking him under the counter.

"Well Freeda why don't you go to arrivals with the other girls and they'll show you how to greet the guests?" Sal suggested.

Freeda looked panic stricken and Sal pointed to the entrance doors, encouraging her to go.

"It's over there, don't worry."

Freeda left reluctantly and Nick burst into laughter as she went. "Good luck with her Sal!"

Sal groaned. "Do you really think she's capable of doing a transfer Adam? What were you thinking?" she said to an invisible Adam.

"Err, Sal. I think you may have finally lost your mind! I'm Nick remember, not Adam," he teased.

"Oh shut up stupid, I wasn't talking to you!" she came back. "As if I haven't got enough on my plate. Why don't you just go and sit over there somewhere until the coach is ready to leave."

"Okay, okay! Who got out of bed on the wrong side this morning?" he said over his shoulder as he moved away.

She rolled her eyes at him but smiled afterwards, she really was glad to see him again.

Several minutes later the guests began to come trickling out of the arrivals door towards the desk and coaches. Sal directed the lost tourists to the correct coach numbers and filled in the forms for the people who had decided to make their own way to the hotels and apartments. Nick sat on a seat outside the airport, opposite desk eight, and watched Sal with amused interest.

Well what do you know; she's not half bad at this!

Sal glanced at her watch and calculated that the next flight of guests from Manchester would be landing in ten minutes. She then had a difficult decision to make. Should she send the already half filled coaches from the Gatwick flight off to the resorts or should she wait for the Manchester flight to land and finish filling the coaches with those passengers as well? It would be at least another fifteen minutes, maybe more, until the Manchester guests came out of the airport. Could she get away with making the Gatwick passengers wait? If so it would save Adam the extra expense of making the coaches return to the airport for a second time. As Sal stood there contemplating what to do next one of the reps came running over to her from the coach park.

"Sal someone is sending the guests to the wrong coaches, it's chaos over there!" the girl said, trying to catch her breath.

Sal ran a hand through her hair. "Bloody hell, it's bound to be the new girl. Here, take this," she said, handing the rep a sheet of paper, "it shows you which coaches the guests should be on. Try to direct them as best you can and I'll go stop Freeda before she gets us all the sack!"

Sal grabbed her handbag and turned to run across the road to the arrivals doors but in her haste she failed to see the airport trolley behind her and stumbled on it, grasping the handle to steady herself but sliding onto the floor nonetheless. She growled and pulled herself up quickly, looking around her to see if anyone had noticed. Nick watched her and chuckled to himself before straightening his face and turning away when Sal noticed that he had seen her stumble. She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously and strolled towards the airport, past the chair he was sitting on. He looked up at her with a grin as she gritted her teeth with annoyance and embarrassment, kicking his feet as she passed.

"Did you have a nice trip?" he shouted after her, laughing loudly.

She ignored him and disappeared behind the crowds of tourists, giggling to herself once out of Nick's sight.

Ahh, there goes the entertainment, Nick thought to himslef when she'd gone.

Sal rushed into over to the arrivals door and collected Freeda, deciding that it would be wiser to ask her to direct lost guests from the desk so that she could keep an eye on her. When she returned to the desk however there were another two reps there who were confused and panicked by the extra guests who had been wrongly directed to their coaches. To make matters worse her phone rang in the midst of the chaos and the rep on the other end informed her that a guest who was departing soon had lost their ticket.

Damn! Not now! How the hell was she supposed to be in a million places at once?

"Listen I have to pop off to departures," she said to the reps that were standing next to her. "Can you..." she began, but stopped when it hit her that she couldn't possibly leave the situation as it was at the desk and in the coach park.

She closed her eyes and tried to think amongst the noise and mayhem. An idea came to her then but she pushed it out of her mind, desperately striving to come up with an alternative solution to her dilemma. Finally, when a second phone call came in from departures again she was forced to resign herself to the only option that was left to her, she looked across to Nick and wondered how he would react to a plea for help from her. He knew the job well and would be able to straighten out the mess whilst she went to sort out a replacement ticket in departures.

Nick watched Sal put a hand to her head in frustration as the reps flapped and fussed around her. The phone call had obviously not helped, neither had the new rep who had clearly caused some kind of problem in the coach park. Observing Sal's look of panic Nick actually began to feel sorry for her. Knowing Sal she was trying to impress people in her role as airport supervisor but, although Nick had no doubt that she could do the job, chaos never failed to follow Sal around. He could offer to help out but...no, he'd rather wait for her to ask him. His sense of fun and mischief prompted him sit there watching her struggle with the decision. He grinned as she began to walk towards him, only to hesitate and look back towards the desk with second thoughts. She sighed deeply, reluctant to ask him for help and preparing herself for the jibes that were bound to follow. Before she could change her mind she strode across the gap and stopped in front of him with her arms crossed defensively.

"Look, they need me in departures," she said abruptly.

"Right..."

"And..." she faltered.

"And?" he questioned.

"Well it's really busy over there," she pointed out.

"I can see that," he said unhelpfully.

His eyes connected with hers making her edgy.

He could offer to help, he can see the situation! But no, instead he just chooses to enjoy watching her struggle! And she thought he was a friend!

"Never mind," she said, her pride prompting her to turn and walk away.

"Hey Sal," he called out, "for what it's worth, I'm impressed. I think you're doing a great job!"

Her expression changed. "You do?"

Ah, don't be mean. She was trying to impress him and it wasn't her fault. He should ust help her out, she was his friend.

"Sure, but I told you that the new girl would be a handful."

She contemplated him for a moment. "She is. I'm a bit stuck at the moment to be honest."

"Hmm, I can see that."

She tried to figure out what he was thinking.

"Nick," she began after a few seconds.

"Yes," he replied, smiling at her.

She fiddled with her neck tie and averted her eyes. "You know how we used to be friends."

"Still are I thought," he corrected her.

"Yes. Anyway, you're about the only person here who has a lot of experience with this sort of stuff," she hinted.

"I guess I do."

She sighed. "So will you help me out or not?"

"Of course," he said, rising off the chair, "you only had to ask."

Her face lit up.

"On one condition though," he added.

Her face fell.

"What?" she asked warily.

"Well, I wonder what I can get out of this," he grinned.

She huffed and rolled her eyes at him. "Knowing you it will involve taking some sort of clothes off for experimental purposes!"

He raised an eyebrow. "Actually I hadn't thought of that, a good idea though Sal. But no, I was just thinking, if you could sum me up as rep in a few words how would you describe me?"

"Smug," she smiled. "Yes, that sums you up as a rep nicely...and I only needed one word too!"

"Hmm, wrong answer," he said, moving to sit back down.

"Okay, okay," she sighed, contemplating her next answer. "You're confident," she settled on.

"Not exactly the answer I was looking for. The reps are waiting and the guests look like they are ready to snap," he warned her.

She looked behind her nervously.

"Bloody hell Nick, sometimes I seriously hate you! Okay, you're the best rep in the world! Now get over there and sort it all out, I'm needed in departures," she said, storming away.

He laughed and shouted after her," I love you too Sal. Oh and by the way you could have withdrawn the offer of a bus ride home to get me to do it!"

Fun in the Sun chapter 3

When Sal returned to the desk half an hour later she was relieved to see that the first coach must have been organised as it was pulling out of the coach park.

"Were all the correct guests on board then?" she asked Nick.

"Yep," he smiled. "We are just waiting for a couple more for the other two coaches now but I have a feeling that they may have got taxis. I have a rep searching the arrivals area now for any lost looking people but if there appears to be no more left then I think that we should let the coaches go."

"Yes, the guests have waited long enough now," she agreed. "Thanks for that."

"No problem. Departures all sorted out?" he asked.

"Yep, they have all gone through passport control now so I'm almost done here," she said with relief.

Finally the rep returned from inside the airport shaking her head. "There's no one left from the Manchester flight in there," she informed Sal.

"Okay, you can go to your coach now then and tell the other reps they can go too."

"Great, see you next Tuesday Sal. Bye," the rep said, running across the coach park.

"Come on," Sal said, turning to Nick, "since you did help me out I'll save you the monotony of a transfer coach ride and give you a lift back in my car."

"Ooh, you have a car now, very posh!" he teased, watching her pack away the forms and files.

"It's not posh at all, it's just Bobby. But I'm considering trading him in," she said, jumping with a squeal and dropping the papers in her hands when someone tapped her on the shoulder from behind.

"Err, sorry but which coach should I go on?" Freeda asked meekly.

"Oh hell!" Sal exclaimed, running towards the last coach which was backing out of it's parking space.

She managed to get the attention of the irritable coach driver who reluctantly stopped and opened the passenger door so that she could talk to the rep in the guide's seat.

"Sorry sweet but could you take Freeda on your coach and show her the ropes?" she asked.

The girl groaned but nodded and Sal turned to gesture Freeda over to the coach, however at that point Freeda's attention was well and truely glued to Nick. She stood staring dreamily at him as he picked up the fallen papers and placed them back in the files. Sal chuckled and yelled loudly across the coach park.

"Earth calling Freeda! Your coach is about to go!"

A startled Freeda swung around and hesitated before heading in Sal's direction when she urged her to make haste. Sal waved the coach off and returned to Nick, giggling to herself at the way Freeda had been gazing at him.

"Are we finally ready to go? I need a shower and change of clothes and then I'm hitting the bars," Nick said, handing Sal the files.

"Yep, let's go. Where are you staying by the way?" she asked, as they headed towards her car in the car park behind the coaches.

"Well, you know how we are best friends and all," he began.

"Oh no! We aren't that good friends, you're not staying with me Nicholas!" she said firmly.

"Why, would you find it hard to keep your hands off me Sal?" he joked.

"No, but an apartment full of smelly socks and beer cans I could do without!" she retorted.

"Ahh Sal, crush a man's dreams I should!" he laughed. "I'm only kidding anyway, I have booked into The Apollo for a few days until I sort out somewhere more permanent."

They reached the car and she opened the door, leaning her arms on the edge of the window to talk to him before they got in.

"Want to know a secret?" she asked mysteriously.

He looked interested. "Go on."

"Well..." she began, making him wait, "someone here today has a secret crush on you."

His eyes widened and his heart lurched as he watched a slow smile spread across her face.

Bloody hell Sal, she never failed to surprise him! Would she admit it there and then?

"Has this person had this said crush for a while then?" he asked, feeling his pulse racing.

She shook her head. "No, I think realisation just hit her today."

"Oh." He wasn't expecting that.

"So you be nice to Freeda eh Nick, and don't let on that I told you anything," she said, sliding into the driver's seat and leaving Nick with a look of disappointment on his face.

Chapter 4

"I can see why you're thinking of trading this in," Nick said, squashing himself into the front seat of Sal's Cinquecento.

Sal giggled at the sight of his long, muscular body all scrunched up in her car.

"Here, Fay's been in that seat but she's not quite as big as you. Think you could do with putting the seat back," she said, pulling the bar underneath the chair and sending Nick flying backwards.

"Oh! Thanks Sal," he said sarcastically, readjusting himself in the chair. "My advice is trade it in!"

"Yeah but I love my Bobby," she said, hugging the steering wheel, "I'd miss him so much," she giggled.

Nick glanced at her in disbelief. "Sal, it's a hunk of metal not a real guy. God, we really have to find you a man soon, either that or a very good shrink!"

"Don't listen to him," she said, stroking the dashboard and talking to the car, "he obviously doesn't understand the real you like I do."

Nick shook his head at her.

Definitely think she was beyond help! An absolute one off was Sal!

She crossed her fingers and started the car, hoping to God that it wouldn't let her down in front of Nick. To her amazement, it started first time and she pulled out of the car park and onto the main road without incident.

"So, how was the winter for you then?" Sal asked.

"Hmm, okay I guess. I got to see my dad a bit, which I needed to do, and Jen wanted me to meet her family and friends. But I'm glad to be back," he said, gazing out of the window.

Sal turned to Nick with surprise. "Ohh, got to meet the in laws then. Sounds like it's getting serious."

"Hmm," he responded, staying non committal.

"So where is Jen now then Nick?" Sal enquired.

"She'll be here at the weekend; she's spending the remainder of the week with her folks," he replied casually, proceeding by changing the subject. "Anyway, how have you been since I last saw you Sal? Met any nice men lately?"

"Well, lots of men, none of them nice though," she said, pulling a face. "Anyway, I'm glad you're back too," she added.

"You are?" he said with surprise.

"Of course. Been a bit lonely over the winter to tell you the truth. Adam has been wining and dining Fay to death. They're still completely besotted with each other, makes you sick!" she laughed.

"Yeah, I gathered that from the messages he sent me."

"Oh, that reminds me, how come you never kept in touch with me while you were over there mister? You promised that you would e mail me!" she accused him.

He looked awkward then as he frantically tried to come up with a response.

"Err, it was difficult," he began, cringing inwardly at the look on Sal's face. He sounded as if he was making excuses and he knew it, but how could he explain the real reason to her? He wasn't sure that he could explain it to himself. He had wanted to get her out of his mind but telling her that would only upset her, and that was the last thing he wanted to do. Sal confused him; she threw him off balance. She was both an alluring temptation to him but he also valued the friendship that had developed between them. And she had this way of making him feel like an utter bastard for feeling anything other than friendship for her. Although he was convinced that she hadn't a clue about some of the thoughts that went through his head when they were together! "I missed you of course but I didn't have a fantastic time of it back there to tell the truth, and I didn't want to bore you with all my moaning."

"Hey," she said, putting a hand over his, "we're friends remember? You can bore me as much as you like. I want to know if my friend is unhappy."

He smiled. "Thanks Sal, but I'm happy now, now that I'm back here anyway."

"Me too," she smiled back at him. "Hey, you know what we need?” she began, lightening the mood, “some seriously good tunes. There’s a CD case on the back seat; take your pick,” she offered. “But make it upbeat and fun,” she amended with a smile.

“With you Sal, how could it be anything else?” he laughed, reaching behind himself, grabbing the CD case and flicking through her CD’s. He had to admit, she didn’t have bad taste in music. In the end though, he gave up searching for anything specific and put faith in her music collection by choosing a random compilation CD and slotting it into the CD player.

When the music began, Sal did a little whoop of delight and turned up the volume as high as it would go, as she always did.

“One of my favourite songs,” she shouted above the music, “It describes my ‘mind shattering man’ perfectly,” she giggled.

Nick smiled when he recalled Sal’s obsession with finding, what she called, her ‘mind shattering’ guy. He could still remember their initial conversation about it during Sal’s first disastrous transfer shift. She had actually picked up on some comment that he had made about not settling down with Mr Sensible, and going back to live on the Yacht with Mr Mind Shattering Sex Guy. Hell, he gave good advice, and he’d certainly got Sal figured out quickly: pretty soon Mr Sensible was well forgotten and Mr Mind Shattering Guy had become her favourite fascination.

The song continued and Sal accelerated out along the open, coastal road. The wind rushed in through the open windows, cooling Sal's flushed face and causing an adrenalin rush as she sang the words with uninhibited abandon.

As Nick watched her, he couldn't help but catch what he'd always mentally referred to as the 'Sal Bug'. She had a lust for life that was addictive and very contagious as far as he was concerned; and at that moment, for the first time in months, he felt exhilarated and alive.

My god! This woman was going to break his heart somewhere along the line; he just knew it! And the stupid thing about it all, was that she was not even going to realize it when she did!

He laughed to himself at the irony of the situation, and the fact that she was singing to some invisible, non existent lover that she was so very desperate to meet.

"Hey, what are you laughing at?" she asked, turning to him with amusement.

"Nothing Sal," he said, grinning back at her.

She gave a carefree laugh and grabbed hold of his shoulder. "It's great to see you again Nick, it really is!"

He gave her a wink and she held up her hand to him for a high five.

"We're going to have the best summer ever this year," she shouted, slapping is hand and singing again at the top of her voice.

He laughed and joined in with her.

As they raced along the highway towards Agios Nikolaos, Sal laughed and sang, oblivious of the attention she was receiving from Nick and dreaming of the day that she would meet her 'Mr Mind Shattering Man.'

********************************************************

"Thanks for the lift Sal," Nick said as she pulled up outside The Apollo hotel. "Will you be out tonight? I definitely will, want to say hi to everyone again."

"Yes, I promised myself earlier that I'd get out of these clothes and put on something more me for an evening of wild abandon," she winked.

God she was so sexy.

"Well, that I have to see," he laughed. "Catch up with you later in The Wheelhouse then."

"Yes, see you later Nick," she said as he got out of her car.

Chapter 5

Sal drove back to her apartment and got straight into the shower, mentally sorting through the clothes in her wardrobe for an outfit that she could wear that evening. An hour later she had showered, dried and styled her hair and applied her makeup. She stood in front of the bathroom mirror with a towel wrapped around her and added a little extra lip gloss, standing back to view the finished results.

"Sally Fitzroy-Smith, almost ready to hit the town with Nick no less, my long lost friend from England. Looking...not bad. Apart from annoying freckles on face but mustn't dwell on those. Long lost friend said they looked cute anyway so who am I to argue? Should really eat something before I go out but too excited to eat at the mo so will maybe order some food in the bar later. Just have to get dressed and then it's beer and Sambucca time! Yippee! Feeling great and who knows, tonight might be the night I meet my Mr Mind Shattering man!"

She strolled into her bedroom and searched in her wardrobe for the outfit that she had decided to wear. It was a black figure hugging dress which clung to and accentuated the curves of her breasts and hips. The hem stopped well above the knee and the material dipped daringly down her back, showing an expanse of tanned skin. She finished the outfit off by slipping on a pair of the highest black stiletto shoes she could manage to walk in and a pair of long, dangling, shimmery ear rings.

Now if she didn't manage to catch the attention of Mind Shattering man looking like that then there had to be no hope for her!

She grabbed her bag, keys and phone, leaving her apartment humming love songs to herself.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hello stranger," Ruth said with a smile as Nick entered the bar, reaching across the gap to kiss him on the cheek. "When did you get back?"

"This afternoon, bumped into Sal at the airport and she gave me a lift back here," he replied, sitting on a bar stool and glancing around the bar. "Where is everybody? Was hoping to catch up with people."

"Adam and Fay have gone for a meal in Elounda but they said they'd pop in afterwards. I'm not sure where Bill is and most of the other reps are working this evening so it may be a bit quiet in here tonight."

"Well, we'll just have to make our own fun and go down town later if it gets too quiet," he smiled.

"Sounds like a plan. Beer Nick?" Ruth asked.

"How did you guess?" he grinned, watching her pull out a bottle from the fridge.

"Must be psychic!" she laughed, handing him the beer. "So did you have a good winter?"

"It was alright, but I'm glad to be back here," he admitted.

"How was your dad?" Ruth asked tentatively.

"Hmm, he's not too good. He was the main reason I stayed back there for so long but I couldn't stay any longer Ruth, I needed to get away," he said with a tinge of guilt.

Ruth put a sympathetic hand over his. "There's only so much you can do love, and it can't be easy for you, all things considered."

He shrugged, hiding his inner feelings and taking a swig of his beer.

"Here they are," Ruth said, turning to see Fay and Adam entering the bar.

"Hey," Adam said with surprise, "where did you come from? You never mentioned you'd be back so soon."

Nick's face lit up at the sight of Adam and Fay. "Hi you two. Actually it was a spur of the moment decision. How you doing anyway?"

"We're fine," Fay smiled, putting an arm around his neck and kissing him on alternate cheeks.

He put his hand on her back and grinned. "Hey, I should go away and come back more often. It's great; I get all the girls kissing me!"

"Err, hands off, she's mine," Adam joked.

Nick took his hand away from her and held it up in the air. "Look, no hands now. I wouldn't dare risk your wrath by touching her for more than three seconds," he laughed.

"Wise man," Adam grinned, tapping him on the shoulder. "Good to see you again mate."

"Yeah, good to be back," Nick smiled.

"Put a beer behind the bar for Nick will you Ruth and i'll have one too. What would you like sweetheart?" he said, turning to Fay.

"Glass of wine please," she smiled.

"A wine for Fay and one for yourself," Adam said to Ruth.

"Cheers Adam," Ruth replied, pouring the wine and pulling out another beer for Adam.

"Yeah thanks. Business doing well?" Nick asked Adam.

"Can't complain."

"I see you've promoted Sal to airport supervisor and you seem to have a fair few reps now," Nick pointed out.

"Yes, and she whips them into order too. She's not bad at all at the job," he admitted.

"Yeah and she's looking great," Nick added.

Ruth grinned. "Tempted Nick?"

He gave an embarrassed laugh and changed the subject. "So where did you eat then?"

"In a fish restaurant by the sea in Elounda, it was lovely food," Fay answered.

"Ah, I'll have to check it out then."

"Here's Sal now," Ruth said as Sal strode through the door, swinging the bag in her hand.

Adam and Fay turned when she approached them and Nick's eyes widened as they ran over the figure hugging dress she was wearing. Ruth watched Nick's reaction and leant across the bar to whisper to him.

"You should put your eyes back in their sockets now Nick before Sal notices," she warned.

He frowned at Ruth and drank his beer to deflect her attention.

"Evening everyone, how are we all tonight?" Sal asked, sitting next to Nick.

Everyone confirmed that they were fine and Adam asked Ruth to pour another wine for Sal. She leant forward, reaching for the glass at which point Nick noticed the low cut back of her dress. His eyes hovered on the smooth skin of her back and the expanse of leg that was revealed when she wriggled on her stool and crossed her legs.

Bloody hell this was getting worse! Keep your eyes off her! God but what he wouldn't give to strip her out of that damn dress right now and show her what mind shattering sex was all about!

"You look dressed to kill tonight Sal, trying to impress anyone in particular?" Ruth asked.

Nick's eyes swung to Ruth with alarm as he willed her not to give anything away.

Sal laughed. "Nah, but I'm hoping to meet a gorgeous single guy tonight so I thought I'd look the part."

"Well you certainly do. Hey, you're single aren't you Nick? You'd better watch him Sal, he'll be after you," Ruth said, making Nick's heart pound with nervousness.

Sal turned to look at him and he was sure that she would know how he felt about her by the look on his face.

"I thought you and Jen were still together," she frowned.

"We are," he came back quickly.

Ruth looked surprised. "Oh sorry, I thought that you'd split up."

"We did for a bit but we're back together now," he replied, finishing his beer.

Sal watched him with a frown.

Why didn't he tell her that? And why did she get the feeling that he'd been in contact with everybody else but her?

"Anyone for a Sambucca?" he asked suddenly, feeling awkward with the way the conversation was heading.

Chapter 6

To Nick's relief, he was able to divert the conversation with a round of Sambucca shots, which turned into two and three rounds by the time Sal and Ruth had offered to buy drinks as well. On Fay's third Sambucca, she waited until everyone had finished their shots, concealing her drink under the bar before emptying it into Adam's glass when he turned to talk to Nick. Seconds later however, Adam sensed that she was up to something and swung his head back to her, picking up his shot glass and looking at her suspiciously.

"Silly you," she said quickly, "you didn't finish it all."

"Hmm, really? You wouldn't be lying to me would you Fay?"

She shook her head innocently.

"Look me straight in the eyes then and tell me that this is my Sambucca shot," he said with a grin.

She looked sheepish and her eyes avoided his guiltily. "Sorry, can't look you in the eyes."

"Oh no, and why not?" he asked.

"Err," she began, trying to think of an excuse, "because...erm... I'm too dizzy from drinking all the Sambucca shots."

He laughed loudly with the others, handing her the glass. "Drink it madam because if I have to drink it, the consequences for you will be much worse!"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You're supposed to be on my side."

"Hey, I have to get up early tomorrow too you know," he exclaimed, leaning towards her to add in a whisper, "besides, if you drink a few of those it'll make it easier for me to have my wicked way with you tonight."

She laughed and whispered back, "You're no gentleman."

"You're right there, I've told you that before," he said, winking at her.

Sal absentmindedly played with her empty shot glass and giggled to herself as she watched Fay and Adam.

Nick's eyes darted sideways in her direction. "What's so funny?" he asked.

Sal addressed the group. "Have you ever just been sitting there and you were suddenly transported back to a specific time and place?"

Everyone frowned and turned to Sal, trying to figure out what she was talking about.

"You've been watching too much Dr Who recently haven't you." Nick laughed. "Remember, in the real world the Tardis is only a police box, the Daleks are just remote controlled, and David Tennant isn't really a time lord," he reminded her, as if she were a small child.

She pulled a face at him, "I don't mean literally stupid, I'm talking about suddenly remembering a certain set of events vividly."

"Oh okay, I'm sort of with you now," Fay nodded. "So what are you remembering then Sal?"

She grinned. "That time when Adam threatened to throw you in the sea... come to think of it, he did throw you in."

"Which particular time? He's done it that many times now that it's all a bit hazy in my memory," Fay chuckled.

"You must remember. We were having a meze outside Thea last summer. You were there," she said to Ruth, "and so was Ann and Pat. We secretly sent a message to Adam from your phone and for some reason I can't remember, he threw you in the sea, fully clothed too!"

Realisation dawned on Fay's face then and she laughed. "Yes, and there was seaweed in the water; and I literally tried to climb back up you to get away from it," she said to Adam.

"And you tried to kiss me," he added with a grin.

Fay frowned and shook her head. "No way, you tried to kiss me!"

"You did," Adam mouthed back before their bantering was interrupted by loud laughter from Ruth.

"I know what you're talking about now Sal. I just had a vivid picture of Fay sitting underneath the table, talking to herself with a glass of wine in her hand."

"Why was she sitting under the table?" Nick asked, wondering if this conversation could possibly get any more bizarre.

"Because we were playing truth or dare; and Fay wouldn't tell us if Adam had tried to kiss her or not, so we dared her to sit under the table," Sal explained.

"You should have seen the look on her face when Adam turned up and caught her sitting under there," Ruth said to Nick, causing an outburst of hilarity.

"She was so snooty and uptight back then," Adam teased. "Of course, I've had a good influence on her since she's been with me."

Fay slapped Adam on the arm. "Watch what you say Mr Arrogant or you'll be spending this evening alone."

Adam glanced across at Nick who was watching them and shook his head, speaking under his breath. "That'll never happen; she can't resist me really."

"What did you just say?" Fay asked Adam with a warning tone in her voice.

He turned to her with a Cheshire cat grin. "Nothing darling. Oh yes," he said, changing his mind, "I said that you are not at all snobby or uptight and that is why we are going to have one last Sambucca before we go home."

She sighed, trapped between admitting that she was snobbish and uptight and accepting another shot.

"One last shot," she said firmly, "and then we go."

Adam gave a look of triumph, turning back to Nick again. "See, told you. She can't wait to get me home!"

Fay suddenly growled at Adam with frustration and annoyance, launching herself off her stool and making an attempted attack. He chuckled and held her wrists in his hands rendering her helpless.

"Look, she can't keep her hands off me either," he laughed, ducking as she managed to free one arm to take a play swing at him. "Now calm down sweetheart, let's leave this sort of fun and games for at home when we are in private eh," he teased with great amusement.

"Yes we had better be in private," she said through gritted teeth, "so that nobody will see when I beat you to within an inch of your life!"

"Ooh, sounds interesting. Will you tell me that I'm a very bad boy?" he grinned.

She finally gave up the battle and sat back on her stool, trying to adopt a serious expression as they all chuckled at the entertaining display.

"You're chauvinistic, big headed and arrogant in the extreme Adam Ford and I'm not talking to you anymore," she concluded, turning her face away from him.

"Who was it that said that she was snobbish and uptight? As you can see they got that very wrong," he said with sarcasm.

His face fell however when she continued to sulk and he tickled her ribs in an attempt to make her smile. She squirmed away from him, trying not to smile but laughing out loud when he eventually tickled a sensitive spot.

"Okay, okay! Let's have this last shot so that we can get out of here before you embarrass me any further!" she said, pushing his hands away and reaching for the shot glass Ruth eventually placed on the bar for her.

"No cheating this time baby," he grinned, waiting for her to finish the drink before he tipped the contents of his glass back into his mouth.

"Right, now it's home time. I also have to be up early tomorrow and I'm not doing a welcome meeting with a Sambucca hangover," Fay said with conviction, jumping off her stool and wobbling slightly.

Ruth laughed, watching Fay's lack of balance. "It may be a little too late to worry about that!"

"Don't worry, I'll make sure she gets to bed," Adam grinned, paying Ruth for the drinks.

"I bet you will!" Ruth called after them as they headed for the door with Adam's arm around Fay's shoulder.

"You don't really think that I'm arrogant and bigheaded do you?" Adam asked Fay at the door.

She nodded. "Definitely. You don't really think that I'm snobbish and uptight do you?" Fay asked Adam.

He nodded. "Definitely," and then whispered to her, "shall we get to bed?"

She nodded and they both giggled, opening the door and making their escape down the street.

Ruth, Nick and Sal watched them leave and sighed, each of them wishing that they had someone to go home early with.

"Another Sambucca?" they said in unison, bursting into laughter.

"I really don't think I should have any more shots tonight," Sal said, placing yet another empty shot glass down on the bar. "I'm feeling a little dizzy."

Nick chuckled. "Nothing new there then Sal, you're always a little dizzy!"

"Not any more mister, I've turned over a new leaf," she announced.

"Really, and what kind of tree are you then?" he asked, feeling a little lightheaded himself.

Sal and Ruth frowned at each other.

Ah hell, he was beginning to make as much sense as Sal!

"What I mean is that, if you were a tree, which one would you be?" he said, attempting to explain himself.

What was he saying? He was talking a total load of rubbish. He hoped they wouldn't pick up on that.

Ruth and Sal giggled.

"He's losing the plot," Sal said, patting him sympathetically on the arm.

"I bet you'd be a real ditzy, flouncy tree," Nick continued, cursing himself for opening his mouth and wondering what on earth he was going to come out with next.

"What do you mean?" Sal laughed.

"You know," he began, with no control over what he was saying anymore, "you'd be all flirty with all the other trees. You'd probably grow blossom in the springtime and then shed it all bit by bit, day by day, driving all the oak trees insane!"

Ruth and Sal fell into fits of hysterics and when Sal got her breath back she just about managed to ask a question without bursting into laughter again.

"So," she began, stifling a laugh, "what tree would you be then Nick?"

He thought for a moment and then announced with a grin, "I'd be a Giant Redwood, the biggest tree in the world!"

Sal giggled and rested her head on the bar, looking up at him.

"Oh yes, and why is that then Nick?" she grinned.

He lifted an eyebrow. "Because I have very long legs and those trees have very long..." he paused, "trunks."

Ruth and Sal both failed to hold back the laughter any more.

"I bet you say that to all the trees!" Sal said, with tears running down her cheeks.

"I think that you were right in the first place Sal, I think we should slow down on the Sambucca," he chuckled, "that is if we are ever going to make it into town."

"Hey that's a good idea, let's go down town now," Sal said with enthusiasm. "Want to come?" she asked Ruth.

Ruth looked undecided. "I may come down later, I have to tidy up in here first and I'll have to wait for that couple to finish their drinks," she said, gesturing towards a couple of tourists at the other end of the bar.

"We can wait for you," Sal replied.

"No, you two go ahead," Ruth insisted, "I'll see you down there if I'm not too tired later."

"You sure?" Sal asked.

"Positive," Ruth confirmed.

Nick stood up and reached into his back pocket. "How much do we owe you Ruth?"

"Nothing. Adam paid for all the drinks," she informed them.

"Oh," Nick said with surprise, "that was good of him."

"Yes it was, he's okay is Adam," Sal agreed, grabbing her bag ready to leave.

"Well, give me a ring on my mobile if you decide to come and we will let you know where we are," Sal said.

Ruth collected the glasses from off the bar and proceeded to tidy up.

"I will," she called out to them as they headed for the exit, "have fun."

When the fresh evening air hit her, Sal began to feel the effects of the Sambucca even more and she grabbed onto Nick's arm to steady herself as they walked down the cobbled pavement towards the town.

"Don't let me have any more Sambuccas," Sal said to Nick, stumbling on a cobblestone. "Difficult to walk on here with these shoes," she mumbled to herself.

"Oh so it has nothing to do with the wine and five Sambucca shots you had then," he said sarcastically.

"Maybe just a little bit," she said, indicating a little of something between her finger and thumb and stumbling again when she let go of his arm to do so.

She twisted her ankle and slipped down towards the pavement, however he caught her just in time by both arms and hauled her up towards him. There was a moment of silence then when she caught her breath and regained her balance while he studied her face intently.

He wondered how she would react if he just kissed her then. No, he couldn't do that, she'd be shocked. Or would she?

She wore a relaxed, contented smile on her face as her eyes gazed back into his, but his body was nothing like relaxed. It was like a tightly coiled spring, and he wondered how much longer he could go on like that, pretending to be just friends with her.

"You rescued me! You're my hero," she exclaimed, holding on tightly to one of his arms and stooping to pick up her fallen handbag from off the floor. "Hey, you've been working out at the gym," she said as she stood back up and felt his arm muscle flex underneath her hand.

"I've always worked out in the gym," he stated.

"Oh," she said with surprise, "didn't realise that. Anyway," she went on, "how about giving me a piggy back into town and saving me from falling flat on my face?"

She sidled behind him and pressed her body against his, ready to jump up when he caught hold of her.

Bloody hell Sal, show some mercy will you!

"Come on Nick," she said impatiently when he hesitated.

He reached behind her and she jumped onto his back, forcing him to catch her around her thighs.

"You're my best friend in the whole world," she said, resting her head on his shoulder.

He wished she would stop going on about being best friends and seduce him senseless!

Chapter 7

As Nick and Sal approached the party bar 'Mardi Gras', Boycie, the doorman, watched them with interest.

"Hey," he shouted out to Nick, "I'm telling Jen of you if you don't put her down. Leave us single guys a chance with her."

Nick's grip on Sal's legs tightened as she clung to the back of him.

"Oi, I'm her best mate Boyce, and I'm not leavin' her in you're lecherous clutches so forget it!" Nick grated back.

Nick kept hold of Sal as they moved through the entrance door and he threw Boycie a steely glare as they passed him.

"He'd better stay away from me," Nick growled, setting Sal down on a bar stool.

"Hey, calm down tiger. You need a drink," Sal stated, catching the attention of Dan, the barman, and ordering them some beers.

They drank their beers and watched the bar staff encouraging tourists to dance on the bar, until the song changed and Sal turned to Nick enthusiastically.

"Yay, it's the conga! Let's join in," she said, grabbing his arm and pulling him off the stool.

They joined the row of people that were forming in front of them and followed them as they snaked around the bar and eventually through the front door and out into the street. The people chanted and sang as they moved and some passers by even squeezed in amongst the line and joined in. The people finally turned back on themselves and began to re-enter the bar, but before Sal could make it back inside behind Nick, Boycie grabbed her around the waist and redirected her away from him.

"Hey, what are you doing?" she asked in confusion as he bent his head towards her.

She pushed him away and looked up nervously to see Nick fast approaching them with a furious expression on his face. Nick took hold of Sal by the arm and yanked her away from Boycie, pointing an aggressive finger in his face.

"I'm warning you, leave her alone!" he threatened, marching Sal back into the bar.

"Listen," Sal began, handing Nick his beer, "it's partly my fault that he thinks he can act like that. I was stupid; I let him walk me home once."

Nick swung his head back to her. "You did what?!"

"Calm down, I got rid of him when I realised that it wasn't my welfare that was uppermost in his mind!"

Well that didn't help much to calm him down! He looked more furious than ever now! What was it with him and Boycie?

Moments later Nick felt a hand clamp onto his shoulder and he turned to see Boycie standing behind him.

He put his face close to Nick's and growled, "Don't even think about threatening me because..."

Before Boycie could finish his sentence however a muscular arm came between them as Pedros, the bar owner, appeared and leant his hand on the bar, separating them both.

"Is there a problem here Boycie? Because anyone who works for me and has a problem with this man will find themselves looking for another job," Pedros warned.

Boycie narrowed his eyes and looked from Pedros to Nick and back again, eventually growling with anger and storming back out of the door.

"Get these two another drink on me," he said to Dan before following Boycie out of the door.

Sal sat beaming at Nick, however his mood hadn't seemed to improve much.

"I didn't need his help, I could sort that piece of shit out any day," he said angrily.

"Come on," Sal said, trying to dispel his mood. "Pedros respects you a lot after you saved those tourists from the explosion last year and helped him to catch the culprits. You were a hero," she smiled at him, proud to be his friend.

"I'm no hero," he argued. "Anyone would have done the same. And I just ran from the men; I don't see how that helped Pedros to catch them."

"Well, you're a hero in his eyes anyway...and you're a hero in my eyes too," she added.

He gave her a weak smile.

"What's wrong Nick? Why do you look so sad all of a sudden?" she asked with concern.

He shrugged and turned his attention back towards the activity behind the bar. She frowned and watched him for a moment before gesturing to Dan and saying something into his ear. He nodded and produced two shots of alcohol minutes later. She picked them up and offered Nick one.

"I had a brainwave, you know what they say," she giggled, proceeding to sing," Tequila, it makes you happy!"

He smiled, taking the drink, clinking glasses with her and downing the shot.

"Did it work?" she asked.

He shrugged and she watched him again thoughtfully.

"Nick, can I ask you something?" she began.

He turned to look at her. "Go on."

"What made you unhappy back in the UK? Was it that you almost split up with Jen?" she pondered.

"Partly," he admitted. "We argued a lot, but then we always argue a lot and then make up pretty soon afterwards."

"But you are happy with her, right?" she asked.

"Kind of," he said vaguely.

"Well, that doesn't sound so certain Nick. You have to end up with a mind shattering girl you know. You can't settle for anything less," she said firmly.

"And where am I going to find this mind shattering girl then Sal?" he said, looking directly at her.

"I don't know but you can't give up on looking," she replied.

"And what would this mind shattering girl be like then Sal?" he asked.

She thought for a moment. "Not sure. Tall, blonde hair, blue eyes?"

He shook his head. "Not my type."

"Oh," she looked surprised, "I thought that kind of girl was every man's type."

He laughed.

"So what is your type then?" she asked.

He had to be careful there; he was on dangerous ground!

"Someone who makes me laugh, someone who's not afraid to say how she feels. Someone opposite to me I guess," he concluded.

"Ah, opposites attract. Right?" she smiled.

"Yeah. But we'd have to have some things in common too," he added.

"Of course," she said, looking around the bar as if to find him someone there and then.

She turned her head back to him however as a thought hit her. "But you said 'partly.'"

"What?" he frowned.

"You said that Jen was only partly the reason why you were unhappy back in the UK," she reminded him.

"Oh yeah," he replied, giving no more away.

"So? What was the other reason?" she pushed.

He sighed. "Well... my father isn't very well."

Her face fell. "Oh, I'm sorry Nick. What's wrong with him?"

"He has liver problems and he's quite bad at the moment."

She put a hand on his shoulder and watched him with sympathetic eyes.

"I feel a bit bad coming back here and leaving him to tell you the truth, but we don't get on that well, we never have," he admitted.

She nodded and waited for him to expand on that. He struggled to get the words out but eventually spoke after another couple of swigs of beer.

"He used to drink a lot when I was a kid and, well, that led on to worse...drugs and stuff," he said, pausing to judge her response. She sat, listening and waiting for him to share more. He finally went on, "I can't remember a time when he wasn't off his head. I was kind of left to my own devices...which was fine with me," he said, trying to convince himself, "I just used to play all day and night in the fields with my mates."

She watched him closely; processing the information and making him feel a little awkward, so he stood up to order another drink.

"Where was your mother when you were young then Nick?" she asked suddenly, surprising him with the question.

"I'm just moving down here for a moment Sal to get a beer off Dan," he said, avoiding her question.

She halted him for a second though with a touch on his arm and a questioning look.

"She left me with him when I was five," he said casually shrugging before moving away.

Sal's heart suddenly felt like a rock as she tried to imagine how Nick coped with his childhood. She turned to search for him through the crowds and slid off her stool when she caught sight of him further down the bar.

As Nick waited to be served by Dan, he suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around his middle from behind as Sal held him closely and kissed him on the back.

"I think the world of you Nick, and I'll never let you down," she said to him.

*******
Nick stood rooted to the spot, unable to face Sal with the mixture of emotions he was experiencing at that moment. He felt so inadequate compared to her sometimes as she was able to express herself so openly and honestly, and with such ease. He searched for some way to respond to her but he was convinced that whatever he said would come out clumsily so he laced his fingers through hers instead and remained with his back to her, hoping that she would know how much he appreciated her kind words.

"Nick?" Dan repeated, trying to get his attention. "Earth to Nick, you gonna pay for those beers or not?"

Nick came abruptly out of his reverie with a shake of his head.

"Oh yeah, sorry," he said, releasing Sal's hand, paying Dan and collecting the beers from off the bar.

He turned swiftly then to Face Sal as his mood suddenly changed.

"Let's get out of here. I could do with some fresh air to clear my head," he said, not waiting for an answer before grabbing her by the hand and pulling her through the crowds of people.

"But you've just bought those drinks," she reminded him.

"Here, take yours and hide it. We'll take them with us," he said with determination, leading her towards the exit.

They snuck through the door and out onto the street with their drinks, rushing out of sight of Pedros who was sitting outside the bar chatting to a friend.

Sal chuckled to herself as they walked. "Just like at the school disco when we hid beers in our coat pockets. Hmm, actually not quite the same as we snuck beer in then, not out. Still there was beer involved and lots of sneaking," she rambled.

He turned to her with a look of disbelief. "Sal, has anyone ever told you that you talk a load of rubbish sometimes?"

"Pot calling kettle black Mr Giant Red tree man," she huffed at him, striding ahead and stumbling in her stiletto shoes.

He laughed and ran in front of her. "Here, hop on Miss Ditzy Blossom tree woman."

She hesitated for a moment before jumping up on his back and giggling as he ran off down the street.

"Where are we going?" she asked when he turned down a side street.

"We're going to the beach," Nick announced. "Have you ever seen the view from Kitroplatia at night? It's pretty impressive."

"Well, I did go there once with Tom but he wasn't so interested in the view," she replied.

He strained his head to look back at her then. "Who is Tom?"

"Oh, he was one of Adam's friends. He visited Adam last year...just before I started the transfers for him actually," she added.

Nick thought back. "Was he that guy I saw you kissing in Shots bar when I first knew you?"

She laughed. "Yes, I remember that. He kind of grabbed me and before I knew it his tongue was down my throat," she pulled a face. "He wasn't the best kisser in the world to be honest."

"Well, you seemed to be engrossed in him when I caught you," he said, recalling the passionate look on her face when Tom and her had pulled apart after he had bumped into them.

"I guess I thought I'd give him a chance, but he wasn't really my type. Besides he was only after one thing that night... and it wasn't a chance to look at the view!"

"I can imagine. You'd better be careful of men like that," he said.

"You looking out for me?" she smiled, "You sound like a big brother."

Oh great! I think I preferred best friend!

"You got a big brother?" he asked.

"No, but if I could have one, I'd want him to be just like you," she said, kissing him on the top of his head.

Stop! He didn't want to hear any more!

"Come on," he said wryly as they turned the corner and approached the small sandy beach, "and you can quit with the brother comments. Coming from a single girl, it's going to destroy my confidence!"

She laughed. "I can't imagine that!"

Don't be so sure Sal.

When they reached the beach he put her down on a sunbed and sat next to her while they enjoyed their beers. They drank in companionable silence, staring out to sea and watching the light from the moon scattering out over the rippled water. They were both lost in their own thoughts until Sal eventually broke the silence.

"I'd have been out with you every day playing in the fields if we'd have known each other then...when we were little," she explained.

He smiled. "Yeah, but I'd have beaten you hands down for climbing up trees."

"You wish Nicholas!"

"You're in so much trouble now for calling me that!" he said, feeling suddenly playful as he put down the beer bottle on the sand and jumped up.

"Let me guess, you're going to throw me in the sea. Not very original Nick!" she replied, attempting to put him off.

He thought for a moment. "Okay, I'm not going to throw you in," he said, taking the bottle off her and placing it next to his, "because you're going to come in voluntarily."

"I am?" she sounded surprised.

"Yes you are. It's by far the best time to swim and it's no fun swimming alone," he said, stripping off his shirt.

She watched him for a moment. "Yes, but you seen to have forgotten one thing."

"What's that?" he asked.

"I have no bikini," she said standing up and drawing attention to her dress with a gesture of the hands.

"Well, as long as you aren't planning on seducing me Sal, you can go swimming in your underwear," he grinned, waiting to see if he could throw her off balance.

"Me seducing you!" she exclaimed, taking the bait.

He chuckled. "Yes, I know that you've been secretly lusting after me," he teased boldly.

She drew breath on instinct to come back with a defensive retort but then she changed her mind when she saw his smug look.

She'd play him at his own game then. That would wipe the grin off his face.

"Well no, but I'm not sure about taking this dress off," she said, fiddling with one of the straps.

"Don't worry about me Sal, I have nothing but brotherly feelings for you," he assured her.

"No it's not that," she shook her head.

He folded his arms and shrugged his shoulders. "Well what then?"

"I can't go swimming in my underwear."

"Why not?" he asked.

"Because I haven't got any on," she said with wide eyed innocence. "It doesn't bother me Nick, but I don't want you thinking that I'm trying to seduce you."

Nick stood motionless, staring at her and trying to think of how to respond whilst a growing excitement unfurled in his stomach.

Oh boy! No, he couldn't let her swim naked. It wouldn't be fair on her considering how he felt. God, but he may never get a chance like that again!

"I won't think that," he said as casually as he could, sitting down to take off his shoes and pretending not to show any interest in what she was doing.

He was such a typical guy. As if he didn't want to watch her undress! Any normal guy would want to watch any girl take all their clothes off!

"Okay then, if you don't mind," she said, slowly sliding first one strap down, and then the other.

His eyes darted up to her then but they were met with a knowing look.

"Ha! You're seeing nothing Nicholas!" she shouted, running off down the beach.

He growled with frustration and sprinted after her.

"I'll get you for that Sal!" he called, catching her around the waist and running into the sea with her.

She screamed and struggled, causing him to lose his balance in the water and they both fell unceremoniously into the waves.

"You're the biggest tease on the planet you know!" he shouted to her, splashing her in the face.

"You shouldn't try to get your best friend naked then Nicholas," she countered, splashing him back.

"It's just natural curiosity," he said defensively, splashing her again.

"You're not ten anymore Nicholas, you've seen a naked woman before," she replied, scooping up handfuls of water and showering him with it.

He went to answer but then paused for a moment as another thought entered his head.

"Do you really go out at night with no underwear on?" he couldn't help but ask.

"You'll never know," she taunted him.

"Oooh, you horror!" he responded, bombarding her with water.

She turned her head away and closed her eyes, blindly splashing in the water and making as much noise and chaos as she could to hold her ground. Without warning however a huge wave came up from behind them and swept her under the water. Nick frowned with concern then and reached into the sea to grab her by the arm and pull her up again.

"Come here," he said, lifting her up above the water as much as he could with his arms wrapped around her waist. "Let me see. Are you okay?"

She coughed and laughed, panting for breath. "Yes, I'm okay big bro."

He smiled and held her while she caught her breath, looking over her shoulder at the lights of the town in the distance. He felt so warm and dreamy all of a sudden.

If only they could just stay like that forever. If he could freeze time then they could just stay there together.

He kept his eyes on the view. "You're wonderful Sal," he said, staring at the lights and avoiding eye contact with her.

She was silent for a while before she responded. "Nick," she began.

"Yes."

"I missed you. Promise you won't lose contact with me again," she said.

He smiled. "I promise."

Chapter 8

"I don't think we thought this through very well Nick," Sal said as she squelched up the road towards her apartment. Her dress was forming an uncomfortable second skin against her shivering body and the sea breeze was chilling her to the bone.

"Well I gave you the chance to take the dress off," he reminded her. "I'd offer you my shirt but I don't see how it's going to make any difference." Sal stopped suddenly then and pulled Nick into a shop doorway.

"Give me that shirt! I'm a desperate woman," she exclaimed as her teeth chattered with cold. He handed her the shirt he was carrying with a grin.

"Feeling frisky Sal?" he asked, watching her attempting to peel the sodden top half of her dress down behind the barrier of his shirt.

"I'm always feeling frisky Nick as well you know," she chatted away, fighting to free her arm from one of the straps, "but at this precise moment I'm just a little more focused on not freezing to death. And besides..." she began, looking up but stopping when she noticed him watching her. She stared back at him and he turned his head abruptly away, pacing the pavement just outside the shop.

"Hurry up Sal, I'm not that warm myself."

"Okay, let's go," she said, emerging from the shop porch wearing his shirt with her arms wrapped around it at her middle and the upper half of her dress peeled down to her waist.

"I have to tell you Sal, that's not your best look," he joked.

"Well it's a good job that there are no hunky men around to see me then isn't it," she said, continuing up the street.

"Hey," he said following her, "aren't I hunky then?"

She laughed. "Yes, you are hunky don't worry but I don't need to impress you."

"Why not?" he frowned.

She sighed and stopped to face him. "You know why." He looked none the wiser. "Because I've known you for what seems like forever and you've seen me looking worse than this before so there's no point in me trying," she shrugged, resuming her walk. He watched her stroll away and stood, contemplating her comment.

God only knows what he'd be like if she did try! It was bad enough right then! Not that she would try anyway, not with him. Damn it!

"Are you coming Nicholas? Or are you just going to stand there freezing to death?" she called back to him.

"Coming Sal," he answered, trudging after her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When they finally reached her apartment Sal raced up the steps and called over her shoulder to Nick,

"Gotta get out of this dress. Get the kettle on will you?"

"Tea or coffee," he shouted, searching the cupboards for some mugs.

"Tea please," she answered after a while, emerging from the bedroom dressed for bed in a skimpy pair of shorts and a pink, strappy top with the words 'Come and get me' written across it. He turned to see her standing in the doorway and gave her a wry look.

"Sal don't you possess any nightwear that isn't suggestive?"

"Don't be silly," she smiled, sliding on the sofa and curling up in the corner. "My motto is always be prepared. You never know how an evening is going to pan out. Besides, this is my least suggestive nightwear Nick. I put it on just for you."

"Thanks," he said, pouring boiling water into the mugs. "You really know how to flatter a man Sal!"

He wondered what her most suggestive nightwear was like then! God! Okay, he had to concentrate on the tea!

"When's Jen coming back?" Sal asked out of the blue.

Nick paused for a moment in the middle of pouring milk into the mugs of tea.

"At the end of the week, why?" he asked.

"Just wondering," she said, resting her head against the back of the sofa.

"Here," he said, passing her the mug of tea and taking a seat next to her. She sighed. He looked sideways at her.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Nothing," she replied without conviction. He nodded and sunk back into the sofa with his mug of tea.

"Sal," he began.

"Hmm," she responded lazily.

"Do you ever get a chance to make the most of your suggestive nightwear?"

Of all the questions to ask, she wondered where that one came from.

She thought for a moment. "Nick."

"Yes."

"Promise not to tease if I tell you something," she said mysteriously.

He looked interested. "Scout's honour."

"Contrary to what everyone thinks I'm not with a different man every night you know," she explained.

"I never thought that for a second," he said instinctively.

"Truth is that I'm not much good at all at the one night stand thing," she admitted. "If I'm honest I really don't want that."

"What do you want?" he asked, watching her closely as she stared up at the ceiling.

"I don't know...someone to stick with I guess. I mean don't get me wrong," she said, looking at him suddenly, "I don't want to turn into an old fuddy duddy with curlers in my hair and cocoa before bed every night."

He chuckled. "I really don't think there's much chance of that happening Sal."

She shook her head with a serious expression. "No. I mean I want lots of passion and excitement in my life but I just want someone to think I'm worth sticking around for a while." She laughed. "Maybe I'm being a bit unrealistic."

"Why do you say that? I don't honestly think that a string of one night stands every night is what anyone really wants."

She looked amazed. "You don't?"

He shook his head. "No."

"Yeah but what about people like Dan and Boycie? That's what they come back here for every year isn't it? To have girls fall all over themselves to be with them."

"Hmm," he looked unconvinced. "That's what they think they want but they will wake up one day and realise that that kind of life doesn't make them happy at all."

"You sound like you're talking from experience," she observed.

He sipped his tea and stretched out his legs. "Well, I had more freedom than I knew what to do with in my teenage years and I thought for a while that my luck was in, what with girls running after me all the time..."

Sal swung her head to face him with a wide eyed look and cut into his sentence, "Ooh, Nicholas, you stud!"

"Yeah but it really wasn't that great, most of the girls I met were so bloody shallow. And then I came out here and my whole outlook changed. For the first time I met people who cared, people who would put themselves out for others. And I met a whole load of women who restored my faith in the female race, like Ruth, Fay, Ann, Susie...and you of course."

"Haven't you missed someone out?" she asked with surprise. He hesitated. "Jen you idiot!"

"Oh yeah, Jen," he added quickly. "But I guess I was talking about women in a none relationship sense," he said, trying to justify his omission.

She nodded and finished her tea, laughing as a thought hit her. "And now you're surrounded by women again but this time you're not out to seduce any of them...apart from Jen that is..." As she continued to babble away he put his mug of tea on the coffee table and watched her with amazement at how utterly oblivious she was to other people's feelings towards her. Yes, she was an expert at understanding everyone else's relationships but she was useless at understanding her own. "...but then you have already seduced Jen so that doesn't count. Not that you need to stop trying to seduce her a bit, got to keep the old passion in your relationship Nick. That is unless you think that it's all going pear shaped between you two, in which case I reckon that you should start searching for someone else to seduce..." She paused and he thought for a minute that she'd finished, that was until she added a little more, "...not of course until you have finished it with her...if that's what you want to do...not that you do." He finally growled and put his hand to her mouth to stop her from speaking.

"Enough!" he exclaimed. She narrowed her eyes at him and a playful mood hit her as she went to bite his hand. He anticipated her action however just in time and moved his hand away from her mouth, launching himself at her instead and tickling any part of her that he could reach behind the hands that she held up for defence.

"What are you doing?" she giggled.

He grinned. "I'm doing what the T shirt says, coming to get you!"

"You're crazy!" she laughed, fighting his hands off.

"Not as crazy as you are," he chuckled, "You're a chatterbox."

She pouted. "I'm not a chatterbox, take that back!"

"I won't," he said, as they continued to tackle each other on the sofa, falling into fits of hysterics. When it became painful to laugh any more and both of them could barely breathe he finally threw his arms around her and held her still as they both panted for breath. She was still trying to control the giggles when a feeling hit him so suddenly, catching him unawares. From nowhere he had such a strong urge to hold her, touch her, kiss her and tell her everything; so much so that he had to let her go and spring off the sofa for fear that he would do just that.

