A Place We Once Knew

Now I Dance Alone

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Used To Love - Dean Lewis

Walking through the door of this old and lonely
Place that used to feel like us
Remembering the only thing that made me
Feel like I was worth the love
We used to hold hands, now I dance alone
We had Springsteen playing so loud
We danced in the dark till it felt like home
With you home was anywhere
But you will never be left behind
Give me a moment, I need just a little more time
If I could I would have made things right
But we can't go back to the way that we used to love

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The airport in Athens was overwhelming. People were everywhere, walking in every direction. She didn't understand what they were saying. She couldn't read the signs. She didn't know the first thing about this country and she had no idea what to do. She could barely navigate an airport by herself in America, let alone in a foreign country! She made her way to the service counter, and after finding someone who could speak English, she inquired about getting a flight back to the US, but unfortunately, there weren't any available for 2 more two days. And judging by the price of the last minute ticket, she might as well stay here.

She was stuck in Greece.

She decided right then and there that she would have to make the most of the accidental impromptu trip. Hell, if anything, at least she'd get a nice tan and some relaxing time to herself at the beach! She navigated her way to baggage claim and retrieved her luggage before stopping at the gift shop. She purchased a book titled "Helpful Greek phrases: A Traveler's Guide to Speaking Greek" and a bottle of water and headed towards the main entrance of the airport. She retried the hotel information from her bag that Ross had luckily left with her. The beach resort was 30 km from the airport, which wasn't bad at all. It wasn't Mykonos or Santorini like she would have hoped for, but it looked nice enough. Ross had all kinds of information printed off for tours of historical sights and museums in the information booklet. Of course he did - only Ross would want to do that on his honeymoon. Emily must have really loved him to agree to do all of that as well. She wondered if she would make time to see any of those tours, but she already knew in the back of her mind she probably wouldn't get around to it. Hell - she was just happy to have a free week on the beach in Greece! Not too shabby for Rachel!

She picked up her bags, made a stop at a currency exchange center, and then made her way to the line of taxis outside the airport. She felt oddly optimistic about this solo adventure.

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After what felt like an eternity, she finally dropped her suitcase on the floor of the hotel room and collapsed on to the king size bed. The emotional exhaustion of the last 24 hours had begun to set in and the jet lag was about to get the best of her. She could have fallen asleep right then and there, but since it was still very early evening in Greece, she wanted to try to get her internal clock adjusted as quickly as possible. She pulled herself up off the bed so she could unpack her suitcase and make this place feel like home for the next week.

The room was certainly a honeymoon suite. There was a tray of chocolate-covered strawberries and a bottle of champagne chilling on a table against the wall. A vase of roses sat on the nightstand and a few more roses were scattered over the bedspread. She wondered if Ross requested these things or if it was just part of the whole package. She shuddered as she imagined Ross and Emily enjoying this room together.

She walked into the bathroom and her jaw nearly hit the floor. The walk-in shower had 4 shower heads coming from four different angles! A heart-shaped jacuzzi tub sat across from it.