The two of them didn’t speak much as they wander down the steep, curved path down from the highest point in Oia down to the Ammoudi quaysides, back towards where Leo had parked his rented motorbike. Sophia wasn’t sure exactly what to say.
The evening had left Sophia conflicted. She’d had a wonderful time with Leo, first at the beach, and then high up watching the sunset over the white houses and the Byzantine ruins, and if it hadn’t been for their encounter with the cops, she doubted she would have regretted a moment. With Leo, she felt reckless. Before him, she’d never dared do anything that qualified as adventurous, let alone illegal. She’d definitely never trespassed before.
But before him, she’d also never been almost arrested.
“How did you do that?” she asked as they turned the final curve in the steps down to the ocean. “How did you get her to let us go?”
Leo shrugged. “I knew what to say.”
She raised an eyebrow. “You knew-?”
“Does it matter, Phia?” he interrupted, offering his hand to her after he jumped down an unusually steep stair. “Right now, does it matter?”
She took his hand, marvelling at the way their hands seemed to fit perfectly together, and let him steady her as she descended. “Leo…”
“You can ask me whatever you want when we’re back at the ship,” he said, lacing his fingers with hers as they finally reached flat ground. “Until then, can we enjoy these moments? Can we finish our date as though that woman didn’t show up and we just watched the sunset together?”
Sophia hesitated. She wasn’t good at letting things go, as much as Leo made her wish she was, and the whole thing had been an unpleasant reminder that as exciting as it felt with him, she knew nothing about him. “I don’t know, Leo.”
“It’s nothing bad, Sophia,” he said, his grip on her hand squeezing hers in a wordless, desperate plea. “I know that doesn’t make me sound trustworthy, and I know you must have a lot of questions, but I promise you I have answers.”
She stared at him, her heart thudding at his earnest expression. She wanted to believe him, she really, really did, but despite their adventures both on Santorini and in Athens, she wasn’t sure she was ready to throw caution to the wind and trust him.
But she’d spent years being careful, settling for a guy who seemed safe and trustworthy – and boring – and it had gotten her nowhere. Maybe it would be worth it to abandon caution for once, to stop overthinking, and see what might happen with a man who made her laugh, who made her impulsive, who made her heart race.
Even if she didn’t really know him yet.
“Okay,” she said, beaming when Leo visibly relaxed. “Okay, I’ll save the questions for later and focus on right now.”
He grinned, bent to press his lips to hers, and then he slung his arm around her shoulders and began to lead her along the quayside. Sophia leant into him, her arm around his waist. They were surrounded by the soft sound of families chatting in the still open seafood restaurants and the rhythmic strumming of Bouzouki music, the warm lights from the restaurant’s reflected beside the moon in the still sea.
“Have you had a good time?” he asked when they were halfway around the Bay.
“Of course,” she said, surprised by the question. She glanced up at him, returning his slow smile. “Everything was wonderful until-”
“Our close shave with the law?”
“Exactly.” Sophia sighed, cuddling closer as their pace slowed, as though in the silent agreement to try and make their time together last as long as possible. “Leo?”
“Yeah?”
“You know, back in Athens, how you said that you thought most people struggled to keep up with you and that I might be different?” Leo frowned and nodded. “I don’t think I am. I don’t do this sort of thing. You were right when you said I was the type of person who did things by the book. I wait three days before calling a guy. I don’t have sex on the first date. I actually pay attention to ‘no trespassing’ signs. Except, apparently, with you.”
Leo’s arm loosened around her. “What does that mean?”
“I don’t know,” she said honestly. “I just know that with you, I’m different. I don’t feel like myself.”
“And is that a good thing or a bad thing?”
“I think… I feel like the sort of person I always wanted to be but never let myself be.” She stepped away from his embrace, moving to stand in front of him in the centre of the promenade. “I’m taking risks and being impulsive and I’ve never really done that before. So, yeah, I think it’s good. Scary, but good. I mean, you said you were falling in love with me and I think I want to be the sort of person who falls in love with you. I want to be the sort of person who doesn’t care that it’s too fast and we hardly know each other. Even though it’s too fast and we don’t really know each other.”
Leo chuckled and reached for her, sliding his arms around her waist and pulling her against him. “Well, if that’s what you want…”
He kissed her. Sophia clutched at him, one arm around his neck and the other buried in his hair. When she deepened the kiss, his tongue teased hers briefly before he drew back, a playful smirk on his face when she tried to chase his lips.
“That’s exactly what I want,” she murmured, and that was enough for him to grin and drop another quick kiss to her lips. “I want to be someone who can keep up with you. I want to be free with you.”
She wasn’t sure what it was she’d said to dim his smile, but his grin was gone and his brows were furrowed. “True freedom’s hard to find, Phia.”
There wasn’t a response to that, not one she could think of anyway before Leo shook his mood off and apologised. It wasn’t enough for her to abandon her concern, but he was grinning again and his smile was always distracting.
He stepped back, keeping one arm around her waist and the other taking her hand in his, and then they were swaying together to the faint music they could still hear from the other end of the bay.
“What are you doing?” she asked with a laugh. “Leo, people are watching!”
Leo glanced over at the windows of the nearest restaurant and shrugged. “We’re being free,” he said, holding her hand to his heart. “Who cares if people see?”
She shook her head, amused, and then let him lead her in a dance, resting her head against his chest as they moved together. He sang along to the music; his voice was quiet, low and slightly off-key as he crooned to her in Greek, the same folk song the Bouzouki was playing.
When he spun her under his arm, she didn’t care who was watching.
The moment she was back in his arms, he dipped her, muffling her squeal with a kiss. One hand spanned her waist, the other her upper back, her hair tangled between his fingers. Sophia clung to his shoulders, his leather jacket smooth under her fingers.
And maybe it was too fast and they barely knew each other, but she was pretty sure she was already falling in love with him.