She looked up at him with surprise. "Are you okay?"

He gave a small laugh in an attempt to trivialise his action. "Yeah, I just realised the time."

"Oh yes," she looked at her watch and stood up to join him, running a hand through her dishevelled hair. "I guess you need to go."

"Guess I should," he nodded, heading for the front door.

"Hey, you'll freeze to death out there," she said with a frown as he turned to say goodbye. She grinned, "Want to borrow one of my tops? Yours is still soaking wet."

He laughed. "No thanks Sal, if I walked through town wearing a pink 'come and get me' top, I'd fear for my life!"

She chuckled. "I guess you're right." Reaching out she rubbed his bare arms up and down, "There, now you're nice and warm. Well, you will be for a bit anyway."

Carry on touching him like that and he'd not be going anywhere! God Sal, had she not the slightest clue what she did to him?

He grinned. "Thanks Sal, I'd better go before my temperature drops."

"See you Nick," she said as he opened the door to leave. "Hey, do you want to meet for breakfast tomorrow? I know a great new place that does real English sausage and bacon."

"And bacon," he teased, "Well I guess I can't refuse then can I?"

"No, you certainly can't. Meet you at the bridge at say eleven," she suggested.

"Okay, see you then," he said, taking one last look at her before he turned and made his way down the stairs. She closed the door behind him.

Hey, he really did work out at the gym a lot!

Chapter 9

Nick sat at the bar in The Wheelhouse and sighed, flipping the beer mat in front of him for the umpteenth time. Ruth dived across the bar and swiped the beer mat off him.

"What on earth is wrong with you Nick? You've been driving me to distraction all morning!"

"I'm bored," he sighed again.

"Good God, you've only been back one day! I thought you were going to get yourself a bike? Why don't you go out for a volta or something?" she suggested.

"Can't," he sulked, "not picking the bike up until later this afternoon."

Ruth rolled her eyes. "Well, what about meeting someone for lunch then?"

"Everyone's working," he said, reaching for the beer mat in Ruth's hand. She held it away from him.

"What about Sal? She's not working today," Ruth pointed out.

He hesitated. "She was supposed to meet me for breakfast but she never turned up. No big deal."

Ruth frowned. "I'm sure there was a good reason why Nick, she wouldn't have done it on purpose. You know Sal; she's probably just overslept."

"Yeah well like I said, no big deal," he repeated.

"Hmm." Ruth looked at him dubiously. "So, did you two have fun last night?"

"Yeah, it was alright," he replied with little enthusiasm.

"Where did you go?"

He shrugged. "Just to Mardi Gras."

"Anywhere else?" she grinned.

"Nope," he said, finishing his coffee and cringing at the taste of the lukewarm liquid.

Ruth crossed her arms on the bar and leant closer to him. "You two were spotted Nick. You know what this town is like; a late night swim never goes unnoticed."

Nick looked a bit uneasy for a moment. "Well, it was hot. I'm not used to this heat."

Ruth didn't look convinced. "You'd better be careful Nick; if Jen hears that kind of gossip, you'll be in trouble."

"She knows that Sal and me are just friends...and besides, we were both fully clothed at the time," he stressed. Ruth watched him for a moment as he traced the handle of his coffee mug absentmindedly.

"When is Jen coming back then?" she asked.

"End of the week," he replied, keeping his eyes on the coffee mug.

"So, you two got back together then?"

He nodded.

"Do you think you'll stay together for the whole summer?" She was pushing him and perhaps interfering a little too much, but she couldn't help herself.

"You never know," he said, looking up at her with a smile that went far from reaching his eyes.

"Do you want to stay with her?" she asked, noticing his expression. He sighed, a little frustrated with all the questions, most of which he didn't know how to answer.

"You know what's funny?" he began bitterly. "The crazy woman keeps coming back to me!"

"You sound surprised," she observed.

"Well, we haven't exactly been getting on; I kind of expected her to give up before now," he said, handing her the mug and indicating for her to pour him another coffee. She took the mug but showed no signs of moving away at that moment.

"And what about you Nick? You sound as if you're just staying with her because she keeps coming back to you."

"Well, not exactly. You know Ruth, I just want to make a success of something," he confided. "I seem to have messed up everything else in my life, so I thought I'd try and make this thing work for once. And she seems to want it to work too...I guess. She must do or she wouldn't keep fixing things between us."

"So, may I ask why you have to keep fixing things?"

"I don't know," he sighed. "She wants to do her things, and I want to do mine. But I try to show an interest in her friends... and I even went to meet her parents! Sometimes though I'd just like it to be the two of us. I thought that we'd have more time to spend together when we went back to England. I mean, before that it was always work that came between us here. Okay, I get it that she's dedicated to her job and all, that's a good thing right? It's just that her job here seems to take over, and then any free time she has she's trying to catch up with the rest of the reps. So in all of that, when do we get time to spend together? Maybe I'm just being selfish and unrealistic," he concluded.

Ruth looked surprised at the rush of words that had come out of Nick's mouth. He wasn't one for talking about his feelings at all. Everything with Nick appeared to be casual. He'd talk about the football or his bike, he'd ask about who'd been in the bar that day and he'd tell jokes or tease the female workers; but beyond that, he kept his feelings to himself. He had briefly mentioned to Ruth that his father was ill before returning to the UK last November, but then he'd added that they never saw each other anyway and that neither of them was bothered about that. Ruth had read between the lines nonetheless, but anyone who didn't know Nick would say that he was quite shallow. Ruth knew different.

"You know what I think?" Ruth came out with suddenly. "I think that you're really just a big softie underneath," she said, briefly stroking his cheek with the back of her hand, "and what you really want is just someone to share your life with, to share the ups and downs with you...to grow old with you, sit by the fire with you and bring you cups of tea when you're too doddery to manage it yourself," she teased.

He pulled a face. "Are you kidding? That will never happen. More likely I'd need someone to lift me onto my bike and hop on the back before we go cruising off into the sunset."

"Ha! Got you! See, you're just an old romantic at heart!" she exclaimed. He tutted but smiled.

"But you know," she continued, "maybe Jen isn't the 'jump on the bike and cruise into the sunset' type. And I don't think that she's going to change; she's too set in her ways. She has her life all nicely organized: house, job, social network, and I get the feeling that she's comfortable with that. But she can't make you happy with that, anymore than you can make her happy with what you want."

Nick's eyes hovered on Ruth's until someone from the other end of the bar called out for another drink. Ruth looked reluctant to move for a moment.

"Pass me that newspaper over there will you on your way back?" Nick said, reverting to his usual casual self.

Ruth smiled, realising that perhaps she had said enough. "Sure, and I'll bring you that coffee too."

Ruth placed a pile of newspapers and another coffee in front of Nick and went back down the bar to talk to the customers there. He searched through the papers but found that he had read most of them already as none of them were new, so he settled for reading the Athens News which printed a lot of its articles in English.

He turned the pages with little hope of finding anything interesting to read; that was until a small article in the left hand side of one page caught his eye. He chuckled to himself as he read it, but afterwards he found nothing else of interest, so he placed the paper down on the bar and picked up his mug to take a sip of coffee. As boredom began to set in once more however, he found his eyes returning to the newspaper on the bar in front of him. Searching through the pages again, he found the article and read it for a second time. He contemplated the article for a while as the seed of an idea began to grow in his head, after which he finally jumped off his bar stool, grabbed the newspaper and moved over to the PC in the corner of the room.

He was still engrossed in the website that he'd found when Sal burst into the bar half an hour later.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry Nick. Will you ever forgive me?" she exclaimed, collapsing into a chair not far from him. He moved his head briefly to look at her and then turned his attention back to the screen.

"Nick, I'm really sorry. My alarm didn't go off, or I forgot to set it, I'm not sure which... but I slept in," she grimaced.

"Don't worry," he shrugged, keeping his eyes on the screen.

She frowned. "You're angry with me," she observed. "And you have every right to be...I mean, there I was last night going on about never letting you down and now I've kind of done it," she finished slowly as she realised the truth in her words. "But it was only a mistake," she said forcefully, "I'd never really let you down on something big Nick. And you know I didn't do it on purpose; you do know that I didn't do it on purpose don't you?"

"Sure."

"Nick," she said, touching his arm and urging him to look at her. "I had such a good time last night. I haven't had so much fun in ages and I loved the time we spent together. You had fun too didn't you?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, it was good to catch up with everyone," he replied, matter of factly.

It was good to catch up with him. Why was he being like that? They got on so well last night, but now he hated her!

"Nick," she began again.

He interrupted her abruptly. "Sal, sorry but I'm busy with something here." She watched him for a while and then slipped off her chair and slowly made her way to the bar.

He sat with his hands poised over the keyboard, having completely lost track of what he was going to type in. Turning his head slightly, he glanced out of the corner of his eyes to the bar where she was standing. Ruth hadn't noticed her, and most of the people were sitting at the far end, and yet she simply stood at the bar on her own with her eyes lowered. He suddenly felt a sense of remorse and left the computer to join her.

"Hey!" he said, jumping up behind her, "want to know something really exciting?"

She moved away from him to lean forward over the bar so he went around her and leant backwards against the side to see her face. She turned her head away suddenly and called over to Ruth, however, he could have sworn that he saw tears in her eyes before she moved.

"Sal, what's wrong?" he said, moving to the other side of her to look at her face again. "I have a hangover, I'm going to splash my face with water," she said, abruptly brushing him to one side and heading down the bar.

It was only minutes later when he found himself following her. He stopped when he came to the open door of the ladies room and saw her leaning over the washbasin with her head down. She jumped when he nudged the door open further to get a closer look at her and she ran her hands quickly over her face. Moving into the room, he took hold of her by both arms and she looked up at him in surprise.

"Are you crying?" he asked bluntly.

"Don't be stupid!" she said, turning back to the sink and proceeding to splash water onto her face. "I told you, I'm just hungover." He wasn't sure that she was telling him the truth; she seemed to be avoiding him a lot. He pulled a paper towel out of the dispenser and handed it to her with a smile.

"You know what'll cure your hangover?" A glass of orange juice to get the vitamins and sugar back into you, and a couple of aspirin. Ruth's got some; they'll be waiting for you on the bar when you come out," he said, putting a hand in her hair and reaching forward to kiss her on the cheek before leaving the room. She watched him go and her face slowly lit up with a smile.

Chapter 10

Sal swigged the second aspirin down with a gulp of orange juice and rested her head on the bar.

"Hey! No time for that," Nick said, digging her in the ribs and making her sit bolt upright on her stool. "You can't still be tired surely!"

She nodded guiltily.

"Oh, so you'll be too tired to hear about the adventure I had planned for us then."

"Adventure?" Her eyes widened with curiosity.

"Yes. But you'd be too tired for that," he repeated.

She grabbed his arm and looked up at him beseechingly. "Tell me about the adventure Nick, please."

"Well...if you can stay awake for long enough."

She nodded enthusiastically.

"Okay. We're going to enter a competition...well, sort of a competition anyway...or something like a quest."

Sal looked across at Ruth then who had overheard the tail end of the conversation and was approaching them with interest.

"Wow! A quest. That sounds like a real adventure!" Sal said, half with excitement and half wondering if Nick was pulling her leg.

"You don't believe me do you? Well, let me explain more," he said, settling on a bar stool and motioning for Ruth to move closer. "What do any of you two know about the Minotaur?"

Sal looked perplexed but Ruth stepped up to reply.

"He was a beast in Greek mythology wasn't he? Half man, half bull," she replied with a self-satisfied smile.

"That's right. Well done Ruth. And what is the connection between Crete and the Minotaur?" he challenged.

She thought for a moment and then her face broke out into a smile. "I've got it! The Palace of Knossos in Heraklion. Isn't that supposed to be where the Minotaur's Maze was?"

"Right first time." He looked impressed. "Know anything more about the myth?"

Ruth shook her head.

"I admit, I never listened to a thing in history lessons," Sal laughed.

"Well, you'd better listen carefully now because it just might help us with our quest."

Both Ruth and Sal looked fascinated.

"It all began in ancient Crete when king Minos was fighting for control of the island with his brothers. He turned to the gods for guidance and asked Poseidon..."

"Greek god of the sea!" Sal shouted out proudly.

"Yes, well done Sal... anyway, he asked Poseidon to send him a sign that he was the right person to rule and the god sent him a white bull."

Sal pulled a face. "I wouldn't have been very impressed with a white bull. I mean, if he was a god and all that, then he should have sent him an army of a trillion Hercules type men to smash the opposition to smithereens!"

"Well, he didn't Sal. And it seems that King Minos was very impressed with the bull because he was supposed to sacrifice it in the name of Poseidon but he kept it instead."

"Oops, not a good idea to go upsetting the gods. Don't tell me, he ended up with a lightening bolt in his back," Ruth chuckled.

Nick sighed. "Are you going to let me finish this story or not?"

"Sorry," Ruth said sheepishly.

"Anyway, you were right, Poseidon wasn't very pleased with Minos and so he made the King's wife fall madly in love with the bull."

Sal frowned. "Weird."

"Pasifae, that was her name, ordered the architect who later designed the Minotaur's Maze to make her a wooden cow..."

"Hmm, I don't like the sound of this," Ruth declared.

"Yeah... so, she climbs into the cow and...well, gets randy with the bull," he finished quickly.

"Eeeww!" both Sal and Ruth cringed.

"Anyway, the result of that was the half bull, half man beast called the Minotaur. When it grew up it became wild and ferocious and so that is why the king asked the architect Daedalos to build the labyrinth, or maze, to contain it in. Now the next part of the story has a few different versions, but basically, the Athenians killed king Minos's son and so Crete went to war with Athens and won. Minos then demanded that the Athenians sent seven youths and seven maidens every nine years to be the Minotaur's lunch, so to speak. Well eventually the Athenians got fed up with sending all their youths and maidens to be eaten by the Minotaur, and so they sent the hero Theseus to kill it instead. Luckily for Theseus, when he got there, the king's daughter Ariadne fell in love with him..."

Ahh," Sal sighed.

Nick laughed at her. "...she gave him a ball of thread which he tied to one end of the labyrinth so that he didn't get lost and he could find his way back. As you can guess, he killed the Minotaur and rescued all the other Athenians along the way."

"Hurray for Theseus!" Sal cheered.

"Great story Nick, but what has all this got to do with your 'quest?'" Ruth asked.

"Well, some historic evidence suggests that Theseus killed the Minotaur with a sword, however, historians now believe different," he explained.

"Hold on a minute," Ruth interjected, "you're talking as if this really happened. I for one have never seen any half men, half bull beasts anywhere on the island since I've been here!"

Sal chuckled. "I don't know, have you seen some of the men that go into Mardis Gras on a Saturday night?"

Nick rolled his eyes. "Of course it's not true but, the Greeks now want definite proof that the Palace Of Knossos was in fact the place where the myth originated from. At present, they have found no actual evidence in the palace itself to substantiate the claims, however they did find a huge fresco depicting a massive bull and there was also other evidence found with bull images on it. This fresco shows a man grasping onto the horns of the bull and leaping over it, either as some kind of bullfighting activity or as a religious ritual. Many people think that the bull in this picture is an image of the Minotaur, although it doesn't have the upper body of a man. In all, it seems as though the people of the palace actually did take part in bull wrestling and that this myth perhaps sprung up from one incident when a bull got loose, rampaging the palace and triggering off an appeal for its slaughter. One man captured and killed it and bingo, before they knew it the gossip had spread and everyone was told that Mr Joe Blogs, who nobody had ever heard of before, was the famous hero from legend and that he'd killed a ferocious beast which was half man, half bull."

"Ooh, the little liars! See what gossip can do?" Sal said, turning to Ruth.

"Still no more enlightened about this quest," Ruth sighed.

"Right, well, as I said earlier, historians now believe that Theseus, or Joe Blogs, didn't kill the Minotaur with a sword but with a double headed axe. Many images of double headed axes have been found in the palace and they apparently symbolised the king of the gods, Zeus himself. Evidence has now come to light to show that for some obscure reason the double headed axe which Theseus supposedly killed the Minotaur with, was hidden away some four thousand years ago, but still remains on the island somewhere to this very day." Ruth and Sal looked amazed. "We're going to find it!" Nick finished triumphantly.

"We are?" Sal gasped.

"Yes we are. We're going to find it because the carvings on the axe hold all the answers to the whole myth and will prove that the Minotaur's maze really is in the Palace of Knossos here on the island of Crete!"

"Wow! We'll be famous!" Sal exclaimed.

"Not only that, but we'll also get the reward money they're giving out to the people who find the axe first. The tourist board thinks that they can make a big thing out of this and that the publicity will flood the island with tourists all flocking to see the Minotaur's maze," he informed them.

"And that'll be good for me," Ruth added, "Especially when you're in here signing autographs for tourists!"

"Great, so all we need to do now is scour the entire island from top to bottom. Nick, did I happen to mention that we both have to be back for work at the weekend?"

"Well, I didn't plan on finding the axe today Sal. Big things happen with small steps," he said, waving a finger at her. "But, I just so happen to know where our first step will take us."

"Where?" Sal and Ruth asked at once.

"Matala," he announced.

"Matala?" Ruth frowned. "But that's miles away from Knossos."

"Yeah well, I figured that they'd already had a quick look around the palace for the axe before they set up this competition," he said sarcastically.

Ruth had to acknowledge his point. "Why Matala then?"

"Where is Matala?" Sal asked.

"It's in the south of the island, about seventy kilometres from Heraklion. But what interests me about Matala is that on the beach there is a series of caves carved into the cliffside, these caves were used as a Roman cemetery. Well, I was doing a bit of research on the Internet just now, and I noticed an article about the double headed axes and how when the Romans occupied the island they took many of these axes and kept them, believing that they would be a source of great strength and power. Also, since the axes were a symbol of the god Zeus, the Romans kind of thought that they would get in his good books by possessing them. Anyway, that reminded me of this Roman cemetery I've heard about in Matala. I mean the Romans were buried with these type of things, weren't they?"

"I suppose so," Ruth nodded.

"Well then, looks like we're going to Matala Sal."

"Looks like we are!" she grinned.

"I pick my new bike up in about an hour, will that give you enough time to get ready?" he asked Sal.

"Bike? We're going on your bike?" Sal looked shocked and a little uncertain.

"Sure, why not?" he replied.

"Well, I've never really been on a bike before. I mean, I've grabbed a lift across town on the back of a moped but that's about it," she said anxiously.

"You'll be fine Sal, I'll look after you. I've been riding a motorbike for years," he reassured her.

"Matala is a long way on a bike Nick, and you'll have to go across the mountains for part of the way too. It's quite remote up there," Ruth warned him.

"Well, we'll just have to go prepared then. It should take us about five hours but we can stop on the way and have a look around one of the little villages," he replied.

Sal looked at her watch. "Nick, we won't make it back here before dark if it's a five hour journey."

"I know, I thought about that, but then I figured that we could maybe stay the night in Matala and make our way back here tomorrow. It's not as if we have anything to rush back for, and Matala is supposed to be great in the evening. A lovely little place on the beach with cocktail bars and palm trees et cetera."

"Well... we could I suppose," Sal said, warming to the idea. "It would be almost like a mini holiday."

"Exactly. So are we going then Sal?" he asked expectantly.

"Let's do it!" she exclaimed jumping off her stool. "I'll have to pack some supplies for the journey though, you know drinks and snacks in case we need sustenance on the way. Oh and sun tan lotion..."

"And bring your bikini, the sea there is supposed to be great for swimming," Nick added.

"Yippee!" Sal cheered, jumping up and down with excitement and throwing herself into Nick's arms, "we're going on a quest!"

Nick laughed and looked astounded for a minute by Sal's enthusiasm. Then he closed his eyes briefly and put his head next to hers, holding her tightly and looking up to Ruth with a longing expression in his eyes. Ruth winked at him.

Chapter 11

Sal threw the last remaining items of clothing into her backpack and then proceeded to apply some suntan lotion to her skin ready for the journey. She had pondered over what to wear, thinking that jeans or trousers might be the most sensible option; however when she considered the heat of the sun that day she dismissed the idea of covering her legs. Instead she had put on her bikini and covered it with a small, peppermint coloured top and a matching bikini wrap. It was going to be a long journey and she wouldn’t be able to face it if she knew she was going to be roasting and sweating for hours and hours. She turned to the mirror to apply some suntan lotion to her face.

“Sally Fitzroy-Smith...is going on a quest!!”

She giggled.

“Nick is completely insane! But brilliant all the same. Not got a clue what we’ll do when we get there, or how the hell we’re going to find this axe thing but...knowing him we’ll probably end up doing it! Sal is feeling...excited! And a bit nervous about the bike, but most of all Sal is feeling alive! So glad Nick is back, we always have so much fun together. Even more so this year...now I kind of feel like I know him better, I don’t know why.”

She watched her own face grow a little more serious in the mirror.

“Wonder if things will change when Jen gets back.”

She thought for a moment and then shrugged.

“Well, she’ll just have to get used to the idea that me and Nick are best friends. Besides, if she spent more time with him and less time with the reps then maybe he wouldn’t hang around me so much. Oh well, her loss is my gain.”

She bent to grab her bag, keys and sunglasses from off the bed and turned to leave the room, looking back over her shoulder at the mirror before she left.

“Oops almost forgot, hope to find ‘mind shattering guy’ in Matala.”

Sal ran down the steps of her apartment block and flew out of the door into the sunshine and ... slap bang into Nick who was on his way in to find her.

“Woa, such enthusiasm Sal!” He held onto her upper arms and grinned down into her face. She laughed and took a step back. “Are you this enthusiastic about everything?” he questioned.

“What?” She wasn’t sure what he was asking.

“You always seem to be enthusiastic about things,” he said, remembering her reaction when they had decided to make this trip. “I was just wondering if you are always enthusiastic.”

What on earth was he going on about now?

“I’ll try to curb my enthusiasm from now on if it bothers you,” she replied, misunderstanding him.

“God, don’t do that!” he looked almost panicked for a moment. “The more enthusiasm the better as far as I’m concerned.”

She looked up at him in bewilderment but his mind was wandering, he was still hot under the collar from the close physical contact with her in the bar when she had jumped off the stool and flug herself into his arms.

God he’d love to see just how enthusiastic she could get! What was he thinking? Cool it! Why was his mind constantly on sex when she was around? She was a friend, okay? That was all.

“Yeah, anyway...here it is,” he said, turning around and gesturing to the motorbike behind them.

Sal’s eyes widened. “It’s huge Nick!” she exclaimed.

He was grinning again. “I didn’t realize it was that obvious!”

Once more she looked at him in confusion.

He smiled. “Oh, you were talking about the bike.”

Realisation hit her and her eyes widened at his innuendo. “Nick!” she screeched, “you know what I was talking about!”

Nick chuckled and was delighted to see something like embarrassment on Sal’s face. He’d never seen that before. He didn’t think that anything could embarrass Sal. Maybe he had just imagined it. His eyes moved from her face down her body over her clothes. She wasn’t wearing much. Just the way he liked her. Her figure-hugging top stopped just above the wispy skirt thing she was wearing, providing him with a tantalising view of her midriff; he wanted to kiss it. He wanted to kiss other bits too!

God, if he carried on like that, it was going to be obvious!

“Nick?” She brought him abruptly out of his reverie. “Shouldn’t we be going?”

“Oh yeah, right,” he replied, turning his attention to the bike and climbing on. “Come on then Sal, on you get.”

She approached the bike and looked at it with some uncertainty. After a while, when he realised that she hadn’t moved, he frowned and turned to see her staring at the seat.

“Well, are you going to get on or not?”

She bit her lip. “I guess… Here goes nothing,” she said, clambering on behind him and trying to pull her bikini wrap down at the same time.

Perhaps she should have worn jeans after all!

She had finally managed to place herself in the seat and she sat, much to Nick’s disappointment, perched awkwardly a good distance from his back. It was going to be a long journey so he figured that he could get away with enjoying her close proximity for at least some of the ride without her realising it. He grinned as a thought hit him.

“Ready?” he asked.

“I suppose so,” she replied nervously.

He pulled out into the road and accelerated suddenly, causing Sal to squeal with shock and slide forward in the seat, flinging her arms around him and hanging on for dear life. He smiled to himself; that was better.

Chapter 12

Nick was forced to slow the bike down in order to negociate the smaller roads which led from Sal’s apartment to the outskirts of town; however he assumed that Sal was still too nervous to move away from him as he still felt her arms wrapped firmly around his body. Just before they reached the highway he covered her hand with his and shouted,

“Are you okay back there? I’m going to have to go a bit faster now as we’ll be on the highway soon but don’t worry. Try to relax.”

“I’m okay,” she said in a small, tense voice.

His heart did a small leap when he heard her reply. She was very nervous and he knew it but she was putting on a brave front for him. He’d look after her, she’d see. And then she’d relax more and enjoy the ride.

He began to accelerate, but only enough to keep up with the traffic on the road; he didn’t want to go any faster until he was sure that Sal was feeling less tense. Luckily the first few miles out of town were on a fairly straight stretch of highway and he noticed that the fingers that were digging into his chest began to loosen their grip.

The bike was a lot sturdier than she had anticipated, the seat a lot wider and more comfortable. She kept her arms around Nick but sat back slightly, lifting her head up to take in the view. As they sped past the mountains and olive groves the wind whipped through her hair and she felt a wonderful sense of freedom. When he had first suggested that they go on this trip she had wondered why they hadn’t taken her car but now she knew why; this was so much better. She giggled as a thought hit her, it was almost like speeding down the highway on her very own sofa...and what a view!

“Are you alright now Sal? What are you laughing at?”

“I’m just thinking that it’s fun. I don’t know what I was so worried about.”

He smiled. “What did I tell you?”

She leant forward to speak into his ear. “Go faster,” she whispered.

Maybe it was the fact that he could feel the soft curves of her body brush against his back or maybe it was the sound of her voice so encouraging in his ear, or just that she was enjoying something that he also enjoyed a lot, but there was something in her words that aroused him so much.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure.”

He accelerated and the bike surged forward suddenly. The rush of air got fiercer and their surroundings whizzed past in a blur but she tingled with the excitement and thrill of it. She wriggled closer to him, sliding her hands over the hard wall of his chest. At that moment he was her Theseus on a white horse and she was Ariadne. In his mind she was his girl friend, his soul mate who he was taking home for a night of wild, passionate lovemaking. Both were lost in their own private fantasies which they envisaged building to intense sensual conclusions.

Before they knew it they were on the outskirts of Heraklion and Nick stopped at the traffic lights, turning to see that her head was resting against his back and her eyes were closed. He smiled warmly.

Is she asleep?

“Hey Sal, wake up.”

Her eyes flew open and she answered guiltily. “I wasn’t asleep.” No she wasn’t, she was lying naked on the beach, her body entwined with a strong muscular male. She blushed as his eyes assessed her.

“What’s wrong?” He scrutinised her face.

“What...what do you...nothing,” she stuttered, suspecting for a moment that he had read her thoughts.

“You’ve gone red...”

She put her hand up to her face in a panic.

“You’ve got sunburnt,” he announced much to her relief. She felt the heat of her face and she realised that she had in fact caught the sun. Thank god it was enough to hide her embarrassment and her secret fantasy from him because in the back of her mind she was aware that the man in her daydream had somehow changed from Theseus, to her favourite rock star and, somewhere along the line, to Nick!

Chapter 13

“Come here, let me see,” Nick said, turning around fully on the seat and taking her face in his hands.

Oh my god! Look somewhere else. Where else is there to look?

Nick’s face was inches from hers.

Get a grip Sal! It’s Nick for god sake! He’d be so bloody full of himself if he ever knew what she was just thinking! Please let go of her now! Pretend it hurts.

“Awch!”

“What?”

“Oh nothing, shall we go now?”

“I think we should stop in Heraklion somewhere. Judging by your face, you definitely need to put some more sun cream on and I could do with a drink anyway,” he replied.

“Okay, come on then,” she agreed, waiting for him to drop his hands.

He hesitated for a moment as his eyes hovered on her face.

He chuckled. “You look quite cute like that.” Tapping her on the nose with his forefinger, he turned back and pulled away from the lights when they changed.

She definitely needed to find a new boyfriend quick. Maybe she'd find one with a bike; it seemed to bring out the animal instincts in her. Yeah well, she’d better keep her animal instincts in check from now on, or at least for the rest of that journey!

They made their way into the centre of the town and parked the bike near to the main square. There were plenty of tavernas and cafes to choose from there, however, they decided to wander a little further afield in order to stretch their legs. They strolled down the cobbled pavements, glancing at the array of trinkets souvenirs and painted crockery that was displayed outside the tourist shops. At the end of the street, they reached the sea front and the great harbour walls, Venetian in design, but constructed using the pale, sandy coloured local stone.

“They are developing this area. If we walk a bit further we’ll be able to find lots of nice places for a drink with a view over the water,” Nick informed Sal. “It’s about time they did something to improve the look of the town. It’s a shame they didn’t plan it out better as it developed because it must have been quite impressive before all the urban sprawl.”

“Yes, it’s not half as pretty as Hania. Have you been there Nick?” she asked.

“Yes briefly. I visited it once when I was staying with some friends in Rethymno. You’re right, it is a lot prettier there,” he remarked. “When did you go?”

“Last year. I went with Fay, Adam and Tom. It was fantastic, we met up with Pedros from Mardis Gras and he took us on his friend’s yacht,” she said enthusiastically.

He contemplated her for a while. “You must have enjoyed that. You have a thing about yachts don’t you. Did you have any mind shattering sex on there?” he grinned.

She wrinkled up her nose and shook her head. “Nah, there was no one to have mind shattering sex with.”

They had finally reached a row of waterside cafes and restaurants and Sal pointed to the first one she saw as the intensity of the sun was beginning to make her crave that drink.

“This looks nice. Want to stop here?”

“Sure,” he replied, finding the nearest table at the water’s edge and taking a seat. “So, you weren’t tempted with Tom then?” he asked, reverting back to their previous conversation. He remembered her mentioning his name before, and he had a quick mental image of the two of them locked in a steamy embrace at the back of Shots bar last year. He wondered if they had ever gone to bed together. He avoided conjuring up an image of that.

“No, although I’m sure he wouldn’t have objected, but he was a bit too full on for me, and he was only after the first girl he met,” she answered wryly.

Nick felt pleased to hear that for some reason, he wasn’t sure why. “I bet he wouldn’t have objected! And I bet he couldn’t believe his luck when the first girl he met was you.”

She gave a short burst of laughter. “Err actually, I’m sure that he was after Fay to start with. It figures.”

“Why?” he frowned.

“Well you know, everyone’s always after Fay,” she replied casually.

“What, more than you?” he said with surprise.

“Of course more than me,” she exclaimed.

He shrugged and turned his head towards the view saying, “I think you’ve got it wrong there.”

She dismissed his comment. “You’re just saying that because you’re my friend.”

He swung his head back to her and his eyes gave her a quick assessment before he answered. “You’re a very attractive woman Sal, don’t you realise that?”

She looked astounded and felt a little lost for words for a moment. “I...err...of course... I’m fantabulous really, it’s just that it’s not so obvious to everybody,” she finally said, making a joke of the matter.

“It might be more obvious than you realise.”

She didn’t look convinced. “Hmm, well, I don’t know why I don’t have scores of men hanging around me then.”

He thought about that comment for a while. “Perhaps it’s because you make friends of everyone Sal. I guess the blokes can’t see past that sometimes.”

She looked taken aback. “Do you think so? I don’t know how not to be friends with people though.”

“Hmm, I'm not sure. Actually, I suppose that you have to have an air of mystery about you but... to be honest I don’t want you to change Sal. Wait for the right bloke to come along because I think that your open honesty is a rare quality and a refreshing change,” he concluded.

She smiled at him. “You’re sweet Nick.”

He looked a little uncomfortable for a second then. “Yeah well, now I need that drink,” he said plucking the menu from the centre of the table and studying it. “What do you fancy? Hey, they have Dodonos ice cream in here, ever tried that?”

“Never heard of it,” she said, trying to look over the top of his menu.

“It’s a Greek brand name, the best ice cream in Greece. Think you’ll like it Sal, shall we order some?”

She grinned. “You’re very wicked Nick, go on then.”

Nick had no idea why she thought that he was wicked, but he liked the way she had said that and he smiled in response. “How about I order us both some different flavours and we can share?”

“Great idea, surprise me.”

He ordered the ice cream, two cokes and two bottles of water. They could take the water back with them to the bike; at least it would be cold.

When the order came however, Sal poured half of her bottle of water into a glass of ice and drank deeply from it. Her mouth was dry, and the cold liquid was what she had craved. She drank the whole glass and then filled it with coke, drinking half of that before finally turning her attention to her ice cream.

“Wow, you were thirsty!” he observed.

“Yep, I only drank that orange juice earlier and after all the alcohol last night, and the heat today, it’s hardly surprising.”

“We’ll stock up on some more cold water before we go back,” he said.

“Well, this looks interesting,” she commented, looking down at her bowl of ice cream sundae and wondering where to start.

“Yes, I think you have about three different flavours in there, see if you can guess what they are.”

She giggled with excitement and dug her spoon into the cream topping to reach the ice cream below it. Scooping out a spoonful of soft, creamy ice cream, she put it into her mouth and let it melt on her tongue.

“Mmm, peach I think,” she said, licking her lips.

“Well done,” he replied, following the movement of her tongue with his eyes. “This one is good too,” he said, offering her a spoonful from his bowl.

She leant across the table and took his offering. “Wow that is good! What is it?”

“Err, nuts and berries I guess.”

It tasted creamy with a sharp contrast of fruit and the added bonus of a couple of chewy pistachio nuts into the bargain.

“Fabulous.”

As they dug into their ice creams, Nick reflected on why he enjoyed her company so much. One, she was a hell of a lot of fun to be with, and two, she was always up for anything, and whatever they did, she enjoyed. He was a little disconcerted to find himself comparing her to Jen in that respect, and the difference was startlingly obvious. Jen was considerably harder to please...although he had to admit that even she was partial to a bowl of Dodonos ice cream.

As she ate, Sal managed to guess that her bowl also contained banana and raspberry flavoured ice creams, and they tasted divine. When she reached the bottom of her bowl, she scraped out the remaining juices and put her spoon down, sitting back with a satisfied look on her face.

“That was like a marathon ice cream eating contest; I can’t believe I managed to eat it all.”

“Yeah well, you haven’t finished yet, you still have one more of mine to guess,” he said, lifting his spoon up to her.

“I can’t possibly! I’m way too full of ice cream now,” she exclaimed.

“Come on Sal, just one more mouthful or you’ll lose the contest,” he challenged.

She sighed and opened her mouth. He moved the spoon towards her and she went to take it in her mouth but at the last moment he flicked the spoon upwards and caught her on the nose, covering it with ice cream. She squealed and sprang back, grabbing a paper napkin and wiping the substance away. He chuckled.

“You’re in trouble now Nicholas!” she growled, picking up her spoon and diving for his ice cream.

He grabbed her by the wrist however and she gasped in shock as he managed to smudge another spoonful of ice cream on her face from his own spoon. He looked delighted and extremely proud of himself, so she picked up some of his ice cream with her hand and caught him unawares.

“Right, that’s it!” he shouted, jumping out of his chair, running around the table, catching her around the waist and picking her up bodily to throw her over his shoulder.

She shrieked and tried to wriggle free. “Put me down Nick!”

He laughed and turned to see her bottom so temptingly close, it was more temptation than he could resist.

“I told you not to play with your ice cream you naughty girl,” he said, spanking her. “Just wait until I get you home.”

She looked up in horror to see the people outside the cafe watching them. “He’s just a friend, honest,” she said with embarrassment.

“You really shouldn’t have goaded me like that,” he continued, enjoying every minute, “because you know what the punishment will be. You’ll have to do all those things I love to make it up to me now!”

She was mortified by the look on the people’s faces, although she couldn’t help but laugh. “Ooops, here comes the waiter. I think it’s time to go now Nick,” she warned him.

The waiter didn’t look impressed, and Nick relented, putting her down and reaching into his pocket for some money. “Quick Sal, check the receipt on the table. How much do we owe?”

Sal dived for the receipt. “Twelve Euros.”

He threw fifteen Euros down on the table, grabbed Sal’s hand and they ran off down the street, giggling like naughty school children.

Chapter 14

Nick and Sal bought some more water from a kiosk down a side street and returned to the bike, still laughing about the reaction of the people in the cafe. They climbed onto the bike and Sal felt a lot more relaxed than when they had set off from Agios, in fact she was actually looking forward to the rest of the journey.

“How far is Matala from here Nick?” Sal shouted, once they had joined the highway again.

“I’m not a hundred percent sure; I’ve never been to Matala before but I’ve worked out it should take us about an hour and a half from here.”

Their journey would take them almost straight down the centre of the island from the north to the south coast.

“Okay, no problem,” she said, leaning closer to him and slipping hesitant arms around his middle. She knew she probably shouldn’t, but she loved riding like that, and it just seemed like the natural thing to do. Nick smiled to himself.

Approximately thirty minutes after they had set off from Heraklion, the road began to cut through the largest agricultural area in Crete, the Messara Plain. The area was very remote, and few buildings could be seen breaking up the huge expanse of olive groves, vineyards and fields of grain. To their left they could see a couple of tiny villages dotting the horizon, but they were barely more than a cluster of white boxes. To their right they had an impressive view of the Psiloritis mountain range stretching out to the west of the island towards Rethymno. In the foreground the mountains appeared to be covered with a blanket of green. This was an unusual sight for Nick and Sal, as most of the east received a lot less rainfall and, in the summer months particularly, the landscape there seemed to be burnished by the heat of the sun. From the Messara Plain however, for as far as the eye could see, there were trees and vegetation of all kinds, and the distant Psiloritis mountains took on a blue tinge with the haze from the sun smoking the view.

They were well into the Messara area when Nick suddenly slowed the bike down and came to a stop at the side of the road.

“Time for a quick drink Sal, and I could do with stretching my legs again,” he said, climbing down from the bike.

“Sure,” she replied cheerfully, swinging her leg over the back of the bike to dismount.

Nick watched her and chuckled as she misjudged, bending her leg, catching it on the seat and unceremoniously slipping to the floor.

She pulled a face. “Might need to practise that a bit.”

“Yeah, think you might,” he laughed, approaching the bike again to search his back pack for the water.

He pulled out a bottle and drank from it, grimacing slightly. “It’s a bit warm now.”

Sal wasn’t listening; she had grabbed her own back pack and was staring out across the plain, her eyes searching for something. Before long she appeared to have found what she was looking for, and she began to walk away from the road, onto the grass and gravelly rocks in front of her.

“Nicholas,” she called in a sultry voice, “I have something for you.”

He swung around, turning his attention away from the bike when he registered the tone of her voice.

Bloody hell, maybe my luck’s in!

“Sal, where the hell are you going?”

“Come here and find out,” she replied mysteriously.

He smiled a wicked smile and raced after her. She sped up a little when she heard him approaching and she eventually reached the spot she was heading for. Stopping under a cluster of olive trees, she threw her back pack onto the floor and dived into it. She was just laying a blanket out on the grass when Nick caught up with her.

He looked from the blanket to her and back again with a mischievous expression. “Fancy a roll in the hay?”

She sat down on the blanket and proceeded to pull items out of her bag. “Don’t be ridiculous Nick. Besides there isn’t any hay here, just a bit of grass.”

“Same thing,” he shrugged, sitting down next to her and watching with interest as more items were produced from the bag. “That looks a lot like a Mary Poppins bag to me Sal, have you got the kitchen sink in there too?”

“No Nick, but I do have sandwiches...”

His eyes widened, “Oooh, you do spoil me Sal.”

She wasn’t sure if he was being sarcastic or not. “And pie...”

“Pie! You’re kidding me.” This time he really did sound impressed.

“Nope. Would you like to know what else I’ve got?”

“There’s more?” he said in disbelief.

“Yes, there’s cold roast chicken and pasta salad...oh and some green leafy salad just as an added extra,” she said, placing the final two tupperware boxes on the floor with the rest.

He watched in amazement as she peeled the lids off the boxes to reveal an assortment of mouth watering foods. She then pulled out two plastic plates, knives and forks and a couple of cans of fizzy orange pop. She handed him one with a smile.

He was overwhelmed, not only that but the can of pop was ice cold too.

“How the hell did you manage to keep the cans so cold?” he asked.

“Plastic ice blocks,” she said holding one up proudly.

He sat looking at the picnic with wide eyed amazement. “You’re a genius!” he exclaimed. And without thinking he leant over and planted a kiss on her cheek.

She never knew what to do when Nick praised her, she was more used to his sarcasm, and the kiss on the cheek really threw her for a moment. She busied herself with serving out the food to hide it. He surveyed her thoughtfully as she transferred first the pie and then the chicken and sandwiches onto the plates. This was a side to Sal he hadn’t seen before. She had obviously put much thought into this picnic, she had planned it and organised everything even down to the paper napkins she had packed and was handing to him at that moment along with the plate of food and cutlery. Sal usually appeared to be so clumsy and disorganised, sleeping in past her alarm and turning up late for everything; but perhaps he had misjudged her. After all, she had to be organised and efficient to do the job of airport supervisor, and Adam wouldn’t have kept her on for this long if she wasn’t doing a good job.

“So where did you get this pie from then Sal, and what’s in it?” Nick asked, picking up a slice and taking a bite.

Sal continued to spoon out some pasta salad from the tub and answered matter of factly. “It’s meat and potato pie and I made it.”

He stopped in mid chew. “You made this?”

“Thanks for your vote of confidence Nick. You don’t have to sound so surprised.”

“Sorry.” He took another look at the pie. “It’s amazing!”

“Thanks,” she gave a small smile. “Taste one of those sandwiches too, I want your opinion on something.”

He was intrigued. What was she going to surprise him with next? He took a bite out of a cheese and ham sandwich.

“Don’t tell me you killed the pig and milked the cow to make the cheese!” He paused to think. “Well, I don’t know what you did but there’s a fantastic flavour in here Sal,” he admitted.

“I wasn’t sure if it was any good as it was the first time I'd made mayonnaise but I followed the recipe and it seemed to turn out all right.”

He laughed out loud. “You made mayonnaise just for these sandwiches! Sal why would you do that? You’re nuts!”

She scowled at him. “I didn’t make it just for these sandwiches you idiot, and you can bloody well give me those sandwiches back now for that,” she said, reaching for his plate.

He shielded it from her with a hand and moved it out of her reach. “You leave my sandwiches alone!”

She narrowed her eyes at him and continued. “I had the mayonnaise already in the fridge, it’s just that no one else had tasted it up to now. And the pie was leftover from yesterday’s lunch. I’ve kind of developed an interest in cooking lately. I seem to have a fair amount of free time on my hands and it began as a hobby to stop me from going to the pub every night out of boredom. The only problem is that I always end up with stacks left over afterwards.”

“Don’t worry about that Sal, I’d be more than willing to be chief taster for you!”

“You’ll get nothing at all Nicholas, unless you take back what you just said to me.”

He gave her a puppy dog look. “Sorry Sal.”

She nodded, apparently satisfied.

He grinned and proceeded to polish off the sandwich he had started, still holding his plate away from her as though he would guard it with his life. With her point well and truly made, she picked up a fork and began to enjoy her food. He smiled to himself as he proceeded to eat the rest of his pie.

“You know, it’s just occurred to me that you could be a proper little housewife Sal.”

She frowned. “Nah. Anyway I’ve decided that I’m not going to get married,” she announced.

He looked surprised. “What, never?”

“Nope. There are no men out there nice enough to marry, and besides, I don’t fancy being tied to the kitchen sink. Nobody is going to tie me down. But if there’s going to be any tying going on at all, I’m going to be the one who’s doing it,” she said with conviction.

She never failed to amuse him. “I think you’ll find the phrase is being ‘chained to the kitchen sink’ Sal, and may I be so bold as to put myself up for the first bondage session?” he joked.

“Oooh, you wretch! You know what I meant. Give me those sandwiches back,” she demanded by way of a punishment.

“Not a chance,” he laughed, backing away from her and continuing to eat.

She considered trying to take them off him again but she changed her mind and decided to finish off her food instead, she would only lose the fight anyway.

Bondage indeed! He’s so cheeky!

She turned her head away to hide the giggle that suddenly slipped out, but he was well aware of every expression on her face and every move she made.

“I can see you laughing,” he said in a sing song school playground voice.

She laughed out loud, she couldn’t help it. He always made her do that no matter how angry she tried to be.

Sal only managed to eat half a plate of food, but Nick refused to give in until his whole plate was empty. He swallowed the last mouthful and lay back on the blanket with a sigh.

“That’s going to set me up for the week! I’m stuffed.”

She glanced at his empty plate.

“You didn’t have to eat it all. I wouldn’t have told you off if you’d left some you know, I’m not your mum!”

The moment she’d uttered the words she regretted them. She’d said it without thinking but then she’d remembered that he hadn’t had a mum around to tell him to eat up all his food. His dad probably hadn’t been that bothered either.

“I’m sorry Nick, I didn’t mean to...”

“To do what?” he turned his head on the blanket to look at her and seeing her expression he sat up suddenly. “Forget it. I assume that you’re all anxious because of the comment about my mother.”

She looked sheepish.

“Listen Sal, I told you about that because I find you easier to talk to than anyone else so please don’t start walking on egg shells around me because of it, okay?”

She considered his comment and then nodded. “Okay.”

Nick gave her an encouraging smile and then looked up to the late afternoon sky.

“It’s going to start getting dark in a while. We should head off soon.”

“I’ll just put all this away,” she said.

“Finish your drink first,” he replied, leaning back on his hands to take a last look at the view.

Everything was so very peaceful out there, in the middle of nowhere with just the grass, the olive trees and the immense expanse of sky. The sun was on the verge of setting and the sky was a pale, warm yellow colour. He suddenly felt reluctant to leave that place, he would have loved to have stayed there to watch the sun set completely with Sal, but he’d have to save that for another day. He turned to look at her and she too seemed mesmerised by the view. Without warning he had the strongest urge to be closer to her, but he couldn’t see a way to make it happen.

Sal wanted to share the sunset with Nick. It was so beautiful there and she couldn’t think of anyone she’d rather be there with. For a reason she couldn’t explain, ever since she’d got on the back of that bike with him she’d craved his closeness. She realised today more than ever that she was tired of being alone, and when she was near him, she felt safe and warm. She contented herself with the thought that by hook or by crook, she would find someone just like him and she’d be happy, but for now, he was there and she was there and it seemed wasteful not to share the moment together. She shivered suddenly...well, she was kind of cold.

Nick saw Sal shiver and he seized the opportunity.

“You’re cold, come here,” he said, holding his arms out to her.

She needed no encouragement. She wriggled across the blanket and he moved behind her, enveloping her in his strong arms. They sat like that in silence for as long as they could, before they couldn’t delay leaving any longer. And although they were both aware that they shouldn’t be there, and they shouldn’t be so close to each other, for both of them it had never felt so right.

Chapter 15

It was half an hour after their last stop when Nick and Sal arrived in Matala. They had left the national highway and followed the signs down a series of small, winding roads until they reached the main area of the tiny town centre, situated mostly around the famous beach. During the last part of their journey, the sun had set and their first sight of Matala was in darkness, but the moonlight beach, the illuminated caves in the cliffside and the twinkling lights of the sea front tavernas offered them a heart-warming welcome.

On the way into the town they had discussed finding a hotel room as soon as they arrived, however in their excitement at first seeing the place, they jumped off the bike and ran towards the beach, cheering and jumping up and down in excitable abandon.

“I can’t believe we’re finally here!” Sal shouted.

“Woa, it’s pretty damn amazing!” Nick yelled, running towards the sea. Sal giggled and ran after him but stopped and watched, a little startled when Nick continued to run fully clothed straight into the sea!

“What is it with you and swimming fully clothed?” she laughed.

“It’s great Sal, it’s really warm too. Come in,” he called, falling backwards with his arms outstretched to float on top of the water, staring up at the stars.

“Not a good idea. We’ve got to find somewhere to stay remember. It’s getting late,” she shouted back. Nick appeared not to have heard. “Nick… Nick, come on get out of there!”

Eventually he replied. “Can’t hear you Sal!”

She put her hands on her hips. “Yes you can! Come on, out!”

He disappeared under the water and came up closer to the shore, wading towards her.

“You look like the man from Atlantis,” she giggled.

He grinned. “Is he incredibly good looking?”

“Hmm, yes. On second thoughts you look more like Merman,” she said when he had reached her.

“What does he look like then?”

“All scaly with webbed feet and hands,” she teased.

“Grrrrr!” he growled, holding up his imaginary webbed hands and chasing her up onto the beach.

She screamed and ran from him until he caught her moments later and tackled her onto the floor.

“Surrender to the mighty power of Merrrmannn!” he commanded, tickling her senseless.

She squealed and tried desperately to wriggle free but remained defiant for as long as she could. “Stop Merman! You cannot harm me… for I am Aqua Woman, Queen of all the seas,” she announced in between fits of hysteria.

He paused for a moment to look at her and then burst out laughing, continuing the attack. “Surrender or you die Aqua Woman!” He could barely get the last few words out for laughing so much.

“Stop or you will regret this Merman, for I shall call up all my fishy friends to…”

“Fishy friends?” He howled with laughter.

She tried to look serious but couldn’t stop the giggles. “Yes and my allies the snappy crabs who will come and nip you like this.” She pinched him in his side. “And this.” She pinched him again. His eyes widened and he growled, grabbing her taunting hands and pinning them above her head.

“Now you are at my mercy,” he exclaimed, smiling down at her in triumph.

The moment Nick had moved her hands above her head something in Sal’s brain clicked and she felt a rising panic at the way she was trapped against him. The panic wasn’t from fear of being hurt or having to admit defeat; in fact it was quite the opposite. Sal felt a sudden thrill at being helpless underneath his hard demanding body and it was this that filled her with fear. Fear that he would see it in her face, or feel it from the heat that was spreading through her body.

Damn it! She needed to find a man, and quickly! Her hormones are running riot!

The smile on Nick’s face slowly disappeared when Sal turned her face away from him. Something was wrong.

“Sal? Sal, what’s the matter?” he said softly.

He suddenly became aware of the intimacy of their position and his pulse raced. Maybe that was what was wrong. Maybe she had sensed it and he had frightened her. He released her hands.

“Sal, are you okay? Look at me,” he said, tilting his head to look into her face. She couldn’t let him see her like that; she had to get away from him.

“We have to go now Nick…to find a hotel,” she replied in a quiet voice.

He rolled off her and lay next to her on the sand with his face directly in front of hers. She went to turn away again but he stopped her by placing a hand on her cheek.

“Wait, are you okay?”

His eyes were searching hers, looking for answers, but it was dark. Maybe he couldn’t see her expression.

Nick tried desperately to pick up on any signals that Sal might have been sending him at that moment. More than anything now, and since the first day he’d met her, he was hoping to see some kind of physical attraction towards him. He knew that she enjoyed his company, that she thought he was fun and that they could share inner thoughts and feelings together, but her insistence that they were just friends bothered him. In fact it hurt, because he felt so much more, and if she didn’t, or couldn’t, feel more then where did that leave him?

What was that look on her face? Was she afraid, annoyed, uncomfortable, embarrassed or…aroused? As her eyes held his for a split second he had real hope. She was hesitating; she wasn’t moving away.

“Let’s go now,” she said. But still she lay beside him, her face so close to his.

“Why?” he asked.

“Because…because,” she faltered, trying desperately to focus, to come up with a sensible reply. His heart thundered as he watched her struggle for an answer. She eventually found one.

“Because someone is coming.”

Chapter 16

“What?” It wasn’t the answer he had hoped for or expected but sure enough when Nick looked up he saw that there was a group of people approaching them. He jumped up and held out his hand to Sal who was sitting brushing sand off her arms. Sal pretended not to notice his gesture and, choosing to keep her distance, she stood up just as the people passed them. There were about five or six people in the group and they were all dressed in beachwear, laughing and chatting excitedly. Sal pretended to show an interest in the people but Nick was studying her with a frown.

What did I do wrong? We have been getting on so well today too. But then why didn’t she move straight away from me if being near me bothers her that much? Come to think of it she didn’t exactly protest when I put my arms around her earlier, and she seemed to enjoy my closeness on the bike. Then again I guess she does like physical contact, she’s like that with all her friends. Damn, maybe I should just ask her. Yeah right, I’ll just say ‘Sal, how do you feel about getting really close to me because if it’s okay with you I’d like to take all your clothes off and get as close as I possibly can.’ Don’t think that would go down too well somehow!

“Nick!” Someone was calling him from the group. Nick turned around to see that a couple of the people had hung back and were hesitantly moving towards him. “Nick, is that you?” the woman asked with some uncertainty.

Nick squinted to make out the face of the woman and then realisation dawned on him. “Sandra?”

“Oh my god Phil it is him!” she said, rushing forward and kissing him on both cheeks.

The man she was with held out his hand to Nick and they shook, both with smiles on their faces. “Long time no see eh mate, what you doing all the way out here?” the man asked.

Nick looked amazed to see them both. “We’ve come on a road trip. Just staying the night. Oh this is Sal by the way,” he said turning to introduce her. “Sal, Sandra and Phil.” They shook hands. “I didn’t even know you two were still on the island,” Nick admitted.

“Yeah, but we moved to Hania a couple of years ago,” Phil explained.

“You traitors, moving to the west and not even telling anyone!” he jested.

Phil and Sandra laughed. “Hey, you have to come tonight. We’re having a beach party here. There’s a whole group of us, they’ve got a barbie going and there’s tonnes of beer, come along,” Sandra invited.

Nick turned to Sal to see her reaction. She smiled and nodded enthusiastically.

“Sure, we’d love to but we have to find a hotel for the night first. We’ve not long arrived,” he informed them.

“Well, if you don’t have anywhere in mind I’m sure they have rooms at the hotel we are staying in,” Phil said.

“Oh brilliant,” Sal exclaimed with relief. “We’ve left it a bit late. I was beginning to think that we’d have to sleep on the beach!”

Phil laughed. “No, you won’t have to go that far. The hotel is called ‘The Matala Helios’ and it’s really easy to find. If you follow the road along the sea front you’ll come to a row of tavernas, it’s on the street above but you can see it from the road.”

“Great, we’ll join you a bit later then,” Nick confirmed.

“We’ll be here,” Sandra assured them, waving as they moved further up the beach in search of the party.

“Come on Sal, let’s find that hotel,” Nick said, throwing an arm over her shoulder and directing them back towards the bike.

