Escape Route

Five

Our day was fully planned thanks to Emerson. He woke me up early as we needed to reach certain places by a certain time. I had to admit that having an experienced traveler by my side really helped.

Sébastien was already waiting for us outside. He was very excited to see us again.

Emerson felt that a quiet mood wouldn't give us motivation for the day. He played some songs from his cellphone in the passenger seat. I would occasionally catch him making funny faces, in the side mirror, while wearing his new sunglasses. They were so dumb, but I couldn't help but smile.

Our first stop was at Acropolis, which involved a lot of climbing. It required quite the lower body strength, which I unfortunately lacked. It seemed as if Emerson flew up.

"You want me to carry you up?" I heard him shout, I swear I could hear a smile in his voice. "A little faster would do."

"Emerson." I said sternly. "Keep quiet, I'm trying to concentrate."

"On what?" he laughed.

"The stairs. If I fall, you'll have no choice but to carry me."

We eventually reached the top. It took a while for me to catch my breath and have a gulp of water, before actually seeing the view. But what my eyes saw was just wonders.
All around us were ancient dilapidated buildings. Beautifully carved pillars and astounding statues.

Before I could even turn around, I heard a sudden click behind me. To my surprise, it was Emerson taking a picture of me.

"Candid shots." He smiled pleasingly, showing me the image. "The best kind."

I must admit the picture was lovely. He really knew his stuff.

"C'mon, stand over there and face me." he pointed and stepped back as I positioned myself. A few clicks and poses later, a few of Emerson as well, we continued exploring the ancient ruins. Certain places got too crowded and we decided to head off.

Next on the agenda was the Acropolis museum. It was a grand experience. There were too many things to look at and study. My eyes didn't know where to start. This made Emerson laugh until he ushered me into one direction for us to begin.

The museum consisted of many sculptures, pottery, and statues. Even the ones that are well known for their missing arms and heads. Emerson and I took turns taking some pictures and he said that it was necessary to have a few silly ones as well. We were roaming around for some time.

As I was done reading some information on certain artifacts, I turned around to find Emerson at the corner of the room near the stretched windows. They revealed a perfect view of the outside.
When I got a bit nearer, I couldn't help but notice the deep gaze he had. My phone was already on camera mode and I clicked away. He actually looked cute with his long wavy hair pushed back and his snap back on backwards.

"Hey." I touched his arm to get his attention, he instantly turned to me. "What you thinking about?"

He gave me mischievous smile. "Well if you must know..." he unexpectedly leaned closer to my ear and whispered, "You have no idea how badly I want to scream right now."

I pushed him away playfully. "What?" I asked amusingly.

"Yeah, like this room is kinda quiet and I just have the urge to let it all out." he clenched his hand and made a face of agony.

"Well, if you pull a stunt like that, we'll not only be kicked out, but we'll never get to come in again." I huffed.

"You're probably hungry." I suggested. "You know of any good places Mr Tour guide? "

"I'd thought you'd never ask!" he exclaimed, reaching for his phone. A few heads turned towards us and an embarrassed Emerson muttered an apology, which was quite amusing.

×

We had a bite to eat at the streets of Plaks and Monastiraki. The atmosphere was lively and fun, with its colorful buildings. The streets welcomed all sorts of delicious aromas which made you confused about where to dine. Emerson and I agreed to a little café that had some cool tree-shade that we were grateful for. The atmosphere was more relaxed than others and I definitely needed that.

Emerson ordered a grygo which was meat and veggies in a pita. In all honesty, I already wanted a bite from his plate. The aroma made it irresistible as well as the placing. I opted for a spanakopita which was some sort of spinach pie. The steam proved that they were freshly made.

After some convincing, Emerson allowed me to have taste of his dish and I offered him a bite of mine. We both enjoyed each dish.

Emerson recommended that we stroll along the streets and explore a little more. It helped the food to settle. The streets were too beautiful to describe. They had luscious green plants wherever you looked, simply breathtaking.

We walked towards a street vender that played some lovely, relaxing Greek music on his guitar. Many tourists tipped him and walked off, but for some reason we stayed.

Emerson quickly nodded to the guy as he dropped his backpack next to him. He quickly walked over to me and took my hesitant hand in his.

"Emerson, what are you doing?" I asked nervously. "No."

He pulled me closer again when I tried to move away. "I can't dance." I said adamant.

He just gave me a reassuring smile and positioned us correctly. "Sometimes you have to get out of that little comfort zone of yours Riles. Life is full of lessons. Let me be your teacher for the day."

With a few missteps and stumbles, Emerson tried to coach me as best as he could. When I looked up at him, there wasn't a sign of frustration or amusement, just an encouraging smile.
I slowly started getting into the swing of things and just allowed him to lead me. My body felt like it didn't belong to me anymore. I was floating.

The song started to fade and my body was unexpectedly dipped by Emerson. My eyes immediately fell on his hazel ones. I couldn't hear the music anymore, but only our breaths. He smiled down tenderly.

Just as he slowly lifted me back up, the sound of a text brought us back to reality. Emerson quickly scratched around in his shorts for his phone and was silent for a while.

"Something wrong?" I asked, curious at the silence.

"It's my dad." he replied plainly, eyes still on the phone and his jaw clenched. "He knows where I am. And that if I don't come back home, he'll get me himself. If that's not all, he's going to stop my bank cards very soon. Dammit!" he sighed in frustration as he rested both arms on his head.

"But we're going back tomorrow, right?"

He turned to look at me and smiled mischievously as he shoved his phone back inside his pocket. "No Riley." he held both of my arms in his hands. "This trip is not over yet. Pack your things... because we're off to Santorini."

Author's Note:

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