Phil had been right, the hotel was easy to find and although the man at the tiny reception looked a bit uncertain when they asked for a room, he managed eventually to magic one up. The old man led them up two flights of stairs and down a small corridor to room 23 where he left them with the key, wishing them ‘kali nichta.’

When they opened the door both of them immediately realised their mistake. The man must have assumed that they were a couple, well why wouldn’t he? They had forgotten to ask for a twin room and were faced with the dilemma of there only being one double bed.

“Ah.” They turned to each other awkwardly. “Maybe he has another room,” Nick pondered.

“I doubt it. He took long enough to find this one.” They hovered in the doorway.

“Well I guess we could try to find somewhere else,” he suggested.

Sal sighed. “It’s a bit late Nick.” She moved into the room decisively and placed her bag on the bed.

Nick followed her and glanced around the room. “Hey look, it’s no problem, I’ll sleep on there.” He pointed to a large, wooden, Greek style sofa which was almost the size of a single bed anyway.

“There’s no extra bedding though,” she pointed out.

He threw down his bag and moved over to her. “It’s okay, I’ll rough it out.” He took her hands and held them loosely in his. “Are you okay Sal? I mean after earlier…on the beach…” He finished awkwardly, unsure of how to continue. He was used to Sal coming to his rescue in situations like this, nothing ever seemed to faze her, but at that moment she looked as awkward as he felt.

“Yeah of course I’m fine,” she laughed, moving her hands out of his. “Come on, let’s get ready and go. They’ll be wondering where we are.”

She went to her bag and began searching through it. Nick watched her for a moment and then shrugged.

“You want to use the bathroom first? I know what women are like for getting ready,” he teased.

She smiled. “I’ll be quick," she said, grabbing her bag and disapperaing into the bathroom.

Fifteen minutes later Sal pulled a towel from off the rail and climbed out of the shower, wrapping the towel around her and securing it before turning to the mirror above the sink. Her face was positively glowing from the hours spent on the bike and there was little point in applying much makeup, apart from maybe a little lip gloss and a touch of mascara and eye shaddow. She was just reaching into her bag for her makeup when the sound of her mobile phone could be heard from the bedroom.

“Nick, can you get that?” she called out.

A few seconds later she heard the muffled sound of Nick’s voice from the other room and then a loud knock on the door.

“Sal, it’s your mum!” he shouted to her.

Sal’s eyes widened and she swung around in a panic, opening the door and colliding straight into Nick. Her line of sight hit a muscular chest and her surprise at seeing it there rendered her momentarily immobile, her earlier panic forgotten. Nick glanced down to see Sal’s eyes fixed ahead of her and for just a second or two she looked almost mesmerised until she shook her head abruptly and moved backwards with a small laugh, tucking her towel more tightly around her.

Nick’s eyes followed the movements of her hands as she secured the towel and then lifted to her face, a slight smile tugging at his lips.

“Here,” he said handing her the phone, “What’s the rush?”

She whipped out a hand and swiftly took the phone from him, covering the mouthpiece and whispering,

“What did she say?”

He whispered back, mimicking her. “She said that she’d like to talk to her daughter.”

“And what did you say?” she asked.

“I said I’d get you,” he whispered again, looking at her as if she’d gone slightly mad.

She narrowed her eyes and paused for a second before asking, “Is that all you said?”

Nick folded his arms across his chest and watched her as if he knew that she was up to something and he’d quite like to know what it was.

“Well I explained that we had gone away for the weekend and that you were just taking a shower before we went out to a beach party."

Sal just stared at Nick in horror, clutching the phone to her chest and tightening her hand over the mouthpiece.

Nick had to laugh at the look on her face. “Calm down Sal, I just said I’d pass you over to her, that was it. You gonna speak to her now or what?” he said, glancing at the phone in her hands.

Sal looked momentarily relieved but still felt anxious about having to speak to her mother. She took in a deep breath, turned and walked away from Nick, speaking in the quietest voice she could without making her mother suspicious.

“Hi, it’s me,” she began, listening to the immediate reply that she knew was going to come. “He’s just a friend.” Her mother rambled on at the other end, giving Sal little chance to explain more. Sal slipped back into the bathroom and grabbed her bag as her mother nattered on. Hopefully now Nick would use the bathroom and give her a chance to speak to her mother in private. She moved around Nick to the dressing table, opening her bag and taking out her cosmetics and a hairbrush. Taking a quick glance backwards though she was dismayed to see that Nick had thrown himself on the bed and was watching her with amusement. He was lying on his back with his hands behind his head, propped back against the pillows and looking as if he had no intention of moving anytime soon. ‘Bathroom’s free,’ she mouthed to him. ‘Just finishing watching this,’ he mouthed back, moving his eyes to the TV screen. She tutted and turned back. “No mother. Yes mother. Yes, yes, I know,” she replied, rolling her eyes. “Mother, I can’t really talk right now, I’ll phone you back tomorrow…because I’m just about to go out… yes, with my friend…yes we go out all the time, that’s why we are called friends,” she emphasised sarcastically. “Gotta go now mother…no I’ll speak to daddy tomorrow. I’m going now,” she warned, cutting her mother off in mid flow. She’d probably pay for that the next time she spoke to her mother but at least she could make sure that Nick wasn’t listening in!

Placing her phone on the dressing table, she picked up her brush and began untangling her hair.

“Daddy? Did I hear you call your old man daddy?” Nick grinned.

Sal sighed and turned to look at Nick who was now propped up on his elbows watching her.

“Eavesdropper,” she accused. “Are you now going to ruthlessly make fun of the parent thing?” she asked, hoping that he wouldn't.

He laughed. “Nah, actually I think it’s quite cute. I bet you are a real Daddy’s girl aren’t you?”

She turned back to the mirror and resumed brushing her hair. “Not really, but I suppose I do get on better with my dad than my mother on the whole.”

Nick chuckled. “Told you, a daddy’s girl.”

“Whatever you say Nicholas,” she replied, placing her hairbrush down and searching in her makeup bag.

“So why don’t you get on with mum then? And why the look of panic on your face when I answered the phone?” Nick asked.

Sal paused for a second and fiddled with the mascara tube in her hand. “Well, she interferes a lot and she just can’t stand not knowing every little detail of my life, especially since I’ve moved out here. She didn’t like that at all," Sal frowned. "She wanted me to marry who she thought was the right guy, settle down there and have babies and all that, but I wanted more for myself and so I escaped while I had the chance,” she replied, turning to look at him again. “I mean don’t get me wrong, she just wants the best for me and everything. It’s just that... well, we don’t exactly see eye to eye on that.”

Nick listened with interest. She had never spoken about her parents before and he tried to imagine what her mother was like? A mother who wanted to pin Sal down, that would never work. Sal was a free spirit.

“I sometimes wonder if I was adopted or something,” she continued. “I’m not like my mother or my father at all! Well, apart from the fact that me and mum look the spitting image of each other, but personality wise, we’re worlds apart.”

“Have you got any brothers or sisters Sal?” Nick asked suddenly out of the blue.

“No,” she shook her head.

He shrugged and lay back against the pillows. “Well maybe you were adopted then.”

“Right, and they chose me because I just happened to look very much like mum. Very sneaky,” she concluded.

Nick put his hands behind his head again and grinned. “Extremely! Good job we’ve got them sussed eh Sal,” he winked.

She laughed and he smiled back at her for a moment before his eyes returned to the TV screen again.

“Hey you! Don’t you think you should be getting ready to go out? Your friends will be wondering where we are!” Sal exclaimed.

“I’ll jump in the shower in a bit, you’ll be ages yet,” he said dismissively, seemingly now fully focused on the TV again.

“All right,” she replied, turning back to the mirror and her makeup, “but I don’t take that long to get ready so you’ve only got a few more minutes.”

“Okay bossy boots. I take it all back Sal, you might be more like your mum than you think!”

She swung her head around. “Oooh, that’s sacrilege to say that!”

He grinned. “Get on with it Sal or we’ll never get to the beach!”

“Pot calling the kettle black Nicholas!” she said, leaning closer to the mirror to apply the mascara.

Nick ignored her comment and gazed at the TV screen but his mind had wandered from the programme now. He was trying to picture Sal’s parents whilst at the same time wondering what they would make of him, particularly Sal’s mum. Would he not be the kind of guy she’d want Sal to be with? Not that it made any difference, they were only friends after all but still... he couldn’t help wondering. Then again, if Sal and her mom were so different it may not be a good thing: her mom approving of him. He liked to think that he was as carefree and impetuous as Sal, not the kind of person her mum would approve of. Sure, he’d like to settle down some day but just because a guy finds a girl he sees a future with, that doesn’t mean that life has to suddenly become dull. He sure as hell hoped not! Would life become dull with Jen? Who was he kidding? Life was hardly a barrel of laughs with her even now, never mind about in years to come! And that brought him back to Sal. As always, his thoughts constantly and most annoyingly returned to her.

He contemplated her with half closed eyes from the bed.

The problem he had with her was that he found her so bloody exciting… in all ways. The way she enthused about everything and was open to any suggestions, the way he could tease her senseless and always get a reaction from her; and yet she never took things to heart, but most of all the way that every item of clothing he’d ever seen her in seemed to make her look so damned sexy and he knew, just knew, she would be unbelievable in bed. A woman who makes no bones about the fact that she absolutely loves sex! He’d never met a woman like that before.

But despite all of that, one of the things that was stopping him from showing her how much she excited him was the fact that she was perhaps the only person on the island that he felt he could really talk to and he didn’t want to mess that up. Well okay, if he was really honest with himself he didn’t want to make a fool of himself either by coming on to her, considering that she constantly emphasised the fact that they were such ‘good friends.’ On the whole though he trusted her and could open up to her in a way he couldn’t with other people. Maybe that was because she was so open and honest about herself. Still that didn’t stop him from wanting a physical connection with her too, whether he liked it or not; his body had a mind of its own. Most worrying of all was the fact that one day he was bound to slip up and go nuts or something and just grab her and…

His eyes focused on her again. Why oh why did he lust after her to that degree? He watched her leaning forward towards the mirror as she fussed with her eye makeup with one hand whilst also trying to keep the towel from slipping down with the other. Maybe it was because she was so completely oblivious of the effect she had on men. If she had any idea she wouldn’t be sitting there in front of him completely naked save for a tiny towel wrapped around her that was then, at that very minute, in danger of slipping down and giving him an eyeful of what he’d spent many a frustrating moment trying to envisage. But no, she’d caught it again at the last minute and held the edges of the towel together loosely in one hand, nonetheless affording him a rather stimulating view of the nakedness of her hip, upper leg and now most of the entire left side of her body. He laughed to himself as realisation dawned on him; that just about summed it up, she was an outrageous tease. Not only that but she was one of the worst types, the kind of tease that didn’t even seem to know she was doing it!

His eyes travelled up and down the exposed side of her body and took in the smooth tanned skin and enticing curves, ‘Sal curves’, never seen before by Nick ‘Sal curves!’ And then there were the tantalising glimpses of white bits, really soft fleshy white bits which he really needed to see more of. He felt a heat inside him building, an aching, heat in his groin which had nowhere to go and no way of being satisfied. He only contented himself by imagining striding over to her, whipping the towel away and proving to her that he was more than capable of being her mind shattering sex man!

She jumped suddenly and cursed, pulling him momentarily out of his reverie. What had she done now? Apparently something had gone wrong with her eye makeup. Well she had better sort it out then, needn’t bother about the towel though Sal. She tucked a corner back into the side of the material, reached into her makeup bag for a tissue and proceeded to desmudge her eye. Nick inspected the proficiency of her ‘towel tucking.’ Hmm, there was still a chance that it would come undone, especially if she carried on wriggling like that. He grinned to himself, Sal tended to do that a lot, she was a wriggly one. Wriggly and bouncy and... ooops, the towel was coming untucked again. His grin widened, she hadn’t seemed to have noticed! The damp towel sides were clinging onto Sal’s skin for dear life, desperately trying to uphold her modesty.

“Hello! Can we have a bit of help here? Hey missus! Can’t hold on much longer!”

One side gave up and slipped a little way down her back...

“Help! we're falling!!!”

...the other remained determined however, keeping her front covered.

“You’re on your own, I’m losing suction here myself! Hey lady, isn’t it feeling a bit breezy suddenly?”

Nick’s eyes widened, mesmerised by the inevitable unravelling as more and more skin was gradually revealed: her waist, hip, thigh, lower back, the dimples at the very bottom of her lower back just before the towel was about to fall away completely from one half of her. Nick held his breath and felt his body going into overdrive, excitement was hardly the word for it, he was way beyond excitement!

“Lady! Any minute now and you’re on your own! Can’t hold on forever! What the hell is she doing up there?”

Sal was leaning forward, with her elbows resting on the dressing table, simply staring at her reflection as if she was in another world. In her head she was having a conversation, summing up the days events and requesting that tonight should be the night that she meets Mr Mind Shattering Man. This routine had come to be a bit of a habit lately after she had read the book ‘How To Keep Track Of Your Life And Get What You Want’ a few months ago and decided to give it a go. It wasn’t long before she was hooked and now she had convinced herself that it would be terribly bad luck not to keep up the routine just in case Mr Mind Shattering Man eluded her completely.

Everything seemed to have suddenly stilled and stopped. The wriggling, the makeup application, the towel slipping. Nicks eyes clung to the dangling corner of the towel, reluctant to move away from it in case he missed something, but in the end curiosity got the better of him and he lifted his gaze to the reflection of Sal’s face in the mirror. She was motionless.

“Sal? What you doing?” Nick’s voice abruptly cut into her thoughts and she jumped back from the mirror, grabbing hold of the towel and securing it once more firmly around her.

Damn! What did it matter what she was doing? What a dumb thing to do! No more soft fleshy bits to look at.

She frowned.

“Nothing,” she answered defensively. “Are you going to get ready now or what?”

Oh hell! He should have seen that coming. There was no way he could get up off that bed now! She’d notice his current state of horniness and know what he’d been up to!

“I’ll get ready in a minute, this programme has nearly finished,” he replied.

“Ah come on Nick or we’ll never make it to this beach party,” she groaned.

“Okay, okay, just give me two more secs Sal.”

She sighed and began to pack away her makeup from off the dressing table with her mind still contemplating the likelihood of meeting Mr Mind Shattering tonight, tomorrow night, or any other night in the near future. She’d heard that people who spent all their time waiting for Mr Right never got to meet him, but those who just didn’t give a damn if he came along or not invariably did. The problem was stopping herself from wanting a man, it was impossible.

Nicks eyes were glued to the TV screen. He had no idea what the programme was or what had been happening in it and he hoped to hell that Sal didn’t ask. He was trying his hardest to think of the most unsexy thing he could and his mind had gone back to his Aunty Beth. She was a podgy old woman who always wore the same violet, old woman smelling perfume and left a patch of saliva on his cheek when she kissed him with her rubbery lips. Yuk! It was working!

Sal felt suddenly downhearted and impatient for something amazingly exciting to occur in her life. She was fed up of being the happy go lucky girl who was not so lucky in love. She sighed and her eyes lifted to the mirror to see what Nick was doing. What was so fascinating about that damn TV programme anyway?

He was lazing back on the bed, his hands behind his head again. He always had such a casual, laid back, maybe even slightly arrogant air about him. No, maybe not arrogant, just self assured, at ease with himself; he was too laid back to be arrogant. That was probably why there were always girls hanging around him. Plus he had a knack of making women feel good. He always gave them plenty of attention, even though that usually came in the form of continual teasing. He wasn’t exactly ugly either. Bloody hell why wouldn’t he budge? And why did he have to be just lazing there half undressed making her feel even more impatient and unsatisfied with her life! Nonetheless, her eyes found themselves travelling from his face downwards over his shoulders, arms and chest. Now that was the kind of body she wanted her Mind Shattering Man to have. Knowing her luck though she’d end up with Mr Skinny guy. But no, it would have to be either Mr Hunk or no man at all.

Her gaze moved lower and she noticed that his jeans were slung very low on his hips. Her eyes homed in on the area just above the waist band on his jeans where they caught sight of a sprinkling of body hair which disappeared underneath the waistband. Oh lord! What the hell was she doing? This was Nick she was ogling! Her eyes quickly flicked upwards again guiltily at which point she froze and her whole body went cold as adrenalin surged through it. Her eyes had suddenly and most unexpectedly collided with his!

Chapter 17

Did he know? The look on Nick’s face told Sal that he’d probably seen where her eyes had been because he looked extremely smug as a grin slowly developed across his face. Sal sat frozen to the spot, her eyes most disconcertingly glued to his.

“Sal?” his grin widened. “Were you checking me out?”

Sal quickly shook her head but looked as guilty as a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

“No,” she said, far too quickly.

Nick observed her guilty expression for a while before howling with laughter, jumping up and kneeling on the bed to get a better look at her.

“You were weren’t you? Ha! I caught you out!” he exclaimed, pointing a finger at her.

She groaned and covered her face with her hands in torment. “I’m sorry Nick; I’m an almighty horny wreck,” she mumbled from behind her hands. “But it wasn’t you,” she said, suddenly, lowering them. “I mean of course it was you, but I kind of momentarily forgot it was you, and I didn’t mean to look...its just that...well... you’re not wearing an awful lot and... you’re quite... well...” She struggled for words. “Well damn it, I haven’t had sex for about a million years and I’m only human!” she finished defensively.

Hmm, Nick’s initial delight at the revelation that his semi nakedness was turning Sal on was somewhat diminished by the fact that she wasn’t interested in him, just his body. Mind you that could be a good thing, or was it? Nick couldn’t quite decide. Well, he guessed that it was at least a start! Maybe she’d end up getting so horny one day that she’d take terrible advantage of him. Hmm he quite liked that idea, or did he?

“You a tad frustrated Sal?” he grinned.

Lying sideways across the bed, he rested his elbow on the mattress and propped his head on his hand. It was a purposeful gesture, intended to allow her an even better view of his body.

She glared at him. “You may think this is all very funny Nick ,but it’s ok for you, you have regular sex with Jen. I can barely remember the last time I had sex and it’s not as if I have any prospects of it in the near future either. It’s a very serious dilemma!”

Nick couldn’t help but chuckle. He’d never known any woman who took sex so seriously, who spoke about it so much and who admitted to wanting it so badly!

“A million years Sal?” he said, trying to hold his laughter in. “Would that be a couple of months in normal people’s time?”

“No actually,” she huffed, folding her arms, “much longer.”

“Ahhh,” he responded with mock sympathy, “Well, I’m sure you’ve found ways of relieving the frustration.”

Sal’s eyes widened and she looked shocked for just a second before pouting and answering sulkily, “It’s not the same.”

Nick howled with laughter at her short lived show of modesty and her ultimate implied admission.

“Not the same as the real thing eh?” He sighed and looked at her with some sympathy. “Well, if it’s any consolation Sal, just because I’m with Jen, it doesn’t mean that I get regular sex either.”

“You don’t?” She looked surprised.

He shook his head. “No. She doesn’t seem to view it as such a high priority as you do and when we do...well, she kind of prefers it to be over quickly,” he admitted.

Sal frowned. “She’s nuts,” she said dismissively. “And anyway I have to say that my sexual needs are more of a problem at the moment, since at least you are getting some action.”

He laughed again. He loved these kinds of conversations with her; she had such a refreshing and different outlook on sex for a woman.

“Well, I tell you what Sal,” he began, feeling suddenly extremely daring, “I have an idea that could help.”

Sal’s face lit up. “You do?”

He grinned and nodded. “Yes I do. I was thinking that, since I really don’t like to see a good friend suffering, how about...” he paused for a second but decided to forge ahead, “I be your gigolo for the night?”

She looked taken aback. “What?”

He laughed. “Sure, you could just forget it was me and concentrate on my body and... bob’s your uncle, you’d be a little less frustrated for a while.”

She stared at him speechlessly for a second before throwing him an indignant look. “Very funny Nick. You and me, ha! That would be comical,” she said, turning from him on the chair and feeling a little flustered for a moment.

Now if she’d said that before he’d caught her eying him up it would have taken the wind out of his sails, but he was still reeling from the earlier revelation and their banter. This was quite exciting, even if it was all in jest.

“Come on Sal, I think you’ll find I’m pretty good in the sack, and I’ve never had any complaints about having the means to satisfy,” he said cheekily.

“Oh my god Nick!” she exclaimed, covering her face again with her hands. “Way too much information.”

He was loving every minute of this; he’d actually got Sal embarrassed! He jumped off the bed and stood in the middle of the room behind her whilst she hid behind her hands, facing the mirror.

“Sal,” he called, “come on, it doesn’t take me long to get warmed up either.”

She abruptly dropped her hands and turned to him. “You’re a monster!”

He beamed. “Yeah, it’s been called that before too.”

She growled at him. “Get in there and get ready to go out before I phone Jen and tell her what outrageous things you’ve been saying to me!”

He shrugged, determined not to be put off. “That’s ok, I’ll explain to her. She won’t mind me helping out a friend in need,” he came back. “Tell you what, I’ll hop in the shower and you can join me in there,” he grinned.

She gaped at him and burst into laughter; for once she was at a loss as to what to say next. He laughed with her.

“Right, I’ll just take these off,” he said, unzipping his jeans. She gasped and did the worst thing she could have considering; her eyes shot to his hands, wondering if he was really going to do that. Oh good lord, he was!

He stripped down to his briefs and her eyes quickly moved to his face. “You’re insane!”

“Hey, I’ll leave it up to you Sal in the end but if you decline, you can’t say I didn’t offer,” he said, reaching down to remove his briefs. She kept her eyes firmly on his face. The last thing she wanted was the image of him in all his glory in her head, especially considering her current state of frustration. She narrowed her eyes at him. “You wouldn’t.”

He lifted an eyebrow and proceeded to undress. She yelped and turned away. He laughed.

“I didn’t realise you were so coy Sal. I’ll be waiting in the bathroom for you,” he called, leaving the room.

She heard the sound of the shower being turned on and huffed, feeling disappointed with herself that he’d got the better of her yet again. She should have called his bluff; that would have put him in his place. She giggled and turned her head slightly, eyeing the bathroom door.

“Oooh Sal,” she heard him call. She frowned. What was he up to now? “Oooh yes! Do that again!”

Her eyes widened in shock.

“Oooh I like that. Now let me. You like that too eh Sal.”

She screamed and covered her ears. “I’m not listening to you Nick!” she called out.

“Oooh baby! You’re so hot!” he continued regardless. “Sooo keen... I’m so excited... you’re turning me on so much!” It wasn’t that far from the truth! “Lets try this...oooh you like that a lot eh.”

Sal sat curled up on the chair with her hands over hear ears, blushing furiously and trying desperately, but failing, to block out what she could hear Nick saying.

“Shut up, shut up, shut up!”

“Oooh, you want more eh Sal, more, even more!”

“I can’t hear a word! I’m not listening!”

“Oh yeah!” he called out loudly, “That’s it Sal.”

There was a sudden silence and she uncovered her ears, opened her eyes and sat poised; despite herself intrigued to know what would happen next.

“Ah yes! Yes, yes, yes Sal!” his voice suddenly shattered the silence.

“Oh my God,” she chuckled to herself, “I’m scarred for life!”

Then she heard movement in the bathroom and the door creaking open. All went quiet. She very hesitantly lifted her eyes and peeped into the mirror. Thank God, Nick had a towel around his waist. She swung around to face him. He was leaning against the doorframe with a wicked glint in his eye.

“Well that was great for me, how about you Sal?”

She growled and grabbed his jeans from off the bedroom floor, flinging them at him. “Get some bloody clothes on will you, you horror!”

Chapter 18

Nick chuckled to himself as he went into his backpack for some clean clothes. His eyes darted to Sal who was also pulling out garments from her bag and who was also giggling to herself, although she was trying her best to hide it from him. He wasn’t fooled though. He began to hum a strip tease tune and stood with his back to her whilst untucking the towel from his waist, making suggestive movements and threatening to drop the towel. She swung her head around, and pointed at him.

“Don’t you dare!” she laughed, grabbing her clothes and darting into the bathroom.

Sal changed into a clean bikini and slipped on a cool white summer dress over the top. It was prefect for the beach party because it was casual enough to look like a beach dress and yet it had a few details to it which made her feel feminine and might make her stand out a little, or hopefully enough to attract at least one or two guys at the party. The dress had a tie at the waist and was made of a cool filmy kind of material that fell down to just above her knees and swooshed around her legs, making her feel ‘girly’ and carefree. The top of the dress just about hid the straps of her bikini with its own straps and showed off enough of her smooth tanned skin to satisfy Sal.

“Come on Sal,” Nick shouted from the other room. “I want to go party! Hey, we should pick up some drinks from a shop on the way and maybe a few snacks to take with us,” he added enthusiastically.

Sal smiled. “Cool. We could pick up some plastic tumblers and make cocktails,” she shouted back.

“Cocktails! No Sal, I’m not drinking no girly cocktails.”

Sal sulked. “You promised palm trees and cocktail bars, that means one way or another I’m getting my cocktails!”

Nick tutted but smiled nonetheless. “Ok, you can have your cocktails.”

He was in such high spirits at that point, after all the fun and banter, that he would have drunk girly cocktails and dressed in a hula skirt if she’d have really wanted him to!

Sal finally emerged from the bathroom and they grabbed a bag, filling it with towels and a change of clothes before leaving the room.

They exited the hotel and strode out into the warm evening air, heading back in the direction of the beach past the tavernas, bars and shops. There was an aroma of freshly baked bread and home cooked food in the air as well as the sound of laughter and music. Many of the people were sitting outside the bars, presumably enjoying the views of the sea and the lights reflected on the water from across the street. Although the resort was by no means busy, compared to some of the larger resorts on the north coast, there was sufficient hustle and bustle, chatter and laughter to remind any visitor that this was a place to simply kick back and enjoy the finer things in life: good food and drink, friendly locals, and a fantastic setting.

As they strolled down the street, Nick found himself thinking how very glad he was that he had made the decision to return to Crete. Winter in the U.K had been cold, wet and full of stress and conflict with his father, as well as the pressures of having to meet Jen’s parents and pretend to be someone that he wasn’t in order to impress them. He had always been so much happier in Crete among his friends and working in jobs with people who were there to enjoy life. And at that point he couldn’t have been enjoying life more, looking forward to a night of fun with good friends, exploring new places, being spontaneous and carefree. In the back of his head he was aware that Sal’s presence had a lot to do with his current good mood too, not to mention the earlier revelation that the attraction he felt for her might, just might, not be one-sided.

“Hey look,” Sal piped up suddenly, pulling Nick towards a small tourist supermarket in-between two tavernas ahead of them, “we can get some drinks and snacks from there.”

Nick’s eyes were more focused on the bars and tavernas they were passing however, and on impulse, he stopped walking suddenly and blocked her way forward. She looked up at him in confusion.

“Forget about that for a bit Sal, there’s a cocktail bar right here,” he said, grabbing her hand and retracing their steps to the last bar they had passed. “Let’s have a few drinks here, just you and me, before we meet up with the rest of them on the beach eh.”

Sal hesitated outside the bar and looked up at Nick with a slight frown. “But won’t your friends be wondering where we are? We were long enough getting ready in the hotel.”

Nick grinned at the memory of it.

“Don’t worry about them. The party will go on all night. We can catch up with them later, but I did promise you cocktails Sal and besides, we should be spontaneous tonight. We can do whatever we want when we want; were on holiday now Sal,” he smiled.

A smile quickly lit up her face too. “Okay, you’re right. Why not?”

“I tell you what,” he said, ushering her over to a table outside the bar, “not only will you have your cocktails but if you sit here,” he said, pulling out a chair for her and motioning for her to sit, “you’ll have your very own palm tree too.”

She looked up, and sure enough she was sitting underneath a huge palm tree lit up with small fairy lights which were wound around its trunk and into its fronds.

She patted its trunk and beamed at Nick. “You are spoiling me Nick.”

“Yes well, I’ll spoil you once more with a two for one cocktail offer,” he said, picking up the cocktail menu, glancing at it and handing it to her, “and then it’s your turn to spoil me eh,” he grinned.

She gave him a look as if to say that she couldn’t imagine what he meant and leaned closer to him across the table.

“And how should I do that then Nick?” she answered with a smile tugging at her lips.

Oooh, he could think of a few ideas, especially when she was looking at him like that. It was the kind of look he rarely experienced from Sal, but it made him wonder exactly how much she knew about what he was thinking, and more importantly, what she was thinking in return.

“I’ll let you know,” he answered, allowing his eyes to flitter around her face.

There followed a rather odd moment when Sal felt a sudden small spark in her stomach at the way he was looking at her as her eyes followed his. His gaze moved as far as her neck and shoulders where it abruptly stopped and returned to her face.

She gave him a small smile before her eyes dropped to the menu.

“Two cocktails!” She bit her lip. “That seems like terrible over indulgence.”

Nick’s focus was still on her face. “Something tells me that you’re not averse to a bit of overindulgence Sal.”

Sal kept her eyes on the menu but a smile developed across her face at his reply. “Well…since it is a two for one offer…and since you are treating me…how can I refuse?” she finished as she closed the menu decisively and handed it over to him. “The beers are at the back.”

He took a quick look at the menu as the waitress approached.

“Yia sas,” the waitress smiled. “First time here in Crete?” she asked.

“First time in Matala but we work in Agios Nikolaos,” Sal replied. The girl looked surprised. “It’s just a short trip. A mini holiday,” Sal explained.

“Nice,” the girl answered.

“I’d like the two for one cocktail offer please,” Sal said to the girl who had her pen poised on her notepad.

“Good choice. What would you like?” she asked.

“I’ll have a ‘tropical surprise’ and a ‘sex on the beach’ please.”

Nick looked up from the menu and began to laugh. “Should have guessed that one,” he commented, “I’ll have a Mythos,” he said to the girl.

She smiled and wrote down the order. “I’ll be right back,” she said, moving away.

They spent the next ten or fifteen minutes talking about Nick’s friendship with Sandra and Phil before the drinks came and Sal admired the array of fruit and shimmering decoration which hung around her cocktails. Nick halted the waitress and dived into the bag for the camera. He moved around the table and sat next to Sal, shuffling his chair closer to hers and putting an arm around her waist so that the waitress could take a photograph. They thanked the waitress and Nick moved the chair back a little but remained sitting next to Sal.

Sal took a sip of one of the cocktails while Nick watched for a reaction.

“Any good?” he asked.

She closed her eyes and savoured the taste of the cocktail, in true Sal style, over exaggerating her enjoyment and looking as if she was in ecstasy drinking it.

“Magnificent,” she concluded. He laughed and sat back in his seat to sip his beer and enjoy the view. “Would you like to try some sex on the beach Nick?” Sal asked suddenly out of the blue. Nick’s eyes widened as his head swung back to her, and there she was again with that smile which told him that she was probably thinking naughty things but wasn’t going to let on. “My cocktail,” she clarified innocently, but not quite so innocently. “Go on Nick,” she said, holding the straw out to him, “It’s good.”

He cleared his throat. “I’ve no doubt it is!” he said, taking a sip and holding her gaze as he did so. If he didn’t know her better, he would think that Sal was flirting with him!

Chapter 19

Nick and Sal left the cocktail bar in great spirits, just catching a minimarket along the way before it closed so that they could by drinks and snacks to take to the beach party. Sal fussed around, dropping all kinds of weird things into the shopping basket she’d picked up at the entrance, whilst Nick knew exactly what he wanted and took no more than a minute to find it: beer, and lots of it.

“Come on Sal. What the hell have you bought?” Nick asked, watching as she began to unload the basket at the till.

“Just cocktail stuff,” she smiled.

Nick laughed. Sal was nuts.

As they approached the beach, they could hear the shouts, music and laughter coming from the party in the distance. The area was in complete darkness, apart from the famous caves, which were lit up at the far end. But the closer they got to the party, the more they could make out the faint, shadowy figures of the people and an orangey glow, which they assumed was from the barbeque.

“Hey!” Nick shouted out as they approached. “How could you start a footie match without me?”

A few men out of the group on the beach who were battling a football out of each other’s reaches, stopped and turned to see who had shouted out.

“Get a move on then; you’re on our team now since you’ve just lost us that point!” Nick’s friend, Phil, shouted back.

Nick turned to Sal as if to check that it was okay with her if he went to join in with the game.

“Go on,” she said, “go play with the boys.”

“You sure? You don’t know anyone,” he pointed out.

“I know Sandra, and I like meeting new people; don’t worry about me,” she reassured him.

“Well, okay, you make us one of your cocktails Sal,” he replied, handing her the carrier bag of drinks and snacks, “and I’ll be with you in a bit,” he said, hoping that the men weren’t going to make fun of him for drinking a girly cocktail, but wanting to please Sal at the same time.

“Nick? What you doing?” Phil shouted out impatiently.

“Go on,” Sal encouraged him.

He gave her a smile and brushed her cheek affectionately before charging into the group of guys and jumping on them so that they all fell to the sand in a heap. There followed an explosion of male shouts, grunts and laughter, until all the guys got back onto their feet and began the chase for the football again.

Sal watched the spectacle in front of her and giggled at the men’s boyish antics before heading for a group of people who were sitting around the barbeque on plastic chairs. Scanning the faces of the small group of people, she searched for Sandra, but saw no sign of the woman she’d remembered meeting on the beach earlier. The people smiled at her warmly though and waved one by one as introductions were exchanged.

A thin, young girl with long, blonde hair and a big smile stood up and went to Sal, introducing herself as Kate, linking an arm with her and moving them back to the chairs. “Here, take a seat next to me,” Kate offered, “We have beer, wine and lots of food. What would you like to drink?” she asked.

This girl seemed really friendly.

“Tell you what,” Sal replied, lifting up the carrier bag that Nick had passed to her and placing it on her lap, “how do you fancy a cocktail? We’ve got vodka, Schnapps, and all kinds of mixers,” she said, pulling out the bottles and placing them on a small, makeshift table in-between Sal’s chair and Kate’s.

Kate’s face lit up. “Great. Wow, you’re organised,” she said, glancing into the bag and helping Sal to pull out the remaining snacks and drinks. “How about I put these beers in the ice box to keep them cool,” she said, picking up Nick’s cans of Mythos, “and you make us both a cocktail? I like everything there, so mix it all up and surprise me,” she shouted out as she made for a cool box behind the rest of the group who were chatting to each other, in-between laughing at the guys playing football.

What a stroke of luck that Kate was there. She seemed really nice, and now Sal had someone to share cocktails with too.

Sal began to experiment with the vodka, Schnapps, and mixers, tasting as she went along, until she came up with a satisfactory tumbler full, which she adorned with two brightly coloured straws, an orange slice, and a small paper umbrella. Okay, number one prototype done; now all she had to do was see if she could replicate another one for Kate.

Sal was so engrossed with her cocktail making, that she didn’t notice Kate return, or the fact that most of the group now had their full attention on her. Looking up suddenly, she was faced with several pairs of eyes focused on the tumbler she was filling.

“Oh,” she said with surprise, “would anyone else like one?”

There followed a burst of laughter from the group. One man spoke up. “don’t worry, we all have drinks; we were just intrigued with what you were doing,” he said with amusement.

She giggled, a little embarrassed. “Well, I’m pretending I’m on holiday, and what’s a holiday without cocktails?” she said, handing Kate the finished drink.

“That’s right,” Kate agreed, “They’re just jealous that they don’t have their own,” she joked, sitting next to Sal and taking a sip of the cocktail. “Ooh nice. Thanks,” she said, leaning back in her chair. Sal smiled, and took a sip of her drink too. “I remember the first cocktail I ever tried…” Kate began.

As Kate started to speak, Sal noticed the other people in the group turn abruptly away to begin their own conversations.

Strange, Sal thought.

“It was at a cousins wedding. I was only young, nine years old I think,” she paused for a second, “Yes, about nine I must have been. It was in Oxford, the wedding that is. I’m from Kent by the way…”

“Oh really, I’m…” Sal attempted to add the conversation but Kate seemed oblivious and carried on talking.

“Yes, Kent is nice. I ended up in Kent after I’d been backpacking around Europe for a couple of months. I think it was around three months in the end. Well, I met this really cute guy called Geoff…”

Sal took a large gulp of her cocktail. This girl had either drunk a fair few beers already, or she was the world’s most chatty person.

“… So Geoff came from Kent and that’s why I ended up moving there. Where are you from?”

At last! She’d actually asked Sal a question.

“Not far from Kent actually, I grew up in Sussex…”

“Ah, yes that isn’t far from Kent,” Kate piped up. Yes, Sal had just said that. “I kind of like Kent but…” Oh god, not back to Kent again! Sal took solace in her cocktail once more. Maybe she should have made it stronger and, after a few sips, she’d have been numb enough not to let this girl’s ramblings bother her. At that moment though, she was kind of wishing that she’d sat by someone else. No wonder all the others had turned away so quickly; they must have known what she was like.

“…but I’m not sure if I preferred living in Oxford actually. My parents used to live in Oxford, but then they moved to Scotland…”

“Your family move around a lot then,” Sal pointed a little sarcastically. But she may as well have been talking to herself; Kate was still on a roll. My God, she could talk for Britain and Greece put together! Sal hoped to goodness that she herself wasn’t as chatty as Kate. She did talk a lot sometimes, but she was sure that she came up for air occasionally!

“…Everyone was very surprised when my parents moved to Scotland though. Well, it’s so far away. I like visiting them there mind you, but… if I’m honest with myself, I sometimes wish that they hadn’t moved from Oxford…”

As Kate continued to natter away incessantly, Sal’s concentration began to drift away. This didn’t seem to put Kate off though; she carried on chatting to a vacant and slightly frustrated looking Sal.

“Hey!” came a voice from behind her out of nowhere. Sal nearly fell off her seat. “Oh sorry chick, didn’t mean to scare you senseless. I was just wondering if you wanted some food from the barbie,” said a girl with long, blonde dreadlocks and a brightly coloured, tie dyed top.

Fantastic! A chance to escape.

“Sure,” Sal replied quickly, “I’ll be back in a bit Kate,” she said, jumping up from her seat and taking her drink with her to the barbecue. She wondered if Kate would still continue chatting away to herself, even without Sal there.

“I’m Karen by the way,” the girl said. Then she leant over to speak quietly in Sal’s ear. “You looked like you needed rescuing.”

Sal exhaled on a laugh. “Well, yes. Thanks.”

Karen passed Sal a plate and gestured to the barbecue. “Help yourself and then come join us,” she said, moving to sit cross legged on the sand opposite a bearded man who was testing the strings on a ukulele.

Hmm, different, but then at least they won’t be chatting her to death!

Sal wasn’t feeling overly hungry after the ice cream and huge pick nick, but the food smelt nice, and she’d drunk close to three cocktails now, so she was tempted enough to pick up a couple of sausages from off the barbecue and some salad and bread from a blanket that was spread on the sand and laid with other offerings. Taking a seat next to Karen on the sand, Sal smiled at her and began to enjoy the food as the bearded man started to play a strangely, out of place medley of London Cockney folk songs. The skinny, raggedy looking guy, with a rough, gingery-blonde beard, smiled toothily at them in-between songs, and seemed to be enjoying the attention. Sal couldn’t believe that Karen was actually taking him seriously; I mean, he was like a cross between a hobo, a hippie and George Formby! What a weird party this was turning out to be. She needed another drink.

“I’m just going to get a refill,” she whispered to Karen. “Want anything?” she asked.

“Sure, grab a beer for me will you?” Karen replied.

Sal took a beer out of the cool box near to the barbecue first. Then she contemplated refilling her cocktail and having to go back to the table next to Kate’s chair. It could take her a while to escape again. She took another beer out of the cool box for herself and returned to Karen.

By the time she’d got the beers, Bob had finished playing his ukulele, propped it up against a chair and was sitting with his arm around Karen on the sand. Sal went to sit next to Karen again on the other side, but Bob caught her hand and pulled her towards him.

“Come sit here gorgeous, and tell me all about yourself,” he said, as he urged her to take a seat next to him instead, so that he ended up in the middle of them both.

She would rather have sat next to Karen, but she didn’t want to appear rude, so she reluctantly obliged him.

“You like music babe?” he asked her, slurring his words slightly.

She turned to answer him and noticed that he looked quite odd. His eyes were all watery and distant.

“Err yes, I like all sorts of music,” she replied.

“Yeah, well I’m an ‘all sorts’ kinda guy,” he answered.

What was she supposed to say to that? She had the feeling that even if she’d have wanted to tell him all about herself, he’d have not been able to keep up with the conversation anyway with the state he was in.

“Wanna get me another can?” he asked Karen.

“Thinks I’m his servant,” she said to Sal behind his back. She rose off the sand nonetheless. “Coming up Sir.”

“She’s a good one is Karen,” he told Sal. “A bit moody at times, but she’s okay.”

Sal refrained from giving her opinion on that. What a jerk! For some reason she had ended up with all the weirdos and strays. Where the hell was Sandra, and how long was Nick going to play football for anyway?

Bob fumbled in his pocket for something and finally pulled out a battered old tin, which he opened to reveal some very dodgy looking, rolled ‘cigarettes’ inside. He picked one up and offered it to Sal.

“Wanna go smoke one somewhere quieter?” He put his arm around her shoulder and leant into her, invading her space. “Just you and me,” he grinned.

Like hell she did!

“Err, no thanks,” she replied frostily. “I don’t smoke.”

“You wanna get wet with me?” he said.

What the hell did that mean?

“Nick, my boyfriend,” she stressed, “Will be finishing football soon and I don’t want him to wonder where I am; he’s the jealous sort,” she added for good measure.

“Ah…” he said, removing his arm. It was working! “… the jealous sort. Still,” he went on, lurching towards her again, “All’s fair in love and war. That won’t stop me from trying.”

What the hell was it going to take to get through to this guy?

She risked a sideways glance at him and saw a gingery-blonde beard making fast, if not a little unsteady, progress towards her face!

“We’re getting married,” she said suddenly in panic.

“We are?” Bob replied, moving his head back to take a better look at her.

She sighed. “No, not us, me and Nick.”

“You are?” came a surprised voice from behind her.

She turned to see that finally Sandra had appeared as if from nowhere. Sal whished she had appeared sooner.

“Sandra,” Sal said enthusiastically, jumping up off the sand. At that moment, Sal was so relieved to see someone half normal that she could have kissed her. “Where have you been?”

“Oh sorry love, I just popped back to the hotel for a change of clothes. Hey Phil, Nick, get over here,” she shouted out.

Both Nick and Phil were aware that they had probably deserted the women for long enough now, and they left the game to join Sal and Sandra, who supplied them both with beers.

“So,” Sandra said, looking from Sal to Nick, “I hear you two are engaged.”

Nick was in mid swig of his beer and had to stop himself from choking. Sal cringed. She’d have to explain, but how awkward. She wished Sandra hadn’t mentioned that in front of Nick. Then, Nick astounded her with the following reply,

“Oh yeah, me and Sal”, he grinned, putting an arm around her and pulling her close to him, “We got engaged last week. We’re so excited about the wedding, aren’t we my little cupcake,” he said in a ridiculously soppy voice.

Oh Lord, Nick had gone loopy.

“Errr, yeah,” Sal said, smiling at Phil and Sandra and trying to look as if being engaged to Nick was a perfectly normal thing.

(sorry for the wait. Ill be posting another chaapter-Nick and Sal's first kiss!- in a few hours)

Chapter 20

After all the other men had finished playing football, most of them raided the beer supply and joined Karen and Bob on the sand, where they made ruthless fun out of Bob and his ukulele. Sal took that opportunity to pull Nick to one side, with the intention of giving him some kind of explanation.

How embarrassing.

“Listen, Nick,” she began awkwardly, “sorry about that, I…”

Nick was still grinning. What did that mean? She was sure that someone like Nick would be mortified at the thought of getting engaged; he was so casual about everything. Oh no, even worse, maybe he thought that she liked him and was secretly wishing they could get married! No, that was ridiculous. Besides, surely he knew her well enough by now; she wasn’t some crazy stalker woman!

“So when’s the wedding then Sal?” he asked with amusement.

Sal’s eyes widened in panic. “No, it’s…I didn’t…it wasn’t like… you don’t understand,” she stuttered, hardly knowing where to start.

Nick delighted in seeing Sal getting so flustered. What was even cuter, was the way her cheeks were growing redder than poppies and, like a shy school girl, she could barely look at him. Why out of all things was this making her so embarrassed? She usually coped easily with way more embarrassing situations than this. Someone had clearly made a mistake and assumed they were engaged: an understandable error.

“It alright,” he shrugged, “It is a bit sudden though. Can we make it a long engagement?” he laughed.

Sal tutted and breathed a sigh of relief; Nick was making fun of her, so at least he knew she wasn’t serious about it.

“Shut up stupid,” she said, slapping him on the arm and then realising that people might be watching them. She took his arm and turned him away from the party to face the sea, whispering to him,

“It’s that Bob guy; he’s really weird. He wanted to go smoke something dodgy with me and, well, he kind of seemed to be coming onto me. I panicked,” she said by way of an explanation.

So, it was Sal who gave them that idea then. Maybe it was her subconscious talking. Who was he kidding?

Nick turned to Sal with a crestfallen look. “You mean you don’t really want to marry me?”

“Nick, come on, be serious. Do you think we can just get through tonight without blowing our cover so that the weird, stoned guy doesn’t try it on with me again?”

“Sure Sal, but you’d never make a good undercover spy,” he joked, “you need to lower your voice or they’ll hear you,” he whispered, his eyes flicking towards the group, in which the odd person’s head was turning with interest in their direction.

“Oh God, do you think they heard?” she replied in a hushed voice.

Nick leant his head toward hers to whisper into her ear. He placed a hand lightly on her waist, which she wasn’t even aware of until she felt a slight pressure on her as he inched her forward to him, so that he could whisper directly into her ear. Now, she may be paranoid at times, but she was certain that their hearing can’t have been that good.

“Play along Sal…” he urged. His whisper tickled her ear as his mouth hovered close to it, his warm breath teasing her senses, “…if we do this convincingly enough, he’ll have lost interest in you and be hitting on the next girl before you know it.”

It sounded reasonable enough.

“What exactly are we supposed to do?” she asked, turning her head to him.

She inched back slightly with surprise then, not realising that his face was so close. His eyes were sparkling blue amusement into hers. She’d never seen his face at such close quarters before, and for some reason, she became very aware of the small details of it: the tiny lines at the corners of his eyes as he smiled, the slight evidence of stubble that had grown on his face over the course of the day, the way his bottom lip curved gently…

It was odd, standing there like that with Nick, his arm around her, his face so close, the scent of him teasing her nostrils. She’d never really got to know him that well last season. Before that day, they had only really been casual friends. They had teased each other and competed for… she wasn’t actually sure what all the competition between them was about, but it was fun. If she’d have stopped to think about it though, she may, or may not, have admitted to herself that she was possibly a little intrigued by Nick. Nevertheless, what with all the banter between them, to admit that, even to herself, would be opening herself up merciless teasing from Nick.

At that moment though, she found herself thrown suddenly into such close quarters with him that she was forced to acknowledge experiencing a certain fascination, a fascination that made it suddenly impossible for her to move away. This was certainly new territory for her, and for them. She was intrigued to know what would happen next.

“Just stay close. Pretend we’re kissing,” he answered, slipping his hand further around her back so that she found herself suddenly realizing, by being pressed to him with just one hand, how well toned his body was. She put a hand out to steady herself as he pulled her close, and it came into contact with his free arm. The muscle under his flesh, flexed against her touch as her fingers clung onto him. His skin was taught there, but smooth and warm. Now she wasn’t quite sure how she felt about this much physical contact with Nick: nervous, uncertain, flustered?

Just when she didn’t think they could get any closer, and she couldn’t feel any more edgy, he lifted his free hand and cupped her face with his palm, brushing back the shiny, auburn hair that had fallen forward, and delving his fingers into the curtain of silken strands. Then edgy suddenly wasn’t a good word to describe how she felt; without warning, her heart began to race. Why was it doing that? The more she tried to calm down, and think of ordinary things, the more aware she was of Nick’s body and face so unbearably close. And even more disturbing was his arm, which had captured her in that intimate hold, his hand on her face, the fingers in her hair. She was overwhelmed by his presence.

She just had to stay calm for a few moments more though, and then they would stop. That was all very well, only every second they stood there together, she felt like a ticking time bomb; she wasn’t sure if she could hold out.

“Just stay here for a bit and look like you’re enjoying it,” he whispered incredibly softly. He nestled his face next to hers to show her how. He could feel the softness of her cheek and her eyelashes tickling his face as her eyes lowered.

God, it must be the fact that she was so uptight, but Sal felt suddenly strangely emotional.

Now the arm he had around her waist didn’t seem to be enough for him; he wanted to pull her into a full embrace. He yearned for it.

Then, at that moment, the emotion seemed to transmit itself from him to her, and from her to him. It was undeniably in the air: an invisible traitor, giving away more than either wanted to and pushing them headlong into something that neither of them had ever envisaged happening.

Something in Nick’s head clicked. It had started off as just an opportunity to tease her, to get a little closer to her too. Nick was an opportunist, it was instinctive for him, and so he had continued with the pretence of having to show the group that they were a couple, whilst not really thinking about what precisely he could achieve out of it. But quicker than he could have imagined, the pretence didn’t seem like a pretence any more. He was there, holding Sal, the girl he’d thought about every day since the time she’d strolled into Adam’s office, and Nick’s life, with sunburn and a bottle of lotion. Suddenly, he couldn’t hold back, even if he’d really wanted to. The opportunity was way too good to miss, and who knows, he may never get another opportunity like that again. Nick abruptly turned his head and caught her lips with his.

Sal was thrown into bewilderment. Was someone coming? What had prompted Nick to do that, but more importantly, how was she supposed to react? For a moment, she just stood there, with Nick’s lips pressed to hers, not knowing what to do.

Nick was testing the water; he was almost prepared for a rejection from her, but she had just become motionless. Okay, so he could go further and see what happens then.

He already had one hand on her cheek, but this time he brought his other hand up and cupped her face with both hands in an incredibly warming and tender way. Unfortunately, this did little to help Sal control her already unstable emotional state, or the unnerving effect his closeness was having on her. He tilted his head then and lightened the pressure of his lips on hers so that he could move them against hers.

Oh my God, they were kissing each other! Her brain was struggling to believe it. His brain had stopped functioning a while ago. Now he was acting on pure, testosterone fuelled instinct. He wanted this woman. He wanted to pick her up and carry her to his cave and never allow her to leave. This was primeval stuff.

She guessed that this was necessary… to fool Bob, right? And anyway, his kiss was so gentle and soft, she couldn’t possibly be offended by it.

But then his hands moved from her face and slid down her body, moulding her curves to him. Without wanting them to, her hands also moved, travelling up to his shoulders and around the back of his neck. Then suddenly both of them were utterly lost, as the kiss spiralled beyond anything they had ever experienced before. They were melting together. Her bones were disintegrating; she felt as if she could hardly support her own weight. The heat she was feeling immediately conveyed itself to Nick, and he matched it with an inferno of his own, only made more fierce by the realisation that she too was burning up.

Now her mind wasn’t functioning at all, and she was kissing him back. She had no way to stop herself. Her hands were in his hair, and running down his arms and over the muscles of his chest and back.

Damn it! He wanted to scream with the sensations she was creating. It took every ounce of will power, and more, to stop himself from shouting out with pleasure. But Sal wasn’t so strong, and a small moan escaped her lips. It was the most arousing sound Nick had ever heard.

“Hey! Get a room will you!” came an abrupt interruption.

The sudden sound was like a cold slap of reality to them both. Sal had to get her head together. She would speak to Nick, but not there, not then, when she was feeling so out of control. She pulled back from him and headed back towards the party before he had time to react.

Chapter 21

Nick stood, facing the sea in a daze. His heart was pounding, his whole body throbbing, making any kind of coherent thoughts impossible; all he could do was feel. He paced breathlessly, with the kiss running itself through his head as if on fast forward, then rewind, and then fast forward again. His head was in chaos. Did that really just happen?

Sal and him had just kissed! A full on, mind blowing kiss! He knew, just knew, how hot that would be, but my God, now that he'd done it once, he was desperate to do it again… and again… and again! He wanted to do it now! He had just had a taster of how passionate she could be, but he'd experienced enough to know how badly he wanted more of it.

"Nick?" A voice startled him suddenly and he turned with surprise to see that Sandra had approached him. She placed a hand on his arm, pausing his frustrated pacing. "Are you okay?" she asked.

He took a deep, steadying breath, making some attempt to calm his raging emotions. "Yeah," he replied, somewhat unconvincingly.

Sandra gave a small laugh. He clearly wasn't. He looked really shook up.

"Let's sit down for a minute," she suggested.

They sat on the sand, with the party behind them.

"Nick, what's wrong?" Sandra asked, watching him closely.

"Nothing's wrong exactly," he replied. Then he turned suddenly to her, asking suspiciously, "Why?"

What had been said?

"Well, one minute you two were… err, kind of… all over each other," she chuckled, "and the next, Sal had left you pretty quickly to go sit next to Kate. Now call me crazy, but if she chose to sit next to Kate, there had to be something wrong," she said wryly. He looked at her blankly. "Never mind, just tell me what's up," she said, taking the more direct approach when her joke went straight over his head. "You've just got engaged; you should both be on cloud nine. What have you done to upset her?"

"What do you mean?" Nick asked, glancing behind himself to look for Sal. She was sitting by the barbecue, but from where Nick was standing, he couldn't make out any kind of expression on her face. "Is she upset?"

"Nick, she practically ran away from you," Sandra said in disbelief at how blind Nick was being. He had always been a bit useless at dealing with emotion, but she'd never thought of him as downright oblivious to it.

Nick's face grew increasingly pale. Had she been that keen to get away from him? Maybe he'd misinterpreted her reaction to the kiss. Maybe it was just him who'd enjoyed it.

Nick had gone silent and now looked even more distraught than when Sandra had first joined him.

"Nick, are you going to tell me what's going on?" she said with frustration.

He ran a shaky hand through his hair. Oh God, what had he done? Had he messed everything up with Sal? And they were getting on so amazingly well too.

What was he going to do?

"I've got a confession to make," he began, deciding to come clean to Sandra in hope that she could give him some advice. "Me and Sal aren't engaged."

Nick hated the way that Sandra's expression changed when he'd said that. He'd seen that look on her face before when she'd decided to leave Agios. It was as if her break up with Dave had taken away her faith or trust in anyone.

"What do you mean?" she asked suspiciously.

"Sal just said that to the hippie guy, who was coming on to her, to put him off. We came here as friends," he explained.

She laughed. "Yeah, it really looked like you were friends," she said sarcastically. "Do you always get so carried away with your friends Nick?"

He looked sheepish. "Err no. But the kiss was supposed to put the hippie guy off."

"Can you honestly say that Bob was in either of your minds a few minutes ago when you were kissing each other to death?"

Is that what it had looked like? Then surely Sal had enjoyed it.

"No," he admitted. "but we've never kissed before. It just started off as…" He trailed off, unsure of how to continue.

"Are you going to try to convince me that it was all for Bob's benefit again? Come on Nick, be honest with yourself at least. Look, she's probably just a bit confused; she doesn't know where she stands if you came here as friends. Don't you think you should tell her how you feel?" she reasoned.

Tell her? Nick had never seriously contemplated that before and the idea created a leap of nervousness, or was it excitement, in his stomach. Then he remembered Jen.

"Oh hell, I can't, I've got a girlfriend," he said, without thinking.

"What?" Sandra frowned.

Oh great! After her past experience with men, she was bound to come to all the wrong conclusions now.

"Look, yes, I do have a girlfriend at the moment, but our relationship is practically non existent. I've never cheated on her though, and I did want it to work, but… it's just not working. To tell you the truth, I met her at the wrong time. We got together after only dating for a few weeks, and we moved in together more for convenience than anything else. Even so, I wanted it to work," he stressed again. "Then I met Sal, just a few bloody days after! If I'd have met Sal first…" he trailed off. He'd said more than he had to anyone before about this, but he'd thought it so many times. Maybe he'd said too much.

Sandra's expression softened however. "Okay, I get that you tried to make the first relationship work, and I even accept that you made a mistake and want to be with Sal now, but don't you think you should have split up with your girlfriend before you kissed Sal like that?"

"Yes." Nick ran a shaky hand through his hair. "And I've been thinking about splitting up, but," he growled with frustration, "she's not even back in Greece yet. I left her in the UK to spend a few more days with her parents."

Sandra shook her head at Nick and tutted. "What a mess."

"Tell me about it! You know, I didn't mean for the kiss to happen though. I didn't plan it; it just happened so quickly."

If he was honest with himself, he hadn't expected Sal to allow it to happen. And if he was even more honest, he was thrilled that she had, but he wasn't going to tell Sandra that.

"Look Nick, you can't really tell Sal how you feel about her now; you have no right to until you have split up with your girlfriend. But you have to say something to her because she'll be confused and hurting right now," Sandra explained.

"She will? Why?"

God, why were men so clueless when it came to emotions?

"Confused, because you've got a girlfriend and yet you kissed her, and hurting, because she'll be feeling used," she said bluntly.

"What? But it's not like that between me and Sal. I'd never intentionally hurt her and I haven't used her, she would know that. We are close friends; we talk openly about everything," he said defensively.

"You haven't talked openly about this," Sandra pointed out. She was right. What could he say? "Look, take a few minutes to think about how to fix this, for the time being anyway, and then go talk to her," she suggested. "I'm going to go get another drink," she said, turning around.

Nick placed a hand on her arm to halt her though, before she left him. "I do want to do the right thing, and also, I do care a lot about Sal, Sandra," he stressed, wanting badly for her to believe him.

She patted his hand. "Then sort things out Nick."

Chapter 22

Sal was in shock. She was sitting next to Kate, staring into space, as Kate rambled on incessantly. But she didn’t care. At least she wasn’t required to put on an act and join in casual conversation. And what’s more, no one else in the party would join them, since everyone obviously did their best to avoid Kate at all costs. Sal had to get her head together before she faced Nick again.

What had just happened? She’d completely lost it, and with the worst person ever to have lost it with, Nick. He already thought she was desperate after he’d caught her eyeing him up earlier; what on earth must he think of her now? God, she was so sad and pathetic! But now that she felt so absolutely dreadful, all she wanted was some nice guy to hold her really tightly and tell her that everything was going to be alright, which was never going to happen because she couldn’t find herself a nice guy, which was why she’d ended up kissing one of her best friends and ruining the friendship into the bargain! This could only happen to Sal. Her life was the biggest mess imaginable!

Oh God, Nick was approaching, and Sal still had no idea what she was going to say to him! She busied herself with rearranging the cocktail decorations on the cocktail she’d picked up, and pretended that she didn’t know he was heading towards her. Kate had moved onto a summary of some of the most famous beaches in the world, four of which she’d visited.

Nick hovered in front of Sal and Kate nervously, beer in hand, waiting for Sal to acknowledge his presence. Unfortunately, she didn’t, forcing him to speak first to test the water. He had a bad feeling though; she wasn’t acting anything like the usual cheerful self that he was used to, which always made him feel at ease. When Sal wasn’t herself, and Nick had to step up to rescue the situation, he invariably felt so very incompetent.

“Err, Sal,” he began, but Kate continued speaking and Sal hadn’t appeared to have heard. God, that Kate woman talked a lot. “Sal,” he said louder. At last, this got Kate to stop, and she glanced up at him, but the person who he wanted to look at him was clearly avoiding eye contact.

“Ah, the fiancé. Shall I leave you two alone?” Kate grinned.

Sal would sincerely have loved the ground to swallow her up at that moment.

“No,” Sal said, her head shooting up, “don’t be silly, you haven’t finished telling me about that beach in Thailand yet.”

Actually, Nick would have quite liked Kate to leave them alone. Damn. Now he felt even more awkward. For a moment, he wondered what his next move should be; he couldn’t just hover over them both. Eventually, he took a hesitant seat next to Sal. This, however, put her in the middle, and since she appeared to be engrossed in what Kate was saying, she didn’t turn once to look at him. Surely though, she was just avoiding his presence rather than enjoying Kate’s rambling.

Nick made a brief pretence at being interested in what Kate was saying, before his eyes tentatively flicked to Sal. She had caught her bottom lip between her teeth, as if concentrating on something, turning something over in her mind. Whatever she was thinking, the action was incredibly sexy to Nick. He imagined kissing her lips better, running his tongue over them. He hadn’t had time to do that when they’d kissed; it had all happened so fast. But now he could think of a million different things he would have liked to add to the kiss, just to experience her reaction… and to know what it would feel like himself.

Sal could sense Nick’s eyes boring into her. Oh God, he was thinking about the kiss, how she’d reacted. He was wondering if she’d been pretending or if she’d really enjoyed it. Pretending! Pretending! He had to believe that; their friendship depended on it. There was no way she would let herself slip like that again. She was getting her life into order. Who needed a man anyway, time to stop obsessing, it was making her act nuts! She was better than that, and she wanted Nick of all people to know this.

Cherry. God, how come everything about Sal was so bloody sexy? When he’d kissed her, he’d experienced a vague taste of cherry. It must have been some lip gloss or something, but he wouldn’t have put it past her to have intentionally put it on, to tease a guy just in case she’d met one and kissed him. Sal was always prepared for that kind of thing.

What was she going to say to him? What was she going to say? She could feel him next to her and every muscle in her body seemed to have tensed and frozen. More to the point, what was he going to say to her? Please God, don’t let him tease her about it! And please, please, don’t let her give herself away by blushing!

Nick was working himself up into an overly randy state, which wasn’t going to prepare him for a serious conversation with Sal. Thank God Sal’s glossy, mahogany hair fell across her cheek, prompting him to tear his eyes away from her lips and focus on that instead. She caught her hair between her fingers and thumb, sweeping it back behind one ear and playing absentmindedly with the ends that stopped along her jaw line. He noticed her eyelashes flitting up and down as her eyes moved, presumably over Kate’s face. She must have been thinking about something; her eyes always darted over people’s faces like that when she was thinking. Watching her face like that, immediately took Nick back to the kiss again though. He’d felt that hair run through his fingers, those eye lashes tickle his face, and those delicate fingers… his heartbeat began to quicken at just the thought of it… her fingertips sending his nerve endings into shivers of pleasure. His eyes shot to the floor; he was getting carried away again.

Why did she feel so awkward with him now? It had never been awkward with Nick. And now of all times, when they were forced to spend time together. They couldn’t very well avoid each other, especially since they were supposed to be engaged! She felt like screaming!

Unfortunately, staring at the sand did nothing to stop Nick’s now overly stimulated mind from re-living those minutes with Sal by the sea. It was when she’d moved her hands to his neck that things had really heated up, for him anyway. But then, he was pretty sure part of the reason for that was because he’d thought it was the point at which she’d begun to enjoy the kiss too, to give into it. God, he wanted her to give into him again, right now!

What if he told people in Agios what she’d done? How could she ever face anyone again? And Jen, she’d kill Sal! No, but then Nick would be getting himself into trouble. Anyway, nothing really had happened, not really. Okay, so she had got a bit carried away at the end, but it had started off innocently, hadn’t it?

His gaze had returned to her again. He’d tried to stop it, but his eyes were just drawn to her, and since her attention was elsewhere, he figured he’d indulge himself. He was fascinated with connecting in his mind, the Sal he’d known for nearly a year and who he’d fantasised about, with the Sal who he had shared one incredible kiss with. He didn’t want any of the sensations he’d felt to fade. It had all happened so quickly and unexpectedly though, that his mind had struggled to appreciate every second. It was more of an explosion of feeling, over all way too soon.

Oh Lord! Sal’s heart jolted suddenly as a thought hit her. Maybe it hadn’t been so innocent on her part. When was the last time she’d ever experienced a kiss like that? But she’d not known it was going to be like that…although…oh God, the fantasy she’d had on the bike. No, she was just over evaluating the situation; she wasn’t attracted to Nick, not really. Was she?

Sal’s mind was like a tightly coiled spring, just about ready to snap. She turned her head to Nick, as if in slow motion, to look for evidence that she was wrong. But it was a mistake: he was looking right at her. Their eyes locked.

Why was he looking at her like that? Lord, he must know what she was thinking, just from the look on her face.

Oh hell, she was reading him like a book, he could tell from her expression. It was as though she could suddenly see all the secret thoughts he’d ever had about her from the very first time they’d met.

“Why did you two choose to come to Matala tonight?”

The question came as a surprise to both of them, finding its way into the fog of their brains.

“What?” They both said in unison, turning suddenly to Kate when they realised that the question had been directed at them.

“I just wondered why you two had decided to come all the way from Agios tonight,” Kate clarified.

Nick struggled to disperse the fog in his head. Damn, he couldn’t think. Why had they come? All that sprang to mind was that they had come there to kiss; he couldn’t say that!

“We’re on a quest,” Sal came up with suddenly. How she had managed to come out with anything considering her state of mind was a mystery to her.

“Hey,” came a shout from behind them.

The three of them turned to see that the group had seated themselves in a circle on the sand with a variety of bottles of drink in the middle.

“Did I hear someone say something about a quest? Come over here and tell us about it or Bob is going to be battered by his own ukulele!” a middle aged man called to them.

Kate leant to speak quietly to Sal and Nick. “Did you come with him?”

Both Nick and Sal frowned. Nick shook his head.

“Oh. We all wondered. No one knows who he is. He’s nice though,” Kate concluded, jumping off her seat and heading for the group.

Sal panicked suddenly and jumped up after Kate. She wasn’t ready to be alone with Nick yet.

As Nick followed Kate and Sal to the group, and watched them sit in the circle, he wondered what to do about Sal. She was clearly angry with him and just the thought of her not wanting to be a part of his life anymore was unthinkable. He had to make things right, to put his own needs and pride aside, like Sandra had suggested. He hovered for a few seconds with uncertainty, but then he did what his instincts wanted him to do. He went to Sal, sat on the sand behind her, put his arms loosely around her middle and kissed her lightly on the cheek. She looked back at him, her heart thudding with confusion and fear. Sandra was subtly distracting the group’s attention away from them.

“I’m sorry Sal. Are you okay?” Nick whispered to her.

Sal nodded, filled with a sudden overwhelming relief, which made her emotional enough to have to turn away and bite her lip.

Nick tightened his arms around her a little more. It reminded her of the sunset they had shared together after the pick nick on the way there.

“You mean a lot to me Sal. I think so much of you,” he whispered into her hair.

And at that moment she believed it, maybe because he’d meant it so much.

Chapter 23

Sal couldn’t be more relieved and delighted by Nick’s words if she’d tried. He didn’t think she was a crazy, stalker woman after all, in fact, he’d said that he cared about her; he’d never said that before. She was quite touched. She must have made it obvious that she was upset, which was not her intention, but unlike she’d imagined, he hadn’t teased her. He’d actually seemed genuinely concerned for her. He could be really quite sweet sometimes. Not at all like the impression he gave to every one in Agios; he was quite a sensitive soul.

Sal was over the moon that everything was okay between them now and ashamedly pleased that she was suddenly getting all this attention from him. He seemed quite happy to stay there with one arm loosely, but nonetheless almost a little possessively, around Sal’s middle. Okay, she knew it was under the pretence of them being engaged, but if there was one thing she’d found out about Nick, it was that he was useless at pretending to be content with doing something if he really wasn’t. He was sitting on the sand with his leg hitched up, his arm resting on his knee, a bottle of beer in his hand, which he was lazily taking swigs from, and Sal found herself sitting cocooned against him. She leant back into the warm, protective confines of his body and enjoyed the moment while Nick chatted to the group. She could feel his warmth on her back through his t shirt and hear the vibrations of his chest as his low, gravelly voice told the group about their quest.

“So, what do you plan to do here to find this axe of yours?” Mike, the guy who appeared to have gate crashed the party but who seemed nice enough anyway, asked. He reached out in front of him to the middle of the circle they had formed on the sand and picked up a handful of nuts from one of the bowls in the middle.

Mike had stood out from the crowd as being a little bit different from the rest, dressed in casual beige trousers and a linen shirt, rather than shorts and t-shirts which the other party goers were wearing. Appearing at some point during the football game, with two bottles of a good quality sparkling wine and food in hand, nobody had felt inclined to question who he was or why he was there.

“Well, take a look around the cemetery for a start,” Nick replied, realising that he was a little vague on what else they could do in Matala. What he really should have done was conduct more research, but once he’d got his mind set on taking the trip to Matala with Sal, he’d been more focused on getting there in time to enjoy the evening with her.

“The cemetery?” Mike questioned.

“Yes, the Roman cemetery,” Nick said, glancing behind him at the floodlit caves.

“You didn’t know about the famous caves of Matala?” Phil said with surprise. “I thought that was why most tourists come here.”

“Ah, yes, I saw the caves, but coming here was an impromptu decision on my part, and I’m afraid I didn’t do my research beforehand; I didn’t know that it was a Roman cemetery. How interesting though,” Mike said in a deep and somehow appealingly soft voice. Just from the small snippets of conversations he’d had with different members of the party, it was clear to everyone that he was a well spoken, educated man. With interest, Mike turned to gaze at the rows of openings in the cliffside, which were lit from below and looming mysteriously behind them. As he turned, the lights from the caves highlighted the streaks of sliver in his otherwise dark hair. He must have been in his early fifties, but he didn’t look it.

“They got taken over by the hippies in the sixties,” Kate interjected. “They made the caves their homes but you can imagine how the locals felt about that, especially in the sixties; most of them wouldn’t have ever seen foreigners before.”

“Yeah, the hippies were all into ‘free love’ and ‘flower power’,” Sandra said, glancing at Bob, who had laid back on the sand and appeared to have fallen asleep with his ukulele on his chest.

“That’s right so anyway, in the end a local bishop forced them out of the caves and eventually off the island completely,” Kate explained.

“Well, maybe not completely. I think they left Bob behind,” Phil joked.

On hearing his name, Bob stirred. He must have been following some of the conversation at least, as he responded by holding up two fingers and mumbling,

“Peace and love.”

The group laughed.

“So, what will you be looking for in the caves then?” Mike asked Nick.

“I’ve read that there are some wall markings in there. Tomorrow we’ll take a look at them,” Nick said, looking down at Sal. She moved her head backwards and glanced up at him, smiling, but wondering if anything at all was going to be revealed about the axe whilst they were in Matala. After all, they didn’t even know for sure that there would be any clues there; it was just a hunch.

“How well do you know the island? You’ll be at a far greater advantage if you know it in detail,” Mike pointed out.

“I’ve been here now for a couple of years and I’ve explored a fair bit of it on my bike, but we really should do a bit more research. I might find an internet café and do more tomorrow after we’ve been to the caves,” Nick said.

“I’ve been travelling around the island now for over a month. I know it pretty well. How about we put our heads together and increase the chances of finding this axe?” Mike suggested.

Hmm, Nick wasn’t so sure about that. Who was this guy anyway? Maybe he could be of some help, but then again, maybe Nick didn’t want anyone else muscling in on his and Sal’s quest. He’d reserve judgement for now.

“Sure,” Nick shrugged. “We’ll talk about it tomorrow.”

Mike smiled politely and took a swig of his beer. There followed a small, tense silence, which was eventually filled by Kate.

“How did you two meet by the way?” she asked out of the blue. Kate never failed to ask awkward questions at the wrong time. She was a nice enough person, and Sal knew that she was just filling in an awkward gap in the conversation, but she cringed inwardly, hoping that Nick and her could get away with not revealing their true relationship. To Sal’s surprise though, Nick was more than happy to speak up.

“Sal literally burst into my life, didn’t you?” he said, placing an affectionate hand on top of her head and glancing down at her. Sal smiled at the group but suddenly found that she didn’t have a clue where Nick was going with this. How had she ‘burst’ into his life? She took a sip of her drink and waited for clarification from Nick.

“I was looking for a job,” he went on to explain, “and my gi…” Nick’s heart lurched when he realised what he was going to say, “…friend,” he emphasised, “had recommended me to Adam, who had just set up a tour company in Agios. I was in his office, discussing the details of the job, when Sal burst through the doors.”

Sal looked up at Nick. “I did?” she said, without thinking.

He frowned slightly. Why had she said that? “Yes,” he answered, as though stating the obvious. “She had been to the beach and got sunburnt,” he said to the group, glancing down at Sal for a moment to check her reaction. Sal was also frowning slightly, as though she were thinking back but finding it difficult. Nick was on the verge of feeling insulted. He pressed on anyway, the alcohol making him bold and the pretence of their engagement being something that could fall back on later as a reason for the things he was saying. He had never verbalised what had happened that day and he was suddenly desperate for Sal to remember it. “Her cheeks were all red and glowing. She gets sunburnt really easily,” he said, using that as an excuse to catch her under the chin and turn her head to him. He couldn’t believe that she didn’t remember! “You don’t remember do you?” he whispered, his eyes burning intently into hers through the darkness.

Err, what could she say to that? She bit her lip and quickly turned her head back to the group.

“I recall those few minutes in the office when she’d entered as being brief but very enjoyable,” he grinned. She was in big trouble now for not remembering!

“Enjoyable?” Kate questioned.

“Yes, Sal insisted that I rub lotion all over her, right there in the office in front of her boss,” he said, watching Sal’s expression on her face change. Her eyes widened and she turned to him in shock, as if he’d gone crazy in what he was saying. She did remember that now, but it wasn’t anything like how he’d made it seem.

She laughed and swung her head to Kate. “He put a little lotion on my shoulders, that was all, not all over my body,” she emphasised, glaring back at Nick.

He looked amused and shrugged. “Well, I guess that was just what I’d imagined happening. Still, I was the one she handed the lotion to, so I guess she must have fancied me right from the start,” he teased.

“No I did not!” she answered instinctively, blushing furiously.

“You didn’t?” Kate asked with surprise.

Sal turned to Nick again for help, but it was a mistake.

“Looking a little rosy there Sal, what’s got you all embarrassed?” he said under his breath.

“What are you doing?” she whispered to him, mortified by the fact that she could feel herself blushing even more fiercely.

“Getting you back for not remembering the first time we met,” he whispered back.

She looked slightly sheepish. “I did remember it… kind of.”

Nick narrowed his eyes at her. “Hmm, not good enough. Anyway, come on Sal, tell the nice people about how you couldn’t keep your hands off me.”

What was he saying? Just the words made Sal want the earth to swallow her up.

“… and remember we’re engaged,” he added.

She was trapped. But there was no way she could respond to Kate’s question. She couldn’t even bear to form a reply in her head, let alone say it aloud, if it involved admitting anything like that she ‘couldn’t keep her hands off’ Nick.

Then out of nowhere a half truth, or maybe more than a half truth, came into her head.

“Well, to be honest, I didn’t really think of Nick like that on the first day we met. But afterwards, when we worked together on my first transfer, we had a lot of fun and… well…I knew we would be good friends after that,” she finally plumped for.

“Only good friends?” Kate questioned.

Oh God Kate, shut up!

Sal gave a nervous laugh. “And the other thing,” she said with a dismissive gesture.

“What other thing darling?” she heard Nick say from behind her.

Damn it!

“You know darling,” she said turning to him with a warning expression.

A smile played at his mouth. “No, what other thing?”

She growled and, turning back to the group, she muttered quickly, “And lovers.”

Damn it, the inferno was relighting her face again with renewed force. She could just picture the self satisfaction on Nick’s face and sure enough, it was clearly evident in the words he whispered into her ear,

“There, that wasn’t so difficult, was it Sal?”

(((Just a quick note here. The scene when Nick and Sal first met is included in my first book, which I haven't published on here yet. However, if you would like to read the scene now, just send me a message and I will send you the scene to read. Thanks, Beverley)

Chapter 24

“You’re dead,” Sal said through gritted teeth as the rest of the group laughed at her obvious discomfort from discussing Nick and her being ‘lovers.’ Nick chuckled with them. “I mean it Nick. And anyway,” she said, glancing back at him, “I’ll get you back for this…big time,” she stressed.

He grinned, unfazed. “I hope you do Sal. Will you do really bad things to me?” he said cheekily.

Sal’s jaw dropped. “Nick! You’re terrible.”

He laughed loudly then and she giggled with him, despite herself. She found it near on impossible to keep up a pretence of annoyance with Nick, especially when he came out with such outrageous comments as that one. He acted like butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth most of the time, and then suddenly out of the blue, he was downright wicked. Sal suspected that she didn’t help matters though; laughing with him always seemed to encourage him even more.

Trying to keep a straight face, Sal was ready with a reply. “No Nick,” she began, attempting to sound serious, “it will be nothing you’ll enjoy.” Damn, she was giggling again. And Nick appeared to think it was absolutely hilarious. “Stop it,” she said, slapping him playfully, even though the giggles were taking over, “I’m being…” she laughed, “serious,” she struggled to say. Now her sides were beginning to ache from laughing so much. Most of the people in the circle were listening to Mike at that point, but at least some must have been wondering why Sal and Nick were having a sudden attack of hysterics.

“Stop trying so hard to be serious Sal,” Nick howled, with tears of laughter in his eyes. “It doesn’t suit you.”

They sat, watching each other helplessly in the grips of hysteria and trying desperately to regain control, if only for the benefit of the company they were with. However, every time Sal took a deep breath to calm herself, Nick laughed even more, causing Sal to begin laughing again. Thank goodness she was sitting with her back to everyone now.

Then mike said something which caught their attention and made things ten times worse, because for some reason, any little thing had become a trigger for hilarity between them.

“Hey Phil,” Mike shouted out, “pass me Bob’s ukulele. I think I’ll have a go at playing something on it.”

Fresh laughter burst from Nick and Sal on hearing this, causing everyone this time to turn to them. Sal leant towards Nick and buried her face into his chest, giving up on fighting the giggles.

“She’s a little drunk,” he said to the group by way of an excuse, “I’d better get her back to the hotel.” Scooping an arm around her waist, he attempted to lift up a very limp, giggly Sal, who had lost all strength in her limbs. “Come on darling, let’s get you to bed,” he said with laughter still threatening to escape. “I’ll phone you tomorrow,” he said to Phil, “Bye everyone.”

Sal was beyond help and had lost the ability to speak by then, so she simply gave them all a small wave behind her back as Nick and her made their way back across the beach towards the main road again, with both of them giggling all the way. By the time they had reached the road, the laughter had run its course and was finally ebbing away, leaving them relaxed, happy and light-hearted.

The moment they had moved up the set of steps, from the sand onto the pavement, and finally out of sight of the party, Nick caught hold of Sal’s hand and swirled her around so that she was leaning against a waist high stone wall that separated the beach from the pavement. Still brimming with amusement, he planted his hands either side of her on the top of the wall.

“You, Miss Sally Fitzroy-Smith,” he began, watching her look of surprise at his sudden action, “are the most fun I’ve ever had,” he finished matter of factly.

Her eyes widened. That was quite a compliment. As always, Sal never knew how to react when he complemented her like that and she found herself simply gazing back at him as a pleased smile flickered across her face at his flattery. Placing her hands next to his on top of the wall, she leant backwards to observe him, smiling coyly. There followed a moment of silence, which was nonetheless filled with warmth and something like excitement between them. Then Sal gasped and put a hand to her mouth.

“Oh God, what on earth must they think of me?”

Nick wasn’t following. “What?” he frowned with confusion.

“Your friends and Kate, Mike, Karen and all the others. I didn’t even say goodbye to them properly,” she fretted.

He laughed, “You’re worried about a load of ukulele paying hippies, Miss million mile a minute mouth and an uninvited gate crasher?” he said incredulously. “I don’t think you should spend any sleepless nights over that Sal.”

She chuckled. “I suppose not. But Sandra and Phil…”

“…will not give it another thought,” he finished for her. “Now,” he said, throwing an arm over her shoulder and turning around to direct them back down the street, towards the hotel, “what you really should be worrying about is if you’re going to win the toss for the bed or not.”

“What?” she said, as her head shot round to him. “We have to flip for it?”

He tried to look serious. “Of course. There’s only one bed. You wouldn’t want to take advantage of me would you Sal?” he grinned at the thought of it and left his question open to interpretation for a moment before adding “…by expecting me to be the one to sleep on the sofa.”

Sal narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. “Well, no of course not,” she shrugged, playing along with his game, whatever it was. “And you wouldn’t want to take advantage of me, would you?” she came back, with another hidden meaning hanging in the air.

He shook his head. “Never.”

“So, you were right, we should toss a coin,” she concluded.

Hmm, he would rather she took advantage of him. The tease hadn’t worked. She was getting to know him too well. Calling his bluff eh. He’d have to try harder next time.

“Tell you what,” he said, after a moment’s thought, “I’ll let you have the bed on one condition.”

She glanced sideways at him warily. “What?”

He tightened his hand on her shoulder slightly and pulled her a little closer to him. “Well… I think we should find a bar and have one more drink, just you and me, before we settle in for the night. What d’ya say?” He watched her face expectantly and waited for a reaction.

She stopped walking and turned to him. “Oh Nick, I’d love to but it’s so late; I really don’t think we’re going to find anywhere open,” she said, glancing down the street, which seemed particularly dark and lifeless at that time.

“There’s bound to be somewhere, if we’re quick,” he replied, taking her hand and urging her to walk again. Then he suddenly slowed down and faced her once more. “That’s if you want to.”

“Oh yes, I do,” she answered, “I just hope we can find somewhere open.”

He smiled. “Sal,” he began, replacing his arm over her shoulder, “if the likes of you and I join forces I’m willing to bet that, not only will we find a bar open for a nightcap tonight,” he paused, “but, you never know, we might even find the Minotaur’s axe.”

Sal chuckled. Yes, a nightcap with Nick would be nice. She picked up the pace then, having warmed to the idea. “Or, the Minotaur himself,” she chuckled.

Nick swung his head to her and laughed loudly. “Sal, only you could come up with something like that!”

Chapter 25

Nick’s first thought was to head for the cocktail bar they had gone to earlier that evening to see if that was still open. Sal was right though, the row of tavernas and bars were either in complete darkness, or else the owners were turning chairs over onto tables and cashing up tills. Nick’s heart began to sink. For some reason he really wanted that last drink with Sal; maybe they shouldn’t have gone to the party at all and just spent the night alone together in the original cocktail bar. Then again, maybe they wouldn’t have shared that kiss if they did that. For sure they wouldn’t have. Well, whatever, he still wanted that last drink with her.

After having passed the first cocktail bar they went to before the party, and a few more afterwards, they had nearly reached the hotel again.

“It looks like there’s nowhere open after all,” Sal said regretfully, pausing to take a last look up and down the street.

“Wait,” Nick said, scanning the row of roof-top restaurants which were built into the cliff side above them. “That place seems to still be open,” he said, pointing to a dim light shining out of a restaurant window.

Sal squinted and tried to make out any kind of life inside.

“Are you sure it’s still open?” she asked.

Nick grabbed her by the hand, “There’s only one way to find out,” he replied, rushing across the road, towards the steps that lead up the cliff side.

The steps seemed to lead on indefinitely, and even when they reached the approximate level where the restaurant seemed to have been situated, second from last row back, it was difficult to work out which was the correct restaurant, as each one had a further set of steps leading to the front doors.

“Good grief, this place is like a labyrinth,” Sal observed, coming to a halt.

“Nah, that’s in Knossos. C’mon,” he said, urging her towards the middle steps, “This is the one.”

Out of breath, and red in the face from all the exertion of sprinting up the steps, Nick and Sal finally burst through the restaurant doors and expectantly scanned the room. They were faced with empty tables with blue and yellow chequered table cloths and a large balcony area outside with similar rows of tables, equally empty.

“Ti thelis?” came a voice from behind them, causing them both to jump and swing around to face it. They found four men sitting at the end of a small bar in the corner of the room. One man was approximately in his late fifties, with an impressive grey beard and portly belly. Nick assumed that he was the owner. The other men were younger, dressed in casual jeans and t-shirts, perhaps family members or even friends. Before answering, Nick turned briefly again to search the restaurant, as if in the vain hope of finding some customers he hadn’t noticed before, and therefore providing a reason for them to be able to stay for that last drink. No customers appeared however, but Nick wasn’t to be put off that easily.

“Yia sas. Signome, thelume dio ligo bierres, se parakalo,” Nick pleaded, giving the man his best ‘puppy dog eye’ look that was so very difficult to resist. Obviously though, the man with the beard was a tough Greek and immune to Nick’s persuasion. The man shrugged and gestured to the men’s raki carafe, which had already been emptied and finished, ready for home.

“Signome,” the man simply said.

Sal wasn’t sure what that meant exactly, but she could tell it wasn’t good news from the man’s tone, so she stepped in, moving towards him and touching his arm lightly in appeal.

“Nick and me,” she said, glancing back at Nick, “We’ve just got engaged,” she explained, suddenly feeling laughter building up inside her at the ridiculousness of her excuse, but putting a stop to her tell tale smile for fear that the man would think she was being rude. “And well, we just wanted one more drink,” she stressed by holding up one finger to demonstrate her request, “just to celebrate.” She placed another hand on top of his arm and implored, “Pleeeeease…”

The man observed her dubiously for a moment before turning to the three men beside him and speaking in Greek. There followed a brief conversation, during which at one point, one of the young men raised his voice and seemed to be arguing with the bearded man. Sal turned from one man to the other and was slowly forced to accept that getting a nightcap at that point was simply not going to happen. She was just about to apologise and leave before a real argument kicked off, when to her amazement the bearded man turned to them again, shrugged, and replied,

“Endaksi.” He then preceded to reach down and open a fridge below the bar to pull out two beers.

Wow, it looked like they were getting their nightcaps afterall, only… should she push her luck?

“Sorry, could I have a glass of wine instead?” she asked the man. The wine would relax her more and then she would be nice and sleepy, ready for bed.

The man frowned with confusion and Nick quickly translated,

“Thele krasi. Endaksi?”

The man nodded, bent again and pulled out a bottle of wine. He opened the bottle of beer and poured a glass of wine for Sal, which she picked up with a grateful smile.

“Efharisto poli,” Nick said, taking his beer from the bar and turning to Sal. “Shall we sit on the balcony?”

Her smile widened. “Yes, why not,” she replied, cradling her much anticipated final drink for the evening, as she headed for the balcony area. Nick followed, but seemed to have an after thought and handed Sal his beer, saying,

“Here, take this and find us a table; I’ll be two secs.”

Sal took his drink and briefly glanced back at him as he strolled towards the bar again. He must be going back to pay. She would pay him for her drink after.

There were a few dining tables on the balcony with the same blue and yellow checked tablecloths as in the main restaurant, but Sal noticed an area at the front of the balcony, overlooking the cliff side and the sea, which had smaller coffee tables and more comfortable, cushioned chairs. That was where they would enjoy their drinks.

Placing Nick’s drink down on the glass-topped coffee table, but keeping hold of her own, Sal sank into one of the chairs and sighed contentedly, taking a sip of her wine. The ruby liquor delivered a slight sweetness on the tongue initially, from the abundance of fruit, however, when the liquid was properly acknowledged by her taste buds, the depth of flavour took over with a wonderful, warming embrace on her senses. Mmm, a glass of wine was definitely the right choice of nightcap.

Moments later, Nick was making his way across the restaurant towards Sal with a pleased grin on his face. Coming up behind her, he ruffled her hair before reclaiming his beer and taking a seat next to her.

“Good times eh Sal,” he said, taking a sip of his beer and admiring the view over the cliff towards the sparkling sea.

“Hmm, definitely,” she replied with a sigh, feeling warm and thoroughly contented all of a sudden.

“Quite a team eh, you and me,” he said, holding up his beer for her to clink.

She turned her attention to his face and smiled warmly, clinking with him. “The best,” she replied, holding his gaze for a moment before returning hers to the view.

He kept his eyes on her however for a few moments, taking advantage of her distraction while the events of the last two days hovered in his thoughts. So much had happened. For a start, he now felt like he’d never left Crete for a moment, let alone for six months. And yet, somehow things were a little different, by no means in a bad way though. He wondered if they would get better still, or whether he ought to appreciate this moment to the full, for fear of a rockier future. But he felt so good that night, and he wasn’t going to let any negative thoughts ruin that.

His eyes lingered on Sal’s face as she gazed dreamily at the view, oblivious of his interest. She was such a dreamer. What was she dreaming about now he wondered? He’d seen her like that before and he always itched to know what was running through her mind. Then, suddenly her reverie was broken, not, funnily enough, by the realisation that Nick was watching her, but because she appeared to have spotted something of interest in the view. She slowly lifted the glass of wine to her lips, without moving her eyes from the object that had caught her attention. She was so animated, she was so… so…so many things, it was impossible to sum her up. One thing was for sure though, he’d missed her a lot, more than he’d realised, or dared admit to himself before that moment. Sitting there, back in Crete, with the stars and the sea putting on a show just for them, all those cold, lonely, soul-searching nights back in the UK seemed never to have happened. And how strange that he’d thought so many times about seeing Sal again; he’d imagined how he would feel, and if she was really as captivating as he’d remembered. Never could he have imagined that after just two days back, he would be there with her, on a weekend away. And before returning, he’d hoped that their friendship would grow, but he’d never envisaged feeling so much affection for her so quickly. Affectionate, yes, that was what he felt for her in abundance…in fact, watching her at that moment, her head tilted to one side with fascination at whatever it was that she’d seen, he realised with such clarity that he’d never felt so much affection for anyone… ever… in his whole life.

Chapter 26

Finally, as much as Nick was enjoying having free rein over just being able to watch Sal, as always, his curiosity got the better of him and, despite not intending to break the spell of the moment, he found himself asking,

“Sal, what the hell is it that you’re so fascinated with?”

She jumped then and gave a small laugh,

“Oh nothing,” she replied, taking another sip of her wine.

He narrowed his eyes at her. “Hmm, nothing indeed,” he said suspiciously. “You’re a bit of a dark horse sometimes you know Sal,” he commented.

She swung her head to him then and laughed. “A dark horse, me? You know me Nick; I’m an open book,” she replied, with maybe just a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

That was true; she was in some ways, but…

“Well, yes,” he agreed, “ and that’s one of the things I love about you the most,” he digressed for a moment…

Sal’s eyes widened with surprise for a second. One of the things he loved about her most? Maybe he’d had more beer than she realised.

“…but,” he went on, “when it comes to things closer to your heart, I reckon you keep it to yourself,” he observed, feeling surprised himself that he’d come out with that observation.

Sal went completely still for a moment, a knowing smile playing at her mouth as she searched his eyes, hers shining from the reflection of the lights inside the restaurant.

“See,” he said, pointing to her, “you’re doing it now.”

Sal laughed suddenly, and broke eye contact with him as she lowered her head, chuckling to herself. Nick smiled as he watched her. Then she lifted her head and turned to him when a thought hit her.

“You know what surprises me about you?” she came back.

He wasn’t sure whether to be interested or wary. “What?” he asked.

“Well, you seem so casual about everything most of the time and then suddenly, out of the blue, you come out with deep and meaningful comments like that. I can see you’ve given it much thought,” she answered, observing him through curious, peacock coloured eyes. Nick was just noting how her eyes deepened in colour when she was thoughtful, before what she’d said hit home, and, for the first time in as long as he could remember, he was mortified to feel himself becoming embarrassed. Hell, he was going a bit over the top. What was all that rubbish about her ‘keeping things close to her heart’? Where had all that come from? She must be thinking he was a real jerk. Even more so for the fact that he couldn’t for the life of him think of any kind of witty retort, which usually came so easily to him. In fact, the more the silence grew, and the more he could feel Sal’s eyes bearing inquisitively into him, the deeper the colour of his face became. God, this was unbearable! He ran a nervous hand through his hair and fidgeted awkwardly in his chair.

Sal watched Nick and could hardly believe her eyes. Never had she ever imagined seeing Nick embarrassed. Her first instinct was to make a joke of it, but she instinctively dismissed that idea because of just how embarrassed he clearly was. It felt odd watching Nick cringe at his own words. He was always ready with a good comeback. She felt like it would be cruel to make fun of him now.

Then, at last, something about what she’d previously said jumped back into his head and he clung onto it.

“Casual? Is that what you think? You make it sound like I don’t give a shit.”

Ooops, that might have come out a little more harshly than he’d intended.

Sal’s smile fell from her face and was replaced with something akin to mild panic.

“No, I didn’t mean that,” she emphasised. What was happening? How could everything be so amazing between them and then, literally within seconds, it felt like things were very rapidly going downhill? She had to get the wonderful mood back.

“Hey Nick, it’s me, remember? Your best friend, Sal. I don’t judge people. I never have. You know me better than that,” she appealed. “I was just speaking without thinking, as I always do. Please don’t take it to heart.”

God, he hadn’t really meant for his words to come out so abruptly in the first place, but having Sal appealing to him so sweetly and genuinely made his heart melt.

“I haven’t,” he replied, giving her a wink to prove it. Then he finished his beer in one final swig.

Sal watched the bottle as it fell from Nick’s lips and an idea hit her. Well, it wasn’t really a conscious idea, just something that she failed to dwell on before she found herself doing it. Leaning over the space between them, she took the bottle out of his hand.

Nick released the bottle in bewilderment at her action and his heart picked up its beat. What was she going to do?

Holding the still cold, frosted bottle between her hands for a moment, with a sly smile she then reached over again and took his face in her hands. His eyes widened. He was still hearstoppingly uncertain of what she was going to do next, and acutely aware of her touch: the softness of her finger tips on his face, the slight aroma of some kind of hand cream she must have used and the cold feel of the silver ring on her index finger.

“There, now the fire’s gone out,” she teased, unable to stop herself from acknowledging his previous embarrassment.

He growled and caught hold of her hands, pulling them off his face. “Get back over there and not another word,” he scolded, trying to sound serious but not able to hide his smile.

She saluted him. “Yes sir,” she giggled, pleased that for once she was finally one up on Nick, but also glad that the carefree atmosphere had returned.

Okay, time to take control before she had him blushing again.

“Well, one last drink I think, and then we should go,” he announced.

Sal frowned with confusion. “Err, weren’t these our last drinks? I don’t think you’ll get that guy to let us buy anymore tonight Nick.”

“Ahh,” he began smugly, “well, that’s where you underestimate my considerable powers of persuasion Sal,” he replied, producing another bottle of beer and the remains of the bottle of wine that he’d hidden on the other side of his chair.

“What?” she beamed, eyeing up the bottles. “How…when did you…”

Nick loved surprising Sal. “Bought them all another carafe of Raki before I joined you,” he chuckled. “They seem quite contended for the time being,” he said, turning to glance behind himself. Sal followed his gaze to see the three men in deep conversation at the bar.

Sal laughed and then bit her lip as she glanced at the half bottle of wine he was holding, as if she were thinking that she really shouldn’t indulge herself anymore. Then she changed her mind. “Well, okay then Nick, just one more. But then we must go straight to bed,” she said. And there was that knowing smile again, daring him to make something of her comment.

God she was being cheeky tonight: he loved it.

Here pour this,” he said handing her the half bottle of wine, “and show me some mercy will you Sal?” he grinned back at her.

Chapter 27

Nick took a swig of his beer, rested his head on the back of the chair and sighed with contentment. Sal watched him, still grinning at their playful banter, before taking a sip of her wine and mirroring his actions.

His eyes flicked sideways at her. "Are you copying me?"

She giggled and took another sip of her wine. He watched as she basked in the glory of having got the upper hand over him; she’d actually made him blush! She was filled with confidence, but not for long. Nick was well practiced at flirting with women and knew exactly how to extract the reaction he wanted from them.

In particular though, he thoroughly enjoyed the competitiveness between himself and Sal, especially since he normally got the better of her and at his mercy, which is just where he liked her. Only today had been a little different. Today there had been times when he had actually been at her mercy, and he was surprised to find that in some ways he quite liked it. Okay, it was a little disconcerting, but exciting all the same. He was rarely, if ever, in the company of a woman who could throw him off balance, but today, with Sal, he’d felt the excitement of both giving up and getting back control.

He’d totally taken control when he’d thrown Sal over his shoulder and spanked her bottom in front of a café full of people, he’d liked that, and the way she’d been so embarrassed when he’d offered to be her ‘gigolo’ for the night. But then, there were times when he’d got lost in the moment, like when he’d been watching the towel slip from her and was unable to move off the bed, and just moments ago, when he’d let slip that he’d obviously been thinking about Sal a lot and then gone excruciatingly red. Then there was that moment on the beach… there wasn’t a shadow of a doubt that both of them had lost control then. It had been an unexpected few moments of molten feeling which had him burning up just by the memory of it.

"This is nice." Sal cut into his thoughts. She tilted her head upwards to stare into the night sky. "I've missed doing impromptu things like this. I love Fay and all that but...," She went on to ramble slightly as the wine began to free her tongue. Nick had come to expect some rambling every now and then from Sal though, and now, more than any time before, he found himself wanting to know more of her thoughts. He'd missed being impromptu too; in many ways they were so similar in their thought patterns and what they took pleasure in. Hmm, what Sal took pleasure in...Nick's mind returned to his favorite train of thought as far as Sal was concerned. He could pleasure her like she'd never been pleasured before should the right situation arise. That was the problem though, wanting Sal was like gazing into a toy shop at the Scalextric set in the window and knowing that you were the only person on earth who could really do it justice if only you had the opportunity...or the pocket money...which he'd never had. "...and this winter she spent every last minute with Adam. Not that there's anything wrong with that," Sal nattered on, pausing briefly and turning to Nick. He was watching her thoughtfully. "I mean, they are in love, and I'm really happy for her, but...it did get a little bit lonely for me over the winter, hence all the crazy cooking i did."

"Well, I'm not complaining; that food today was..." he whistled, "...first class Sal."

She smiled. Compliments from Nick always made her smile. "Thanks. But what I was going to say is that I'm glad you're back Nick..." Nick’s gaze suddenly intensified, his eyes flicking over her face inquisitively. In her head, that was going to come out perfectly naturally, but maybe it was the way that Nick had interrupted her flow with that compliment that had made the statement suddenly sound...somehow too...complimentary...or like she'd been waiting all winter just for him to come back. Oh God, she was in trouble again, and now it was her cheeks that were burning up, and not for the first time that day... only this time she couldn’t blame it on sunburn! She turned her head and scanned the horizon, her eyes flicking tensely to and fro, waiting for either Nick to say something, or at least for her face to stop burning! All was quiet for what seemed like an eternity though. Damn it, why wasn’t he saying something? Maybe she was over thinking everything and he was just waiting for her to continue. "So anyway..." she went on at an attempt of skimming over her embarrassment. She moved her eyes quickly towards him but that did nothing to dispel her previous attack of nerves; she’d never seen him with that kind of expression before. Although there was a hint of a smile on his face, it was the softest of smiles, coupled with such intensity in his eyes that it pushed all other thoughts out of her mind and she found herself trailing off again. His eyes sparkled at her through the darkness and she held her breath for a moment, wondering what he was thinking and trying to refocus. So, she was glad he was back because? Because? Her face continued to burn. Oh God, just say anything! "Yeah, so, after I'd baked like a million or so pies," she blurted out, "I used to…sometimes…I’d look up at the stars," she said, demonstrating, and jumping at an opportunity to distract some attention away from her, "and try to figure out where things were. Like, that," she said, pointing to a cluster of stars, "is that the plough?"

Nick had continued to watch Sal as she resumed her chatter, a slight smile still on his face, until he registered her question and looked upwards, squinting a little.

"No, not there, it's there Sal," he replied, pointing lower in the night sky.

Sal frowned. "Where?"

"There, look, it looks kind of like a saucepan," he said, tracing the lines with his finger. "There," he said again, still unsure if she could see what he was trying to show her.

She rose out of her chair and moved in front of him to follow his line of sight. "Okay, I can't see a saucepan in the sky Nick, are you sure you just haven’t had too many beers tonight?" she chuckled.
"Come here, dippy," he sighed, taking hold of her arm and urging her back towards him. She took a step backwards but her leg came into contact with the hard frame of his chair underneath the cushion seat and she stumbled slightly. Glancing behind her, she realized that the chair was maybe just big enough to fit two in the seat.

“Here, take this,” she said, handing him her glass of wine and preparing to sit beside him. Lifting one leg backwards onto the cushion, she sat back on it and swept her other leg around so that she was curled up next to him. “Now show me.”

He put one arm around her, taking hold of her shoulder and pulling her even closer to him until their heads were almost touching. He pointed. “There,” he whispered, extremely softly into her ear. His warm breath teased her senses and spread a tingling sensation all throughout her body. She was looking into the sky but registering nothing apart from the sensations his touch and voice had created, and he knew it. He couldn’t help himself. He wanted to see and feel a reaction in her, to know that he could he could affect her like that, despite the fact that he knew even if she had wanted to do something about it, she wouldn’t. He was very physically attracted to her; it was pointless in denying it to himself, he had been from the start. And he was desperate for her to feel that too, even if he was taking advantage of her weaknesses: the wine she had drunk, and fact that she hadn’t had a physical relationship in some time. Okay, so his pride would have liked to know that she was being turned on by him, Nick, not just because she hadn’t had sex in a long time, but for the moment, he’d take what he could get.

“Can you see it now?” he asked.

Sal’s head was fuzzy, her skin warm and somehow more sensitive to everything. Was that the wine? She was acutely aware of Nick’s hand on the bare skin of her shoulder. It began to move down her arm, his fingers skimming gently over her skin, Nick’s fingers… What was he going to do? Then his hand fell from her arm and she felt its presence again on her waist, the warmth of his whole palm transmitting to her through the material of her dress. His hand felt so intimate there, stroking up and down her side slightly until… oh God, she could feel the length of his fingers accidentally but repeatedly making contact with the underside of her breast, just above her waist, as his hand moved up and down. He didn’t realize but she could hardly tell him. Then she had a secret thought, one that popped into her head just out of nowhere. It wasn’t her fault; she couldn’t help it. She imagined his hand touching more than it was at that moment, purposely covering and squeezing and teasing, her body began to ache for it.

“Yes,” she replied, lying. The stars were the very last thing on her mind at that moment. Her voice had sounded odd when he had replied, like she had forced the word out, and the tone was different to how she normally sounded.

Sal was still staring upwards, but on hearing her reply, Nick’s gaze fell to her face, his heart thudding with excitement at what he might find. He wasn’t disappointed. Her face was flushed, but it had nothing to do with sunburn because the heat had spread down her neck too. Her eyes were dreamy; she wasn’t even focusing on anything, let alone the stars. Her lips were parted slightly, her breathing shallow. Sal was aroused. Sal was aroused by him and the realization made him want to ravish her right at that moment, there and then.

Sal could feel that Nick’s eyes had been on her now for some time and it was unnatural for her to keep staring upwards at the sky, not even saying anything. She had no choice; her head was moving of its own accord, moving downwards and turning, as if in slow motion, to Nick’s face so close to hers. Her eyes rose, gradually, gradually until they met his.

She held her breath. His face was as close as it had been just before they had kissed on the beach. She could see the small details again of Nick, Nick up close, Nick who was just a friend but who she’d never realized before was actually so damn good looking: his baby blue eyes and the slight smile on his face, it was sexy; it made her heart thud. His eyes were searching hers, hers were searching his. Something was going to happen, she could feel them on the verge of it. She wanted it; they were so close, but… if they kissed now, this time there could be no excuses. They would be taking a massive step into…what, she wasn’t sure, but she wasn’t prepared to find out, not then. And suddenly clarity hit her.

“Nick,” she said, “When is Jen coming back?”

The smile immediately fell from his face and he turned his head from her to stare out at the sea, but at the same time, he pulled her back to him and linked both arms around her middle, holding her firmly there.

“Let’s just sit here for a bit Sal, finish our drinks and enjoy the view,” he said, avoiding her question.

Chapter 28

Sal finished her glass of wine, placed it on the table in front of them and rested her head back on Nick's shoulder. She felt warm and drowsy, contented to simply sit there with Nick without having to make conversation. She didn’t really have the energy for conversation at that point anyway. The bike ride, the sun, the beach party and the emotional roller coaster had all taken their toll.

Nick looked down at Sal's head, which was just below his. Her shiny auburn hair fell along her jawline. He lifted a hand and gently swept her hair back away from her face, letting the silken strands fall through his fingers. He'd never felt her hair before. It was cool and smooth to the touch, dark mahogany with hints of cinnamon. Unusual. Was it her real colour, he wondered? He hoped so because it suited Sal, it enhanced her uniqueness. He continued to run his fingers through her hair in rhythmic movements, and she didn’t seem to mind. In fact, she hadn’t so much as moved a muscle for a while now. Nick strained his head forward to enable a proper view of her face.

He smiled. Just as he’d expected, her eyes were closed. He felt a little guilty then for keeping her out so late, but somehow, he'd wanted to make that perfect day last just a little longer. He couldn’t remember a more perfect day, and for more than a few moments of it, he'd been truly happy. As he made the decision to leave, lifting Sal into his arms and standing up, then began the feeling of foreboding. There was no particular reason for it, but Nick couldn’t help but feel that a day like that would never come again with Sal. He felt almost a sudden panic, but scolded himself for it. He had to get her back to the hotel to that bed, she was exhausted; she had barely even stirred when he'd lifted her up off the chair. Carefully reaching down with one hand, whilst taking some of Sal's weight on his knee, he grabbed the backpack they had taken with them, containing towels, a change of clothes, and now the remains of beer and cocktail ingredients, and slung it over his shoulder before rising again and securing his hold on Sal.

Passing the owners of the restaurant on the way out, he waved and whispered,

"She's shattered. Thank you for the drinks."

They all grinned. "Ine se agapi," the older man had said wistfully, watching as Nick carried Sal out of the door.

Luckily, the hotel was not far at all from the restaurant, although carrying Sal safely down the stone steps of the cliff on which the restaurant was perched had been a bit of a challenge. She was surprisingly light to carry though. Sal was curvaceous but petite and almost doll like when she was asleep, curled up in his arms. So sweet. At one point, just as he'd reached the coastal pavement again, she'd opened her eyes for a few moments. Dazed and sleepy, she'd realized that she was being carried and said something about being able to walk, but he'd hushed her and said they were nearly back. Soon after that her eyes had closed again.

Finally, at the door of the hotel room, he found himself struggling to slot the key into the lock, whilst still holding onto Sal and trying his hardest not to wake her again. Unable to actually see the keyhole, he felt around the metal slot with the forefinger of his right hand, which held onto the key. After several more attempts, at last, it fitted into the slot, he turned the key and let them into the room, gently closing the door behind them.

The room seemed extremely silent and still, as though it had been waiting for them to fill it. He could quite clearly see the double bed in front of them from the street lights that must have been situated just outside their window. Deciding against flooding the room with the ceiling lights, he headed straight for the bed, throwing back the light bedcover and sheet but pausing for a moment before lowering her onto the mattress. He turned his head to look at her and indulged himself.
She was nothing less than beautiful and he felt so honoured to have been able to carry her home. Her head was resting against his collarbone, her hair was a little ruffled, her cheeks still a little flushed from either the wine or the sun, and her eyelashes rested on her cheekbones, almost like a child's; only the curves of her body reminded him that she was no child. He thought to himself then though, that she had the innocence of a child sometimes, and the purity.

He wanted so desperately to slip into the bed beside her and feel the magic of being able to hold her in his arms all night, to feel her soft beauty against him, to stroke her hair and soothe her into the morning, to pretend for one night that she were his. He couldn’t do that though, because he’d be letting her down again, taking advantage when they were only supposed to be friends, because even if he instigated nothing sexual towards her, his body would betray both him and her, he knew it without a doubt. And even if he didn’t act on that, there was always his mind, making up scenarios which placed them together in never ending erotic situations. It was wrong… like Sandra had said. But that night in the restaurant, he had wanted so much for it to be right, as if Sal were to reciprocate then it wouldn’t be wrong anymore, but he’d simply coerced her again. It was the worst thing he could have done really because he was taking advantage of both her innocence and her passionate nature to encourage her to do something that was wrong. She was so innocent that in over a year she hadn’t even conceived of him making a play for her, even when he'd invited her away for the weekend.

He was corrupting her, he was vile. He would never have someone as wonderful as her, he didn’t deserve it. And even though Jen didn’t want him, and both of them were lying to each other, he didn’t deserve her either. After a never-ending string of the most casual relationships with girls who had heard on the grapevine that he was good in bed, he’d finally come to realize that he wasn’t flattered anymore, he hadn’t wanted casual, he’d been hoping that one of them would want to stay longer and bring some sort of affection and stability to his life. So he had been determined at the beginning of last summer to find someone and make a relationship work, to do everything within his power to make it work, and if it didn’t, well okay he would search again, but at least he’d have known that he’d done everything he could. But he’d betrayed them both, the girl he’d promised to himself that he’d build a relationship with, and the girl that had exploded into his life and turned it upside down… the girl he’d wanted more than anything he’d ever wanted in his entire life. The girl in his arms.

Very gently, with reluctance, he leant forward and placed her onto the bed, sliding his arms out from under her and feeling suddenly bereft.

He wished with every fiber of his being that it could work between them, he ached for her in his heart. It was a physical pain he’d never felt before. He wanted all her loveliness because he could be a better person with her, she would make him better just by being with him. And not only that, he’d never known the kind of happiness he’d felt in just the few days every now and then that he’d spent with her over the last year. He was always happy when he was with her. But all of that was selfish on his part. She deserved better. She deserved her mind shattering guy to whisk her away on his yacht and make all her dreams come true. What had he got to offer her? Only the ugliness and reality of his upbringing that was waiting back for him in the UK... that was never going away. And then came the pain and fear again, a choking feeling of loss and hopelessness. His throat constricted and his eyes stung. He reached out a shaking hand and tenderly brushed her cheek with the back of his fingers.

"Goodnight my sweetest of friends," he whispered.

Sal was not entirely unaware of her surroundings, although sleep had kept pulling her into its grips. But when Nick had placed her onto the bed, she'd registered his presence still there, and a strange quietness. Then he'd whispered to her and his voice had sounded odd. There was something not right. Her eyes opened.

"Nick, what's wrong?" she asked with concern, catching a quick glimpse of pain on his face, his emotion threatening to overflow before it was replaced with pure panic. She struggled to sit up then, her concern doubling.

He backed away from her. "Nothing Sal. Go to sleep," he said, abruptly turning away and heading swiftly to the bathroom.

She bolted out of the bed then, wanting to catch him before he got through the door, but failing. She tried the handle but he had locked the door.

"Nick, come out," she urged. Silence. "Nick, what's wrong? Come out," she repeated. Still nothing. Damn it, why wouldn't he speak to her? She banged on the door. "At least answer me for God sake!"

"Go to bed Sal," he finally shouted back.

"I'm not going to bed; there's something wrong and since we are supposed to be friends, you can come out and tell me what it is," she said with frustration.

Damn it! What was he going to do now? He took a deep breath, struggling to rein in his chaotic emotions, and running a shaking hand over his damp face, wiping the moisture away.

Nick unlocked the door and was faced with an angry looking Sal. That really threw him. He'd never envisaged Sal being really angry before, but the look on her face was real and serious.

"I just wanted to know what was wrong," she accused.

"There's nothing wrong," he lied, cringing at his words. But what else could he say?

"Like hell there isn't," she shouted back, placing her hands on her hips. Why was he lying to her? She could put up with a lot but lies and pretenses were her biggest bug bear. "Why do you always do this to me Nick? We are supposed to be friends aren’t we? Or is that all just a load of rubbish? Is this a big game to you, eh? Am i just someone you like to make fun of every now and then? 'Good old Sal is good for a laugh.'"

Nick was speechless and in shock, frozen to the spot. To see such anger in Sal and for her to get everything so totally wrong was so distressing for him but in his panic, he simply didn’t have the words to tell her just how wrong she was. He simply stared at her. Some of the anger left her then when she registered the look on his face.

"Nick, why can’t you talk to me about what really matters because I care about you."

That admission had them both brimming with tears.

"You went away for the whole winter and you promised that you'd keep in touch but I didn’t hear a thing from you, but you kept in touch with Adam and Fay and Ruth, because they clearly mean more to you. But when you left me, you didn’t even give me a contact number or e mail address or anything. I trusted that you'd contact me when you got back to the UK but you didn’t bother," she said, hanging her head as the tears dripped down her cheeks. This was more than Nick could bear.

"God damn it," he shouted back, with his own tears streaming from his eyes, "I didn’t want you to see me like this! I didn’t want you to know everything because I wanted you to think something of me."

Her head shot up then. "You think I don’t think anything of you? You think I will think more of you if you put on a big show for me Nick?" she replied incredulously.

His head was aching with emotion and confusion. "No," he replied, suddenly taking a seat on the sofa behind him and holding his head in his hands.

"What then?" she pushed; she had to know. "What then?" she repeated.

He growled, so frustrated with himself and the whole situation. Then it all came out in an angry rush, the whole sordid mess.

"My father is an addict and he's dying as we speak but I'm here because I can’t face him. I can’t face it Sal," he shouted, the shame of it bringing fresh tears to his eyes. "I'm so bloody terrified," he heard himself admit.

Sal thought her heart was going to break and her face just became a mass of tears. She went to him and took his face in her hands, kissing him on each cheek before wrapping her arms around him and holding his head to her midriff and he sobbed.

She kissed the top of his head. "I'm here for you Nick, just please don’t push me away," she begged. "And if and when you need to go back, I'll come with you and I’ll be right there beside you all the time...if you want me to," she added. "Because Nick," she said, crouching in front of him and placing her hands on his knees, "I'll be the best friend you've ever had, if you'll just let me."

His heart melted. "I know you will Sal," he said, stroking her face. "And I'm so sorry for hurting you. It wasn’t my intention. Come here," he said, taking her hand and urging her to sit next to him. He immediately took her in his arms and held her there, stroking her hair. They sat for a while as their tears subsided. "God, what are we like, the pair of us," he whispered against her. She giggled, releasing some of the emotion as a half laugh, half cry. He tightened his arms around her. "You're going to be absolutely exhausted tomorrow missy," he finally said. "I'm going to let you get some sleep now."

She pulled away from him then with a slight frown on her face. "Where are you going to sleep?" she asked.

His eyes flicked to the sofa they were sitting on. "Here," he replied.

It was so hard though, and she didn’t like the thought of him sleeping alone with all those thoughts that had been in his head.

"Look, you don’t even have any sheets on here. We are adults; we can sleep in the same bed without doing anything untoward," she said, standing suddenly.

He stood also, hesitantly. "What, even you Sal?" he joked, breaking the tension. "Well, as long as you promise not to seduce me, I guess we could."

She laughed. "Yeah, i do have some degree of control you know. I even brought my least sexy nightie," she added, plucking it from her pile of clothes and heading for the bathroom. "Just going to change."

Nick sat on the bed and stared at the closed door, his head in a whirl. What had just happened? And how on earth was he going to cope with a night spent sleeping next to Sal, least sexy nightie or not?

Chapter 29

As it turned out, Sal's least sexy nightie was nothing close to not being sexy. Nick was facing trouble. And what had made it worse, was that Sal had turned the light on before going into the bathroom, so Nick’s first glance of her when she came out had been well lit. First of all the nightie was short, and goodness knows what she had, or didn’t have on, underneath it. Or was that just wishful thinking on his part? It was also low cut, with tiny straps...one of which had slipped down off her shoulder as she'd emerged from out of the bathroom. Oh boy. He couldn’t imagine what one of her 'most sexy' nighties was like! This one, however, was a black satiny kind of wispy thing with lacy edgings. Its only saving grace was that Nick wasn’t actually able to see through it! But what he could tell as she moved towards the bed was...oh god, don’t look there again...it appeared that she might not have a bra on!

After Sal had disappeared into the bathroom, Nick had jumped into action, dived into his back pack and pulled out a pair of loose, grey shorts, which he had packed for modesty's sake; he rarely wore any clothes in bed. Pulling on the shorts, he'd proceeded to strip off his t shirt, but paused with the t shirt half way over his head. Maybe he should keep it on? He pulled it back down. But then again, it was quite hot that night. Maybe he should take it off after all? Hold on, right, if he took it off there would be more chance of him and Sal making skin to skin contact, which was not good, but kinda good. Was it good or not? A loud crashing sound came from the bathroom. Nick nearly jumped out of his skin, still desperately trying to figure out... t shirt on, or t shit off? Something was moving against the bathroom door. Sal was coming out, and Nick was standing in the middle of the room in a mild panic. Ok, think. Right, Sal was eyeing him up earlier when he'd stripped his top off, which must mean that she liked his body, sooo, therefore, he couldn't possibly put her through such temptation. For Jen's sake, he'd made a decision. Good.

The door handle began to turn. At the last minute, Nick yanked the t shirt over his head, threw it on top of his backpack and dived onto the bed, leaning against the headboard and pulling the sheet over him. Sal was struggling with the door handle. Nick eyed the sheet and thought for a moment. Sheet on, or off? The door was opening. Nick threw the sheet back, hitched his leg up and rested an elbow casually on his knee. Oops, perhaps he should be doing something; he grabbed the nearest object he could get his hands on, the remote control for the television, and studied it.

Sal emerged.

"Sorry, it's a bit small in that bathroom..." she began to natter on nervously as she slowly shuffled towards the bed. He registered the shuffling and briefly flicked his eyes from the remote control to Sal and back, anxious about getting too much of a first glimpse of Sal in her nightie, should it be sexier than she'd suggested. He only experienced a fleeting glance of her but clearly registered the slipping of one strap over her shoulder and the tell tale 'jiggle' of breasts, covered only by a thin layer of black satin. Something began to stir underneath Nick’s sheet. Oh hell! The shuffling was obviously Sal's way of not showing too much while she held her arms rigidly in front of her, grasping onto the hem of the nightie as she moved. Of course, the shuffling and hem holding simply drew attention to the fact that the nightie showed far too much for a 'least sexy' variety. She stopped when she reached the bedside, which Nick sensed in his peripheral vision, having resumed his scrutiny of the remote control. He was now studying it in minute detail, half dreading, half unable to wait, for the time when he'd have to return his eyes to Sal. "... I knocked over my perfume. it's okay though; I rescued it in time," she said. He should reply... look at her now... but he was still trying to cope with the excitement that just a few milliseconds of seeing Sal in that 'least sexy nightie' was doing to him. "Do you want to watch TV?" she asked suddenly and a little incredulously, considering that it had to be close to four o clock in the morning!

Oh hell. His eyes were burning through the buttons on the remote control.

"Err, no," he replied, frowning at it, "I was just..." He was just getting hot and very flustered and needed to get a grip! He would have to keep his gaze upwards. He turned his head to her, gluing his eyes to her face.

"It doesn’t matter Sal. Bit late for TV now."

She stood, completely motionless, staring disconcertingly at Nick for what seemed like an eternity. Nick's heart thudded. What now?

She bit her lip nervously and glanced downwards.

Don’t look down, don’t look down! Nick told his eyes.

"What's wrong Sal?" he heard himself say.

"Err," she looked sheepish. "I'd forgotten. I didn’t have very long to pack Nick," she said, defensively. "This isn’t my least sexy nightie," she admitted, "But it kind of looks a bit like it. Must have picked up the wrong one."

she waited for him to respond, or suggest what to do. His eyes searched hers, moving over her face so that they didn’t move downwards.

"Nick?" she prompted when the silence began to stretch on.

He ran a hand through his hair. "Ah, well okay...urm...what's wrong with it?" His mind was now only half functioning and what came out of his mouth did so without his full control.

She looked down again. He gritted his teeth and tensed with the effort it took him not to look down with her.

"There's a bit of a slit in it," she said, "Well, quite a lot of one actually," she said, biting her lip again as a definite pink glow spread across her face. God, he'd love to make her blush all night long. She lifted her eyes to him once more.

"Nick, why are you staring at me like that?" she asked, with a slight frown.

Staring at her; who gave a damn? His eyes were still on her face. It was a bloody miracle! Okay, this was getting stupid. He had to come clean; Sal would be okay about it.

He sighed and let out a laugh at the same time. "I've been trying incredibly hard not to look down Sal." There, he'd said it.

She laughed out loud and put her hands over her face for a moment.

"This is ridiculous," she replied, finally dropping her hands. "Look, it's not that bad..."

Yeah, but Sal's not that bad was most probably not that good either.

"... It kind of falls open at the side, but it's not transparent and i'm wearing french nickers underneath...but they are lacy, so if you just avoid them, we will be okay?" she said, jumping onto the bed suddenly.

Woooh, Yep, the split was huge and Nick got a glimpse of Sal's stomach and hip when the nightie fell open as she moved onto the bed and wriggled under the sheet beside him. Well, okay, at least she was covered now.

Simultaneously, they both slowly turned their heads towards each other. What the hell were they doing? They were in bed together. It was weird, she hadn’t seen him for months and they were only casual friends before; now he was in bed beside her. It was odd, he'd dreamed so many times of being in bed with Sal, but the dreams had always involved a lot more thrashing around and moaning and groaning. Still, she was actually in bed with him, and in a sexy nightie too!

He sighed and ran another frustrated hand through his hair, leaning his head back against the headboard.

Sal watched him with concern, placing a hand over his, which was resting on the mattress beside her.

"Nick, are you okay?" she asked.

He turned his attention back to her.

"Yeah, sure."

"No, I mean earlier. The whole," she hesitated, unsure of whether to proceed. "Your father thing," she finished.

His eyes wandered over her face for a moment before he answered. "Yeah, of course," he said dismissively. "I guess, well, it has been a long day, and we had quite a few drinks. Things just got on top of me Sal. I'm not normally like that," he said, by way of an explanation.

"I know that, but you're dealing with an awful lot; you have to talk to someone about it. You need an outlet Nick or you'll...you'll...explode," she laughed, trying not to sound too serious —anything too serious made Nick nervous— whilst at the same time, needing to get her point across.

"I know," he smiled. But Sal wasn’t sure if he was just saying that to appease her.

"You can talk to me about absolutely anything...that is, if you want to," she added. "I don't judge people. I mean, come on, who am I to judge? My life is a complete disaster."

"Hmm," Nick thought about that. "Not a disaster Sal, more like a soap opera," he laughed.

She slapped him on the arm playfully and began to fiddle with a ribbon on the front of her nightie. His eyes automatically moved to where her fingers were for a moment before he checked himself and stared straight ahead at the wall. Unfortunately, the wall ahead of them had a mirror hanging from it. The room was conspiring to make his life difficult! He watched Sal's reflection mulling something over in its mind. It had a slight pout on its lips, as if not entirely happy about something.

"Of course, I know you talk to Ruth about stuff," she said suddenly.

What had that got to do with anything?

"Hmm?" Nick was finding it hard to follow Sal's thought pattern.

Men! Did she have to spell it out to him?

"You obviously find it easier to talk to her."

"Sometimes I guess," he replied, clueless.

Sal pouted even more.

What was wrong with her?

"She's obviously a better friend than I am then," she said grumpily, unable to stop herself.

The penny dropped.

"No, no she's not Sal. I didn't mean that, I just, she's..."

Hmm, Nick thought he was the only one who could do puppy dog eyes to make everyone melt. Clearly he was wrong.

"Come here, silly," he said, putting an arm around her shoulder and pulling her towards him. She didn’t resist but kept the pout as she turned around, rested her head on his chest and looked pitifully up at him. Nick hadn't foreseen that move and the feeling of her bare leg brushing his, and her soft curves pressed to him, made him freeze, trying desperately to ignore the heat rising in him.

Just keep talking.

"You are my best friend, you know that. I didn’t invite Ruth on a quest did I?" he reminded her.

She smiled. "No, I guess not."

He was on a roll.

"And I haven’t taken Ruth for a ride on my new bike, have I?"

Her smile widened. "No again."

"See," he said, tapping her on the nose. "So, no getting jealous of Ruth, silly."

She giggled. "Okay."

"Now, if we want to see any of tomorrow, we really must get some sleep Sal," he said, tightening his hold on her suddenly for fear that she might move away. Oh what was the point in willpower? He wanted her close.

She nodded.

"I know," she replied, resting her cheek against his chest. He reached over to the light switch above the bed and turned off the light before beginning to run his fingers absentmindedly through her hair again. He had so many thoughts in his mind.

She yawned. "It's a good job I didn’t bring my most sexy nightie," she said sleepily, settling against him and closing her eyes.

Oh God, don't start thinking about that again or he'd never get to sleep! Nevertheless, the thought had been planted again in his mind. How could a nighty be THAT sexy anyway? Hmm, he tried his hardest to conjure an image up in his head. No, it wasn't working. He'd have to ask her or stay awake all night wondering.

"Sal," he began, looking down at her. Oh God no! She'd fallen asleep. He'd ask her tomorrow, he thought to himself, as he closed his eyes and settled down to a long, and very frustrating, nights sleep.

Chapter 30

Sal woke up with a start. She felt panicked. She had missed something. She had a sudden urge to return to Matala beach; she just had to know!

Slipping off the bed, she pulled her nightie off over her head and grabbed a bra and sarong from her backpack, clipping on the bra and tying the sarong around her body.

The night air was cool against her skin and the streets were completely silent. Strangely, she didn't feel afraid to be out alone on that quiet beach road. Then the caves loomed ahead of her and the beach stretched between her and the cliff face. Taking her sandals off, she jumped from the pathway onto the sand. It felt cool against the soles of her feet. She began to stroll towards the caves, the soft breeze blowing the sarong around her legs.

Then she saw a shadow in the distance and she knew it was him. She had been right. He'd gone there for her. What was going to happen? Her heart thudded with nervous excitement.

They walked slowly towards each other, as if fate was pulling them together, and met at the base of the caves, on the edge of the beach.

He smiled in welcome. He was pleased. So was she.

"I thought you’d forgotten what we’d said... or changed your mind. Did you wonder where I was when you woke up?" he asked.

"No," she replied immediately, not wanting any misunderstandings, "I remembered as soon as I opened my eyes."

He nodded in understanding.

"Come here," he said suddenly, holding out his hand to her.

This was really happening. He was going to do what he'd said. He smiled at her, as if he could read her thoughts. She smiled a shy, knowing smile back as she took his hand. She was so nervous, but so excited at the same time.

He led her to the dense area of woodland at the very far end of the beach, just past the caves. She knew he would take her there.

They found a clearing. The ground was soft with moss and sand. He sat, leaning against a tree with his leg hitched up, one arm resting on his knee. He grinned up at her, such a sexy smile, and his eyes sparkled at her through the night. He was as excited as her.

"You know what we are going to do, don’t you?" he said.

Her heart picked up its beat then.

"We can’t," she replied, but knowing it wasn’t true, or else why had she gone there?

"Yes we can. Here we can Sal. Here it is okay. Do you believe me?" he asked.

In a strange way she did. She shouldn’t, but her instincts told her that everything would be okay with him.

She nodded slowly, and saw his seductive smile in response. He knew it was going to happen now. There was no turning back, even if she wanted to...which she didn’t.

A breeze whistled gently through the trees then, tugging at the edges of her sarong, loosening the knot.

His eyes fell to her body, the thin material barley covering it.

"Take it off," he said, gesturing to the sarong.

She may as well; the breeze was looking to whip it from her anyway. The knot slid undone so easily; the thin material floated to the floor and was carried away by the breeze.

Now she was standing before him wearing only her bra and lacy briefs. She could feel the open air against her bare skin; there seemed to be a lot of herself open to both the air, and to his smouldering eyes. She was so aware of the way his gaze ran all over her, taking in every exposed part. She tingled with anticipation.

"Hmmm. I've waited for this," he sighed, placing his hands behind his head and leaning it back against the tree trunk as he took time to leisurely assess her.

It seemed that he was in no rush; he wanted to savour every part of this. She crackled with sexual tension. What was going to happen next? She knew he'd thought about it; he seemed to be calling the shots. Would she do all he wanted? Her body tingled with the thought of it. Okay, she would see how far this went; then she would decide.

At last, he had seemed to become impatient with trying to visualise what he couldn’t see.

"Take off the bra," he said with a challenging look.

"Here?" she replied. She was just stalling and she knew it. Obviously he meant there. He meant it all to happen there.

He nodded. "Yes, right here."

Okay, it was only a bra, right? People went sunbathing topless all the time on beaches over there. So...she could take her bra off.

He would see her though. That was the difference. Not a load of strangers on the beach, but him; he would see her.

"Take it off," he urged again.

She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, reaching behind her back and unclipping the clasp of her bra, but still holding it against her, despite that fact that it was falling away from her body. Maybe she wouldn’t let go. She didn’t have to.

Opening her eyes again, she locked into his intense gaze.

"Let go," he ordered.

Her hands seemed to listen to him, and of their own accord, they released the bra and it fell to the floor, exposing her bare breasts to him. He smiled, a satisfied smile.

A heat grew in the pit of her stomach at the look on his face and the feel of his eyes on her.

"Good," he smiled, tilting his head to one side, " and very sexy Sal." His eyes ran slowly over her. "Very, very sexy. I knew you would be. But now..." he went on, "now I’ve seen this much Sal, I need to see more. You know what i want you to do, don’t you?" he said, lowering his eyes to her only remaining clothing.

Yes, she knew exactly what he wanted her to do, but would she do it? Could she?

Slowly her hands crept to the sides of her lacy underwear and hovered there, uncertain and nervous.

"We shouldn’t be doing this," she said to him.

"Yes we should. But I won’t force you Sal; if you want to stop and go back to the hotel, we can."

God, she didn’t want that. She was so hot inside. She had to know what came next, and next, and how it would feel.

"Okay. I want to stay," she said.

His smile genuinely brightened up his face then and she was glad. He was happy that she wanted to stay with him.

"So?" he said, lowering his eyes to her hands.

She giggled. "Can you look away?" she asked.

"Not a chance," he replied. "I want to see. I want to see you naked. Completely naked Sal."

God, she wasn’t sure she could take the tension.

"Okay," she heard herself finally say. Then she stripped for him, feeling the breeze whip around her whole body, caressing it, as he soon would.

He went very still. His eyes burning into her, moving over every inch.

Then he stood suddenly, his legs slightly astride.

"I've waited for this a long time. I've thought of nothing but this, and you and me Sal. I can’t wait any longer," he said, unzipping his shorts with one swift, sharp tug. He was already bare chested so the only remaining clothing between them were his shorts. Soon they were gone, disposed of, and he was there, so masculine and hard and hot and sexy.

"Come here," he said, his voice low and deep. He held out his had to her again. She put her hand in his tentatively. He pulled her sharply and very suddenly to him and she gasped as their naked bodies collided. She was burning and shaking with desire as his hands slid everywhere. He groaned out his sexual delight.

"Feel my hands on you Sal. I know you've thought about this before...as much as I have. You can’t imagine what I want to do with you. Do you want me to Sal?" he whispered to her.

She was finding it hard to breathe through heat his touches were creating.

"Yes," she replied breathlessly, with every last ounce of restraint gone from her.

"Do you want me to now Sal?"

"Yes, now. Please now," she begged.

And then it was all sensations and heat and, gasping and moaning and frenzied movements, until he finally had his way with her, as he had wanted for so long...as she had secretly needed him to.

"There it is, can you feel that Sal?"

Oh yes, she could feel it! She couldn’t escape it! He had her right where he wanted her and she gave into him because she wanted it too, it was every one of her secret fantasies. It felt so exciting, so daring and erotic.

God she hoped and prayed no one was on the beach at the point. What if they were discovered like that? But then why would there be, at that time?

He took her again and again, over and over. She was helpless to resist him. She couldn’t get enough of the excitement his demands evoked in her. But each time he tipped her over the edge of her desire, it was only moments later when she wanted him again. It was as if she was never going to be satisfied unless they stayed there for a very long time...until he had done everything there was to do and abated her intense hunger.

"Don't stop!" she shouted out, opening her eyes suddenly and coming face to face with Nick. Damn it! It had been a dream!

His eyes were assessing her closely and with interest, trying to read her thoughts. He must know, just by the heat of her body, how aroused she was.

"Were you dreaming about me?" he asked.

She didn’t know what to say.

"It looked like you were having," he grinned, "a very sexy dream. I hope it was about me."

He shouldn’t say that. Especially considering how much the dream had worked her up into a sexual frenzy, and how she still needed satisfying.

He seemed to be reading her thoughts. "You look so hot."

Did he mean hot as in temperature, or hot as in sexy?

"I always need sex in the morning," he went on, sighing.

Well, she could hardly offer herself to him.

And then he did something she would never have expected. She watched it happen, as if in slow motion. Reaching out a hand, he slipped down first one, and then the other, strap of her nightie!

With utter disbelief she heard him say, "I knew you were aroused," as his eyes widened at her bare breasts.

Then, without wanting to, thoughts began tumbling into her head. Forbidden thoughts like, "Kiss me there," "Touch me" "Take me." It was more than she could stand.

"Take me!" she shouted out, opening her eyes suddenly and coming face to face with Nick.

What the hell was going on?

All was silent. Sunlight was flooding into the room. He was staring at her.

"Am I awake?" she asked him.

He chuckled. "I hope so Sal, because I think you were having a naughty dream and after all, it is morning and I am a guy, and if you don’t stop rubbing yourself against me and moaning like that, I’m going to have to take drastic action!" he replied.

She still wasn’t sure if she was awake. Reaching down, she dug her nails into her leg. Awch! She must be awake! Oh God, but what had she revealed to him when she was asleep?

Chapter 31

Nick felt so warm, floating between sleep and reality. His semi-conscious mind knew he was in bed but the rest of him was happy to float in that wonderful morning in-between place where everything felt good. He tingled inside with unspent energy as he did every morning, however, this morning felt different for some reason that his that sleepy body couldn’t work out. He was content though not to over analyze the difference by opening his drowsy eyes, because, although he was still only half conscious of it, his body was becoming incredibly sensitive to everything around it, and the warm sensations spreading through his limbs were beginning to excite him.

A woman was whispering to him; she was next to him in bed. But it wasn’t the woman he usually woke up to who jumped out of bed as soon as she woke up, leaving him alone and frustrated. This woman seemed to be taking pleasure out of his physical presence in the bed. He liked that. He also liked the way she was sidling up to him and pressing herself up against his body.

He felt the smoothness of one female leg move up and down his. Hmm, he liked legs too....and he liked hands, small soft hands on his chest, feeling and stroking his bare skin. This couldn’t be real; it had to be a dream. It did feel very real though. Then he heard a small soft moan close to his ear. It was the heart stoppingly exciting sound of female arousal, and his body immediately flooded with adrenaline and heat in response. Now he was at the next level of consciousness, where his mind began to focus on one specific woman who he wanted to be doing the moaning. This had become a regular early morning occurrence for Nick: when he was most unprepared, the focus of his secret obsession would pop into his head and before he knew it, he had more testosterone running through his body than he knew what to do with. There she was again, in just one of his imaginary versions of them both getting heated, naked and horny for the first time together. But then something happened that didn’t normally happen: the moaning, he thought he'd imagined, but the words, 'don't stop', were unmistakably real. Nick's eyes flew open.

Sal! It all came flooding back: the previous day, the beach party, the 'pretend' kiss that had been much more, the tears they had shared, and of course, Sal's nightie. Woah, he glanced down and realized that the nightie in question had ridden itself up her body as she'd slept and was now barely covering anything! He shouldn’t look. Like hell he shouldn’t! This was early morning; different rules applied. He was helpless against his body's demands in the morning. It wasn’t his fault. He allowed his eyes free rein.

Damn it, she was hot!

A pair of snug, lacy black briefs that clung so well to her pert, rounded behind, and a nightie that was just holding in her full breasts. The rest of her was open to his gaze: bare expanses of smooth, tanned, 'Sal' skin... her legs, her thighs, her hips, her stomach, her back.

His eyes widened, finding it hard to take it all in. Was this really happening to him? Was she really lying there like that?

Then she moaned again and pressed herself suddenly up against him, arching her back and sighing with pleasure. Oh lord, his whole body began to throb at the sudden realization that it hadn’t been a dream, and the sound of female arousal had been Sal! She clearly was dreaming however, and it was obviously an erotic dream too!

He watched her for further evidence that it was. She was so restless, turning her head back and forth on the pillow and squirming against the mattress. Then suddenly, he had an awful thought: maybe she was having a nightmare. She kind of seemed distressed. Maybe she was in the claws of terror while he was lying there eyeing her up! Poor thing, he should wake her. He reached out to touch her shoulder lightly but she didn’t wake. She shivered, and moaned again at his touch. His hand was in limbo, unsure of what to do next, but it wasn’t long before instinct took over and he gently ran his fingers from her shoulder down the length of her arm. It was an experimental move, a test to see if she really was having a nightmare, or if she was enjoying the sensation. Oh yes, she was enjoying it; she was practically purring. No, this was no nightmare. What on earth was she dreaming about, he wondered? He'd just love to know what an erotic 'Sal' dream was like. Wow, it was bound to be extremely X rated! Hell, now Nick's imagination was running riot, as was his heart rate.

After stroking her arm, his hand was hovering by hers, which was lying on her thigh. Okay, he did care about Sal; he wasn’t going to push this too far, but... he was somehow mesmerized by her and the whole situation he had found himself in. Gently, he let his fingers trail over the smooth skin on the inside of her leg. God, she felt so soft. As his touch moved down her leg he heard her sharp intake of breath, followed by a shuddery exhalation. The more skin he touched, the more flushed her body became, and the more thrilled excitement he felt. He was doing that to her; he was arousing her. He wanted to do so much more though. He wanted to replace his fingers with his lips and kiss every part of her until she was nothing but a quivering wreck!

Then, just as he reached new heights of arousal, she shouted something out and opened her eyes suddenly. He was forced to drop his hand. Damn! Well, he wasn't sorry for anything. He had been extremely restrained, all things considered.

"Am I awake?" she asked.

He chuckled. "I hope so Sal, because I think you were having a naughty dream and after all, it is morning, and I am a guy, and if you don’t stop rubbing yourself against me and moaning like that, I’m going to have to take drastic action!" he replied.

She put a hand over her mouth. "Oh God, what did I do?"

He grinned. "You were horny," he stated, not very helpfully.

Oh no! Her dream had been so erotic; heaven knows what she'd been doing in her sleep! She searched frantically for the sheet, spotting it at the bottom of the bed, grabbing it and holding it up against her.

"I didn't mean to," she said, guiltily, biting her lip. "I do get a bit..." she struggled to find the word "...raunchy in the morning sometimes."

His grin widened and then he laughed. "So this is a regular thing then. And I thought it was just guys who got 'raunchy' in the morning."

She tutted. "Well that just shows how much you know Nicholas. Why would it be just guys anyhow?"

He thought about it for a moment. "Actually, I dunno. Maybe it's just that you are the only woman to admit it," he chuckled.

“Well, I don’t see anything wrong with it,” she concluded. “That is of course, unless I was trying it on with you,” she chuckled.

He grinned at the thought of it, “Next time, I’ll let you know. I’ll wake you up and tell you to stop just when you've got me in your hand.”

"Nick!" she replied in shock.

"Sorry Sal," he repented, "but I get randy in the morning too. I guess I've just got sex on the brain."

She looked slightly panicked, as though she didn’t know what to do about it.

"Anyway," he said, trying to change the subject. Maybe he'd pushed his luck enough that morning. "It's a beautiful day Sal," he gestured to the window and the streams of sunlight flooding through. "I suggest we go get some food and then hit the beach; we can check out the caves then too."

Sal began to smile. She'd forgotten for a moment where they were. They had Matala to explore; how exciting.

"Sounds good to me," she said, jumping up, but pausing before she moved off the bed and clinging to the sheet. "Nick," she began.

"Yes."

"Will you look away so I can get to the bathroom?" she asked coyly.

Nick burst out laughing; he couldn’t help it. He'd had plenty of time to look at her in that nightie, in fact, he'd almost seen her out of it!

"Okay," he chuckled, putting his hands over his eyes.

Satisfied, she dropped the sheet and went to move off the bed.

Ah, then he remembered. "Sal," he began.

She stopped by the bathroom door and turned.

"Yes."

He spread his fingers to peep through them. She didn’t seem bothered, so he dropped his hands. "I've been thinking. You know you said last night about your 'most sexy nightie?"

"Yes," she replied, a little dubiously.

"Well, I was wondering, how sexy can a nightie really be?" he asked, with real interest.

She turned as if to move into the bathroom, but then stopped and glanced at him over her shoulder, clinging provocatively to the doorframe. "Nick, you couldn’t cope with even the description of it."

His eyes widened. "Really, try me," he challenged.

She grinned. "Well, to give you some clue, it’s called a peek a boo babydoll."

He stared at her for some moments while his mind raced with possibilities. "Peek a boo?" he questioned.

"Yes, you know, peek a boo," she repeated.

He had an idea but needed more details. "Not exactly Sal, you need to enlighten me...for future reference," he added, by way of an explanation.

His boyish fascination amused her. "Well, there are strategically placed gaps in it Nick, that show little bits," she grinned.

His eyes widened further. "Which bits?" he asked, despite himself.

"All the naughty bits," she giggled, darting behind the door and slamming it behind her.

Nick stared at the back of the door, his thoughts racing. "ALL the naughty bits," he said to himself incredulously.

Chapter 32

By the time Nick and Sal had showered, changed and spoken to the hotel owner about keeping the room on until later that afternoon, it was nearly twelve thirty. Well, they hadn't got to sleep until the early hours of the morning after all, but nevertheless, Nick was impatient not to waste any more precious time that they had together in Matala.

Sal had taken what seemed like an eternity, to an impatient Nick, before she came out of the bathroom. Mind you, when he saw her, he was stunned for a moment. She was wearing the brightest, peacock blue beach dress, in a material that clung so nicely to her curves and showed off her tan wonderfully, not to mention how it brought out the colour in her sparkling eyes. Little did he know that she had brought the dress, in case she had met her mind shattering man, to go over her most glamorous bikini: a tiny, strappy, silver number. Only a few glimpses of the bikini could be seen though, underneath her dress, and she had matched it with a pair of flat silver sandals.

As soon as they had pushed their way through the heavy glass doors of the hotel entrance, they were hit with the brilliance and heat of the afternoon sun. It seemed as though everyone had risen well before them and were mulling in and out of the small, gift shops, settling down for a spot of lunch, or strolling along the sea front. Obviously this place was a little more lively in the day than in the evenings, and, although the streets were by no means crowded with tourists, the increase in numbers of visitors in the day was clearly due to the popularity of the town as a family resort.

"So, let's go for some lunch, then hit the beach, eh Sal," Nick said, slinging an arm over her shoulder as they strolled down the coastal road.

He'd already said that. She turned to take a look at him. He certainly was full of energy in the morning. He had raced into the bathroom, sung 'Oh What a Beautiful morning' in the shower, and then literally dragged her out of the room. Now he was bounding next to her like an excitable puppy. She chuckled; he was quite cute actually.

"What you laughing at Sal?" Nick asked, peering down at her.

"Nothing," she giggled, "So, where are we going to eat then?"

"Anywhere is good for me," he replied before stopping and turning excitedly to her. "Oooh I know, how do you fancy going back to the restaurant we went to last night? They were quite friendly in there, and it did have great views."

She searched his face for just a moment. What was he so excited about?

"Anything for you Nick," she finally replied over her shoulder as she strolled on.

His eyes widened. "Anything?" he pondered, before catching up with her again, at which point he seemed to be bounding just that little bit more. Sal smiled to herself.

After climbing back up the steps and entering the restaurant, they were welcomed by the man with the bushy grey beard that had served them drinks the previous night. As they walked through the door, he was just coming out of the kitchen with a tray full of clean glasses. As soon as he saw them, his face broke out into a huge smile.

"Ahhh, Oi filoi mou!" he exclaimed, placing the tray on the bar and moving towards them with outstretched arms. He kissed them warmly on both cheeks, surprising them with his extravagant welcome.

"Hi," Sal chuckled, looking to Nick for confirmation on how to take this guy. Nick just smiled at her and didn’t seem to think anything was out of the ordinary.

"Ella, ella," the man said, gesturing them towards one of the blue and white chequered tables by the open window. "Best table, ne?" he smiled.

"Yes. Thanks," Nick replied, taking a seat opposite Sal.

The man plucked up a couple of menus from the middle of the table and offered them one each. Before he left them, he patted Nick on the back and gestured to Sal, saying,

"Ine orea. You lucky boy."

Nick looked across at Sal, who glanced downwards awkwardly, pretending to be engrossed in the menu.

He laughed. "Yes, she is orea," he replied, finding it easier to use the Greek word, rather than verbalise it in English.

After the man had left them, a smile grew on Nick's face, whilst his gaze flitted between Sal and his menu. Sal's eyes had wandered up and down the appetisers page of her menu for about the fourth time as she tried to think of all the different things that 'orea' could mean.

"So, what do you fancy for lunch then?" Nick asked.

"Oh, errm... a sandwich or something I guess," she replied, flicking through the menu for the right page.

"Just a sandwich? Got to make it more interesting than that Sal."

What was wrong with her? It wasn't like Sal to be so boring.

"Oh yeah, of course, it's just that, it's quite early for me to be eating; I'm not that hungry really," she admitted.

"Early? Sal it's lunchtime; we completely missed breakfast," he pointed out.

"True, but I don't usually eat till later; a sandwich will be fine for me," she insisted.

"Oh, sure," Nick shrugged, leaving Sal feeling like she'd somehow let him down.

"What are you going to have anyway?" she asked with more enthusiasm.

“We can just have sandwiches; that's fine," he said, closing the menu

Okay, Nick was acting oddly. He did that sometimes, and there was usually a reason why. The problem with Nick was, how to weedle the reason out of him.

"What's wrong with sandwiches; you like sandwiches," she said, pointing at him suddenly as she had a vision of him guarding the sandwiches she'd made, before she could take them away from him. "You ate all mine up yesterday," she reminded him.

He thought about if for just a moment. "Yeah, but you didn't make just sandwiches, did you? There were other goodies too."

Sal felt a little bemused. "So, it's not that you have anything against sandwiches exactly, just when they don't come with other things," she summed up.

Nick had never really thought that much about sandwiches before, but he had to admit, she had a point. "Well...yes."

She grinned; she had a solution. Glancing around the restaurant, she caught the attention of a waiter who approached their table.

"You want to order?" he said.

"Yes, but I was just wondering something. We would like sandwiches, but can we choose what we would like in them?" she asked.

"Yes, of course, if we have it, we will make the special sandwiches for you," he smiled.

"Great," she replied, looking across at Nick who was wondering what she was up to. "Okay, I'll go first," she said, turning her attention to the sandwich section of the menu for inspiration. "I'd like, erm...cheese, chicken and...oh, coleslaw, and also...bacon and…avocado," she finished, throwing Nick a challenging look.

“Avocado Sal? That’s the kind of thing rich people put in their sandwiches.”

Sal frowned slightly, before replying, “Well, avocados are cheap here, so everyone can enjoy them. Now, what are you having in your sandwich?” she said, glancing towards the waiter who had his pen poised for Nick’s order.

"Okay, I'll have...sausage..." She hadn't thought of that. "...and cheese, and...egg and tomato," he said, looking to Sal for a reaction.

“Nothing else?” she asked.

“Oh of course, I forgot…” he wracked his brains to think of another ingredient. “Lettuce.” He finally said.

Sal laughed. “Lettuce?” she said, incredulously. “I win,” she mouthed to him.

"Okay, you're not as boring as I'd originally thought," he admitted.

Boring indeed!

"Wait," she said, turning to the starters section of the menu again. "I haven't finished yet. We will also have...do you like mushrooms," she whispered to Nick.

He nodded.

"Can we have mushrooms a la crème, and...erm, saganaki, I love cheese," she whispered to him again. "and some chips...oh and have you got any crisps?" she asked.

"Crisps?" the waiter said, seeming not to know what they were.

"Yes, err, potato chips," she clarified.

He still looked none the wiser.

"Patatakia," Nick supplied.

"Ah, patatakia, yes," the man replied.

"Crisp sandwiches," she whispered to Nick.

Nick's face lit up. "You are devilish," he whispered back.

She giggled.

"We can order desert after, chocolate cake or something equally...develish'," she said, quoting his own words.

"And what would you like to drink?" the waiter asked them.

Sal flipped to the drinks section. "Coke?" she suggested, before spotting something much better. "Oh my God, I haven't had one of those for years!"

"What?" Nick asked, trying to look over her menu.

"You have to have one of these with me," she said to Nick. "We will have two ice cream sodas," she finished proudly, closing the menu.

"No problem," the waiter said, writing down the drinks order and walking away chuckling to himself.

"I thought you said you weren't hungry," Nick laughed.

"Well...I can be persuaded," she winked.

Hmm, he wondered what else she could be persuaded of.
"I'm glad," he smiled, "I was worried for a moment that you'd lost your touch."

"What touch?" she asked, bemused.

"You know, the 'Sal' thing," he replied.

"What are you talking about Nick?" she chuckled.

"You know, you know, the Sal crazy, inventive, exciting stuff 'touch."

She laughed out loud then.

"So you don't think I'm too crazy and inventive then?" she asked.

"Hmm..." he thought about it, "well, you're on the edge," he said, with an uncertain hand gesture, "but, I like living dangerously," he grinned.

She giggled. "I think you'll be okay with a few sandwiches and an ice cream soda Nick."

"Yeah, I think you're right," he smiled, searching her eyes for a few moments, while she wondered if he was going to say more, or if not, why he was looking at her like that for what seemed like a split second too long. Strangely, she suddenly felt the beginnings of nervousness threaten, until he moved his gaze at last to the view and broke eye contact with her.

"Hey look," he exclaimed, "there's Phil and Sandra," he said, waving to the couple who were strolling down the coastal path below them.

They didn't appear to have noticed Nick, so Sal joined in, waving and shouting out to them, until they finally looked up and spotted Nick and Sal.

"Where are you going?" Nick shouted.

"To the beach," Phil shouted back. He turned to say something quickly to Sandra however, before shouting up to them again. "We'll come up there for a quick drink with you though," he added, before they did an about turn, crossed the road and disappeared out of sight underneath them.

"I hope they don't think I was rude last night...you know all the laughing and that," Sal fretted.

"I told you, they aren't like that," Nick said dismissively. "Stop worrying."

"Okay, okay. Do you think you'll keep in touch with them now that you've met up with them again?" she asked.

"I don't see why not. I'll get their phone number. Maybe we could go to visit them in Rethymnon. Who knows, the quest might take us there."

"Or maybe we could just go visit them anyway," she grinned, giving Nick one of her looks as if to say she was thinking more than she was letting on.

"Well yeah, we could do that too."

Sal held back the laughter that she felt bubbling up inside her.

"Hi you two," came a voice from behind Sal.

They turned to greet Phil and Sandra.

“Hi,” Nick and Sal both said, jumping up out of their seats to find chairs for them and make space at their table.

The waiter noticed the commotion and approached to take another order.

“You’ll never guess what me and Nick are having to drink; takes me right back to when I was little,” Sal said

“Go on, what did you order?” Sandra smiled.

“Ice cream sodas,” Sal replied, excitedly.

“Oh yes, I know what you mean. They remind me of birthday parties. Right then,” Sandra said, turning to the waiter, “We will have two ice cream sodas too.”

Phil pulled a face. “Don’t I get a choice?”

“No,” Sandra replied. “You can be nostalgic with me.”

The waiter hovered, unsure if Phil wanted to change his order.

“No, that’s fine. We will have the two ice cream sodas,” Sandra insisted to the waiter. He wrote them down on his pad and walked away, seeming to find something funny again.

"I'm not six years old," Phil moaned at Sandra, "I was thinking of having a beer."

"You can stick to the ice cream soda and stop complaining," Sandra reprimanded him. "You had enough beer last night."

Phil huffed, and turned to Nick for support. Nick just shrugged, knowing better than to come between a guy and girl, especially when the girl wasn't happy about something.

It wasn't long before the waiter brought out Nick and Sal's drinks order, telling Phil and Sandra that he would be back shortly with theirs. Sal and Sandra peered with interest into the glasses with vanilla ice cream in the bottom, and wondered where the rest of the drink was...that is until the waiter placed a tiny jug next to each glass filled with sparkling lemonade.

"Cute," Sandra smiled.

Phil tutted.

Sal picked up her jug of lemonade and waited for Nick to do the same, holding it over her glass, ready to pour. She looked across at Nick.

"After three."

Nick couldn't help but chuckle.

"Go on then," he said.

"One, two, three," she said. They both poured in the lemonade and everyone watched the glasses fill with a creamy foam.

"Ooooh," Sal and Sandra said together, laughing.

"Can I have a beer now?" Phil asked.

Sandra glared at him.

"Guess not," Phil said to himself.

"So, did you two enjoy yourselves last night?" Sandra asked, making Nick start to choke on his ice cream soda.

"We went straight to sleep," he said guiltily, on instinct.

Sal's eyes widened and she spoke under her breath to Nick. "No, you idiot; she meant at the party."

"Ohhh," he said, with relief. "Yes, we had fun."

Sal felt slightly more mortified at Nick's slip up, and could have quite easily climbed into the foam of her ice cream soda.

"Oh, I forgot," Sandra said suddenly, "We were supposed to be meeting Mike at the beach. I had better send him a message to let him know where we are."

"That reminds me too," Nick said to Phil, just as the waiter placed the glass of ice cream and jug in front of him and Sandra. Phil frowned at his. "Can I take a contact number for you two?" Nick asked.

"Sure," Phil replied, giving Nick his number, which Nick saved in his phone, whilst Phil also watched dubiously as Sandra poured first hers, and then his, lemonade into the glasses.

"Ohhhh," both girls said again. And again, they fell about laughing.

Phil and Nick exchanged looks.

Presently, Sandra's mobile phone beeped, and she became busy, receiving and sending a couple of messages.

"So, when are you going back to Agios?" Phil asked, taking a dubious sip out of the ice cream soda through a straw. He grimaced, but it was more for show, as he continued sipping it regardless.

Nick sighed. "We will have to go back later today, as Sal will be working at the airport on Friday night."

...And Jen will be coming back at the weekend...The thought had hovered in his head like an annoying fly, refusing to leave.

"And what work are you doing this year?" Phil asked.

"Well, it looks like I've got a job working with Sal at the airport," Nick replied more cheerfully.

"Err," Sal coughed to get their attention. "Not 'with' me Nick, that implies you are my equal. I'll be his boss," she explained to Phil.

Phil found that hilarious. "Good luck with that then mate," he said to Nick.

At this point, Sandra appeared to have been listening to the conversation, and butted in, saying, "What's that supposed to mean? It's a good job Sal's the boss; we need more women to sort you men out."

Sal nodded in agreement and smiled smugly at Nick.

"Mike is coming here to meet us," Sandra informed them, popping her mobile phone back into her bag.

Phil and Nick turned to each other, apparently having the same thought when they both turned to the waiter and called him over again.

"Another ice cream soda," they said together.

"If I've got to drink it, Mike's got to suffer too," Phil smiled devilishly.

"Another?" the waiter said with surprise. "Now we must go buy more ice cream!"

Everyone laughed as he walked away, shaking his head.

"Hey guys," came a voice from out of nowhere.

For a split second, Sal thought it was Mike, but the voice wasn't as clear cut as Mike's, having a slight drawl to it. Then she turned and realised who it was. Bob, still carrying his ukulele, was standing over them with Karen by his side.

"Wassup?" Bob asked.

"How'd you find us?" Sandra questioned.

"We were on our way to the beach and noticed you sitting up here," Karen explained.

"Mind if we sit?" Bob said, drawing up some chairs before they could reply. "Wow, what you got there? Looks totally rock n roll," Bob said, hanging his ukulele on the back of his chair.

"Waiter," Phil called out again.

The waiter turned and approached wearily. "More ice cream sodas?" he asked.

"Yep," Phil grinned, "Two more please."

The waiter sighed. "Two more," he nodded, strolling back towards the kitchen again.

"Hey," Bob turned his attention to Sal and Nick, "you two get it on last night?"

Oh my God, did he actually just ask that?

"No!" Sal exclaimed.

"No?" Bob asked, surprised.

Oh, Sal just remembered that Bob thought Nick and Sal were engaged. Still, what a question to ask!

"Err, well, I was tired," Sal explained.

"Tired?" Bob slapped Nick on the back, "Sorry mate."

Sal looked at the foam in the four ice cream sodas on the table and imagined disappearing into any one of them. Then three more ice cream sodas appeared, and she wondered where on earth they were going to put the food!

"Don't look now," Karen said suddenly, rescuing Sal from total embarrassment. "Duck!" she urged, grabbing Bob and Sandra's hands.

The others watched, bewildered.

"Kate," Karen warned, pointing desperately over the railing, whilst trying to slide down as much as she could in her chair.

Oh hell!

The other's followed her lead, hiding behind the menus.

"I guess we are a bit mean," Sal whispered.

"Do you want her to come up here? Because she never finished telling us last night about the day her parents moved to Kent," Karen said.

"On second thoughts," Sal reconsidered, "there's no room on the table anyway. Or there won't be when Mike arrives, that's for sure." She risked a peek over the railing to see Kate disappear down the path. "Phew!"

"Here comes Mike now," Sandra observed.

This sure was a small town; everyone was out today.

Dressed again in smart trousers and a striped shirt, with a camera slung on one shoulder, looking like a typical tourist, Mike strolled over to their crowded table.

"Any room for me?" he asked.

"We can squeeze you in," Sandra said, pulling up another chair, whilst everyone shuffled theirs around to make space.

"How is everyone today?" Mike asked, taking a seat. "I don't know about you, but I didn't sleep a wink last night," he said, stifling a yawn.

On seeing Mike yawn, Nick suddenly felt tired also, and yawned instinctively himself. "I know what you mean," Nick replied. "We never got to sleep till past 4.00 am."

Oh great! Sal kicked Nick under the table. He frowned at her.

"I thought you were too tired," Bob piped up with.

Sal blushed bright red. "Err, err, I was...i just..."

"It was just very hot last night," Nick interrupted, helping her out.

Oh Lord, Sal peered into her glass at the lack of foam. She needed more ice cream soda!

"Here, this is for you," Sandra said, handing Mike the ice cream soda they had ordered for him.

"What do we have here?" Mike said, holding up the glass to take a look at its contents.

"Ice cream soda," Sandra replied.

"Oh, that's a new one on me," Mike said, taking a sip. "Not bad though."

"Yeah, it's kind of out there," Bob added.

"I think the waiter is a little tired of us ordering them now though," Sandra chuckled.

"I see what you mean; we seem to have enough to open a parlour," Mike commented. "And what else do we have here?" he asked, watching the waiter approaching them with a huge tray full of food.

"Oh, I almost forgot about the food. We have inventive sandwiches and some snacks," Sal replied.

"Ah okay, we should go now," Sandra said suddenly, moving some of the ice cream sodas to make room on the table for the food, "and let you two enjoy your lunch."

"No, don't worry. There's so much here: stay and share some with us," Nick offered.

"Goodness, we don't want to take your food off you," Sandra said.

"Really," Nick insisted, "we would like you to stay, and then we can go to the beach together."

Sandra watched as Bob helped himself to some of the crisps in a bowl and doubted that she could make the others go now anyway; Bob tended to be a bit of a freeloader. Phil and her would stay to make sure Bob didn't take too much advantage.

The whole table marvelled at the unusual sandwiches, and Sal and Nick offered people a quarter here and there a tasters. As it happened, it was lucky that they had ordered the extra food.

"I love lunchtime, don't you?" Nick commented, savouring a bite of his sandwich, which he had just filled with crisps too. "I used to play outside a lot when I was a kid," he said wistfully, recalling those days, "sometimes in the summer with my cousins, when they came to my town for the day. We'd play out all day long, with my uncle too, and my aunt would go shopping or visiting friends. But she would always come back at lunchtime with a whole bag full of goodies. We would sit in the grass and eat the whole bloody lot!"

"Where did you play out?" Sandra asked.

"There were big fields just at the back of my house. We played there," he replied.

Sal was surprised that Sandra didn't seem to know much about Nick's childhood, considering that they had been friends for years. She wondered what the aunt and uncle had to say about Nick's father, and why Nick hadn't mentioned them visiting his home. Then a disturbing thought hit her: why had he been so hungry at lunchtime? Did he used to get fed at home?

"Where do you two live here?" Mike asked, pulling Sal from her thoughts.

"In Agios Nikolaos," Nick replied. "Have you been there?"

"No, but I've heard of it. It's in the east isn't it?"

"Yes. It's a small town, centred around a lake. It's the capital of the east of the island," Nick explained. "Are you on holiday?" he inquired.

"An extended holiday," Mike said. "I've been travelling around most of the West but haven't seen a lot of the east. This quest of yours appeals to me though. It's nice to travel," Mike explained, "but it does get a bit boring at times. If you need any help, I'd be glad to lend a hand."

"Well, if you are interested in visiting Agios Nikolaos then I'm certain we could find you accommodation," Sal said. "Our boss owns a tour company, so I'm sure we could get you some kind of discount."

Mike's face lit up. "That would be great. Let me take your number."

Nick wasn't sure last night about Mike, but Phil and Sandra seemed to have befriended him, and it appeared as though he was just looking for company, so Nick accepted that maybe he could be of help in the quest. After all, three heads were better than two!

When they had all finally finished the lunchtime feast, Nick was even more concerned about the time passing, so he ordered the bill and split it with Sandra, Phil and Mike...and also Bob and Karen contributed when Sandra insisted on it.

"We had better go," Nick said to everyone. "I'd really like to pop into an internet cafe to do a bit more research before we visit the caves, and it would be nice to have a swim too," he said to Sal.

"Yes, I can't wait to hit the beach," she replied.

"Mind if I come with you to the internet cafe?" Mike asked. "I'd be interested in seeing what you find out about this 'quest'."

"Sure," Nick replied.

"Hey, why don't you come with us to the beach?" Sandra said to Sal, linking arms with her, "and leave the men to do the research. Us girls need time to top up our tans. You can meet us there," she said to Nick.

"You want to go?" Nick asked Sal.

"Okay. I'll meet you there," she said.

"No problem. There's a little wooded area just by the caves. Let's meet there in say...an hour," Nick suggested.

Sal's face went white.

"Are you okay?" Nick asked.

"No, we can't meet there," she said in panic. Oh Lord, her dream was coming true!

"Why not?" Nick asked in confusion.

"Err, because..because I'm afraid...of...of...trees," she said finally, after all other excuses escaped her..

Nick looked at her as if she'd finally lost her mind. "Well okay, meet by the kiosk then."

"Kiosk, yes," she said, breathing a sigh of relief. "I love kiosks."

Chapter 33

Sal was in seventh heaven. Sandra and Phil had gone for a swim, Karen and crazy hippie Bob had gone for a wander to 'bond with the place', whatever that meant, and so she had time to herself. She was lying on her stomach with the sun's rays warming her back, melting away every last residue of tension in her body and lulling her into a dreamlike state. She was drifting away in the calming to and fro of the soft waves that were lapping the shore. Bliss.

"Sal?"

She was barely aware of the sound.

"Sal?"

There it was again though, dragging her out of her semi consciousness.

"Sal, are you awake?"

Okay, she could no longer ignore that. Groaning with protest, she opened her drowsy eyes to see Nick towering above her. Then she was suddenly, and quite abruptly, awake.

Oh my God, she'd forgotten to meet him... yet again!

Jumping up in a panic, she momentarily forgot that she had untied the string on the back of her bikini to prevent tan lines, and she spent the next few seconds floundering about on the sand, trying desperately to catch the ties of her bikini before the whole top of it revealed too much! She wasn't so worried about the other people on the beach; she often sunbathed topless, however, the thought of bearing all in front of Nick was beyond embarrassing for her. Finally, she contented herself with simply holding the two triangles of material over herself, having failed miserably at finding, and tying, the string ends together at her back.

Nick watched her with affectionate amusement. Poor Sal; she always got herself into such a pickle.

"What's the panic Sal?" he laughed.

"What time is it? I fell asleep. So sorry Nick," she grimaced.

"Calm down; we were quicker than I'd thought, so I found you here," he explained, leaning across her, opening her beach bag and fumbling in it. She watched with bewilderment, kneeling on the sand, still holding her bikini top over her modesty. Finally, he found what he'd been searching for and pulled out a bottle of sun tan lotion. "Here, lie back down, and I'll put some lotion on you; you're burning," he said.

She hesitated, eyeing the bottle of lotion suspiciously.

"Come on Sal," Nick said incredulously, "I put lotion on you the very first day we met; you weren't shy then," he teased, kneeling down next to her. She tutted and lay back down on her towel, on her stomach, carefully slipping her hands away so that the bikini top remained in the correct place underneath her. "Oh, but I forgot; you don't remember that, do you?" he whispered into her ear.

She turned her head to look up at him. "Of course I do silly. It's just that...well, I forgot momentarily."

"Hmm." He didn't sound convinced.

Unscrewing the top off the lotion, he poured some of it onto Sal's back and began to smooth it over her skin. He was immediately transferred back to a year ago, as though he had wanted to rub lotion on her just to experience it again, and remember how it had been that first time when he had met her. This time however, he had access to more skin, and the boldness which familiarity with her allowed him.

She had winced slightly when the lotion had hit her; it must have been cold. And then his hands had begun to spread the moisture out, over a small area at first, but then gradually over the whole of her back. As soon as he had started to work the lotion in, he noticed how tense she was, her muscles resisting his movements. Wanting to make her relax, he teased out the tension with the expertise of a proper masseur. He had never taken instruction on it before, but, with the help of his female cousins, who he had always turned to for advice on how to impress the ladies, he had become quite skilled at massage.

Soon she began to relax; he could tell from the feel of her muscles and the way her breathing had slowed and become more regular. It was then that he began to cover a wider area of her body. Kneeling in front of her head, he pushed his hands down the entire length of her back, letting his thumbs catch and tease the remaining tension at the base, as they massaged in small circles, before he returned his hands to her shoulders and repeated the process.

"Oh God," came a muffled expletive from Sal's downturned head. "You're good at that," she said, unable to stop herself. "How did you learn how to do that?" she asked.

He buzzed with excitement at the sound of her obvious pleasure, as though he knew he was about to win top prize for something and was just waiting for the confirmation. He was good, and he knew it... and now she knew it too.

"You just seemed all tensed up, so I thought I'd help you out," he replied modestly, going in for the kill with tiny feathery thumb movements all the way down both of her sides. He knew exactly what he was doing.

She moaned and buried her head in her towel. "Nick," Came an even more muffled voice, which was fortunate or it would have sounded something more like a screech. "You're very good at this," she repeated, almost in a panic, taking hold of the corner of her towel and hanging onto it for dear life. "Or is it just me? Is it supposed to feel..." she moaned again as he ran his hands back up her back, "...like this?"

Oh Lord, Nick was a dark horse. He clearly had hidden talents...goodness knows what else he could do with those hands of his!

Damn he was good. He really had got her going, and it was the best aphrodisiac he'd ever experienced. It was only a pity they were in public or he could really go to town, but he was vaguely aware that some people nearby had already heard Sal's moans and were watching them dubiously.

"Of course it is," he whispered close to her ear, as matter of factly as he could manage, considering the circumstances. "You just have such very sensitive skin Sal," he said, in an even softer voice, the s's seducing her ears.

His eyes, which were focused on Sal's ear, flicked upwards then and caught sight of the view down her back, his hands on her... on Sal... all over her back... sliding over her smooth tanned skin, glistening with oil. Damn it, he could so easily kiss her there right at that moment. He could almost see himself running a row of tiny kisses down her back where his hands had been. Imagine what a reaction that would evoke from her!

Ah hell, it was too much for Nick, and now he was in trouble again, as he so often was with Sal around. Only being in that kind of trouble on the beach, when he wasn't wearing very much, could prove to be embarrassing. There was only one thing for it: the next best thing to a cold shower.

Sal was close to bursting. She prayed that he'd stop soon for fear that she'd jump on him right there and then and rip all his clothes off.

"You want to go for a swim?" he asked.

She exhaled suddenly. "Yes," she said, jumping up with decidedly jelly-like legs and fastening her bikini with shaking hands as she sprinted to the relative safety of the sea.

Chapter 34

Sal had been desperate to get into the sea, that was until she had sprinted into the first few waves and felt the icy shock of cold water over the sun blushed skin of her calves.

"Oooooh!" she shuddered, changing her mind and doing an about turn to head for the water’s edge.

She turned around again, just in time to see Nick dive head first into the surf and come up again a few yards further out.

"What you doing out there Sal?" he shouted to her, having expected to see her in the water somewhere with him.

"It's a bit chilly," she said, shivering and wrapping her arms around herself to show him what she meant.

"Don't be silly; it's not cold. Come on!" he said, gesturing her to join him. "It's great in here."

She tiptoed out into the breakwater hesitantly but ran back quickly when a huge wave broke in front of her and covered her legs with freezing cold water…well it seemed freezing cold to a sunburnt Sal.

"Come on!" Nick repeated impatiently. "Don't be a wuss! "

She was being a bit of a namby pamby. Okay, it wasn't that cold.

She ran back into the water with great determination.

"Oh yes it was! Oh yes it was! Oh yes it was...brrrrrr!!!!" she thought to herself as she failed for a third time to brave the surf, scarpering back onto the shore.

Nick watched Sal standing just at the water's edge in her tiny silver bikini, with an awful lot of her bronzed skin on show, and he was glad that he had got into the water first. The thing about Sal that was so tempting, was that she had amazing curves without being overweight, and she always seemed to bounce a lot... in a very 'eye catching' way... especially like then, when she was jumping in and out of the water, trying her hardest to accustom herself to the temperature of the sea. Nick could never imagine Sal being overweight mind you, she was far too energetic for that, but if she ever tried to seriously lose weight and lost all those sexy curves, he'd be gutted. However, as much as he loved watching her 'jiggling' around on the shore, Nick also wasn’t the most patient person in the world and finally, that took over.

"Right, that's it; I'm coming for you," he warned her, wading forwards at a disconcerting speed.

Now Sal realized that she was going to be in trouble if she didn’t take fate into her own hands pretty damn quick and get under that water. She pushed herself through the waves a few metres further out, shouting to him,

"I'm getting in, look. Ooh, brrrr... You can stay there; I'm almost in! Oooh, it's cold; it's cold...stay back!"

Nick took no notice though; she still hadn't got properly in.

The waves were now reaching Sal's thighs, threatening the sensitive bikini area. Nick was still advancing however. Tensing her whole body up in preparation, she bent with the intention of ducking under the water, but only got as far as the top of her bikini bottoms and squealed with the cold, standing up again. Damn, she just couldn't do it!

Nick began imitating the sound effects of an advancing shark, "Du du... du du...du du...dudu...dudu...dddduuuu!!!!"

"Stay back! Stay back!!" she shouted out in panic, holding up a defensive hand, which of course would do nothing to stop him once he reached her. She tried her hardest not to laugh; that would just encourage him more. She needed a plan of action. What was she going to do? Okay, she just needed a quick adjustment to the temperature. Scooping up handfuls of water, she started to splash her arms, shoulders and stomach to try and get her body used to the cold. She grimaced, and cried out with each splash.

"Get in there you daft woman!" Nick shouted, "it's worse that way!"

She continued splashing and cringing, but getting no closer to submerging herself.

Nick tutted, and advanced with real determination then, at which point Sal freaked and moved out further again, stumbling on a few stones under the water and causing a great commotion.
Finally, she felt his hand grab hold of her wrist and he pulled her to him.

"No, no, no! No Nick; it's too cold!" she panicked, as he got her close enough to her to grab her by both of her arms.

"Come on Sal." He spoke to her as if he was talking to a small child. "In we go,"...he said, moving slowly backwards but refusing to release her arms, and thereby forcing her into ever deeper water.

"Let go Nick; I'll get under in a bit, honestly," she pleaded.

"No Sal; we'll be here till next week. It's only a bit of cool water," he replied.

"No, it's freezing," she said, her teeth chattering.

He ignored her and continued moving backwards, quickening his pace. She continued pleading with him, especially when he began making her move quicker than she was able to go over the slippery stones under their feet. He knew that she'd have to give up walking on the bottom soon and simply swim.

"No, no, no...slow down," she laughed.

"Come on Sal."

"Arrgghhh!" she cried out, finally cutting through the water with a great splash.

"I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. It's so cold. It's so cold. It's so cold. Brrrrrrr," she said, swimming round in wild circles and working herself up into a frenzy.

"Come here silly," he said, grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her to him.

"Brrrrrrr." She slipped her arms around his neck and held onto him, whist shivering with cold. He wound his arms tightly around her middle and held her against him for a few minutes so that she could share his body heat. She felt so small against him and her stomach, legs and arms actually did feel cold to the touch, despite the fact that she had caught the sun.

"How can you be so cold? We're in Greece," he reminded her.

She pulled back from him slightly then to look at him. "I'm freezing," she said simply, her teeth chattering as she buried her head against him again.

"You'll warm up in a minute," he said softly to her. "It was probably just a bit of a shock after lying in the sun for so long."

She nodded. Nick stroked her back and arms, soothing her chills, and after a while, her breathing began to slow to a more reasonable pace, her body relaxing more as the shivers subsided.

"See," he whispered into her hair, "it feels warmer now, doesn't it?"

She nodded again, and turned her head to rest her cheek against him. He felt warm and solid, supporting her in the water so that she could relax and didn't have to worry about keeping afloat. She could hear the sound of the sea lapping between their chests. The sound was somehow amplified as her ear picked up the echoes of the water in the enclosed space. It emphasised their closeness. She felt cocooned there with him, comfortable and relaxed.

All was quiet and peaceful. Sal was gazing at the scene over Nick's shoulder: sparkling, topaz sea, mountains in the distance covered with olive groves, and in the foreground, on a ledge cut into one of the cliffs, a large whitewashed villa, complete with infinity pool.

As if reading her mind, Nick then cut into her thoughts by saying dreamily,

"I like it here Sal; wouldn't mind staying. Shall we just not go back?"

She knew what he meant in a way; they had had a wonderful time in Matala so it was kind of sad to think of leaving, however, Agios was their home, and she for one was happy there. Why wouldn’t she be? More to the point, why wouldn’t he be? He'd only just arrived back. Oh, God, she was so stupid, of course, he might have to go back to the UK again soon if his father's condition worsened. It probably wasn't Agios he wanted to avoid, just facing reality. It had been nice to escape, even for her, but they could do it again.

In reality, Sal had failed to take into account another factor which was making Nick hesitant about returning to Agios: Jen's return.

She pulled her head back to talk to him but hesitated, trying to think of the right words to reassure him, and caught unawares by his expression. His gaze clung to her intensely, his eyes tinged with a little sadness, before he broke eye contact with her to study the small details of her face, neck, her arms around his neck and her hair that clung damply to the side of her face. He was trying to take everything in; memorising it all. Instinctively, he moved one of his hands from around her, and lifted it to gently brush the tendrils from her cheek with the back of his fingers.

Something caught in her throat. She didn’t know where that emotion had come from, but she felt odd; maybe it was the tenderness in his action, or the pain she'd seen in his eyes. It made her yearn to do something, but strangely, she had no idea what exactly.

"We have had a wonderful time here, haven't we?" she said, her aching throat changing the sound of her voice slightly. "We certainly won't forget it in a hurry," she laughed, trying to lighten the mood. "Actually," she went on, tilting her head, "I feel like I know you a lot more now. Now we really are best friends, right?"

Before, he often felt irritated by the fact that she constantly referred to them as 'friends', but at that moment, the thought of her being his very best friend was a comforting one.

"We sure are," he smiled. Then he glanced downwards before speaking again, as if he found it hard to look at her and say the words. "Listen Sal, sometimes people get me wrong. I mean, it's my fault; I don't always do or say the right things. I don't know why. I don't mean to. I'll probably do the same to you sometimes. Nothing really bad," he stressed, glancing briefly up at her again. "But you might need to understand that I'm not like you; I make mistakes and then have no idea how to put things right again. Like..." he paused, unsure about verbalising what he was about to say next, as he knew it was a sensitive subject. "...like not contacting you in the winter. It wasn't 'cause I didn't want to. I even saved your Greek number on my UK sim card and came so close to dialling it a few times, it's just..." Now he'd talked himself into that sticky subject of explaining why he never did it. "...I don't know. It might sound daft, but it was easier to contact Adam and even Ruth, but...well...I was worried what you'd think," he admitted, "Stupid, I know."

She had watched Nick closely the whole time he'd been speaking, trying to understand him more.

"Nick, you don't ever have to be worried about what I think. I've told you before; I don't judge people. I just want to be your friend. Let's make a pact now," she said, with renewed energy, sliding out of his grasp and holding her hand out to him. "Let's agree that no matter where we are, no matter what has happened, we will always be there for each other...if you want to that is," she added shyly, realising that maybe she'd sounded a bit stupid.

His face broke out into a big smile and he laughed. "Of course I want to; how could I refuse an offer like that? Now, what do we do to seal the pact?" he asked. "Should I cut my hand or spit in my palm or something?"

"Ewww, no. Let's just shake on it," she replied.

He chuckled as they shook hands, and then, without thinking, he leant forward and kissed her on the cheek. She giggled.

"Well, now that's sorted, we should go exploring those caves," Nick said, raising his eyes to the cliff side, "and then think about heading back before it gets too late."

"Ooh yes," she replied, turning to follow his gaze. "I wonder what we will find in them."

"Well, we can't stay too long, so I'm going to take some photos of the markings in the caves to study back in Agios," he said, taking hold of her hand and wading back to the beach.

Once back on the shore, they spent a short time lying in the sun to dry off again before packing up the beachbag and heading for the far end of the beach, and the infamous caves of Matala.

The caves themselves were square shaped holes in the cliff face, some above the sea, and some more accessible by being only a short climb up from the beach onto ledges. Sal followed Nick's lead, scrambling over the rocky surfaces until they reached the first opening in the cliff. At the entrance, Nick turned to offer Sal a hand up the last stretch. He pulled her towards him and they stood, side by side, peering into the dark hole.

"Come on," Nick said, ducking to enter. Sal moved with him.

Inside it was like a small 'room' made entirely of rock. Cut into the four walls were cubby holes with what looked like stones beds carved into them.

"Here is where the bodies were laid," Nick said, gesturing to the features cut into the walls.

"Bodies?"

"Yes, this was a Roman cemetery, remember," Nick replied.

"Oh yes," Sal said, glancing around for evidence of wall markings. There were none that she could see.

"We need to get higher up," Nick said suddenly, ducking out of the hole and glancing upwards to find a route to the more inaccessible caves. "Come on Sal."

Climbing up to the next level was quite a lot more difficult, not to mention more precarious. Sal was only wearing a flimsy pair of silver sandals, which were not the best footwear for climbing in. She should have thought and worn trainers. Damn, her foot slipped again and she was forced to move forward practically on her hands and feet to ensure that she didn't fall. Nick kept turning to check on her, but as they attempted to reach the third level, which ran around the cliff face and loomed over the sea, he realised that it would be dangerous to make her go any further. It was, however, the highest caves that apparently had the markings on the walls, and Nick really didn't want to leave Matala without at least some photographs.

"Here, hand me the camera Sal," Nick said, turning to her. "I'm going to climb up to the top caves but I think you should wait for me here. I'll not be long. Take a seat here in the shade," he suggested, gesturing to a ledge which was shadowed by an overhang. "You've got a great view of the sea here too," he pointed out.

"Well, okay," she replied, handing him the camera and pulling out her beach towel, which she spread out on the rock before taking a seat.

"I'll not be long," he repeated, resuming his climb.

At the top level, Nick was in his element, ducking into one cave after another to find all kinds of hieroglyphic looking markings and writings on the walls. He was so distracted however, that he lost track of time and climbed out of the cave he'd been inspecting to glance down the cliffside, wondering if he could see Sal from there.

That point was to mark the beginning of a series of terrifying hours for Nick, probably the worst of his life so far. Unlike the ordeal he'd experienced the year before, when the homicidal rebels had chased him through Elounda into the wilderness, this time he really was petrified, because this time it wasn't just himself he had to worry about, this time it was someone he cared about more than he'd ever cared about anybody.

Chapter 35

Nick's heart flipped over in his chest at the sound of a sudden scream that filled the air. His anxiety was intensified because, first of all, he could hear such fear in the noise, and secondly, he instinctively knew that it had to have come from Sal. He froze, dreading what was to come next and momentarily immobilised. Then he heard the great boom of something hitting the surface of water and whooshing sound that followed. She'd fallen in. For a second, he felt relieved; at least she hadn't fallen onto the rocks. His relief was short lived however, when he sprang back into the sunshine to peer over the edge of the cliff.

Sal was screaming and thrashing about in the water, which was buffeting her back towards the cliff.

"Swim away from the rocks!" Nick shouted out to her. "It's too dangerous there; swim back to the beach!"

When Sal's head disappeared under the water for the third time, Nick began to question her ability to swim properly. But he'd seen her swim before, hadn't he? Not in deep water though. Damn, he had to do something; she wasn't coping on her own. Just as he began to prepare himself for diving into the water after her, he spotted a small motorized boat heading in Sal's direction. Thank God!

"Sal, get on the boat!" he yelled, pointing to the approaching vessel which was carrying a small group of presumably, fishermen.

Nick watched with relief as Sal was dragged onto the boat by one of the men, and it was then, to his surprise, that he was sure he spotted Bob standing on the deck, amongst the other men. He strained to see if he'd imagined it, but no, it really was Bob. What the hell was he doing on there?

Then the engine started up again.

"I'll swim out to you if you get out back there!" he yelled out to Sal, who was now standing on the deck, staring out towards him. He pointed furiously back towards the beach. He would be so glad when he could see for himself that she was okay. "I'll see you back there!"

That wasn't to be the case however and, as Nick began to make his way back down the cliff side, he stopped in confusion when he saw the boat head in the opposite direction. The last thing he saw of Sal was a haunting picture of her rushing forward to the edge of the boat and leaning out, as if trying to escape back to him. Then the boat disappeared around the headland and Sal was gone.

What the hell?

Nick felt a cold chill wash over him and scrambled frantically over the rocks back down to the beach. He ran to the water's edge and scanned the sea for evidence of the boat, but all he saw were a few swimmers that had ventured into deeper water, and the rocky headland. He ran a frustrated hand through his hair and paced to and fro for a minute, before stopping again to scan the sea: still nothing.

Okay, maybe they couldn't let her out on the beach and they had taken her somewhere else to let her out, but where? The only harbour was in the opposite direction; there was nothing but rugged coastline beyond that headland.

Damn, damn, damn, what was going on? Nick resumed his pacing. And why was Bob on the boat? Damn, Sal was on a boat full of men and they'd taken her God knows where! Who the hell was Bob anyway? He had to find Sandra; maybe she would know why Bob was on that damn boat.

With at least a vague plan of what to do next, Nick sprang into action and sprinted back to the section of beach where Sal had been sunbathing. He hadn't seen Sandra there when he'd arrived, but he was sure that her belongings had been spread out on the sand next to Sal's. He stopped midway down the beach, searching the stretch of sand for evidence of Sandra's belongings and the spot where Sal had been sunbathing. Damn, he didn't have time for this! Damn, damn, where the hell was she? He stood, a mass of tension, feeling anger and frustration threaten to overwhelm him. But no, he couldn't let himself fall to pieces now; Sal needed him.

He continued to move along the beach, more slowly this time, fighting down the panic, and surveying each section of beach he came to. When he was certain that he had strayed beyond the point where Sal had been lying, he moved back again, determined that he would find Sandra eventually. It hadn't been that long ago; she would still be somewhere on the beach. She had to be.

Then something caught his eye. He'd been so stupid. He'd been so determined to find her belongings on the beach that he'd failed to scan the sea, and there they were, Sandra and Phil, waving to him.

With relief causing through his veins, he bolted towards them, running straight into the sea without slowing down. Misunderstanding the situation, Sandra and Phil laughed as they watched him, but when he reached them and grabbed Sandra by the arms to get her full attention, they knew that something was wrong.

"Where's Bob?" he asked.

Sandra simply looked bewildered and failed to answer him immediately.

The grip on her arms tightened.

"Where is he?" Nick demanded to know.

"Err, I..."

"Wait a minute," Phil interrupted, "take it easy," he said, forcing Nick's hands away from Sandra. Nick reluctantly let go as realisation hit him that he might have been acting out of place. "What's wrong Nick?" Phil asked.

"Do you know where Bob is?" he asked, with forced patience.

"He and Karen left us after lunch. He was going for a wander and she was going to look in the shops," Sandra supplied.

"Did he say anything more about exactly where he was going?"

Sandra glanced nervously at Phil. "No," she replied.

"Look, what's all this about?" Phil jumped in.

Nick put his hands to his temples as renewed fear began to surface.

"Did he say anything about a boat?" Nick asked, doubting that he had, or Sandra would have mentioned it.

"No," she replied, confirming his fears.

Nick inhaled a shaky breath. "Sal fell off the cliff into the water and a boat picked her up, but now it's taken her somewhere and I don't like it. Bob was on the boat," he finally explained.

"He never said anything about a boat," Sandra assured him.

"Listen Sandra, I'm not trying to be funny or anything, but how well do you know this 'Bob' character?" Nick asked.

"We've known him for at least a year," she replied, "We met him and Karen in a pub in Rethymnon."

"Is there anything I should know about him? Since he seems to have absconded with Sal," Nick asked, his impatience growing.

"He smokes weed and plays a ukulele. Okay, he's a bit of an odd character, but he's harmless as far as I know," Sandra said.

"As far as you know?" That wasn't good enough for Nick. "Did you know that he propositioned Sal last night?" Nick asked.

Phil replied. "He was drunk Nick. I've seen him do that before with other girls, but he's never pushed anything. I don't know why he was on the boat, but I'm pretty certain he won't harm Sal."

"Hmm." Nick still wasn't sure, but he did feel slightly better for having heard Phil's take on Bob.
Nick sighed. "Well okay, what do I do now then?"

"Come on," Phil said, turning Nick around with a reassuring hand on his shoulder and heading for the shore, "If they have dropped her off somewhere, she'll come back here, won't she? I'm sure she won't be long, but if she doesn't turn up in the next half an hour, I'll get Sandra to wait here while we go search for her."

Nick hastened onto the shore, turning to Phil once he had joined him. "I say we go search for her now. Why wait?" he asked.

"Well...because we don't know where she is, so the only thing we can do is go to the police or coastguard..."

Nick's face lost all its colour.

"...but, we won't need to do that. Which is why we should wait a bit. Give her time to get back here Nick," Phil urged.

Nick sank helplessly onto the sand and sat tensely, staring out to sea. Sandra sat next to him and put a comforting arm around his shoulder.

"It will be okay Nick," she reassured him.

It didn't feel okay. It all felt wrong. His instincts told him so, and that was the most unnerving thing. Nick just knew that something wasn't right.

He sat, staring, and trying with everything he had to be patient. He'd wait half an hour; he wouldn't freak out. He needed to stay calm so that he could think of what to do for the best.
As the minutes passed however, Nick thoughts began to skitter around his head, unhelpful, emotional and fearful thoughts. Nick had left her alone on the cliff side; it was his fault that she'd fallen. It was his fault that she was there in the first place. What were they doing to her? They had better just be dropping her off! Bob had wanted Sal; he had tried to kiss her. Now he had taken what he wanted.

Nick growled and jumped up off the sand.

"I'll kill him! I'll tear his throat out and kill the bastard if he's touched her!" he shouted out in fury.

Phil and Sandra jumped up with concern.

"Hey, it's okay Nick, calm down," Phil said.

"I can't sit here anymore doing nothing," Nick implored.

"Okay, okay, you wait here in case she comes back," Phil said to Sandra, now concerned a little himself for Sal's safety, and not wanting Nick to go running off on his own in the state he was in, "and we will go speak to the coastguard."

"I saw an office by the harbour over here," Phil informed Nick, as they rushed away from the beach and down the coastal pathway. "The coastguard should know what boats are registered to use these waters," he assured Nick.

They entered the small harbour area and headed around it, making for a row of buildings at the opposite end.

"Here," Phil gestured to one of the official looking buildings with a large blue and white sign above the door reading 'Port Authority'.

Nick rushed through the open glass doors and glanced around the small office, consisting of a couple of soft cushioned blue chairs, some shelving units, posters on the wall and a reception desk, which Nick noted with frustration, had nobody standing behind it!

Great! They're obviously not expecting any emergencies today then!

Nick was in no mood for formalities, and he opened the hatch in the desk to let himself through to the other side where there was a door. Without hesitation, he swung open the door to find four startled looking officials sitting on sofas, drinking coffee.

"Ti thelis?" one of the men asked.

"My girlfriend fell from the cliff into the sea and was picked up by a boat. I need to know where it has taken her," he said, getting straight to the point.

The four officials exchanged glances but not one of them moved out of their seats.

"We have not information here. You must go police station," the man informed him.

"But, but... don't you know what boats are allowed to be out today?" Nick asked, remembering Phil's words.

The official ignored his question, repeating, "You must go to Police station.

"But..."

"Police station," the man repeated for the third time.

"Okay, okay, so where is the police station then?" he asked through gritted teeth, just barely holding on to his temper.

The man gave a vague hand gesture towards the door. "Apo do. Past car park. There are signs."

"Fine," he said, doing an about turn and mumbling to himself as he re-entered the reception room, "And don't let me interrupt your coffee break, will you!"

He strode back out into the sunshine, closely followed by a puzzled looking Phil.

"What happened?" Phil asked, noting the look of fury that had come across Nick's face.

"The bloody idiots know nothing! What a waste of space they are!" he shouted out, hoping that maybe the officials could hear him. "Come on, we have been ordered to go to the police station over there somewhere. Aparently it's sign posted. Let's just hope it's not coffee time in there too!" he said, storming towards the car park.

Luckily the police station was indeed sign posted, and easy to find beyond the car park. This time however, the station reception was bustling with people, and Nick had to push his way through a crowd just to get to the front counter if he were to be heard at all.

"Excuse me?" he said to an officer who was watching a heated conversation between another officer and a man in the crowd. The first officer, and all the other three that were behind the counter, ignored Nick. Nick coughed loudly and repeated, "Excuse me." One of the officers briefly glanced at Nick, but soon returned his attention to the altercation. "Excuse me," Nick shouted out, "but this is an emergency!"

Suddenly all was quiet, and he finally had the attention of everyone in the room.

"Thank you," he said, in a much calmer voice. "Now," he addressed the officer who had been arguing, as he seemed to be in charge. "My girlfriend has been taken away in a boat just off Matala beach about forty five minutes ago, and I'd really like to know where she is. The port Authority told me to come here, and that you would know," he stressed, telling a small white lie. They had better know!

The room fell utterly silent for a few moments and Nick felt slightly uncomfortable at the way everyone was staring at him.

"You were with the girl?" the officer asked, breaking the silence.

"Yes of course, she's my girlfriend. Do you know where she is?" he asked.

"Did she get in the boat by choice?" the officer queried, ignoring Nick's question.

"Of course she did!" Nick was beginning to lose his cool. "Where is she?"

"Come," the officer said, gesturing for Nick to follow him through a side door. "I will take you to her."

Nick rushed across the room. She was safe then, or was she? Maybe she had been hurt! God no! Nick felt suddenly sick as all the reasons for why she was in the police station rushed through his head.

In fact, the real reason was the very last thing he would have expected. As soon as he had followed the officer through the door, to his astonishment, Nick found himself handcuffed.

"What the hell?" he yelled at the officer. "Let go of me!"

"You are under arrest on suspicion of the smuggling and distribution of narcotics," the officer said with an expressionless face. "Now I will take you to your girlfriend."

Chapter 36

Nick entered the holding cell block to the cheers of detainees when they heard the door being unlocked. Sal was in a cell to herself, but Nick was also vaguely aware of the voices of others coming from further down the corridor. As soon he saw Sal, he didn’t know whether to feel relieved or horrified, as the bedraggled sight of her still only in her bikini, sitting alone and weeping, tore at his heart.

“Sal, are you alright?” he shouted out, struggling to hasten the process of being uncuffed before the officer could let him into the cell. Sal’s head shot up and she ran towards the door, but seeing him there only made her weep more uncontrollably, her words coming out of her mouth in an emotional unintelligible jumble as she tried to explain everything all at once. Nick struggled to understand any of it; all he wanted to know was if she was alright. “Are you okay?” he asked, tugging at the cuffs in his urgency to be free of them. His struggles only made the officer’s job of uncuffing him more difficult however, and he was subjected to a stream of verbal abuse in Greek. He ignored the officer’s curses though; his only concern was Sal. “Are you hurt?”

Finally, with a sharp nudge forward from the officer, he was jolted through the door. Sal was in his arms in seconds, and suddenly it didn’t matter to either of them where they were, or what predicament they had got themselves into, because now they were together. But for Nick, there was a chilling uncertainty in the air; they may be together now, now he could make sure she was okay, but what had happened to her in the meantime? The thought of someone hurting her, touching her, was something almost too sickening to conceive of. He’d never had to deal with vulnerability before; he’d always been able to look after himself. Besides, if he got hurt, he’d deal with it. But suddenly he felt so strongly how vulnerable Sal had been, and there was nothing he could have done to get to her faster either.

“I don’t like that man!” Sal sobbed. “He said he’s going to come back…he’s going to question me again… I don’t like him…” Nick just held Sal to him as she sobbed and rambled into his t shirt, “… he scares me. I didn’t understand. He wanted me to sign something…”

That caught his attention and he held her back suddenly, looking into her red, tear stained face. “You didn’t sign anything did you?”

She shook her head. “But he said he’d make me sign it. What am I going to do?”

“You’re not signing anything,” he replied adamantly. “And he’s not going to hurt you or intimidate you either.”

“But…but…” she stuttered and wept.

“Calm down now Sal,” he said, taking her back into an embrace. “Come on, slow down. No one’s going to hurt you now I’m here.”

Nick heard himself say those words but could hardly believe they came from him. He’d never considered himself the overly protective type, or the kind of person who could naturally come out with words of comfort for someone. Then again, he’d never been in any situation like that before, and all he knew was, he’d do anything to stop Sal from getting hurt.

“But he’s going to come back. He’ll split us up,” she fretted.

“No he won’t,” Nick said, instinctively, tightening his hold on her and running through every possible scenario that could happen in his head, whilst searching for ways out of all of them.

“You can’t stop them; no one can,” she replied fearfully.

Then it came to him; the solution to everything and anything they could throw at them. That would be their protection.

“Come on, let’s sit over here for a bit,” he said, moving her over to the concrete bench seat that she’d been huddled up on when he’d entered.

He sat first, leaning back against the wall and motioning for her to sit back against him so that he could put his arms around her again. She did as he wanted; she didn’t want to be any more than a few inches from him. He was the only person she could trust.

“What happened Sal? How did you fall?” he asked, needing her to fill in the gaps.

She turned sideways slightly so that she could look up at him. Just seeing his face was reassuring to her. Thank God he was there. But why? Why had they arrested him too? She was so confused.

“I don’t know how it happened really. One minute I was waiting for you, and the next, I stood up, the rocks were slipping from under my feet, and I was falling. But then I thought I’d be okay when I got on the boat. But as soon as I got on, they took off really quickly and that’s when I got a bit worried. I asked Bob what was going on, and why he was there, but he was acting really weird. Then the police boats came and,” she sighed, exhausted just by recounting it, “it was just chaos. Why have they arrested you?” she asked.

“It’s all to do with drugs,” he replied. “No doubt that’s why Bob was there. I’ll kill him!” Nick growled.

“He’s been arrested too,” she said.

“Good.”

“To be fair Nick, it wasn’t his fault. I think he was just buying some stuff.”

“Did he try anything on with you again?” he asked, ignoring her comment. “If he did, I’ll hunt him down.”

Sal frowned. “No. He was fine; he was just stoned.”

“Well, we’re all implicated now,” he replied, irrationally determined that Bob should be the one to blame.

“Yeah, but it was my fault for slipping off the cliff,” she said, glancing to the floor.

“I wouldn’t have put it past Bob to have arranged for that boat to be there. If he hadn’t, we wouldn’t be here now.”

Sal put her head in her hands, close to tears again. “Well we are here. What are we going to do?” she said, dropping her hands and turning to Nick again.

Nick caught her by her shoulders and turned her around further so that they could speak more privately, should anyone have been in earshot.

“Listen Sal, I don’t know how far this whole thing will go, or how much integrity these police have, but if we should get separated, and things get out of control, there is something you can do.”

Sal’s eyes scrutinised Nick’s face, wondering what he was trying to say.

“But this is only for emergencies, only if you have no other option,” he stressed.

“What?” she asked impatiently, “Quick tell me before they come back.”

“Remember last year when that group tried to ruin Adam’s business?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I stopped them from blowing up the boat full of tourists, right?”

“Yes,” she repeated, still unsure of what was in his mind.

“There was another group of Cretans who wanted to stop them; they were like two opposing Cretan Mafia families. So, this other group were pretty grateful to me. Sal, don’t you see, these men are above the police. Just mention their names and your connection to them, and I’ll be willing to bet the police will let you off anything,” he explained.

Sal thought for a moment. It kind of made sense. “But, I don’t know them,” she pointed out.

“Ah, but you do,” he said, his face alight with excitement. “First of all, don’t forget that you work for Adam, and he knows them, and secondly, you met one of the main men.”

“I did?”

“Yes. Do you remember the name of the guy who invited you, Fay, Adam and that Tom guy onto his yacht last year?” he asked.

She thought back. “I think his name was Michaelis.”

“Michaelis Georgiou,” he confirmed. “That’s him. And Pedros from Mardi Gras, he’s involved with them too.”

“Oh God, of course. They sent us up on deck to sunbathe while they talked about it all. It was all top secret stuff.”

“Yes. So you do know him. But, like I said, only use their connection as a last resort. They are all powerful men Sal. We don’t really want to get involved with any of them if we can help it,” he emphasised.

“Yes, okay.” She leant back against him again, relaxing a little for the first time in hours. He was right. It would work if it came to that.

It was only when she finally began to relax that she realised how cold she was, and she shivered suddenly, wrapping Nick’s arms more closely around herself in an effort to keep warm.

Nick frowned and glanced down at her with concern. “You’re freezing. What the bloody hell were they thinking, not giving you some clothes to put on? Bloody idiots!” he shouted out angrily. “Can we have some clothes here for the lady please?”

No officers appeared with any clothes, but the detainees in the cell next to them began to stir again, shouting out and cheering. Through the mayhem, Nick’s ears picked out a familiar voice.

“Hey dude, is that you?” came the slightly slurry sound.

Nick jumped up suddenly and strode angrily to the door, straining to see anything of the cell next to them. All he could see however, were arms waving through the bars.

“Bob! You’re a dead man. Soon as we get out of here, I’m coming for you!” Nick shouted out.

“Hey man, chill!” came the reply.

“You’ll be chilled when I knock you out cold!” Nick shouted back.

“Forget him,” Sal said, urging Nick back to the bench.

Nick went reluctantly, pulling off his t shirt and offering it to Sal. Moments later however, he listened in disbelief to the sound of a ukulele playing as Bob began to sing, with the encouragement and applause of the other men.

He must seriously have a death wish or something!

The warden threw a party in the county jail
The prison band was there and they began to wail
The band was jumpin' and the joint began to swing
You should've heard those knocked out jailbirds sing

Let's rock
Everybody, let's rock
Everybody in the whole cell block
Was dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock

“I’ll Kill him! I swear to God, I’m gonna kill him!” Nick grated out.

Bob went on to sing another verse and a half of ‘Jailhouse Rock’ before he was interrupted by a group of officers who entered the block. They had come to the decision that they’d arrested three insignificant people along with the rest of the smugglers. They had bigger fish to fry, and since Sal, Nick and Bob were foreigners, they were more trouble than they were worth. Sal tensed in Nick’s arms when one of the officers began to open their door, and Nick whispered into her hair, “Don’t forget what we talked about.”

“Come,” he said, gesturing for Nick and Sal to follow him back into the entrance room.
Once behind the desk, he pulled out some papers and a pen, asking them to add their signatures.

“I said I’m not signing,” Sal replied adamantly.

But Nick had already noted that they hadn’t been recuffed. “What are these?” he asked.

“You sign, you go,” the officer said.

Nick was satisfied and signed. Sal watched him, before hesitantly signing hers afterwards.

Minutes later, they found themselves back out on the street.

“What now?” Sal asked, feeling strangely disorientated. One minute they were preparing for the worst, the next they were free. Despite this however, Nick had the strange feeling that that wasn’t the end of it. Maybe he was just being paranoid.

“We head back,” he replied. “It’s a bit late,” he said, looking at his watch. Four thirty, and it began to get dark at about seven o clock. Still, they would be quite close to home when the light began to fade.

As Nick and Sal turned to head back to the harbour, Nick noticed a figure hovering in the doorway of the police station. He turned towards it and realized who he was looking at: Bob, grinning like a Cheshire cat and plucking the strings of his ukulele. Nick saw red and strode suddenly towards him, grabbing him by his t shirt and yanking him out of the doorway, onto the street. He was seriously tempted to knock him out, but decided against it, partly because of the fact that they were too close to the station, and partly because Sal was watching. He grabbed hold of the ukulele instead and proceeded to beat it against a stone wall. The whole thing disintegrated, with pieces flying from it in all directions.

“Don’t” he yelled, smashing the ukulele, “ever,” smash, “come near me,” smash, “or Sal,” smash, “again!” smash. He finished by handing Bob back the only remaining piece of the handle left intact in his palm, before strolling away.

Bob looked startled and held his hands out to the few passers-by who had paused to watch the commotion.

“He’s nuts,” Bob said to them, looking down at the bits of broken wood and string all over the floor. “My uke!” he said forlornly. “Anyone know where I can buy a new one?”

Chapter 37

“Are you okay?” Nick asked, as he and Sal headed back around the harbour in the direction of the beach.

“I’m okay now. I’m not sure about Bob’s ukulele though,” she chuckled.

Nick gave a reluctant laugh. “I still think it was his fault somehow. Bloody ukulele playing pot head!”

He scanned the row of buildings in the harbour as they passed through it, wondering where the nearest shop would be. Sal really needed some sort of footwear, if only a basic pair of flip flops. They would sell them in a tourist shop.

“You want a piggy back?” he asked her, glancing down at her feet.

“No. It’s not that far. I’ll be fine,” she assured him. “I don’t suppose you picked up my beach bag though did you?”

“Damn!” Nick stopped in mid stride and put a hand to his head. “No. Sorry Sal, I was too concerned about finding you. It will probably still be there; I’ll go get it,” he said, resuming his walk with renewed haste.

Sal put a hand on his arm. “Slow down Nick. Don’t worry about the bag; let’s just get back to the hotel and then head home.”

“But it won’t take me long to get it…”

“Nick, it means you climbing back up the cliff side again,” she reminded him. “Let’s leave it. There’s nothing that valuable in there anyway.”

“What about your purse…and the camera, I must have left that there too.”

“I only had a few euros in my purse and the camera isn’t worth you risking the climb again. Really Nick, let’s just get going,” she appealed to him.

He nodded and put an arm over her shoulder. “Okay.”

On reaching Matala beach road, Nick and Sal spotted Phil jumping out of a car at the side of the road and waving them over.

“Thank God, we were just discussing how to break you out of the police station!” Phil greeted them. “What the hell happened?”

“It’s a long story,” Nick replied, glancing at his watch for the third time in the last five minutes. “We’ve got to head back quickly now though before it gets too dark.”

“Here, get in.” Phil opened the door of the white Audi A6 to reveal Sandra sitting in the back and Mike in the driver’s seat. “Can you take us all back to the hotel?” Phil asked Mike.

“No problem,” he replied. “Are you two leaving today?” Mike asked Nick and Sal when they had joined Sandra in the back seat.

“Yeah, got to head back as soon as we can,” Nick replied. “Hadn’t planned on staying this late.”

“ I was thinking I could follow you back and explore the east a little. I can take some of your baggage in here if it would make things more comfortable for you,” Mike offered.

Hmm, that would be good actually. Not so much Mike’s offer to take their baggage, but simply having the reassurance of a car behind them just in case something went wrong out in the more remote stretches of road.

“Thanks,” Nick answered. “I’ll phone Adam to find out about a hotel for you if you want to stay in Agios.”

“That would be great,” he said, pulling up outside the hotel. “I’ve been staying just down the road. I’ll check out and meet you in the reception in say,” he checked the time, “half an hour.”

“Make that twenty minutes,” Nick said, jumping out of the car.

***************************************************************
"Here, I think this is yours," Phil said, passing Sal her bag as they entered the hotel lobby.

She looked down at it in surprise. "My bag! Where did you find it?"

"Someone picked it up from the caves and was asking people on the beach if they'd lost it. See, there are some nice people still around," Phil replied with a smile.

"Yes, thanks a million," she smiled back.

"Right, we've really got to rush," Nick cut in. "It's been real great to see you both again," he said kissing Sandra and embracing Phil in a manly hug. "Make sure you keep in touch and we'll arrange to meet up again soon eh."

"Definitely," Sandra replied.

They all nodded their agreement and finished their goodbyes, before Sal and Nick rushed back to their room to gather their belongings.

Sal felt glad in a way that they were in such a rush because, firstly, she didn't have time to dwell on what had happened to her in the police station, and also, despite her ordeal, on seeing their room again, she realized that she was quite sad to leave it. No time for sentimentalities though; she dashed around the room, grabbing her cosmetics, clothes and other belongings and throwing them into her backpack.

Right, now what to wear for the journey back?

Stripping off the T shirt that Nick had leant her in the prison cell, she threw it onto the bed where he was packing his clothes and peered into her bag, pushing the contents around to find some appropriate attire for herself. She shivered suddenly. Her bikini still felt damp and her skin was covered with goose bumps. She glanced at her watch thoughtfully. They had ten minutes until they were to meet Mike in the hotel lobby.

"I don't suppose I could have a really quick hot shower, could I?" she asked Nick suddenly. "It's just that I still feel quite cold after being in that cell."

Nick glanced up from his bag.

"Of course you can Sal. Sorry, I should have thought of that," he apologized. Mike could wait. She'd had quite a shock too; she needed to warm up.

"Great," Sal smiled, grabbing her shower gel and the first clothes that came to hand, and dashing towards the bathroom. "I'll be really quick."

"Hey Sal," Nick called out, halting her at the door. "What are you wearing on the bike?" he asked.

"Just a top and shorts, why?"

He frowned. "It may get a bit cold out there once the sun goes down. I've got a spare sweater; you can wear that."

Ahh, he was looking after her.

She watched him searching in his bag for the sweater, in a momentary daze.

He glanced up suddenly, sensing that her presence hadn't left. She was looking at him the way that a child looks at puppy with floppy ears and a fluffy coat. He felt suddenly uneasy with all her attention. Good god; it was only a sweater!

"Go on Sal, chop, chop. I'll give you five minutes!" he said, hiding his embarrassment.

"Oh yes, right." She jumped into action then and dived through the door.

In seconds the shower was on, turned up to full heat, and Sal was stripping off her damp bikini, hardly able to wait to get under the shower and experience that amazing warmth that was filling the room with steam.

Climbing into the bath, Sal let the water tumble right over her head. It was so heavenly that she just stood there for a few moments, luxuriating in the heat of the shower and pushing her wet hair back off her face to lift her head up to the cascade. As the water fell over her, it took with it a heat that slowly spread down her whole body, taking away the numbness, easing the tension out of the muscles that had ached from shivering so much, and leaving her skin tingling and flushed. Then she grabbed her favorite shower gel, with coconut and passion fruit, and lathered up a storm of bubbles, letting them slide over her skin, spreading their aroma in the steam and washing away all the strains of the day. God, she would have loved to stay in that shower longer but alas, no time left. She reluctantly turned off the water and reached for the towel rail.

In the bedroom, Nick had finished packing all his belongings and so he pulled out his mobile phone to make a call to Adam.

"Hiya mate, it's Nick," he said when Adam answered.

"Hello there. How you doing?” came the reply.

"Good mate, good."

"I hear you've absconded across the island with my airport supervisor. I hope you're bringing her back for duty tomorrow," Adam said humorously.

"Yeah, don't worry, we are about to set off now. Listen, I need to ask you something; we've met this guy out here who is coming back with us. He wants to see a bit of our side of the island, only he needs a hotel room. Do you have any free rooms in the hotels you use?" Nick asked.

There was a brief silence. "Hmm, as far as I know we are booked up I'm afraid. We've had a few large group bookings this week. I can double check for you though; Fay will know more about the rooms we have."

"Ah," Nick replied, a little disappointed, "Yeah, if you could, I'd appreciate it."

"Tell you what, I'm still in the office, so I'll speak to Fay now, and if we have no luck there, I could pop into 'The Alexander' hotel just down the road and book a room there for you. It's cheap and cheerful there, and at least it's in town."

"Oh great. Thanks. Right, we will be setting off pretty soon," he said, glancing at his watch and grimacing; they were going to be late for Mike, "but could you let me know if and when you find a room?"

"Sure," Adam answered.

"Thanks Adam; I owe you one. Speak later then; I've got to go."

"No problem; speak later," Adam replied, hanging up.

Luckily, Mike arrived in the lobby at the same time as Sal and Nick were descending the stairs, so all they had to do was settle their bill and they were ready to go.

As Nick and Sal drove out of Matala, heading for the highway with Mike driving behind them, Sal said a private, fond farewell to the place, choosing to push any negative memories from her mind. They had been so excited to arrive there; it had been a wonderful break, like a mini holiday. Sal realized that it had been a long time since she had got away for a fun break with friends; she would make sure she did it more often.

When they hit the highway, Sal immediately became aware that Nick had been right, it was quite chilly on that bike now that the day had lost most of its heat. She was glad of his sweater and huddled up to his back for warmth.

Speeding through the Mesara plain, many thoughts came to her. Memories of the last few days flashed through her head, as well as all that she had learnt about Nick's past. She then began to wonder about the summer ahead, how much time she'd spend with Nick and what Jen would have to say about that. In fact, she wondered if Jen even knew about their trip to Matala. Come to think of it, Nick hadn't even appeared to have contacted her since they'd been there. Strange.

Before long, they were approaching Heraklion, where they made a quick stop to find a cafe for a rest and a warm drink. Sal ordered a hot chocolate and the sweet, thick liquid was an unexpected luxury, before they returned to their vehicles for the remainder of the journey.

Between the resorts of Hersonissos and Malia, Nick's phone rang and they were forced to pull off the highway so that he could answer the call. Adam informed him that a room had been booked at the Alexander Hotel for Mike, and that the manager would be there to greet him when they arrived. Nick thanked Adam, turned off his mobile phone for the rest of the journey, and they set off once more.

Finally, cold and aching from their travels, the three of them arrived in a moonlit Agios, driving first to show Mike to the 'Alexander Hotel', and next to Sal's apartment. There were always bikes, cars and people milling around her apartment block up until fairly late at night, and so neither of them initially noticed who was standing, waiting for them, leaning up against the outer wall of the building.

Nick turned off the engine of the bike and dismounted, helping Sal with her backpack. He had dreaded this moment for some reason he couldn’t quite work out.

“Well, I guess you’ll be busy tomorrow at work,” Nick pointed out.

“Yeah, I’ll speak to Adam though about starting you working again. I’m not sure if he will need you tomorrow or not. Friday nights aren’t that busy at the moment, but we will need you for sure on Tuesday,” she stressed. “Either way, I’ll let you know as soon as I’ve spoken to Adam. It’s a night flight tomorrow though, so I’ll be trying to get some sleep before work . I usually stay awake as long as I can the night before so that I can sleep in the day and I won’t be so tired at work,” she rambled. She should really shut up and go.

“Good luck with that tonight Sal; you look pretty shattered,” Nick replied.

“Yeah well, it was worth it,” she smiled.

“Yeah,” he smiled back.

There followed a short silence in which Nick hovered on the door step of Sal’s apartment block, and Sal was reluctant to finally enter it. Still, what else could they do? At last, Nick made a move, catching Sal unawares as he leant forward suddenly and kissed her on the cheek.

“Night Sal.”

It was then that the onlooker emerged from out of the shadows, stepping into the illumination of the street light and making both their hearts race with adrenalin.

“Hello you two. I thought I’d surprise you Nick, but instead, you surprised me. Where the hell have you been?” Jen scowled, looking from Nick to Sal.

Chapter 38

"Err, I've got to go," Sal said, backing her way up the outer steps of the building. "I've got work tomorrow evening, and I've got to sort stuff out. Oh, and I've got to ring Adam to let Nick know about work, and then I'll stay up as long as I can so I'm not too tired. Then I've got to go to bed and get up in time...got to set my alarm and make sure I'm up and..." she rambled, finally running out of things to say, ..."umm, well, yes, that's about it. Got to go. Bye," she finished, turning around and rushing up the last few steps before disappearing through the door.

Jen watched her suspiciously before turning to Nick. "I take it that you did book a room at the Apollo hotel?" she questioned him, folding her arms and looking a lot like a school headmistress in her immaculate dark suit and straight dark hair falling down her back, with not so much as a tress out of place. That was Jen alright, organized beyond belief, neat, straight to the point and suspicious, with her dark wary eyes glittering like coal.

"Yes."

"What room number?" she asked abruptly.

"Umm." He had to think quickly to remember it, considering that he'd only actually spent one night in there. "Thirty two."

She stared at him, unimpressed at the uncertainty of his response.

"Meet me back there in ten minutes. We need to talk," she said, abruptly turning on her heel, striding to a car parked on the side of the road, getting into it and driving away.

"Oh crap!"

He jumped onto his motorbike and raced after her.

By the time Nick had reached room thirty two, Jen had beaten him to it. He knew she would get given the key from Maria at the reception. She shouldn't really have given Jen the key to his room, but Maria knew they were together, and besides, no one refused Jen anything she wanted, particularly when she was in that kind of mood. He couldn't help but wonder if Jen had intentionally got to the room before him; maybe to check it out first, hoping to find some incriminating evidence in there. Why did he feel guilty anyway? He hadn't done anything wrong. Not really.

The door was ajar. He knocked and cautiously inched it open, peering around it. Silly really; he'd paid for the damn room.

"Jen," he called out meekly.

"What?" She appeared suddenly from around the door and nearly gave him a heart attack. After a quick recovery, he stepped bravely into the room.

"So, where have you been Nick?" she asked in an accusatory tone, emphasizing the question by slamming the door loudly behind them. He was trapped!

"How did you know to wait outside Sal's?" he countered.

"I'm asking the questions here!" she replied angrily, her voice raising by several decibels.

Nick had had a few minutes to consider all his options. He had decided to answer as few of her questions as possible before he found out what she'd already been told.

"You must have spoken to Ruth," he replied, making sure to phrase that as a statement, rather than ask it as a question.

"I had to ask around," she answered, quietly and seemingly calmly at first, before her voice gradually rose to nothing less than a screech, "because my so called boyfriend had pissed off half way across the island with some other woman and I had no idea where he was!"

It took every ounce of Nick's willpower not to wince at the ear piercing sound of Jen's furious voice. He suddenly felt slightly nauseous.

"It was just Sal," he replied, hating himself for appearing to undervalue her.

"'Just Sal,'" Jen mimicked. "Well, Sal's another woman, isn’t she? What were you two doing in Matala anyway?"

She made it sound so sordid.

There was no way he was even going to try telling her about the quest; she wouldn’t believe him anyway.

"I heard from Phil and Sandra again," he began, casually, strolling over to a table by the window and emptying his pockets onto it. "You remember them; they ran an ice cream parlour by the lake and moved to the west a few years ago. Anyway, they invited me to Matala and Sal had nothing else going on so she came along." Well, there was a small element of truth in that, albeit miniscule.

Nick was holding something back; Jen was sure of it. Well, she wasn’t going to lose Nick now, not after everything she'd been through back at home, and not considering that she'd just moved back to Crete to be with him. She would do anything she could to hold on to this bit of security in her life. Besides, she'd look like a complete and utter fool if he left her. She'd never particularly liked the way that Sal had hung around Nick so much last year. Nick had insisted that they were just friends, but Jen was sure that Sal wanted to steal Nick from her. The way she always obsessed about men, eyeing up every guy in sight and dressing in next to nothing in the hope that one would be interested, it was pitiful. But she hadn't got a guy yet; no wonder she was after Nick.

"Well thanks a lot Nick. While you were enjoying yourself in Matala, I was being called every name under the sun by my family," she said with genuine pain in her eyes.

"What? But they seemed to be fine with you when I was there. I thought you'd be okay," Nick replied.

"I told you," she cried out angrily, "I told you what they'd do if you left, but you just went and left anyway!"

Nick felt the panic rise. What had he done? "But...but I thought I'd give you some time to make up with them."

"We're never going to make up Nick," she wept, "Not until I move back there for more torture. Well, I won't do it; I can't do it! It's not enough that I send every bit of extra money I can afford back to them, that I've always held the whole family together, looked after the kids, put food on the table, played mum while mum was too bloody depressed to even move out of bed day after day..."

"I know all of that," Nick cut in with frustration. "I'm not asking you to go back; I don't think you should at all. You could have come back with me," he pointed out.

"You know I couldn't do that; I had to go to Grandpa's funeral."

"Well, you could have if you'd wanted to," he replied rather lamely.

"And you could have stayed with me," she countered. "You always promised we would be there for each other. You said you understood; you'd been through it too..." she cried, laying on the guilt.

He raked a hand through his hair and growled with frustration, pacing the room.

"Why did you leave me to deal with it on my own, why Nick, why?" she pushed.

"Because," he swung around, pushed to breaking point, "I went through shit too you know Jen! I couldn't handle it, least of all a funeral!"

That made Jen stop and think. Maybe she had been pushing him too far. She should ease up on him or he really would leave her.

"I'm sorry babe, I didn't think," she said, changing tact by moving to him and winding her arms around his neck. "We have both suffered, like you always said, but we need to look after each other. I'm sorry," she repeated, catching him off guard when he suddenly found her lips on his.

He froze at first, not knowing what to do, but that was a big mistake because it gave her time to take away his reasoning with her mouth and hands. Soon he was aroused and she'd got him how she wanted him. Then the games began. Abruptly she moved away from him, saying,

"Sorry darling but I've got to go meet Nikos from Cretatours at the airport soon. He's got some work for me. The pay should be great."

Nick could hear the words she was speaking but they seemed so out of place and irrelevant as he watched her lean back against the dressing table and hitch one leg up to place her foot onto the chair in front of her. She leant back onto her hands and waited to see his reaction, moving her bent leg to and fro slightly. His eyes homed in on the gap her skirt was revealing; he knew she was doing it on purpose, but he couldn’t help himself, she always left him feeling so damn frustrated. It was probably part of her plan to keep him under her control, along with all the other schemes she'd thought up. Well, okay, he was horny at that moment, how could he not be after spending so much time in close quarters with Sal? But couldn’t she see that all these games were just tearing their relationship even further apart.

She was just about the most cunning woman he’d ever known and God, she was good at her games. He never knew when she would actually let him bed her. Recently, she’d been teasing him so damn much, but she always came up with a reason why they couldn’t continue. Sometimes she didn’t even really have a good reason, but there was no way he was going to beg her. So he'd been left lying awake, night after night, feeling alone and aching badly for physical relief. Why did he allow her to tease him so much? It was the not knowing; the thought that maybe she'd let him go all the way. Even now, when all he could think about was another woman, he still couldn't stop being drawn into her games. In fact, now was even worse in some ways because he’d been holding back so hard for Sal. With Sal anything that ever happened between them had to be perfect, not tainted, either that, or he’d rather nothing at all. But he hated himself for the realization that he didn't love Jen enough to hold back any longer and he wanted her to give in this time. It was so ironic because he knew that if she did let him close tonight, both of them would be wishing it was someone else. She didn’t want him any more than he wanted her. It was just sex. How had it all turned so wrong?

But he had to admit nonetheless, as far as sex was concerned, she was good, probably the best he'd had yet when she wanted to be. It was still just sex though, a release for both of them. It was enjoyable, even exciting at times, but there was no magic in it, no jitters, no heat in the pit of his stomach that burned right the way up through his body. He'd only ever known that feeling once with a woman, and he'd been astounded that he'd felt it just from a mere kiss.

As her leg swayed to and fro, it allowed him quick glances of the strip of black lacy underwear. He pictured pulling them off her and it made him hornier. God, she knew how to play these games! As if she’d read his mind, she stood suddenly, eased up her skirt slightly and removed her underwear, saying,

"Of course, I’ll have to change out of these clothes first before I go."

Then she stood, straightened her skirt and approached him, turning and glancing at him over her shoulder. "Could you undo the zip please Nick?"

He obliged her and was left with a tantalizing view of her nakedness through the gap, which just got twice as tantalizing when she went to her suitcase on the floor and bent to unzip it. She was playing a dangerous game; any more of this and he'd find it hard to hold back even if she wanted him to.

Pulling out some fresh clothes from her suitcase, she threw them on the bed, turned in his direction and began unbuttoning her blouse.

Was she really going back to the airport tonight for a meeting? Good God, she'd only just got back! Knowing her though, she probably was. But then again, she was also suspicious of Sal and so she'd be thinking Sal was competition. What's more, they hadn’t had sex for a long time. Would she want him before she left, or even better, would she change her mind and not go?

Soon the blouse was dispensed with and a strange stillness settled over the room whilst she simply stared at him, her dark eyes glittering mysteriously in the dim light.

"I'll just get changed," she said finally, her eyes flitting to the bathroom door. He felt disappointment and frustration threaten, but then, even on the times when she had instigated sex, she'd left him waiting until the very last minute. Was this still part of her game? He didn’t care; he wanted sex enough now to not worry about his pride.

"Or maybe you have enough time to stay a while and I'll help you out of the rest of those clothes," he suggested.

She smiled knowingly. She was pleased. He was hopeful...really hopeful. His pulse rate quickened.

"Well, that would be very...helpful," she smiled.

He laughed. "I'm always keen to please."

"Well, thank you very much Nick but...I'm really not sure if I have the time." Damn, there was the refusal. "It will be quicker if I do it myself," she said, unclipping her bra and letting it fall to the floor.

The sight of bare breasts never failed to arouse him, it didn’t matter whose they were, there was always some amount of arousal involved. He noted that she was also aroused, so there was still hope. Maybe, just maybe, she was still toying with him. She began to dart around the room, doing very little apart from moving items of clothing, bags and other personal items around...and of course bending in the process, and pretending to rush, thereby giving him an eyeful of jiggling flesh. She knew he liked that, bloody tease! Was she going to let him or not? He wasn’t sure he could take any more strain!

"I guess you’ll be wanting a shower first," she said suddenly.
That threw him for a moment; he was too busy watching her display. On instinct, he followed her lead and agreed, stripping off his t shirt. She stilled and watched him as he went on to unzip his jeans and step out of them, revealing the obvious arousal underneath his boxers. She looked so damn smug on seeing it.

"Hurry up then Nick," she said in a patronizing tone, finally stripping off the rest of her clothes and turning away towards her suitcase again.

That was it! He'd had enough. If she turned him down now he'd bloody well dump her.

In three quick strides then he was across the room, where he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back against him.
"Enough teasing Jen!" he barked into her ear, making her jump. She smiled though, a smile of triumph, and pressed her lower body back against him.

"Ooh, so masterful," she taunted.

"I'll show you masterful," he growled, moving a leg between hers.

"Oh Nick, yes," she cried out, this time with all the joking gone from her voice. "It's been so long. Yes Nick, I want it!"

He made love to her with such desperation, it was unlike any time before for them, and it thrilled her more than any time before, making her return his passion. He lost himself in his body's demands and refused to entertain any feelings of guilt. But despite the intensity of their lovemaking, he was unable to fully dismiss the feeling that something was very wrong with their whole relationship, and not just because she loved someone else, but because seconds after he'd began to take her, in his head, he was back in Matala, on the beach or in the bed, making love to the only woman who excited him more than he could ever have imagined.
********************************************************
Half an hour later and unbelievably, Jen had kissed him goodbye and actually left for the damn meeting. He felt numb. He’d been so damn stupid that he’d actually thought their lovemaking had been good enough to make her want to stay with him that night. He would have stayed with her, held her afterwards and made her feel loved. Lying in the silent darkness of the room, his distraught mind wouldn’t let him sleep and so he just lay alone in the bed, curled up and aching with loneliness and self-disgust.
*********************************************************
Across town, Sal was sitting curled up on her sofa with an array of objects covering the coffee table in front of her. There was a huge bar of chocolate, a bottle of wine, a bag of jelly babies, a large packet of cheesy puffs, her IPod, and a magazine with the front page description of ‘Ten sexiest men alive, uncovered.’ In her hand, she held the remote control for her DVD player, which had been set up to play one of her favourite TV shows, ‘Desperate Housewives.’ Reaching out her hand, just about to press the button, she looked down at everything she had placed in front of her, ready to comfort the strange emptiness inside that she was feeling that night. Dropping her hand suddenly, she burst into tears. None of it was enough.

Chapter 39

Sal looked around her apartment, with tears streaming down her face, and wondered what to do. Why did she feel so devastated? There was no reason for it at all, but nonetheless, the awful emptiness wouldn't go away. She had all night too, there on her own. How was she going to get through it? Her whole life felt so dark and so hopeless. Through a watery barrier of tears, she reached out and picked up a Jelly Baby, popping it into her mouth just because she had no idea what else to do. It simply seemed to stick in her throat though as fresh sobs took over, and she gave up doing anything but curling up on the cushions and wrapping her arms around her middle in an attempt to offer herself some sort of comfort.

Just in the middle of her sobs however, she was startled by the loud sound of her front door bell ringing. She froze. Who on earth could that be? She hadn’t arranged to see anyone. She didn’t even think anyone knew she was back. The bell rang again and she jumped into action, desperately wiping the tears from her face and darting into the bathroom to check herself in the mirror. Oh God, she didn't look good. Her face was red and blotchy and she looked in a terrible state. In the process of splashing water onto her face and waving her hands around in front of her cheeks in a panic stricken effort to lessen the evidence of her tears, she suddenly had an awful thought. What if it was Jen at her door? What if she was furious and had gone there to have it out with Sal? God, she couldn't cope with that.

"Sal! Are you in there?" came a female voice from behind the front door.

No, that wasn't Jen; the voice was too soft. Thank God!

"Sal," came another voice, "Open up, it's your boss here."

It was Adam and Fay. Phew.

Taking one last look in the mirror and straightening her hair, she ran to the door and opened it.

"Hey, welcome back intrepid explorer. We've come bearing gifts," Adam smiled, holding up a bottle of wine, "and to find out if you've discovered any ancient, priceless artifacts lately."

Sal was trying to half hide behind the door, unsure of whether they would notice anything amiss. She smiled, looking down and opening the door wider for them.

"Thanks, come in," she said turning to head back to the lounge.

"Sal," Fay said. Sal turned instinctively to see both of them still standing in the doorway staring at her. "What on earth is wrong?" Fay asked, stepping into the hallway and putting an arm around her shoulder. To Sal's horror, Fay's concern only brought on the tears again, and they began seeping silently out of her eyes. "Oh God, whatever is it?" Fay asked. Sal didn't trust herself to speak. "Right," Fay said decisively, turning to Adam and diverting him back towards the kitchen door, "what we need here is a cup of tea. You go in there and make them and I'll take Sal into the lounge."

Adam looked a little mystified. "Aren't we opening this bottle?" he said.

Fay's eyes widened and she gave him a purposeful glare, saying slowly and clearly, "No Adam, we need you to make the tea."

Oh, he must have said something wrong. "Right, yes, I'll go make the tea then."

"Thank you, and make them slow cups," she added.

"Right," he said turning, before quickly twisting back again. "Err, Fay," he called out, just catching them before they disappeared into the lounge.

"What?" she asked impatiently.

"What are ‘slow cups’?" he whispered.

She tutted. "Cups of tea made very slowly, stupid."

"Oh yeah right, I knew that," he replied, wandering into the kitchen. "Was kind of looking forward to a glass of wine actually though," he said to himself, opening a cupboard door, which coincidentally happened to be filled with wine glasses. Hmm. He took one out and glanced guiltily back towards the door. "I'll just have a glass of wine and they can have two cups of sloooow tea," he smiled, flicking on the kettle before searching through the drawers for a bottle opener. Then a thought hit him; what if there was something terribly wrong with Sal and he was there, stuck in her kitchen making slow cups of tea? He strained to hear anything from the other room but couldn’t make out more than muffled voices. How slow did a ‘slow’ cup of tea have to be anyway?

"Sal, what is it? Tell me what's wrong sweetie," Fay said, pushing Sal's hair off her face as Sal wept so that she could get a better look at her.

"I don't even know," she half laughed, half cried. "I'm such a mess."

"But there must be something making you upset," Fay replied.

"I just...it's everything," Sal sobbed.

"Come on love," Fay said, holding Sal to her, "Let's just start with one thing eh."

After a few moments, Sal took an unsteady deep breath and sat back to look at Fay. "Well, my love life for a start...or lack of it."

"Ah sweetie, you're always thinking about 'Mr Mind Shattering Man' but it doesn't bring you to tears like this," she pointed out.

"But I'm so lonely," she said. "Maybe it's just all caught up with me now. I mean look, everyone else is out there with their boyfriends or husbands, or lovers, or whatever... you've got Adam, Nick's got Jen... and I'm in here with bloody 'Desperate Housewives', Jelly Babies and cheesy puffs!"

Fay couldn't help but chuckle when she looked down at the coffee table, and she reached out again to cuddle her friend.

"First of all, quoting Nick and Jen as a happy couple is a terrible example, and secondly, if I were Nick, I'd go for a night in with cheesy puffs in preference to a night out with Jen any day!" Fay exclaimed.

"Yeah well, he doesn't choose cheesy puffs, he chooses her, and I feel like the only person in Agios right now with no one to love me. Maybe I should have just given in to Mum and got engaged to Phillip," she sulked. "At least then I'd have somebody."

Fay's head shot up then in shock. "Don't you dare even think it! You've got to be kidding Sal. And anyway, you're about the most loved person I know out here. Everyone loves you. How could they not?" she said vehemently. "And also, the whole point of you being 'you' is that you won't settle for any old person; you want and deserve the best. You could have any guy you want in the bars out there," she said, gesturing to the window. "They've been scrambling to get you into bed since you got here, but they aren't bloody well good enough for you! You deserve someone who will see how wonderful you are and want you for no other reason....someone who will fall madly and passionately in love with you from the very first moment they see you because all your kindness and honesty and passion and lust for life will be so obvious to them that they won't be able to resist you," she said sincerely, with tears shimmering in her eyes. "Don't go down my road; look where that landed me: married to a complete and utter waste of space and bitter and alone for years and years afterwards. Goodness knows I was lucky to find Adam because no one else would have taken the time trying to get through to me. So don't you dare so much as mention the 'P' word again, do you hear me, because I couldn't stand to see you in a relationship like that, one that would suck all the life and optimism out of you. I love you Sal, just the way you are," she said, with the tears spilling out of her eyes and Sal's welling up in response too. "Don't ever change or give up on your dreams because I promise you, you'll find Mr Right." Both were sobbing by now as they threw their arms around each other. "And I'm so sorry because I realize now that I haven't been here enough for you. If I had, you wouldn't be sitting here on your own crying... and just the thought of that breaks my heart. I want you to promise me Sal," she said, sitting back suddenly and holding her firmly by the arms. "I want you to promise that if you feel like this again, no matter what time of the night it is, that you phone me and I'll come over, or you can come to our place...in fact, we should arrange that. Yes, you can come and stay over for the night. You've never done that; it would be fun."

Sal laughed through her tears. "Thanks Fay. Gosh, I don't think I've ever heard you say so much without taking a breath!" she teased.

Fay laughed with Sal. "I meant it all though."

"I know you did," Sal smiled.

"And anyway, I love cheesy puffs," Fay giggled, reaching out to open up the packet. "And what else do you have here?" she asked. "Ooh, jelly babies, and why isn't this bottle of wine cracked open yet? Tell you what, I'll open it," she said, picking up the corkscrew from off the coffee table, "and you can turn the DVD on; it's been ages since I've watched 'Desperate Housewives'; you'll have to fill me in on it."

"No problem," Sal replied, sliding the magazine from off the table and attempting to hide it next to her on the sofa.

"Hey, what are you hoarding away there Sal?" Fay asked.

She gave her a mischievous grin. The old Sal was back. "A little bit of secret indulgence," she replied, whipping the magazine up in her hands and showing Fay the front cover.

Fay's mouth dropped open. "Let me see that," she said, reaching for it.

Sal moved it away from her. "Hmm, I'm not sure you should be looking at this Fay; I don't think Adam would like it."

"Never mind about Adam; let me see!"

"Did I hear my name mentioned?" came a voice out of nowhere, accompanied by a small knock. Both girls jumped guiltily and giggled. "Tea anyone?" A hand holding a cup of tea appeared from around the door. "Can I come in now?" Adam asked, peering into the room to see Fay with a glass of wine in her hand.

"Err, we don't really need the tea now; we have wine," Fay smiled.

Adam stepped around the door holding two cups of tea. "But I took ages making these," he said.

"Well, I did say to make 'slow cups'," Fay pointed out, causing both herself and Sal to start giggling again.

"Slow cups indeed," Adam tutted, placing the cups onto Sal's book shelf and leaving the room, reappearing moments later with his glass of wine.

"Hey, you have wine too," Fay pointed out.

"Yep," he smiled, moving over to Sal and kissing her on the cheek. "I'm going to make it my mission in life to find you 'Mr Mind Shattering Man' if it kills me," he said, sitting in between them both on the sofa.

"You've been listening in on our conversation," Fay said.

"Yes I have. She's my friend too, greedy. You can't keep my Sal all to yourself you know," he said, putting his arm around Sal.

Ah, Adam was so sweet sometimes.

"Watch out," Fay said to Sal, leaning around Adam to speak to her, "he may find you Mr Mind Shattering, but he's terribly unsubtle as a matchmaker," she warned.

"Well, what's the point in beating about the bush? If you like someone, you should just let them know," he retorted. "That's what I did with her," he said to Sal, "and it worked," he winked.

Sal grinned, adding, "Yeah...eventually."

"Yeah well, it might have taken a little longer than anticipated," he laughed.

Fay bit her lip guiltily and proceeded to divert the conversation. "So, did you find any artifacts?" she asked, taking a sip of the wine. "We need another glass," she hinted to Adam.

"Don't tell me, a 'slow' glass. Not a chance; I want to hear about the treasure hunting," he replied, lifting the wine in his hand to his lips.

"This one will do nicely," Fay said, sweeping it out of his hand before he had a chance to take a sip and passing the glass to Sal.

"Well actually, things didn't quite go to plan. We did have fun though, but then arriving back here to a furious looking Jen who hadn't been told where Nick had gone wasn't exactly the best ending to the trip," Sal said, taking the glass of wine off Fay.

"He didn't tell her about Matala?" Adam said incredulously, "Foolish guy. Poor foolish guy... think I'll phone him, just to check he's okay," Adam said, taking out his mobile phone and scrolling for Nick's number.

Adam waited for several minutes for Nick to pick up before ending the call. "Weird, no answer. I'll message him."

Sal started the DVD and they tucked into the goodies, however Fay's initial relief at seeing Sal smiling again was a little diminished by the anxiousness she suddenly felt in her. Sal was sitting there, not fully concentrating on the programme, and biting her thumb nail nervously.

Adam's phone beeped shortly afterwards and Sal simply sat tensely staring at the phone on the table until Adam finally realized that he had a message waiting for him. Fay pondered Sal's odd behaviour.

Adam read the message and frowned. "You know what, I think I'll go pop in on Nick. I need to talk to him about work anyway," he said, standing up. "And I could do with checking that Jen hasn't battered him! I'll not be too long."

Fay noticed that all the colour appeared to have drained from Sal's face.

"Adam," Sal said, halting him before he left.

He turned to Sal. "What sweetheart?"

"Give him my love," she said.

Adam cupped her face and kissed her on the cheek again. "I will."
Then he reached down and gave Fay a quick but gentle kiss on the lips. "I'll be back soon," he said.

Adam hadn't appeared to have noticed anything, but to Fay, a thought slowly occurred to her. She wasn't certain of it, so she'd wait to see, but if anyone knew anything more about it, it would be Ruth. It was Sal’s last words that had sparked off Fay’s interest, and, as Adam left the apartment, in Fay's head, 'Give him my love', seemed to echo around the room.

Chapter 40

Nick felt slightly guilty for not answering the telephone call when Adam phoned him, but he simply couldn't speak to him in the state he was in. When the text message came through however, he felt that he had to reply.

I'm okay thanks. Jen's gone to a meeting at the airport. Might as well have stayed in bloody Matala!

He wished he had stayed there too...with Sal... and made love to her, not some cold hearted control freak, out of some misguided sense of loyalty. He felt almost dirty...used.

Throwing the sheet back suddenly, he jumped out of the bed, turned on the light and made for the bathroom. He needed to shower...wash her off him...feel half decent again.

He was still in the shower, trying to shut off his troubled mind in the soothing warmth of the water, when he heard the knock at the door. It couldn't be Jen; she'd not even have reached the airport yet, and anyway, she had a key. Maybe it was Maria from the reception, wondering how many more nights they'd be staying there; he'd forgotten to let her know.

Pulling a towel from off the rail, he wrapped it around his waist and headed for the door.

"Oh, hi," he said with surprise when he opened the door to see Adam standing behind it.

"Hey there, alright if I come in?" Adam asked.

"Sure," Nick replied, opening the door wider and turning to walk across the room, where he grabbed a pair of shorts from out of his open suitcase and changed into them. "You alright?" he asked Adam. "How's things?"

"Not bad, but I was going to ask you the same question. Is Jen giving you a hard time again?" Adam asked, taking a seat in one of the purple, upholstered arm chairs by the window.

Nick Sat on the edge of the bed and ran his hands over his head at just the mention of her name. "When does Jen not give me a hard time?"

Adam winced in sympathy. "I feel for you mate."

"And when she's not giving me a hard time, she's not here. I really don't know why we're still together," he went on.

"Why are you still together?" Adam asked. He'd wondered that himself on a few occasions. Nick had been going through strife with Jen even before they had returned to the UK together. He was surprised that they were still a couple.

Nick sighed. "I don't know. She doesn't seem to want to let me go."

"So why don't you let her go?" Adam suggested.

Nick ran a hand through his hair. "I dunno. Our relationship got swept along; I didn't really have much control over it." He thought for a moment. "When I first met her, I was sure for a while we'd be good together. She'd been through shit in her past, like me. I thought we'd understand each other. You know, be there for each other. I guess that's why I feel I should stick with her; I made a promise." Adam sat and listened, letting Nick voice his thoughts. "But mate," Nick went on, huffing and shaking his head, "she's got major issues. I know it sounds lame, but I can't cope with the way her head works. She's screwed up and I don't think I can hack it."

Adam waited until Nick had finished before speaking his mind. "Nick, if a person has been through a lot of hardship and turmoil in their life, the last thing they need is to be with someone else who's been through just as much. Two hurt people can't heal each other, only hurt each other more. You need someone stable, who knows her own mind and can be understanding of your past," Adam pointed out. "And Jen needs the same. You're not doing either of you any good by staying in such a dysfunctional relationship."

Nick had listened thoughtfully to Adam's advice and sighed. "Yes, I know. I kind of realised things weren't going to go well last summer, but then, when it came to the winter, she was going back to the UK and I had a lot to face over there, and I kind of didn't want to do it alone. But then, I ended up alone anyway while she was dealing with her family, and before I knew it, she was talking about us moving back here together again. Damn it, I just wanted to get back here quickly though, so I left early," he explained. "But now I feel bad; she had a funeral to go to and her family gave her a hard time about stuff. I guess I shouldn’t have left her alone like that. Then she comes back here upset and... I’m involved in the relationship again."

"How about getting uninvolved?" Adam put to him.

"I want to," Nick stressed, "more than you realize, but... she's gonna put up a fight you know."

Adam frowned. "Nick, you can't be afraid of her."

"She's damn scheming when she wants to be Adam," Nick said. "It's not so much me, but other people I'm worried about."

"What do you mean?" Adam asked.

"Well, Sal for a start. Jen's got it in for Sal and she'll look for someone to blame if I split up with her. I don’t want Jen going near her. We spend a lot of time together. Jen thinks there's something going on behind her back..."

Adam rose an eyebrow and cut in. "And is there?"

Nick's heart thudded suddenly and, for a split second, he was tempted to tell Adam how he felt about Sal, but caution took over. Adam wasn't the most subtle person in the world when it came to relationships, and he would go straight to Sal and tell her. He'd be meaning to do good, but God, if Sal didn't feel the same and it suddenly became all awkward between them, he'd be gutted.

"No. You know me and Sal; we’re just good friends," he replied. "But Jen won’t believe that. She will think the break up was to do with Sal."

Adam contemplated Nick's dilemma. "But Sal can stand up for herself, and she has enough good friends around her too. What could Jen actually do?"

"You'd be surprised. And then there's you," he said, cautiously, pausing to see Adam's reaction.

Adam's eyes darted away from Nick then and he caught hold of the side of the curtain, peering around it to glance out of the window.

"What about me?" he asked quickly.

"Don't tell me you haven't thought before it was the fact Jen was with me, that stopped her from making a play for you again," he said.

Adam swiftly dropped the curtain and turned to look Nick in the eyes. "No, you're wrong there," he said adamantly. "The reason she won’t push it with me is because she knows I love fay. God damn it, she must know; I called Fay's name out while we were having sex!"

Opps, perhaps Adam shouldn’t have blurted that out to Nick, but he had always assumed that Nick knew he'd slept with Jen; everyone else in Agios seemed to know.

Nick had wanted to talk to Adam about this for a while now, but had always been worried that it would affect their friendship. He was quite glad now though that they were being open about it.

"Okay, let me ask you something: if you were so into Fay, how come you ended up sleeping with Jen?" Nick asked.

Adam became very still, but eventually spoke up. "I was upset and very drunk. Jen knew it and...well, she practically threw herself at me, sorry Nick, but she did. You do know that this was before you were with her, don't you?" he asked.

Nick nodded. "Yes, of course I know that. But there is my point in your answer; she's so damn manipulative. You didn't want to be with her, but you ended up in her bed anyway."

"Woa, hold on; you're not suggesting that she'll do that again are you? And that I'll fall for it."

Nick shrugged.

"No, you're so wrong there. Not now that Fay and I are together. I would rather chop my right arm off than do anything to jeopardise what we have together," he stressed.

"Maybe, but I'm just saying..."

"No maybe," Adam cut in. “Don’t use me or Sal as an excuse not to split up with Jen. We are big enough to look after ourselves, and we can deal with Jen; the question is, can you? And, do you want to enough?”

Nick thought about that. “God, yes I do,” he suddenly realised. “I wasn’t sure before, although I was pretty sure, but something was holding me back. Now though, after tonight, yes, I’m sure,” he concluded.

“Well then do it, face Jen and tell her,” Adam urged. “What happened tonight?” he asked, back tracking.

Nick groaned. “Well…” he paused awkwardly, “we had sex,” he finished. What was the point in trying to sugar coat it?

Adam hadn’t expected him to say that. “Oh, I thought you’d argued or something.”

“Not really,” Nick answered.

Adam shook his head; he was confused. “Err, okay, right…sorry, why was that so awful?”

Nick stared at Adam, wondering how much to tell him. In truth, Nick did want to offload some of the emotional turmoil he’d felt that night, and Adam was a good listener, and a good source of advice.

He sighed deeply. “It’s even more complicated than you think.”

“More complicated?” Adam said incredulously. “Right, out with it. This is going to get sorted now. I’ve never known anyone with so many complications,” he pointed out.

Nick laughed. “I know. Sorry mate.”

“Don’t mention it. What are mates for? Now, what else is on your mind?” he asked.

“The thing is,” he took a deep breath and dived in, “I have feelings for someone else.” Nick’s voice betrayed the inner nervousness he felt about vocalising that statement. Then he added quickly, “I haven’t cheated on Jen though.”

Again, Nick surprised Adam; it was a pleasant surprise though. “That’s good,” Adam replied brightly, “that you like someone else.”

“Yes it is but…” Nick was horrified then to feel tears prickle the back of his eyes at just the reminder of what he had done tonight, and how he’d ignored his feelings for Sal. “But, oh God, I’m so mixed up,” he admitted. “Strictly speaking, I did nothing wrong by sleeping with Jen. I should feel like I’m cheating on Jen for having feelings for someone else, but instead, I feel like I’ve cheated on...this other person.”

Adam was itching to ask who this other person was, but Nick wasn’t offering that information. Still, he couldn’t help but try to find out. "Is ‘this other person’ anyone I know?" he asked, as casually as he could.

Nick’s heart beat nervously. He shook his head.

Adam didn’t entirely believe him, mostly because there were very few people that he didn’t know in Agios. Nevertheless, if Nick wanted to keep that to himself, Adam would respect that and not pry.

“Does this person know how you feel about her?” Adam went on.

“No”, nick replied.

“Okay, well, do you think she feels the same about you?”

"No," Nick said at first, before hesitating and adding, "I don’t think so." He sighed, “Oh, I don’t know; I’m not sure.”

“So she might?” Adam pushed.

“Anything’s possible I guess,” Nick was forced to admit.

“Hmm, well the problem is, if she does feel the same about you, she'll never let you know how she feels if you’re still with Jen,” Adam pointed out.

“No I guess not,” he agreed, “but I’ve never really seriously thought that the two of us could be together, so splitting up with Jen hasn’t been a priority as such, up until now.”

“What, apart from the fact that Jen is majorly screwed up and messing with your head in the process?” Adam said sarcastically. “Nick, whatever the reason, splitting up with Jen should be a priority… for your own sanity.”

“Yeah, I know. Or at least, I can see that now,” he replied.

“Good.” Adam was on a roll now, and determined to put Nick in the right frame of mind. “So, about this other woman…”

Nick’s heart picked up its beat again.

“…just how much do you feel for her?” Adam asked.

Nick began to feel fidgety. “What do you mean?”

“Alright, I guess what I’m asking is, are you in love with her?” he asked boldly.

Oh hell! Nick wasn’t prepared for that question. “I don’t know,” he answered.

Adam frowned. “What do you mean, you don’t know?”

“I aint ever been in love with anyone before, so how am I supposed to know?” Nick said defensively.

“If you were, you’d know. You can’t be in love with her then,” Adam concluded.

In that instant, Nick felt suddenly sick with panic, as though just by hearing that, he’d lost something so incredibly important to him. On instinct, he spoke without realising he was going to.

"I AM in love with her!" he blurted out defensively, shocked by his own admission.

Adam seemed equally shocked and surprised. "Oh mate, that’s great, but what are you still doing with Jen then? It doesn’t matter if you’re not sure about this woman’s feelings for you, the fact is, that while you are still with Jen, this other relationship is never going to stand a chance.”

Nick felt the panic rise again at that thought. He ran a shaky hand over his face, to hide the moisture. “I’ve seriously messed up, haven’t I?”

“No you haven’t, not yet,” Adam replied, a little exasperated. “Stop giving yourself such a hard time. If you want this woman, and you think she’ll make you happy, fight for her with everything you’ve got, because people like that don’t just pop up every day you know.”

Nick contemplated Adam’s animated face. He was so sure of everything, and he always got what he wanted. He’d heard a million times about how Fay had snubbed Adam in the beginning and yet he still managed to win her over.

“Do you think I can make her fall for me?” Nick asked suddenly.

Adam smiled. “Yes, yes I do, if you offer her the things she needs to be happy, then yes. Of course you could do with going to the gym a bit more mate,” he said, gesturing to Nick’s bare chest. “You know, make yourself a bit more attractive to the opposite sex.”

Nick frowned and looked down at his upper body. He thought he was well toned enough.

“Yeah?” he replied uncertainly.

Adam burst out laughing. “No mate, I was kidding! If you go to the gym any more, you’ll show up the entire male population of Agios! Come on, get some clothes on, we are going to Sal’s place,” he said, standing up decisively.

“We are?” Nick answered with surprise, his heart thudding at the mere mention of her name.

“Yes, we are. Come on,” he urged, when Nick still hadn’t moved. Nick stood and headed for his suitcase. “She’s down in the dumps tonight as well; I don’t know what it is with everyone tonight,” Adam added.

At that, Nick’s head shot up. “What’s wrong with Sal?”

“Ah, she’s just a bit tearful. Fay’s with her though,” Adam answered.

“Tearful?” Nick repeated with concern.

“Yes. Nothing happened in Matala did it?” Adam asked.

Nick’s face lost some of its colour as he slowly stood, with a clean t shirt loosely held in his hand.. “Damn!” he exclaimed.

“What now?” Adam asked.

“I completely forgot; I was too concerned about being in trouble with Jen. Sal had a bit of a shock earlier today. But thinking about it, she seemed okay when we got back.” He growled with anger at himself. “But obviously she wasn’t. Damn it, I should have made sure she was alright though before I left her.”

Adam shook his head in confusion. “What are you talking about? What kind of a shock?”

“She got arrested,” Nick said simply.

Adam’s eyes widened. “Man, trouble seems to follow you around.”

“It was okay, just a misunderstanding, but…”

Adam cut Nick off. “Listen, put that on,” he gestured to the t shirt in Nick’s hand, “and let’s go, then you can see for yourself that Sal’s alright. I said I wasn’t going to be long; Fay will have my guts for garters.”

“Okay, I’m ready,” Nick said, after grabbing his key and wallet, and pulling the t shirt over his head as he strode over to the door behind Adam. “Let’s go.”

Chapter 41

Mike was restless, pacing the confines of his hotel room in the new town he'd found himself in. Was he really interested in being there? No. His only interest was in this ridiculous quest that the couple had mentioned. He laughed to himself; now that was entertaining. But for more amusement, he needed to get busy and make some phone calls. Nevertheless, all the details of his plan were not clearly thought out yet. He was impatient and wanted results now; not to be stuck there alone in that room. Still, he'd bide his time. The fun would soon begin.

"Ah, he's on his way back," Fay informed Sal, reading the text message that had just come through on her phone. "Oh, and Nick is with him."

Sal's hand froze midway in between supplying her mouth with another cheesy puff.

"He is?" Her eyes widened with surprise and , what seemed to Fay like, a sparkle of pleasure. Then a frown of confusion developed. "But what about Jen?"

"Apparently she's gone back to the airport for some kind of meeting," Fay answered, watching Sal inquisitively.

"What? But she's only just got back. She's nuts," Sal concluded, devouring the cheesy puff.

"Quite possibly," Fay agreed.

"I mean, doesn't she at least want to spend a bit of time with Nick before she rushes back to work again?" Sal asked, sweeping up her glass of wine. "They haven't been together for more than two seconds!"

"Yeah. There are workaholics, and then there is Jen; she's in a whole other league," Fay commented.

Sal sighed and took a sip of wine.

"Poor Nick. I don't like Jen," Sal announced.

"Well, neither do I much, considering..." Fay said.

"Yeah," Sal agreed, before turning to Fay. "Considering what?"

Fay became still for a moment, searching Sal's face. "You know, last year and all that."

"Last year?" Sal said, confused.

Fay tutted. "Come on Sal, think about it. Adam and Jen."

Sal gasped and turned herself on the sofa, placing a hand on Fay's arm. "Oh God yes, I'm sorry. I completely forgot about that." Falling back against the cushions again, she added, "Still, that was only a one night fling before you got together with Adam."

"Hmm, listen Sal, we are best friends; you don't have to pretend with me. I know how Jen feels. I've heard the gossip."

Sal turned again to Fay with interest. "What gossip?"

"Sal, are you serious?"

"Sorry, I might be being stupid or something tonight, but I really don't know what gossip you mean," Sal replied.

Fay contemplated her with disbelief. "Well then, you must be the only person in Agios who doesn't know that Jen is supposed to be madly in love with Adam."

"What?" Sal's hand dropped then slightly, spilling some of the contents of the glass of wine over her jogging bottoms. She placed the glass back on the coffee table and wiped away the moisture with one hand. "But...but...why? How can she be?"

"Well, if you ask me she isn't really. She hardly even knows Adam. Like you said, it was just a one night fling, and even then, Adam was so drunk, he hardly knew what he was doing. I think she's just delusional," Fay concluded.

"Hmm," Sal nodded, chewing her thumb nail thoughtfully. "But why the hell is she with Nick then?" She gasped suddenly. "Does Nick know?"

"I don't think he did for a while, but I think he must do now. I do honestly think that you are literally the only person not to know," Fay answered.

"Oh," Sal responded, then she sighed again deeply. "God, how awful for Nick. She probably just got together with him on the rebound..." Sal glanced at Fay, "...not that there was much of a rebound anyway from what happened between them. She must have given up on that when you two got together, realizing that she didn't stand a chance. I wonder why..."

Sal's comment was cut short by the sound of the doorbell ringing.

"...why Nick says with her?" Sal finished on a whisper, before jumping up off the sofa, but pausing to wait for Fay's response.

"That's the sixty four million dollar question. She's a bossy bitch though," Fay whispered back, "and you know what Nick is like, he's so laid back, he probably just goes along with her for a quiet life."

Sal's face was awash with compassion and sympathy for Nick. "It's all so bloody sad. Why can't all the nice people in the world find all the other nice people and be happy together?"

The doorbell sounded again and Sal suddenly looked panicked, covering her face with her hands and trying frantically to pull herself together enough to greet Adam and Nick. What was wrong with her tonight? She needed to get a grip.

"Here." Sal felt one of her arms being tugged down, and something pushed into her hand. "Sit down and drink some more wine; I'll get the door," Fay said.

Sal moved to the sofa again, pausing to take a quick glance in the long mirror on the lounge wall before she took a seat. She had appeared vaguely normal, apart from perhaps a bit of a sullen expression on her face. She sat, took a sip of her wine and forced a big, if not a little fake, smile. It wasn't going to work. She sighed as the smile fell away, and sipped her wine once more. Then the apartment was filled with the bustling sound of her visitors.

Sal turned to see Nick rushing through the door. She smiled a little weakly at him, slightly bewildered by his apparent urgency.
Upon reaching Sal, he crouched down in front of her so that he was on her level, taking her hands in his. "What is it Sal? Why are you upset?" he asked, his eyes searching her face disconcertingly.
Oh God, she wasn't prepared for either him knowing that she'd been upset, or his close scrutiny of her.

"Oh, I err... it's..." She could feel the tears still threatening the back of her eyes but she fought to stop his concern from letting them form.

To her relief, Nick interrupted and sent her a lifeline.

"Was it what happened in the police station?"

"Yes," she said, exhaling with relief.

"I should have made sure you were okay before I left you. I'm really Sorry Sal. It's just that Jen seemed a bit angry with me...it was all my fault...but now I feel like a real scum bag because you were here alone and upset."

How can Jen give him a hard time about anything considering how she is using him? And why should he feel like a scum bag? He hasn't done anything wrong.

Sal didn't even realize that she was crying until Nick rose his hand, cupped her face and wiped away a tear with his thumb.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered. But he wasn't just referring to leaving her that evening, it was what had happened after he'd left her. His heart was sorry for more than she knew.

"It's not your fault," she cried. "You had to go. I knew that...it's okay," she wept, contradicting her own words.

"Oh Sal," he said, pulling her to him and wrapping his arms around her. "It's not okay. You mustn't be alone and upset. Next time you must phone me right away and I'll come round."

"I can't expect you to do that," she replied, her body shuddering, her breathing unsteady, as she fought again to curb the outburst of emotion. "What about Jen?"

"I don't care about that!" he shouted out, more abruptly than he had meant to. She moved backwards slightly to search his face with surprise. He sighed and softened his tone. "You can phone me at any time, do you hear me? Any time," he repeated.

She gave a watery smile. "Thanks."

Fay had been standing at the doorway, watching their interaction with fascination. She turned, looking for confirmation from Adam that she was seeing, what she thought she was seeing, but Adam wasn't behind her. Where on earth was he anyway? How could he be missing this?

Chapter 42

"Where is Adam?" Sal asked suddenly, as if reading Fay's mind.

Fay turned back to see two pairs of inquisitive eyes staring at her.

"I've no idea," she said, opening the lounge door further and disappearing through it, calling out, "Adam? Have you been kidnapped or something?"

"Just sorting out a few little beverages my little honey bun," he shouted back.

Nick and Sal chuckled, releasing the tension, and Sal wiped away her tears yet again, striding over to the door with the intention of helping Adam out in the kitchen. She met Adam and Fay carrying glasses of wine however, before she got any further.

"Fay and I have wine here," Sal laughed.

"I tried to tell him that," Fay replied.

"Oh," Adam said, holding up the two glasses in his hand and glancing at the ones in Fay's. "Well, we aren't short of wine at least," he grinned.

Sal wondered if perhaps Adam was a little tipsy. She giggled to herself. Adam was funny when he was tipsy.

"What are you giggling at, cheeky?" Adam said to Sal.

"Oh nothing," she replied. "Here, let's put all the wine down on the table and we can do a lucky dip."

They all laughed, observing the table with not so much as a space between the objects on it: wine glasses and bottles, cheesy puffs, chocolate, candies and magazines.

"Well, now that I've sorted out everyone else's problems," Adam said, taking his wine and collapsing in the large blue arm chair in the corner, kicking off his shoes and putting his feet up on the arm of the sofa. "I'd like to let you all know that, firstly, on my way to work today, I found a big stripy cat sitting on the roof of my car, which refused to budge. So, being in a hurry, I nudged it off, after which it scratched me right along my arm. Look," he said, pulling up his sleeve.

"Has anyone got a magnifying glass so we can actually see that tinsy mark on Adam's arm?" Fay joked.

"And secondly," he went on, pulling his sleeve back down, "When I went to the bakery to get my favorite sandwich for lunch, I paid for it, but Penny kept me chatting for so long that I forgot to take my sandwich with me, and I didn't realize until I got back to the office."

Sal and Nick laughed. "Doh. Can't believe you didn't realize," Nick teased.

"And thirdly," he continued, "I stubbed my big toe just now as I came through the door." He wiggled his toe. "Awch!"

They all burst out laughing.

"Enough," Fay said, throwing a cushion at him. "We all feel terribly sorry for you. Do you feel better now that you've had some attention?" she laughed.

He made a pretence of sulking. "I need someone to take tender loving care of my war wounds," he hinted to Fay.

Nick sighed. "Okay, I'll do it," he said, jumping up and reaching for Adam's foot. They all fell about laughing again, apart from Adam who swiftly removed his feet from the sofa.

"No, that's okay Nick; you can stay where you are."

Nick grinned mischievously but sat back down in between Fay and Sal.

Despite missing out on a bit of TLC from Fay, Adam looked quite contented, relaxed in the blue arm chair, sipping his glass of wine.

"Mmm. It's so nice just to kick back for a while," he said, "especially knowing that we can lie in tomorrow; no transfers till late eh," he winked at Fay.

Fay laughed softly. "Don't get too relaxed there though Adam, and you could do with maybe slowing down on that wine," she replied, as ever the practical one in their relationship.

"I tell you what I could do with," he replied, glancing at Sal. "A sandwich. I'm ravenous; never got my sandwich for lunch remember. Is it okay if I raid your fridge Sal?" he asked. "Pleeease," he added. "My best ever little airport supervisor."

"Go on then," she smiled. "Since you asked so nicely."

Adam jumped suddenly out of his chair, and Nick's head swung to watch his progress towards Sal's fridge.

"Oh, and there's some homemade pie left in there too if you want some," Sal called out.

Nick's eyes widened. "Pie. Wait... that pie is mine!" he said, jumping up in a panic and racing after Adam, who had by this time already got the fridge door open and his hand on the Tupperware tub of pie.

Nick grabbed for the tub, but Adam nudged him away with one arm and moved to stand in front of the fridge, guarding it. "Out of the way. This pie is for me, Sal said so."

Sal was observing their banter with delight.

"No way," Nick replied adamantly, "hand it over, or I'll make you."

"Just try it," Adam said, holding the tub against him and backing away from Nick.

"Right, this is war," Nick shouted, "Pie war!" he said, before jumping on Adam and attempting to wrestle the tub out of his grip.

Sal began to cheer at the spectacle of her boss and her friend jumping all over each other like small school boys. Fay however, calmly approached the two, unbeknownst to them, and took the tub right out of Adam's hand in the midst of his distraction with Nick. She proceeded to open the tub, take out the remaining piece of pie and cut into two equal pieces. Eventually the men realized that the object they were battling for had been take off them, and they looked around at Fay in bewilderment.

"Here," she said to them, handing first Nick, and then Adam, a plate of pie, "Half each."

Both frowned as they looked down at their portions.

Adam spoke up first. "Okay Nick, it's either that portion of pie," he said, staring at the plate in Nick's hand, "or your job. Which is more important to you?"

"I'll take the pie," Nick replied without hesitation. This made Adam laugh, and Nick too.

"Come on now boys, go and sit down and eat it nicely," Fay said.

Sal giggled. She had the best friends in the world...and the craziest!

Adam huffed and retreated back to his arm chair to enjoy his pie. Nick sat on the sofa opposite him and eyed Adam's plate in between his own mouthfuls.

"She gave me more than you because she loves me more," Adam whispered to Nick.

"No I didn't; they were exactly equal, fair and share," Fay cut in.

Nick grinned triumphantly. "Fair and share," he mouthed to Adam.

In the following few minutes, Adam and Nick finished their food off, making exaggerated displays of enjoyment, as if suggesting that their particular piece of pie was better tasting than the other's. Finally, their empty plates were placed on the crowded coffee table and Adam sat back in his chair, wine glass in hand, with contentment.

"That was fantastic; you're a fine cook Sal," Adam said.

"Thanks," Sal smiled, pleased with the compliment that she was receiving from Adam.

"The only thing now that would really finish everything off would be a nice cigar," Adam chuckled.

Sal became still for a moment, staring at Adam. "Well, funny you should say that..."

"You haven't," Adam replied with disbelief. "Have you?"

Sal grinned and disappeared out of the lounge, returning minutes later with a small packet of cigars in one hand, and a lighter and ashtray in another. She handed Adam the ashtray and lighter, and opened the cellophane on the packet, before handing a cigar to Adam.

He looked down at the cigar in his hand with astonishment. "Oh what the hell; Sal, will you marry me?" he laughed. Sal and Nick laughed with him.

"But you don't smoke. Why on earth do you have those?" Fay asked.

Sal smiled but hesitated before answering, as if a little unsure whether to explain. "Err...well, I guess I was being a little too organized...or too optimistic," she chuckled, "They were kind of for if I got lucky one night... you know, for the guy, for afterwards."

"Wow, that is organized Sal," Fay said.

"Now I want to marry you," Nick laughed.

Fay turned to him, contemplating his face. He was watching Sal, who was laughing but focused on Adam for some reason.

"It almost seems a shame that they aren't being used for the right purpose," Nick added. "Can I have one Sal?"

Fay's eyes widened and she checked Sal's response again, but she hadn't seemed to have noticed Nick's subtle innuendo and simply handed him a cigar from the packet.

"Shall we retire to the balcony Nicholas?" Adam asked in an overly upper-class accent.

"Indupertably my dear fellow," Nick replied, rising out of his seat. "And by the way, I only let Sal call me Nicholas," he said, turning to wink at her.

Sal however, was clearing some of the dishes from off the coffee table and appeared to have completely missed the fact that Nick was trying his hardest to charm her. Now Fay was confused. She had originally thought that it was Sal who was yearning for Nick, but maybe she'd got that wrong. Sal seemed indifferent to him. But now it appeared to be the other way around; Fay was wondering if it was Nick who was attracted to Sal. God, she was useless at this; what she really needed was Ruth's insight. Ruth had a sixth sense for matters of the heart.

"Hmm, nice," Adam said, exhaling a long stream of smoke and glancing down at the cigar in his hand. "I've got to say, Sal will make some lucky guy one hell of a girlfriend..."

Nick simply nodded and leant over the balcony railing to look out over the sea as he rose the cigar to his mouth. He felt... edgy on hearing that comment, as if that could happen at any point soon, and time wasn't on his side.

"... or wife," Adam added.

Now Nick felt twice as edgy.

"Let's hope I can get Fay to the altar first though," Adam went on.

Nick turned to him with surprise. "Have you asked her?"

"Well, the problem is that she's still officially already married. I think she has a feeling that I intend to ask her though because she's practically put me off asking until the divorce comes through. I guess she just wants everything to be right, which I can understand, but after that, I'm asking her. The sooner I get a ring on her finger, the harder it will be for her to get cold feet on me."

"Ah I don't think she'll do that mate; you two are solid," Nick replied.

"Yeah, maybe it's just me; I can't stand the thought of us not being together," Adam said.

"You'll be grand," Nick assured him.

"So, what about you?" Adam asked, taking another puff from his cigar. "Think there's a chance for you and this mystery woman? Marriage and all that," he clarified.

Nick began to choke suddenly and puffed out a huge cloud of smoke which hid Adam from view for a few seconds.

"Don't do that to me mate," Nick said, waving a hand in the air to dissipate the cloud. "At least not unless you give me a warning first."

Adam laughed. "You're not afraid of marriage, are you?"

Nick thought about that for a moment. "Err, no, not really...it's just that, I suppose I've never really considered it before."

"Well consider it," Adam pushed. "And it's a test to see how much you really do like this woman. What would you do if she asked you to marry her? Would you want to?"

The reality of that statement suddenly hit him, and the fact that they were, albeit unbeknownst to Adam, taking about Sal. And then a sudden revelation came to him; the way his heart was racing with excitement at that moment, a niggling little 'yes' was playing in his mind. He imagined for a split second, Sal asking him...right there and then...that night...and he knew deep down that he wouldn't be able to resist. It was crazy, but hell...he'd say yes! He would… just because he always wanted to be with her, and she was so exciting; he couldn't fight that. The thought was too much for him. He had to calm down.

"I don't know mate; and anyway, it ain't going to happen, so there's no point in thinking about it," he concluded. "I'm gonna save this for another time," he said, stubbing the remaining half of his cigar out in the ashtray. "Cigars are good for the first few puffs, but then I've usually had enough."

"Alright, no problem mate," Adam replied, watching Nick do an about turn and open the balcony sliding door. "Oh Nick," Adam called out, halting him, "I was going to ask you if you wanted to come back to work with us. I assumed that you would. I could do with your experience and expertise."

"Yeah, for sure. I think Sal assumed you'd need me; she's already signed me up," he laughed.

"She's not bad; she can read my thoughts before I've even thought them," he replied.

"You want help tomorrow night?" Nick asked.

"You mean tonight." Adam glanced at his watch. "You know what, why don't you start on Tuesday? We will be busier then."

"Oh, sure. Tuesday then," Nick answered, moving through the door.

"I'd like you to do some trips too," Adam went on, "but let me get back to you on that, okay?"

"Sure. I'll leave you to finish that," Nick said, indicating to Adam's cigar, before closing the glass balcony door behind him.

Hmm, maybe Adam had been a bit too pushy about all the marriage talk. Still, if Nick was in love with a woman, what was wrong with thinking about marriage?

Adam savoured the cigar, taking in the distant view of sparkling lights on the horizon.

God he hoped that Fay wouldn't turn him down when he asked her to marry him. He didn't think she would, but with Fay, he just never knew. She was very touchy on the subject of marriage and tended to avoid it, but then, considering her experience so far in that area, he didn't entirely blame her. He would make her see though, how good it can be.

Glancing behind him, through the glass balcony doors, he could see that they were tidying things away. Fay would want to leave soon. Well, they did have a heavy evening shift to get through later. Right, time to go.

Adam stubbed out his cigar and reentered the lounge.

"Shall we leave Sal to get some sleep now?" Adam said to Fay, who was already picking up her handbag to go.

"Yes, it is getting rather late...or should I say, early," Fay replied, noticing that the sky was already showing signs of lightening up. The sun would be out in just a few hours time. At least now Sal would be tired though and not have time alone to sit and feel depressed. And she knew she could phone them if she needed to... and Nick. That was nice of him to insist on being there for Sal.

Now ready to go, Adam and Fay turned to Nick, who had by that time turned on the television and was sitting comfortably on the sofa watching it.

"Do you want a lift back to the hotel?" Adam asked him.

Nick had preempted this, but the thought of going back alone to that hotel room, with all the memories of what had happened earlier on that night, was not something he was looking forward to.

"Nah, I feel like stretching my legs, so I'll walk back. Thanks anyway," he answered.

"Are you sure?" Adam asked with surprise.

"Yes, I'm fine. I'll see you two later."

"Okay, if you're sure," Adam said.

Hmm, that was odd that Nick didn't want a lift home with them. Now Fay was really wondering what was going on between the two of them. Still, if there was something going on, Fay would be pleased for Sal; Nick was a nice guy. However, she didn't like the fact that Nick was supposedly still with Jen. Then again, maybe she was imagining the whole thing. She'd talk to Ruth.

Adam and Fay kissed Sal goodbye and left with orders for her to telephone if she ever needed anything, or just felt down in the dumps.

Nick stayed seated on the sofa, reluctant to move, whilst Sal saw Adam and Fay to the door. He had settled on watching the late night film: some murder mystery with no one famous that he knew of in it. It gave him an excuse to stay a bit longer though. He could hear the front door close, and then Sal's footsteps around the apartment for a while before she reentered the lounge. He didn't turn to look at her though, choosing to stay focused on the film in hope that she'd maybe let him stay a while longer. As it turned out however, she proceeded to open the balcony door, prompting Nick to flick his eyes in her direction to see what she was doing. He watched as she hung out some clothes to dry on her washing line. He recognized those clothes; they were her airport uniform.

"So, Adam said you can start on Tuesday at the airport," Sal commented, closing the balcony door behind her and hovering by the coffee table, wondering what to do next.

"Yeah, I guess you'll not be busy enough tonight. So, you got your uniform this year then," he observed, turning his attention back to the clothes that she'd hung up outside.

She glanced back at them. "Yes. I think it was a good idea to have uniforms; it makes the reps look more official."

Nick laughed. "Yeah, but that wasn't the reason you wanted a uniform last year, if I remember correctly."

"It wasn't?"

Damn it! Why did she never remember that first time they had met? He wished she would.

He shook his head. "Oh no, you wanted to drive all the men at the airport wild, remember?"

"Well, it's just a uniform Nick. I think I was being a bit overly optimistic on that score," she replied.

"I wouldn't say that," he grinned. "you look pretty hot in it."

Okay, now Nick had always made throw away comments like that before to tease her, so why now did that particular comment make her heart suddenly beat so nervously?

Nick was sure that Sal's face had turned a deeper colour pink just then, before she had turned again to glance out to the balcony. "Well, it's okay I guess, but I don't really like the neck tie much," she replied, irrelevantly, still avoiding eye contact.

"Maybe I just have a weakness for women in uniforms," he laughed.

"Hmm," she responded, unsure of what else to say on that subject. She fiddled nervously with her earlobe. "Well, guess I should get some sleep before work."

Damn, now she wanted him to leave. He only had one option; the direct approach.

"Come sit here for a while?" he said, holding out an arm. "This film is nearly finished," he lied...or at least, he didn't have a clue how much was left of it.

She moved hesitantly towards him, wondering where he expected her to sit. She plumped for leaving a cushion between them and sitting stiffly in her seat.

"Okay, what's up?" he frowned, watching her.

"What do you mean?" she replied.

"Do I smell or something? Come here," he gestured again with his arm. "I need a cuddle."

She leant back to observe him. "Why," she asked suspiciously.

There was a short pause. "'Cause I'm scared of monsters, and you're the only one who can save me," he joked.

She chuckled.

"Because you give the best cuddles," he amended. "And because both of us have had a...an...well, you know... an emotional night since we got back here."

She sighed, wriggling across the sofa towards him. "Some nights are just like that; don't know why. Everything just feels all... out of sorts."

He moved his arm over her head as she got closer, and around her shoulder, pulling her to his side. She curled up next to him, yawning and resting her head on his chest. She fitted perfectly there, by his side. He'd noticed that when she'd slept snugly next to him in bed the previous night.

"I know," he replied. And boy did he know, but he wasn't going to think about that now and waste their time together.

They sat their silently for a while, both of them pretending to watch the film, but in reality, both of them were lost in their own thoughts.

"By the way," Sal said after a few minutes, "it was my sun tan that was going to drive all the men wild, not my uniform."

A smile lit up his face. So she did remember.

"And, are you really afraid of monsters...and...do I really give the best cuddles?" she went on to ask.

"No and yes," he replied.

She smiled and nuzzled against him.

"Will you marry me Sal?" he mouthed silently to her, inwardly chuckling to himself. He was going nuts!

"What?" she asked.

He laughed.

"Nothing," he replied.

Chapter 43

 

Nick woke with a start, wondering for a moment where he was. Then he saw Sal’s shiny auburn hair below him and glanced around himself. Now all the events of the previous evening came back to him. What time was it? The room was completely light. How long had they been asleep? He inched forward slightly to release his watch arm, which was stuck under a cushion. Seven o clock. He was pushing it now; Jen would probably already be back. Okay, don’t panic. He’d just say that he couldn’t sleep and went for a walk. He really shouldn’t stay there any longer though or he’d seriously be asking for trouble; someone would see him leaving Sal’s apartment. Word was bound to spread. He’d have to sneak out of there pretty sharpish.He glanced down at Sal again and felt slightly guilty for having not left her earlier so that she could get some proper sleep in bed. Still, she had most of the day free until she’d have to get ready for work.

“Sal,” he whispered.She didn’t respond.“Sal,” he repeated, touching her arm.She groaned but only nuzzled into him more.

Damn, he wished he could stay there with her longer.Right, she really needed to get to bed, and he really needed to leave.He moved decisively then, tightening his grip around her middle whilst sliding his other arm under her legs. As he lifter her, he was amazed that she didn’t wake up completely, but instead, she simply readjusted her head against him and fell back to sleep.Carrying her into the hallway of her apartment, he was aware that he’d never been in Sal’s bedroom before, and now he felt quite intrigued to see what it was like.As soon as he opened the door however, before even having the time to take a proper look around, he realized that it was going to be exactly as he’d expected.

The floor and walls were plain white, as with most of the apartments there that were rented out, but Sal had truly made the room hers, with deep maroon colours in the bedding, cushions, curtains and rugs, and differing textures of silks, velvets and furs. Everything was warm, soft and indulgent, like the woman herself. Above the bed, breaking up the expanse of white wall, was hanging a painting of a pair of Latin American dancers, dressed in the same deep maroons, who had abandoned their dancing for a steamy embrace. It was all so Sal, and just looking around the room made Nick want her all the more. He burned to throw her down on that bed and make crazy passionate love to her, in the way she so desperately longed for. The room was her. It, and she, were passion itself, they embodied it.

Nick was drawn to the bed, where he pulled the sheets back and gently lowered Sal into the pillows and cushions. She sighed and rolled over, holding one of the cushions against her and resting her cheek against the fur of the bed throw. She looked so cozy and contented. He smiled down at her.It was then that the object on her bedside table caught his attention. At first, he’d thought it was just a book that she had been reading, but then he saw the gold writing on the cover, reading, ‘Journal, notebook diary’. His eyes widened; his heart thumped. No…he couldn’t. But what had she written in it? More importantly, how detailed was it? Then his pulse began to race as he realized that it probably was detailed and very truthful, knowing Sal. Oh God, he had to take a quick look; it was way too much temptation for him to resist.

Reaching down, whilst keeping an eye on Sal at the same time, he flipped open the cover. It made a sharp sound as the hard cover hit the table and Nick froze, waiting to see if Sal would stir. She lay still though, her breathing steady. She couldn’t have registered the noise. Still considerably nervous about doing so, he caught hold of the empty first page and turned it.

24th March – First Day In Crete.

Good God, this diary went back to last year!Now there was only one thing that Nick was interested in finding: diary entries for all the times they had been together. He began to flick through the pages, scanning the writing for his name. Damn, there were so many pages though; he’d been right, it was detailed. The first day they’d met, when had that been? Not long after she’d moved out to Crete. He turned back to the pages closer to the beginning.

Apartment hunting with Fay, what a nightmare!

Big night out with Pat = Big headache!

Found new apartment and got a job too, fantabulous!

That was it! That was the day they had met. He remembered her mentioning her new apartment.He frantically scanned the page, and the next one. Not one mention! Not once had she mentioned his name!Nick’s heart sank. Now the only thing he could do was to search in desperation for a time when she had mentioned him, hoping to hell that she had!Then there was a section entitled ‘transfers’. Finally, he found the first mention of his name.

Nick saved the day. He’s not so bad after all.

Gee, thanks Sal!Next page. Now that caught his eye.

Today it’s official. I am so incredibly horny, I think I’m going to explode!

He chuckled to himself.

Can’t believe I’m stuck here at the airport! Maybe I’ll just grab a guy, any guy, and find an empty office upstairs or something. Grrrrr, I NEED SEX!!!!

Oh God, if only he’d known! He had most probably been there at the time too!Damn, he wished he had more time with this diary, but it was so long.Okay, he’d scan once more for another mention of his name, and then he’d have to go. What a bloody shame though. If he thought he could get away with it, he’d ‘borrow’ the diary and sneak it back, but maybe that was going a bit too far. God, he was acting like a bloody stalker!Ooh, what was that?He turned back one page where he saw his name again.

Nick is so very naughty, lol. He thinks I don’t know that he hid the towel because he wanted to see me naked…so tempted to just shock him and walk around the apartment with nothing on, just to see his face! Hehehe Naughty boy!

His heart skittered with excitement as he read the diary entry. He stood, smiling at it. She’d known! Oh God, she’d known! He read it again…and again. He wanted more. He had to read more like that.Keeping that page with one finger, he began to flip and scan again. Damn, it was impossible though. He needed hours to really do this properly. Damn! He was forced to resign himself to the fact that he wasn’t going to be able to read more that day. Still, as long as the diary existed, there was the possibility of him taking another look at it again sometime. Okay, he was completely wrong to even think such a thing, and he knew it, but… Sal had a diary!Okay, he really had to go now.

He turned his attention to her sleeping form. She always looked so sweet when she was asleep. Kissing his fingers, he reached out to touch her cheek.

“Goodnight, I love you, crazy women,” he whispered softly.

Then he stood silent and still for a moment, realizing what he’d just said. He’d never told anyone in his life before that he loved them, not even his parents. He had just never known love before, and so he’d never felt it. He hadn’t thought he could. But what he’d just said, it was true; he did love her. And it didn’t feel odd, or scary, or uncertain or anything. It just felt so natural, as if he’d loved her forever.There was only one thing he needed to do now, and it had to be done that day: he needed to talk with Jen. He wasn’t taking no for an answer; they were finished.

Chapter 44

Nick couldn’t deny that he was nervous as he unlocked the door to his hotel room, but he was prepared for Jen. Nothing was going to stop him from breaking up with her. It wouldn’t be a pretty scene; he knew that. Jen would put up a fight. But what could she actually do in the end to stop him from leaving her?When he entered the room however, it soon became clear that she wasn’t there. The time was approaching 10am. She must have come back from the airport by now. In fact, he was surprised that she hadn’t tried to telephone him before then.After leaving Sal’s apartment, he’d decided to do what he’d planned on telling Jen that he’d done: go for a walk. At least then he wouldn’t have been lying, and it was good to stroll down the coastal road, taking in the fresh, morning, sea air. He had felt great, despite the impending confrontation he’d have to have with Jen. He’d felt alive, relaxed, confident, as if a new and wonderful chapter was about to begin in his life.But now he wanted it over with. He was prepared now. Where the hell was she? Pulling out his mobile phone from his pocket, he searched for her number and telephoned it.He couldn’t believe it; she’d turned the damn thing off! It was almost as if she’d had a premonition or something and was trying to prevent him from finding her so that he could finish it between them.Well, what the hell was he going to do now? He’d have to stay there if she was going to find him, but he couldn’t bear sitting in that room. He’d go down to the pool. He could leave a message with Maria at the desk to tell Jen where he was when she came back. A swim would be good. He could also have breakfast there, and relax on a sunbed for a while until Jen turned up.Unfortunately, by lunchtime, there was still no sign of Jen. Nick lay on the sunbed, willing himself not to think about it. She’d just turn up soon and then he’d split up with her, simple. But by 4pm, he’d swam and sunbathed and lay there, trying not to think, for too long. She clearly wasn’t coming down to see him. Maybe she was upstairs waiting, angry with him for not being there when she’d arrived back from the airport last night.He was however, wrong again. The room was empty. Damn her! This was torturous. He just wanted it over with.He collapsed on the bed and lay, staring up at the ceiling. About ten minutes later, his phone rang. Thank God!It wasn’t Jen though.“Nick, it’s Mike here,” came the voice on the other end.“Oh, Mike,” he said with surprise, “hi.”“Hey listen, I’ve been thinking about this quest of yours and I’ve come up with a fantastic idea. It could be great for you too,” he said, intriguing Nick.“Go on then, what is it?” Nick asked.“I’ve got some people who are very interested in taking part in this quest. They are friends of mine, people with a lot of spare time on their hands, a fair amount of money, and an interest in anything different that will fill that time. This quest is perfect. They can combine travel with culture, and with a prize at the end, there is an extra incentive.”“Right okay, but how can I help?” Nick replied.“Well, you know about the quest, and you know the island, but most importantly, you know hotels. There are a few people who are on their way today. Now, I could try to book rooms for them, but you’d know more about the best places, and if we get more people interested, you could make great commission. You could organize trips too,” he added.“Hold on though, I’ve already got a job, working for a friend of mine who runs a tour company. I don’t think he’d be too pleased about this,” Nick pointed out.“Well, it will only be for a few groups of people, and only for the period of the quest. It needn’t interfere with your friend’s business. Talk to him about it,” he suggested. “See what he says.”Nick thought about it. “I guess I could, but what do you get out of all this?” he asked.“Friends to travel with,” Mike replied, “and of course, I’d get the whole experience for free.”It all seemed to make sense. Maybe he would talk to Adam. There was no harm in approaching him with it. At least he wasn’t doing it behind his back.“Okay, I’ll speak to my boss and get back to you,” he concluded.“You’ll need to do it ASAP. There are a few already on their way,” he reminded Nick.“How many?” Nick asked.“I think about five managed to get a flight today,” Mike replied.“Well okay, that’s not so bad. Even if my boss doesn’t like the idea, I can at least recommend a hotel for you to book them into.”“Okay, but work on your boss, I could do with your help,” Mike pushed.“I’ll do my best,” Nick assured him. “I’ll phone him now and ring you straight back.”“Great. Good luck,” Mike answered, “Speak soon.”Nick spoke to Adam about Mike and his ideas. As Nick suspected, he was a little dubious to begin with, but he listened to Nick with an open mind, and came to the conclusion that Nick could do the work on the understanding that it didn’t interfere with his business. If it began to do that, then Nick would have to make a choice. Nick agreed to that and thanked Adam, feeling quite excited about this whole project. Mike was thrilled too. Now Nick would have to think more about how to structure the quest, but for the time being, his priority was finding somewhere for them all to stay.Heading for the hotel reception, he spoke to Maria about availability of rooms in that hotel. There were a few rooms free, which he could use if necessary, but Nick would rather put all the guests together in one hotel, so he went back to the room and made a few phone calls to some other hotels he knew. By seven o clock, he had made all the plans he could for now, but Jen still hadn’t appeared. Well okay, she used to have a habit of doing this kind of thing before, especially when work was involved, but it just seemed odd that she hadn’t tried to contact him or anything, and also, that she’d only just arrived back from the UK.Right, he needed to go to the airport tonight anyway. He may well see Jen there; then he could schedule a bloody appointment with her to break up! Either way, she’d have to go back to the hotel at some point, so he’d also leave a message with Maria. He didn’t need to be at the airport for a while yet, but he’d be damned if he was going to stay there any longer, waiting around, doing nothing. He’d get ready and go now. Then he could surprise Sal and keep her company for a while. He felt excited just at the thought of that and jumped into action.Nick dismounted his motorbike, took the keys from the ignition and popped them in the pocket of his smart, black work trousers as he headed for the airport building. It felt odd wearing airport clothes again: a white shirt, but no tie today. Besides, it was his quest and it was going to be a tieless one. He had briefly considered greeting the guests in shorts, but had decided against it, particularly since Mike had told him that the people weren’t short of money.Strolling through the coach park, which backed onto the outside desk booths, which in turn backed onto the airport building itself, Nick was hoping to find Sal at Adam’s desk so that he could surprise her. If he had to search for her inside the building, there was always the chance he could bump into Jen first, which would ruin… well everything, including his good mood.As luck would have it, he spotted Sal at the desk from the other side of the coach park when one of the coaches turned and left, unblocking his view. Yep, he did like that uniform of hers. It ‘hugged’ all the right bits. The snugly fitted skirt clung to her hips and bottom so very nicely. He could see that, even at a distance, from her silhouette. The cotton blouse was just as snug if he remembered correctly, and of course, being Sal, she always left a few buttons undone. Oh God, he was becoming hornier the closer he was getting to her.Then he remembered the diary entry. Was she feeling sexy now, right this minute? How would he know? He hadn’t known before. Maybe she was feeling ‘so sexy she was going to explode’. Maybe he could help her out with that, in one of the empty offices upstairs. She was right; he was a ‘naughty boy’. Oh lord, if only she knew! Now he had to calm down though. This was the airport: a place of decorum and formality. Oh God, but that was what made it all the more exciting and sexy. This was Sal’s fault. She’d put the idea into his head. Well, okay, he’d read her secret diary, but…she was a terrible influence on him. He laughed to himself. They were as bad as each other; that was what made them so great.Luckily, she was leaning back against the desk, staring out in the opposite direction across the airport grounds, lost in her own little world. He approached from behind her, lifting his hands and reaching out to gently cover her eyes.“Guess who?”She jumped and then froze.“Errr, give me a clue,” she asked, smiling.“Hmm, well… extraordinarily good looking, charming and multitalented.”“Ah, Brad Pit it is then.”“Better.”She laughed and swung around.“What are you doing here?” she asked.Oh God, just the fact that she was looking at him now suddenly hit him, and he couldn’t think. What was he doing there?“Err, it’s a long story,” he said vaguely.A frown flickered across her face. That was weird.“Oh, okay,” she replied.Oh hell, now she thought he was nuts.“So, how’s things?” he asked. That also sounded stupid. He was digging himself a hole.She laughed. He sounded as though he hadn’t seen her for months. “Things are fine,” she grinned, watching him for a moment before, turning again to glance out at the airport. “Actually, I’m dead bored. Just waiting for the flight to come in, but there’s a thirty minute delay.”“Well, you should be happy with thirty minutes considering, it could be a lot worse,” he answered.She turned to him again. Why was he there? “Yes, I know.”Okay, she was contemplating him now, her eyes all over his face, pondering, and making him feel twice as nervous. His eyes clung to hers in response, following their movements. Right, now he had to think of something to say; the silence had been stretching on now for a fraction too long. Oh damn, look away from her or something at least, you idiot.“I don’t remember how I got to bed last night,” she finally said softly.“You fell asleep,” he replied, in a half whisper, still lost in her gaze.“Yes,” she smiled, “I guessed that.”He laughed. Okay, that was obvious. “I carried you to bed,” he added.There was something in those words, or was it in the way he’d said them, that sounded so intimate when verbalized.She smiled, and suddenly broke eye contact then, glancing down at the desk for a moment before looking up again.“I hope I didn’t snore,” she said.He shook his head. “No, you looked real cute.”Suddenly the thought of him putting her to bed and watching her sleeping, together with his compliment, made her unexpectedly shy.She laughed awkwardly and was relieved to see a diversion approaching, in the form of her favorite airport dog, who she’d affectionately named ‘Stumpy’ after his short, chubby legs.“Ah my baby,” she exclaimed, crouching down and holding her arms out to him.Nick watched in bewilderment as Sal suddenly disappeared from view behind the desk. He stepped forward and leant over the desk to see the short legged dog receiving huge amounts of attention from Sal. Sal attention: hmm, damn lucky dog!“Hello sweetie pie,” she cooed, stroking his head and back, and belly, after he’d flopped onto the floor and rolled over for more ‘Sal’ attention. Oh, what Nick wouldn’t have given to be that dog right then.“Have you got a new friend, Sal?” Nick asked, peeping over the counter top.“Oh Nick,” she said, as if she’d forgotten he was there, “this is my favourite airport doggy, Stumpy. Stumpy, meet Nick.”The dog jumped up with Sal’s prompting and ran around the desk. Nick was astounded then to suddenly find himself bombarded with the overly enthusiastic dog as he jumped up and down his legs.“Ahh look, he loves you, Uncle Nick,” Sal giggled as the dog took a huge leap and almost knocked Nick off his feet. Nick just stood there, not knowing what to do. He never really knew what to do with animals, having not had any pets as a child.Sal walked around the desk and began to stroke Stumpy, who was still intent on getting Nick’s attention.“Nick, he wants you to stroke him,” Sal prompted.“Yeah, right,” he said, reaching out a hand to pat the dog on its head.“Not like that,” Sal said, grabbing Nick by the arm and pulling him down to the dog’s level. “Say hello properly; he really likes you.”Sal petted the dog, showing Nick how it was done, and prompting him to also show the dog some affection.“I really don’t know why he would like me,” Nick said.“Dogs have great senses; he knows you are a really nice, kind person,” she replied.On hearing that, Nick felt all soft and tingly inside. He turned his head then to look at Sal, who was crouched next to him. Her hands stilled on the dog’s fir, and she too turned her head, sensing Nick’s eyes on her.Did she really think he was a ‘nice, kind person’? She was by far nicer and kinder than him. She was so pretty, and beautiful, and sweet, and loving, and so totally natural at being all of those things. Oh God, he suddenly realized again that this was the woman he loved, and, without warning, for one frightening moment, he was bursting to tell her… right there and then.Why was he looking at her like that? She was being drawn in by his eyes again and it felt so strange. What was he thinking? She could never read him when he was like that. She had no idea what was going through his head, and it made her nervous…unable to think of what to say or do in those moments. He looked kind of different too, which was having an odd effect on her. He was dressed all smart. Well okay, it was his usual airport uniform, but she must have forgotten what Nick looked like in smart trousers and a shirt. And his aftershave too seemed to be more noticeable, especially since they were crouching down so close together. She broke eye contact then, as her nervousness got the better of her, and focused on the dog instead. But his hands were there too in its fur, large and manly. Why was she overly assessing everything about Nick? She’d never done that before.“Hi Sal.”The interruption startled her and she jumped up, looking around herself, almost as if she’d been doing something wrong.“Oh hi,” she replied, unable to hide her lack of enthusiasm at seeing David, the ‘Locatour’ rep from her neighbouring booth. He was always hanging around Sal’s desk, bugging her, and getting in the way at the most inconvenient times.“You got a delay again?” David asked, watching as she moved back around the desk, closely followed by Stumpy. The dog nudged David’s leg as they moved past him, and he instinctively brushed his trouser leg off, a move that Sal noted with annoyance.She glared at him. “Yes David, thirty minutes.”“Ah, poor you,” he replied, oblivious of her dislike as he stroked her hand, which was now resting on the desk. She pulled it away.Who was this jerk? Nick didn’t remember him from last year. Nick made his presence felt by folding his arms across his chest and leaning back against the desk, taking up most of the space. This did little to put David off however.“I’m just going to the snack bar Sal, do you want anything?” he asked.Sal thought for a second. “Yes actually,” she said, with a bright, polite smile. David’s face lit up. “I’ll have a bottle of water… for Stumpy.”David’s smile faded.“You sure you don’t want anything else? Something to eat or drink…for you,” he stressed.“Err,” Sal pretended to think about it. “No,” she concluded.David left then, to Nick’s delight, looking decidedly deflated.“Who’s he?” Nick asked.“Oh just some Locatour rep,” she replied.“He’s a jerk. If he pesters you too much, let me know, and I’ll have a word with him.”Sal smiled and leant towards him across the desk. “Have you come to be my hero?”“Well, not exactly…but I would,” he replied with a decisive nod. “Actually, I’ve been offered some work,” he announced.“Work?” Sal answered with surprise.“Yes, you’re not going to believe this but Mike phoned me. He’s got a load of tourists interested in the quest and he wants me to organize things. That’s why I’m here now; there are five coming on the Gatwick flight,” Nick explained.“Oh, great, but what about working with me?” she frowned.He smiled. “Hey look, I’ve already spoken to Adam about it, and he said that if it doesn’t interfere with our work, then he’s okay with it; I’ll do both. And anyway, I want you to get involved with the quest too. It was our quest to begin with, remember.”Her face lit up. “Yes, I remember. Sounds good to me then.”“Excellent,” he grinned back.“Well, I’d better check on this flight,” Sal said, picking up her clip board and bag.“I’ll come with you,” Nick said. “My flight won’t be that long now until it lands…assuming that it isn’t delayed as well.”“Where are the guests staying then?” Sal asked, as they strolled towards the terminal building.“I’ve booked them into the same hotel as Mike for the time being, but I’ll have to find somewhere else when more people arrive,” he replied.“How are you getting them back?”“Mike suggested just putting them all in taxis for now,” Nick answered.As it turned out, Nick’s flight wasn’t delayed, and it ended up landing just after Sal’s delayed plane. Sal left Nick then to go and find the two other reps that were also working that evening for her, whilst Nick waited outside the arrivals door for his guests to come through, with their names at the ready. He’d asked Maria if she could print out the five surnames onto an A4 sheet of paper, which he’d attached to a clipboard so that it would be easier to find the correct people.As Nick stood in the arrivals hall, unbeknownst to him, a familiar face was lurking amongst the crowds of people, waiting and watching him.Soon, streams of people began pouring out of the arrivals door, firstly from Sal’s flight, and then from the Gatwick one. At first Nick was pleased with the people who approached him enthusiastically, asking about the quest and showing a lot of interest in the project. Even some other tourists were listening in, with curiosity, to the chatter between Nick and his guests. However, Nick soon became confused with the names on the list he had, as more and more people approached him. Maybe some random tourists had become confused and thought that he was their rep because there were far too many people there. He was trying his best to be polite and answer everyone’s questions, but soon he was simply being mowed down. What was worse was that the crowd around him was blocking the path of everyone else coming out of the arrivals door, causing great annoyance amoungst the other reps. How embarrassing!“Right everyone, can I please have your attention,” Nick suddenly shouted out. “All those people who have arrived here to do the quest, booked by Mike, can we please move out of the way of the other people arriving. If you’d like to move outside then I can talk to you there. Can we all gather by the seating area opposite the taxi rank please?” he said, ushering the huge crowd through the electric doors.The familiar face watched them go, chuckling to himself.Outside, the crowd just seemed to get bigger and bigger, and the people got chattier and chattier, and sometimes more agitated as the odd person began to complain. Things were getting out of hand; he had to do something. Clearly when Mike had said five were arriving, he didn’t mean five people, or even five couples, he meant five groups… and big groups too! But then how the hell did he expect Nick to find enough taxis for them all? If Mike had known there would be so many people, why didn’t he ask Nick about a coach? Not only that, but he hadn’t booked anywhere near enough hotel rooms!“Okay everyone, as I’m sure you can appreciate, there is only one of me, and many of you, so if I can ask you all to be a bit patient please. I’m going now to find your transport but it will be at least fifteen minutes, maybe more, until we will leave. If any of you would like to go and take a seat indoors and grab a drink or snack from the café, then please feel free to do so, and meet back here in fifteen minutes,” he suggested.There were a few mumbles of protest from the crowd then, but finally, most of the people dispersed and gave Nick some much needed thinking time to sort this whole mess out!“Nick, what on earth?” Sal said, tapping him on his shoulder.He turned, running a hand through his hair. “I know! Bloody Mike didn’t tell me this many people were arriving tonight!”“You’ll never get that many taxis,” she pointed out.“I know,” he sighed. “What the hell am I going to do, Sal?”“Oh crap. Err, well look, you’ll have to go see if you can find a free coach. Sometimes they wait around in between flights. Or they might have just finished. If you’re lucky, the company might agree to do a quick run for you, but you’ll have to offer them extra money. You’ll be okay there though, because the people were prepared to pay for taxis, so just work out how much you want to offer the coach company and then let the guests know how much they’ll have to pay. If they complain, just tell them something like it is better for them all to go together than wait around for taxis.”“Right,” Nick took a deep breath. He could do this. He went to move then, but stopped and turned to Sal. “Sal, I know that you’re busy and everything, but do you think you could just work out the money side of it, how much I should offer and how much, say, a thirty seater coach would coast them each? It’s just that…” He breathed in deeply again, and it looked to Sal like he was close to hyperventilating.“Don’t worry, I’ll work it out,” she said, with a supportive hand on his arm. “And I’ll calm down the crowd as much as I can when I’ve got any spare time. You just concentrate on finding that coach.”He breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks Sal…Oh hell, the hotel!” He exclaimed, suddenly realizing that finding the coach was only one of his major problems.“Oh yes, okay, leave it with me; you can’t do everything all at once. Just find a coach first that will be willing to get them to resort. I’ll ask around about the hotel,” she reassured him.Oh thank God.“Sal,” he said, grabbing her by both arms, “I could kiss you right now. In fact, I think I will,” he said, pulling her abruptly towards him and kissing her firmly, but swiftly, on the lips before running in the opposite direction towards the coach park to find the all-important coach.Sal lifted a hand to her mouth and giggled to herself, glancing around to see who had noticed. Nothing seemed to be amiss, apart from the fact that now she’d completely forgotten what she was supposed to be doing.

Chapter 45

 

Sal returned to her desk and gave instructions to her reps, before taking a few minutes to make a quick calculation on how much Nick could offer the coach drivers. She then divided this number by thirty, for a thirty seater coach, and wrote the information down on a slip of paper. At this point, a couple of tourists arrived at her desk, asking for replacement plane tickets, and so she handed the paper to one of her reps, telling them to find Nick and give him the note.

After writing out the replacement tickets, and ensuring that her other rep was coping with directing the stream of guests to their coaches, she took a few minutes to chat to some of Nick's 'quest' tourists. They seemed to warm to Sal's lively, enthusiastic chatter, and were interested to know a little about Nick and Sal's trip to Matala …minus the small matter of them both getting arrested! Having assured the people that Nick had everything in hand and would be with them soon, Sal returned to her desk to direct her own guests, whilst at the same time, racking her brains to think of who would know about a hotel that would have enough space to accommodate all of Nick's extra guests.

The first person who sprung to mind, and who would almost definitely have a solution to the problem, was Jen. She had contacts with everyone. There was no way though, that Sal was going to speak to her! The next best person to help would be Jo. Now, Jo and Sal got on quite well together, and had even been on a few 'girly' nights out once or twice, so she knew that Jo would try her best to help if she could. However, Jo was good friends with Jen, and would probably just refer Sal to Jen straight away. Considering that she couldn't really explain why she didn't want to talk to Jen, Sal needed to come up with a way of getting around that. Of course, the other obvious person to ask would be Adam, or Fay, but if she asked either of those, it would seem as though the quest was interfering with Adam's business, and that could jeopardize both Sal and Nick's jobs. Okay, there was only one thing for it, she'd have to phone Jo and make up some excuse about why she couldn't speak to Jen about it.

Pulling out her phone, she called Jo's number. The phone rang out for quite some time, dashing Sal's hopes for a moment, until a breathless Jo finally picked up.

"Hi Sal, you okay?" came the voice.

"Yes, hi. Sorry, are you busy?" Sal asked.

"Just running a bit late. I'm supposed to be meeting the girls in 'Shots Bar' tonight for a drink before the airport run, but I really don't think I'll make the drink. Got to iron my uniform yet and sort out my paperwork. Oh well, I'll have to let them know I can't make it. No big deal. So, what are you up to? Aren't you working?" she asked.

"Well yes, but I just wanted to pick your brains for a friend of mine. Do you know of any hotel in the Agios area which would have a lot of free rooms available? I'm talking about at least thirty."

"Thirty!" came the reply.

"Yes, and for tonight too," Sal answered.

"Bloody hell Sal, what's this friend of yours done? Misplaced a whole hotel?"

"Err, well kind of. But Jo, this is an emergency. There are thirty guests here at the airport causing riots," Sal over exaggerated. "We are in dire need of your help. Do you know of anywhere?"

Jo huffed and sighed. "Sorry Sal, nowhere with that many spare rooms."

"Oh hell," Sal came back.

"Okay, listen, I've got to run, but when I get on my coach, I'll make a list of some hotels that I know do have some spare rooms. The guests will be split up, but it may be your only option," Jo pointed out.

"Oh okay, thanks for that."

"Have you spoken to Jen about this yet?" Jo asked.

There it was; Sal knew she'd say that.

"No, I can't get hold of her, but I'll try again now," Sal said.

"Ok, she's more likely to know of somewhere."

Didn't Sal know it!

"Yes, thanks. I'll try her again," Sal repeated. "Thanks for your help Jo."

"No problem…Oh Sal, I hear that it's your birthday next week," Jo added.

Oh yes, Sal had been planning that for months over the winter, but despite it being so close now, the last couple of days had been so busy that she'd forgotten all about it.

"Yes. Who told you?"

"Ruth I think, anyway, let me know what you're planning to do, and we can meet you in town somewhere for a celebration if you want," she suggested.

"Yeah, that would be great. I'll let you know," Sal assured her.

"Cool. Right, I really have got to go now. Speak soon Sal."

"Speak soon. Bye," Sal replied, hanging up.

Damn, she was no further to finding a hotel, and what's more, she'd soon be busy with seeing her own coaches off and making sure that all the tourists were accounted for. In one last bid to help Nick out, she dashed from booth to booth, asking all the tour supervisors and bosses if they knew of a suitable hotel. However, at such last minute notice, no one that she spoke to could think of anywhere with enough free rooms.

Finally, she was forced to return to her desk to make sure that her own guests were being looked after.

Nick had spoken to almost every coach driver at the airport that evening, but his only hope at that point was Nikos, who had agreed to do the transfer on the condition that his boss authorized it. The only problem was that his boss had finished work and gone home for the evening, so he was therefore not answering Nikos's calls. Now they were playing a waiting game.

Whilst Nick had been desperately darting around the coach park earlier, his phone had rang, and, to his consternation, when he fished it out to see who the caller was, he realized that it was Jen. Fearing that she may disappear again, he had quickly answered the call. She apologized for having worked through last night and earlier that day, and for the fact that her phone had turned itself off after the battery had run out. He was surprised at her tone, which had been apologetic and agreeable… for Jen. Strange. Oh well, at least now he knew that she was back at the hotel and he could talk to her when he returned from the airport.

In the process of seeing off the last coach of guests, Sal's phone rang.

"Jo," she said, on picking up the call. "Hello again."

"Hi Sal. I might have a hotel for you," she said enthusiastically.

"You're kidding," Sal replied. "That's fab."

"Well, kind of, but there's a slight hitch," Jo infirmed her.

"Slight? How slight?" Sal inquired.

"Well, basically, the reason why there are so many rooms free in there is because…" she paused "… it's not quite finished."

"What do you mean 'not quite finished'?"

"Well, all the rooms are fine, it's just some of the hallways and public rooms that need the finishing touches. You know, a few fittings, licks of paint etcetera. It's due to open in a few weeks but I've spoken to the owner, and he's agreed to let your friend's people use the rooms at a reduced rate if they want to. I've seen the actual bedrooms and they are lovely. It's a five star hotel," she pointed out.

"Oh, okay." It sounded like a real possibility. "And he can take all thirty people?" Sal asked.

"Yes. More if needed."

"Oh well, that sounds great. I'll tell my friend and see what he thinks. I'll need the hotel address and the number of the owner though. Can you possibly text me them? It's just that I'm right in the middle of the coach park at the moment," she said, spotting Nick at that point and motioning for him not to go. "Hold on a sec Jo," she said, yelling at Nick that she might have found a hotel and for him not to disappear. "Sorry. Is that okay then? Can you text me that?"

"Sure. I hope it all goes well for you," she replied. "Let me know about your birthday."

"I will, and thanks a million. I owe you one. Speak soon. Bye," Sal Said.

"Bye," came the reply.

"What have you found?" Nick asked, watching as Sal pulled out a pen from her handbag.

"Okay well, it's not perfect, but it's the best I can do. It's a hotel that is opening officially in a few weeks' time. All the bedrooms are fine, but some of the hallways etc. need the finishing touches," she explained. "But they can accommodate all your guests."

"I'll take it," Nick said instinctively, wondering just how angry the guests would be by now for having waited so long.

"If the guests complain, tell them to speak to Mike," Sal advised. "It was him who got you into this mess."

"I know," Nick replied.

Sal's phone beeped than and she got Nick to hold her clipboard while she scribbled down the details of the hotel and owner onto a piece of paper, ripping off the strip and handing it to him.

"Those are all the details. Good luck. Did you manage to sort out a coach?" she asked.

"Yes, it was close, but I got one," he smiled.

"Brilliant! You've worked miracles. You deserve a medal for this," she said.

"You do! I don't know what I'd have done without you Sal," he answered.

"Well, we did it together," she summed up. "Do you need any more help with your guests?"

"No. You've been amazing. I'll be fine now," he assured her.

"Okay. Well, you'd better get back to them. I'm going home now," she said, fishing her car keys out of her bag.

"Okay, and thanks again," he said.

"No problem. Catch up later," she replied, heading for the car park.

He watched her go for a second, before calling out to her. "Sal."

She stopped and turned to him.

"I've got to go to Knossos tomorrow to prepare for a tour of the place. I was going to ask Fay and Adam along, to practice on them and get some ideas. Do you want to come too?" he asked.

Her face lit up with interest. "Yes, I've never been."

"Then for sure you must come," he replied. "Maybe we could hit the beach after too for a swim," he suggested.

"Great," she replied. "Give me a ring tomorrow when you've spoken to Adam and Fay."

"Yeah, I will," he smiled. "See you tomorrow Sal."

"Yes, see you then," she answered, strolling away.

He watched her go. That sexy walk…sexy uniform… sexy Sal. And what's more, he missed her already. He'd give anything for it to be tomorrow right then, and for him to have done, what he knew he'd have to do when he got back to the hotel: break up with Jen. Well, at least, however the breakup went, he'd be seeing Sal tomorrow. And then maybe, after a while, a proper relationship would develop between them. It had to. He'd make her so happy, that she'd never want to be without him.

Due to the help that Sal had given Nick, his biggest worry that night didn't turn out to be his new guests; they didn't even seem to notice that there was anything out of the ordinary about the hotel. His worst anxiety was most definitely facing Jen, and he became more and more nervous the closer he got to Agios.

As he turned the key in the door of the hotel room, he was wondering now whether to leave speaking to her until the next day, as it was getting rather late. However, at the same time, he was by now just desperate to get it over with. On entering the room though, he was astonished to find that Jen wasn't in there! This was getting to be ridiculous! Now she was just playing games or something; she had to be.

Taking out his phone, he telephoned her number. She answered almost immediately.

"Where the hell are you?" he asked.

"Babe, I've been waiting for you," she answered, as if butter wouldn't melt in her mouth. "But I got bored, so I just popped downstairs to the meeting room to prepare for my meetings tomorrow."

My God, could she never just give up on work!

He hung up on her in anger then. This was one of the many reasons why they could never have a happy relationship: she put work above everything else in her life.

Storming down stairs to the reception, he spoke to Maria and booked another bedroom, before heading straight for the meeting room.

He wasn't entirely surprised to find when he got there, that the fact he'd hung up on her still hadn't stopped Jen from working. She was sitting at the desk, filling envelopes with welcome pamphlets when he found her. Well, here was as good a place as any to do this, and at least they wouldn't be disturbed at that time of night.

"Hey babe. I'm just coming now," she said, as he walked into the room.

"Listen Jen, we need to talk," he replied, approaching the desk and pulling up a chair to sit opposite her.

Her busy hands froze then and she watched him suspiciously. He sat in silence for a moment, just staring at her.

"What?" she said, with a touch of annoyance.

Here goes nothing. "It's not working between us Jen."

He held his breath and waited for the onslaught.

"What do you mean?"

"Look, let's face it, neither of us are happy together," he replied.

"Why, what's wrong?" she answered, before changing her tact. "Okay, is this because I've been so busy since I've been back?" She didn't give him a chance to reply. "It's just because I've been sorting out work for the summer babe… for us," she added, placing her hand over his.

He turned his over and took hold of her hand. "Jen, you need to be free to find someone to love, who will make you happy and fulfilled."

"Who says I'm not happy with you?" she said, her voice rising in pitch.

Oh hell, he didn't like the sound of that. She was working herself up to the anticipated explosion.

"We don't want the same things. We never do anything together. We don't even have the same friends," he pointed out. Right, now was time to lay it on the line. "I think it's time we split up."

She pulled her hand abruptly away. "What? But I've only just got back! And what about last night? Did that mean nothing to you? Because I thought it was fantastic, Nick," she appealed, in a softer voice.

He sighed. "It was Jen, but that still doesn't change the facts. I'll move into another room. I'm sorry," he said, standing up and praying that he'd got off lightly.

Not a chance.

She stood suddenly and the chair made a loud grating sound on the floor as she grabbed hold of his arm, stopping him from walking away. "Hold on a minute, is that it? After all we've been through, and all the promises you made."

"I'm sorry Jen," he repeated.

"Sorry!" she shouted angrily, before checking herself. "But why Nick? Why are you doing this to us? I'll cut down on work," she said with desperation. "We can do more things together. You should have said before; I didn't realize."

"But that's the point," he said, "you should have wanted to be with me more, not relied on me to tell you."

She searched his face in silence for a moment then, attempting to come up with answers.

"I'm just trying to make ends meet," she replied with tears forming in her eyes. "You know I have to send money home, and I want us to have enough money too. That's why I have to work so much."

"That's not just it," he countered. "Jen don't pretend, you thrive off work. You need it, for some reason. But I'm not like that. I need more in life than just work."

"Well what's wrong with being ambitious? And I'm bloody good at what I do. People respect me for it, and that makes me feel good. But if it's making you unhappy, then I promise that I'll cut down the hours," she said, "because I want us to be together. I need you."

"You can't change who you are," he replied. "You'll find someone who is right for you. And that's not me, Jen. And by the way, it's definitely not Adam."

"What's Adam got to do with this?" she came back swiftly.

"Look, I know you have a thing for him, but he's never going to leave Fay. And besides, you two have no relationship together, you never have."

"Adam and I are history, I know that. I just want you," she said, tightening her grip on his arm.

"Jen, come on, don't do this," he replied. "I'll still be here for you as a friend, but as a couple, we just don't work."

The tears began spilling then and streaming down her face. "We could make it work; just wait and see. I can do anything I put my mind to, you know that. I'll make things better."

He shook his head. "You can't Jen. I'm so sorry." He had to leave then before he got dragged back into the relationship just because he felt sorry for her. "Look, I'm going to bed. I've booked another room. I'm sorry," he said again, untangling himself from her and walking away.

"Wait," he heard her shout behind him. He had to keep walking. "Nick, stop for a minute. You have to stop… Nick, please…" she begged.

Tears were now streaming down his face too, but he couldn't let her see that.

He'd just made it to the door however, when she dropped the bomb on him.

"Nick, you can't leave me. I think I'm pregnant!"

Chapter 46

 "What? But…but… How? How can you be?" Nick stuttered in shock.
"I stopped taking The Pill," Jen replied sheepishly.
"You what? What the hell… why? What…what were you thinking of?"
"Don't be angry with me Nick," she said, taking a few steps towards him in appeal. "It didn't agree with me. It was making me tired all the time and…"
"Oh right, we can't have that, can we?" he said, bitterly. "Because then you can't stay up all hours of the night, working." He paced the room, incensed and in disbelief. "Who cares about that anyway; why didn't you tell me?" he shouted at her. "Okay, come off the pill, but tell me for God sake!"
"I was going to tell you, but… last night, everything happened so fast. You didn't give me time to think," she replied defensively.
"Last night. Wait, when did you stop taking the pill?" he asked.
"Only last week. So you see, I haven't had a chance to tell you."
"Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me, Jen? I didn't know; you should have stopped me! Hold on, but it was only last night then? That was the only time that we did it.... unprotected?" he asked.
"Yes."
He exhaled, feeling a little of the pressure lifting then. "Well, okay, so you may not be pregnant then. It only happened once," he reminded her.
"I know, but I can't help thinking that I might be," she replied, placing her hands over her stomach.
His eyes shot to her hands in wide eyed horror. "But you don't know that!" he answered in panic.
"No, I don't know for sure, but there's a chance I might be. We weren't protected."
He growled and began pacing again, his hands holding his head. "Okay, so how long do these things take…to know for sure?" He couldn't believe he was asking that. This couldn't be happening to him. Not with Jen. Please not with Jen. This wasn't how things were supposed to go.
"I'm not sure," she answered.
"Well about how long? Round about," he pressed.
"At least a month I suppose," she said.
A month. A month of not knowing. But he needed to know now!
"What are we going to do?" Jen asked. "If I am pregnant, you aren't going to leave us are you…me and the baby?"
He swung his head to her then with an angry glare. "What do you take me for? Do you think I'm going to desert my own baby… especially after what happened in my own childhood!" he shouted.
"No, I'm sorry babe. I know you wouldn't do that," she replied shakily.
Nick had actually never seen Jen so unsure of herself and nervous, and it made him feel guilty for reacting in the way he was. But the only reason he could think of for why she would fail to tell him about The Pill, was because she wanted to trap him in that relationship. Why else? God this woman was so psychologically disturbed to even think of doing such a thing.
"I'm going to bed, and Jen, I'm using the other hotel room. I need time alone. We will wait a month, or until you know for sure if that's sooner, and then I'll think of what to do. For now, I just don't know," he said, turning to leave, feeling utterly drained.
Then a thought hit him and he swung back to her as he reached the door.
"Oh and Jen, if there is a baby, I'll be there for it, and I'll also stick by you for now; for now we act as if nothing has changed. But you tell no one about this until we know for sure. You hear me," he stressed, pointing a finger at her. "And even when we know for sure, you leave me to tell my friends. I'm not kidding Jen, you go behind my back on this and I'll never forgive you." And with that, he stormed out.
If she wasn't pregnant, then no one need know that they thought she was, and nothing will have changed. But if she was…
Nick practically ran upstairs to their original room to collect all his belongings before Jen got back there. Luckily he beat her to it, and then went in search of the other room he had booked that night.
The room brought him a little relief, with its clean smell and lack of presence of anyone in it. No memories, no hint of Jen's perfume, the layout and decoration was even different. He threw his suitcase down on one of the single beds, and himself down on the other.
"Oh Sal," he said in a half whisper, covering his face with a hand as he wept, "I'm so sorry; I've messed everything up. You deserve better than this, so much better. You're better off without someone like me."
Once alone with his thoughts, the idea that Jen really might be pregnant began to torment him. He began to believe the worst, mostly because it would be his punishment for sleeping with Jen last night when he knew it felt wrong. He knew that there was no love between them, but he'd gone ahead anyway. And now he'd lost any chance of happiness with Sal. He felt so heavy with grief and regret as his body shook with great sobs. He'd always known all along though, that him and Sal were too good to be true. People like him never got to be with people like her, but it had been so wonderful for the time he'd had hope. All of last summer, and particularly their time in Matala, had been the best times of his life. He'd never forget that. He'd hold it in his heart forever.

Chapter 47

 

After hours of self-reprimanding and soul searching, Nick finally fell into a fitful sleep. He was awoken by his mobile phone ringing and he sprung up in bed in a panic, wondering what he was late for, where he was, and who was trying to contact him. Then the awful previous night came back to haunt him when reality struck with a vengeance.

Reaching out to the bedside table, he grasped his phone and glanced at it. It was Sal!

"Hello," he said, sounding somewhat surprised that it was her.

"Hey you, aren't we going to Knossos today?"

He struggled to a sitting position in the bed, feeling a sharp pain shoot through his head as he did so.

"Oh sorry Sal, I must have slept in. What time is it?" he asked.

She laughed. "That's my job; I usually sleep in. It's nearly 12 o clock."

"Oh hell, I've got to go see the guests at some point today too."

"I've spoken to Fay and they want to come; Adam hasn't been to Knossos either," she said enthusiastically. "You do want to still go, don't you?"

"Err, yeah," he replied.

Hmm, he didn't sound very sure.

"You go and see the guests first then, and then we will have the whole rest of the day. It should be fun, the four of us. Don't you think?" she said, trying to cheer up an unusually glum sounding Nick.

"Oh yeah, course."

There was a pause.

"Nick."

"Hmm."

"Is there something wrong?" she asked.

If he were honest, his mind wasn't fully on what she was saying, or on anything that day would bring, apart from coming to terms with what Jen had told him last night. But he did need to figure out the Knossos trip. Maybe the distraction of their day out, and the whole 'quest' project, was going to prove to be a godsend for Nick; it would stop him from dwelling on whether he was going to be the father of Jen's child or not.

"Err, no. I'm…I've just woken up, that's all," he replied.

"Oh, okay. Well, what time do you want to meet us? Adam offered to drive," she informed him.

"Oh that's good. Give me an hour and a half. I'll pick you up on my bike and drive us both to Adam's house."

"Okay. See you at one thirty Nick," she said.

"Yeah, see you then Sal."

Nick threw his phone down on the bed and collapsed back into the pillows. Could he really face today? He just wanted to curl up there in a ball for a month, and then… he didn't know what then. He couldn't imagine things turning out any better after the month either. And how would he feel seeing Sal today, knowing that sometime in the future he might have to tell her that Jen and he were having a baby! That would clearly put a permanent end to any chances he ever stood of making Sal his. Couldn't he just go back to yesterday, or the day before, or any time between when he met Sal and last night? Then he'd always had hope that perhaps they could be together, and he'd known the excitement of anticipation, of 'what would happen if?'

Okay, but he couldn't just lie there; Sal, Adam and Fay were waiting for him, as were 'The Quest' tourists. He'd just lie there for a few more minutes in the hope that his head would feel less like it was splitting in two, and then he'd jump in the shower.

Nick picked up an excitable Sal on his motorbike, and he arrived at Adam's house to more chatter and enthusiasm when all three of them got together. He felt as if he were viewing the scene from above, as he didn't feel part of this lively, every day scene, in which everything was normal for the people involved. It was as if someone had placed a huge lead weight in his chest that was bearing down on him constantly. He became like a robot, automatically answering questions and smiling at the right times to appear as if everything were fine. But inside he was crying out for help, and desperately wanted to ask his closest friends for it. Conversely however, he needed to hide the pregnancy from the three of them, of all people, because it was Sal, Adam and Fay whose respect he wanted the most. Finally, they had all piled into Adam's car and now, at least for the next forty five minutes, Nick could pretty much sit in the back with his own thoughts until they reached Heraklion.

After passing the airport on the main highway, Adam turned immediately and headed towards Heraklion city centre, making another turn just before the mayhem of the main square, to progress down Knossos street, leading to the famous Palace of Knossos. Knossos Street, became considerably more rural the nearer they got to the palace, with areas of fields and olive groves to be seen stretching out on either side of them.

"Round about here you should be telling the guests about Authur Evans's villa over there Nick," Fay reminded him, pointing to a collection of white washed buildings, half hidden by trees, to the right of them. "And maybe mentioning the fact that underneath most of the land that can be seen all around us now lies the ancient city of Knossos."

"Yes Nick, come on," Sal said, nudging him. "You can just pretend me and Adam are like dumb tourists and know nothing."

"Err, Sal, I hate to admit it, but we are like dumb tourists and we do know nothing…about Knossos anyway. Shame on me, I should have taken time off work to do this before now," Adam commented.

"Yeah sorry," Nick said, running a hand over his face. "I'll start from here."

For not the first time that day, Sal glanced at Nick with concern. Something just wasn't right with him.

"So, Fay is correct, the Greek government just doesn't have the money to excavate the whole site. Remember that we are going to see the palace, which was the centre and most important building in the ancient city, but below us for miles around, are the remains of all the other city buildings and houses etcetera. And opps, yes, we have just passed the villa of Sir Authur Evans, the English gentleman who devoted practically all of his wealth and many, many years of his life to the excavation of the Palace of Knossos. Did I miss anything out Fay?" he asked.

"Oh boy, if you did, she will pick up on it," Adam warned.

"That's okay; I could do with someone to fill in the bits that I miss," Nick said.

"You know what, at this stage, I would just stress what an amazing find the Palace was and how incredibly old it is, dating back to 1900BC. Considering how advanced the facilities of the Palace were, it makes the age of it even more amazing. People have said that if a modern day person were to 'book' into one of the palace rooms as it is now, they would enjoy practically all the comforts of a modern day hotel room," Fay pointed out.

"Cool, let's book in," Sal chuckled. "I've never stayed in a palace before."

"Hmm, I somehow don't think that's allowed Sal," Fay replied. "You could also mention that Evans began excavations in 1900, and maybe that he came up with the idea of the Minoan civilization which inhabited Knossos, naming it after the mythical King Minos, who was supposed to have ruled Crete. Oh and also that he discovered two types of ancient script which he named Linear A and Linear B, and that Linear A, used by the people of Knossos, is still not understood."

"Yeah, I should have thought of that. I really should have brought a pen and notebook," Nick admitted.

Fay went into her handbag and pulled out those exact objects, passing them over her shoulder to him.

Adam laughed. "She's damn organized too."

They parked the car in the main car park for the Palace, which was only a few minutes walk away from the entrance. The section of road between the car park and the entrance was lined with tavernas and souvenir shops, selling every kind of ornament, poster and guide book relating to the palace. At the entrance, they strolled under a shaded walkway of vertical wooden posts, supporting an open lattice roof, and emerged into a courtyard where they found the ticket booth, the Palace's official souvenir shop and a café.

"Here," Nick said, reaching into the pocket of his shorts and pulling out his wallet, "go get us four tickets, and see if you can sweet talk the guy into giving us a company discount," he said, taking out a fifty Euro note and handing it to Fay.

She frowned at it. "No, don't be silly, we can pay for ours."

Nick shook his head. "No, you're doing me a favour; I'll pay."

"No you won't," Adam cut in. "You get as many ideas as you can off Fay and then you can do the Knossos tours for us, so we will pay this time. You can pay for us when you rake in all the money from the quest."

Nick looked down at the fifty Euro note that was still in his hand, thought for a moment, and then shrugged, slipping it back into his wallet.

"You're the boss," he said.

"Ha ha, yes he is," Sal grinned, watching Fay and Adam approach the ticket booth.

It was then, when Nick had time to think again, that the anguish of his situation hit him once more, and all the more so for having seen a man sitting in the café with a baby on his knee.

Sal turned just in time to see the look of utter turmoil on Nick's face and her heart thudded with concern.

"Nick, what's wrong?" Sal said, taking hold of his arm.

He checked himself, running a hand over his face. "It's nothing; I'm just tired," he replied.

No, she wasn't buying that at all.

"Hold on a sec," she said, rushing up to Fay and Adam who were waiting in the queue for tickets. "We'll be back in about ten or fifteen minutes," she told Fay, "we're just going to look in some of the souvenir shops across the road."

"No problem," Fay replied. "We will be a while in this queue anyway, and then we'll probably just get a drink."

"Okay, we'll meet you in the café," Sal answered, rushing back to Nick. "Come here, I want to talk to you," she said, grabbing him by the hand and leading him, heart pumping, back out to the road. They walked a little way back towards the car park, until Sal spotted a low brick wall in the tiny garden of a padlocked building. She stopped there and took a seat, pulling Nick down next to her.

"What's up?" he said, trying his best to sound as if nothing were wrong as far as he was concerned.

"Nick," she sighed, taking hold of his hand again. "I care about you, and I know you pretty well by now, which is why I know there is something very wrong."

He stared at her, completely at a loss as to what to do or say. He wanted so badly to share his problem with her, but he just couldn't. Finally, so strung with tension, he exhaled loudly and hung his head in his hands.

"Oh Nick," she said, putting her arms around his shoulders and resting her head against his arm, "what is upsetting you so much? You can tell me you know, whatever it is."

"Thanks Sal," he said simply, resting his cheek against her head.

Why wouldn't he tell her?

"Is it your father?" she asked. "Is that what is making you so sad?"

He had to say something.

"Yes," he said finally, sitting back up. She dropped her arms but sat beside him, watching him intently. "Partly, It's my father, and ….just everything at the moment. It's all getting on top of me I guess."

Taking his hand again, she lifted it to her mouth, pressing a kiss there and then resting her cheek against the back of his hand, before looking up at him with incredible sympathy.

"I'm here sweetheart, when you need me. I'll always be here for you," she said.

Damn it, he couldn't cry. Not there, and mostly because he was afraid that if he broke down, he'd end up telling her about Jen. But what she'd just said was the exact thing that he feared most: that she wouldn't be there for him once she found out about a baby.

"I'm just so worried I'll upset you and push you away," he suddenly blurted out.

"What?" Where did that come from? "Don't be silly. Me? I won't get upset with you," she smiled.

He suddenly needed to know how she would react if she found out that he was going to father Jen's child. Maybe she would still stick by him. Maybe it wouldn't affect them. Oh God, but it probably would.

"You're kind of the only thing that makes sense in my life," he went on. "I don't want to let you down."

A frown flickered across Sal's brow, a frown from both confusion and the pain that she was feeling for him. Her eyes intensified to the brightest green, searching his frantically, trying to understand him.

"You won't let me down; you couldn't," she assured him.

"But what if I did, it's just that it wasn't deliberate?" he asked.

"Then it would be out of your hands, and not your fault, and I'd forgive you this terrible thing that you are supposedly going to do," she laughed, trying to lighten his mood.

It worked. With her, it always worked. Her words made everything so incredibly simple, as though by just saying them, she could make it happen, and in that moment he believed her. Maybe she really would be there for him. For the time being at least, she'd taken a huge weight off his shoulders and he felt free again.

He smiled back at her and gave a small laugh. She laughed too.

"Come here silly," she said, reaching out for him again, and hugging him around the middle. He put his arms around her, feeling her soft 'Sal' curves against him, and inhaling her perfume as he kissed the top of her head. It was so comforting just being with her. "Nothing is going to go wrong, and I'm never going to desert you; we're friends forever, remember?" she said, nuzzling against him.

"For sure," he replied. "Sorry Sal… for being stupid."

She leant back from him. "You're not stupid, and you can talk to me any time, about anything. Okay? But for now I think that Adam and Fay will be waiting, and you, my bestest friend, oh and the 'best rep…" she paused and tutted at herself, "…in the world," she laughed, "have got the most amazing ancient palace of Europe to show me round."

"Yeah, come on," he said, jumping up off the wall and throwing an arm over her shoulder as they strolled back towards the entrance. "Best rep in the world eh?" he chuckled.

Update

I haven't touched this story for a while until recently. When rereading it, I was inspired to start writing again and have edited and added quite a bit more content/extra chapters which I believe (hope) has improved it. My aim is to continue editing and finally finish the book. See 'Fun In The Sun Edited' book for extra chapters and updates.
 

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Tag der Veröffentlichung: 01.07.2012

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